We’re pleased to announce the finalists for the inaugural Kenneth Davids Cup, our new global award honoring excellence in roasted retail coffee. Named for coffee pioneer and Coffee Review co-founder Kenneth Davids, the awards support our mission of helping consumers find superior quality coffees, while recognizing the roasters and farmers who produce them.
The response from the roaster community exceeded our wildest imagination: We received many hundreds of samples from roasters in 35 U.S. states, 14 countries, and 34 coffee-producing origins.
Winners are expected to be announced starting Wednesday, August 19. In the meantime, we’ve narrowed the field to an impressive list of finalists, representing the most exceptional coffees we received in each category. Finalists and winners are recognized in three coffee categories: Traditional Washed, Traditional Natural and Experimental. Roasters will be recognized in both the United States and International categories.
The coffee roasting companies below were named as Finalists for the 2026 Kenneth Davids Cup.
Traditional Washed Coffees – United States Roasters
Barrington Coffee Roasting Co. (Massachusetts)
Big Island Coffee Roasters (Hawaii)
Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters (Idaho)
Hula Daddy Kona Coffee (Hawaii)
Indaba Coffee Roasters (Washington)
JBC Coffee Roasters (Wisconsin)
Milk & Honey Coffee Roaster (North Carolina)
Nirvana Soul Coffee (California)
Silver Bridge Coffee Company (Ohio)
The Westside Coffee Company (Utah)
Willoughby’s Coffee & Tea (Connecticut)
Traditional Washed Coffees – International Roasters
Coffea Cafes Especiales (Guatemala)
Feng Ding (Taiwan)
Lin Jei Wei’s Black Jar Coffee (Taiwan)
Mikro Coffee Roasters (Australia)
Traditional Natural Coffees – United States Roasters
Bean & Bean Coffee Roasters (New York)
Heady Cup Coffee Roasters (Illinois)
Hula Daddy Kona Coffee (Hawaii)
Jaunt Coffee Roasters (California)
Magnolia Coffee (North Carolina)
Traditional Natural Coffees – International Roasters
Dou Zhai Coffee & Roastery (Taiwan)
Gesha Coffee Roasters (Taiwan)
JaLu Café (Taiwan)
La Familia del Café (Guatemala)
Native Coffee Company (Panama, Colombia, United States)
Red Fruit Hand-Roasted Coffee (Taiwan)
Simon Hsieh Aroma Roast Coffees (Taiwan)
Experimental Coffees – United States Roasters
Barrington Coffee Roasting Co. (Massachusetts)
Bean & Bean Coffee Roasters (New York)
Durango Coffee Company (Colorado)
JBC Coffee Roasters (Wisconsin)
Magnolia Coffee (North Carolina)
Mudhouse Coffee Roasters (Virginia)
Peregrine Coffee Roasters (Colorado)
PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. (Kansas)
Red Rooster Coffee Roaster (Virginia)
Theory Coffee Roasters (California)
Telluride Coffee Roasters (Colorado)
Experimental Coffees – International Roasters
Café Arome
Dou Zhai Coffee & Roastery (Taiwan)
Fukohiyokan
Lin Jei Wei’s Black Jar Coffee (Taiwan)
Lean Coffee Roasters
Additional Event Details
Submission Categories
- Traditional Washed – United States Roasters
- Traditional Washed – International Roasters
- Traditional Natural – United States Roasters
- Traditional Natural – International Roasters
- Experimental – United States Roasters
- Experimental – International Roasters
United States roasters are those operating in one or more of the 50 states of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
International roasters are those operating in any country or geographical location outside of those listed above.
Category Details
Traditional Washed (for brewed applications; no espressos)
Coffees representing classic or legacy wet-processed types. Eligible coffees for the Traditional Washed category must meet all of the following criteria:
- Depulped processing: Coffee cherries were conventionally depulped, removing the skin and pulp prior to fermentation.
- Standard fermentation: Fermentation was conducted in open or covered (but not sealed) tanks using ambient, naturally occurring microorganisms.
- After fermentation, coffee was fully washed to remove remaining mucilage prior to drying.
- Conventional drying: Coffee was dried as parchment using traditional methods (e.g., patios, raised beds, mechanical dryers, or a combination thereof) to standard green-coffee moisture levels. (Exception: with traditional wet-hulled coffees, the drying may partly take place after removal of the parchment skin.)
The following processing methods or techniques disqualify a coffee from the Traditional Washed category:
- Anaerobic fermentation (sealed or oxygen-restricted environments)
- Carbonic maceration or similar techniques
- Inoculated fermentations (added yeasts, non-native bacteria, enzymes, or cultures)
- Extended or intentionally flavor-modifying fermentations
- Co-ferments or additions of fruit, botanicals, or other external materials at any point in processing
- Processing approaches primarily designed to impart overt fermented character
Traditional Natural (for brewed applications; no espressos)
Coffees representing classic dry-processed types. Eligible coffees for the Traditional Natural category must meet all of the following criteria:
- Whole cherry drying:
Coffee cherries were dried with skin, pulp, and mucilage intact, without depulping prior to drying. - Conventional natural fermentation:
Any fermentation occurred naturally inside the cherry during drying without intentional manipulation beyond standard drying management. - Traditional drying methods:
Drying was conducted using established methods such as raised beds, patios or mechanical dryers. - Post-drying hulling:
Dried cherries were hulled only after drying was complete, following standard dry-mill practices.
The following processing methods or techniques disqualify a coffee from the Traditional Natural category:
- Anaerobic fermentation (sealed or oxygen-restricted environments)
- Carbonic maceration or similar techniques
- Inoculated fermentations (added yeasts, bacteria, enzymes, or cultures)
- Coferments or additions of fruit, botanicals or external materials at any point during processing
- Partial depulping prior to drying (e.g., honey, pulped natural, semi-washed)
Experimental (for brewed applications; no espressos)
- Any style or philosophy not encompassed by the other two submission categories can be entered in this category, including coffee types developed in the 21st century to differentiate cup character by innovating with processing method.
- There are no restrictions on origin, variety, processing method or price point.
- Note that cofermented coffees are permitted, meaning that natural ingredients were added during fermentation, and flavors are integrated at a cellular level.
- Infused coffees, in which flavoring agents were added after fermentation and drying, and flavored coffees, in which such agents were added after roasting, are not eligible for this competition.
Additional Rules and Opportunities
Each roaster may enter only one coffee per category for which they qualify. Coffees must arrive at the Coffee Review lab no later than July 10th, 2026. All coffees submitted must be sent in retail packaging, contain a minimum of 12 ounces (340 grams), and be available to consumers for purchase. Each roaster must indicate in the shipment that coffees are intended for Kenneth Davids Cup Awards consideration and provide an email address where you can be reached.
The roasters of the top three coffees in each category will receive a physical and digital Kenneth Davids Cup medallion and a published standalone review of their winning coffee. The remaining top-scoring coffees in each category will be named as Kenneth Davids Cup Finalists.
All roasters will be notified of their scores prior to the announcement of the winners in each category. At that time, any roaster can opt to publish a standalone review at the standard service charge for blind reviews. All published reviews come with electronic score medallions to support marketing the coffee. If roasters opt to publish a standalone review on the Coffee Review site, those coffees will also be considered for our annual Top 50 Coffees list.
For roaster and media inquiries, please contact:
kim@coffeereview.com
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
ron@coffeereview.com
