The Hawaii Coffee Association has concluded its 17th annual Best of Hawai‘i competition, with a natural Gesha from Miranda’s Farms in Ka‘u receiving the highest score. Alongside the competition results, the association announced a major development for 2027: the launch of the first statewide Best of Hawai‘i coffee auction.
The 2026 competition featured several categories, including an Innovative Division for experimental processing and a new Hawaii Heritage Washed Division for traditional varieties. The top-scoring coffee, a natural-process Gesha from Miranda’s Farms, achieved a score of 87.84. Other first-place winners included Hanauna Coffee Company (Kona), A Coffee Farm (Ka‘u), Ka‘u Coffee Mill (Ka‘u), and Awful Coffee (Maui), with scores ranging from 85.70 to 87.17 across various divisions.
The new auction, planned for 2027, aims to create a direct channel between Hawaii's top coffee producers and the global market. The program is expected to feature a pre-selection round in Hawaii followed by a final judging round with international coffee professionals. The highest-scoring lots will then proceed to the inaugural auction, a platform intended to increase market access for producers and build the international profile of coffees from across the Hawaiian islands.