A natural-process Geisha from Los Alpes farm in Nicaragua’s Dipilto region scored 92 points at the 2026 Cup of Excellence Nicaragua, the highest mark among 29 winning lots selected from 160 entries. The auction opens June 25.
The Coffee
The top-scoring lot in the 2026 Cup of Excellence Nicaragua comes from Los Alpes, a farm in Dipilto, a high-altitude growing area in Nicaragua’s Nueva Segovia department near the Honduran border. The lot is produced by Inversiones Valladarez Acevedo S.A. and processed as a natural Geisha, earning 92.00 points from the international jury and a Presidential Award, given to any lot scoring 90 or above.
Gesha (also written Geisha) is a variety originally from the Gesha region of Ethiopia, prized across the specialty world for its delicate floral character, pronounced fruit notes, and a lightness of body that sets it apart from most other varieties. Grown at high altitude in Nueva Segovia, it develops slowly, concentrating sugars and acidity. Under a natural process, the whole coffee cherry is dried intact before milling, allowing the fruit to ferment around the bean and amplify sweetness and complexity.
The washed category was led by El Cambalache farm, also in Dipilto, where producer Abner Samuel Zavala grew a Geisha lot that scored 91.44 — also a Presidential Award. Both top lots come from the same municipality, a strong signal of Nueva Segovia’s quality this year.
Where to Buy
The Cup of Excellence Nicaragua 2026 auction opens June 25. All 29 winning lots — including both the Los Alpes and El Cambalache Presidential Award lots — will be listed on the Alliance for Coffee Excellence auction platform. Registered buyers bid in real time, in USD per pound of green coffee. Top lots move quickly.
We will add links to any retailers in the coming weeks and months as they become available.
The Win
The Cup of Excellence is the world’s most established farm-level coffee competition, organized by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence since 1999. It has been held in Nicaragua multiple times over the years, giving producers in the country direct access to international buyers and the premiums that come with a recognized result.
In 2026, 160 lots were submitted by Nicaraguan producers. A national jury evaluated all entries through multiple rounds of blind cupping, followed by an international jury cupping in May. The 29 lots that scored above 87 points qualified for the June 25 auction, split across two categories: Washed and Natural & Honey. Auction prices are set by competitive bidding rather than fixed wholesale rates, and a top CoE result can significantly change what a small farm earns for years afterward.