Kenneth Davids Cup

A New Global Award Recognizing Excellence in Roasted Retail Coffee

Coffee Review is proud to announce the inaugural Kenneth Davids Cup, a new global award honoring excellence in roasted retail coffee. Named for coffee pioneer and Coffee Review co-founder Kenneth Davids, the awards celebrate the roaster’s craft and the tradition and innovation of coffee producers worldwide. Roasters will be recognized in three coffee categories: Traditional Washed, Traditional Natural and Experimental. Winning roasters will be recognized in both the United States and International categories.

All roasters are invited to submit one roasted coffee per category free of charge for consideration between July 1st, 2026, and July 10th, 2026.

Winners and Finalists will be announced on August 5th, 2026.

Sponsorship Opportunities are available before, during, and after this exciting new global event.

Submission Categories

U.S. Roasters: Traditional Washed
U.S. Roasters: Traditional Natural
U.S. Roasters: Experimental
International Roasters: Traditional Washed
International Roasters: Traditional Natural
International Roasters: Experimental

U.S. 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 award 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 whose coffee scores 90 or higher 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.

The mailing address for submissions is:

Coffee Review
Attn: Kenneth Davids Cup
2625 Alcatraz Ave. #263
Berkeley, CA, USA 94705

For roaster and media inquiries, please contact:
kim@coffeereview.com

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
ron@coffeereview.com