From Sample Roasting to Judging: Lao Green Coffee Competition 2023

Our team joined the international judging panel at the Lao Green Coffee Competition 2023 in Pakse. Natt Muangsiri and Natchaya Kitcharoen were among the international judges, with Head Judge Filip Bartelak and Assistant Judge Katarzyna Zyzało-Moczydłowska leading the panel. Natt’s panel introduction also names Sara Ali, Shaun Ong, Young-Jun Noh (Ryan) and Khamsone Sysanhouth.

CQI’s announcement placed the competition in Pakse on 19–24 March 2023, with the winners to be announced on 25 March. It named Natt among the Q Graders joining the judging panel.

The work began with the green coffee. Samples were separated for roasting, physical evaluation and storage, then coded before assessment. Green grading, moisture and density measurements helped the judges examine quality before returning to the cupping table.

The competition brought together 64 Arabica and Robusta coffees, including washed, honey, natural and experimental processing. Our team was entrusted by the Head Judge with roasting the competition samples. Calibration and consistent sample preparation gave the judging team a shared starting point for comparing the coffees.

For us, this was an opportunity to connect the work of roasting with the responsibility of judging. Preparing samples and evaluating them alongside an international panel brought several parts of coffee quality assessment into the same conversation.

The European Union’s recap also celebrated the competition winners, including producers supported through Team Europe projects. Its update highlighted the place of Lao coffee in European and wider international markets.

One producer’s update brought that recognition into focus. CPC Coffee Laos reported that its organic washed Robusta received 83.44 points and won first place, crediting the work of its members and staff. We shared their celebration alongside our account of joining the international judging and roasting panels.

Away from the judging tables, the team also visited Lucky Coffee Farm and Skat Coffee Farm in southern Laos. Our account describes learning about coffee varieties and seeing post-harvest work, including drying, hulling and fermentation. The farm-visit album adds a view of the producers’ work to the competition story.

Natt also shared a judging-panel reel acknowledging the wider project network. His account credits the USDA-funded CLEAN Project implemented by Winrock International and the EU-funded ARISE Plus Lao PDR project implemented by the International Trade Centre, alongside the local and international partners supporting Lao coffee.

Lao National Radio reported that the awards ceremony took place on 25 March 2023 at Pakse Hotel in Pakse, Champasak.

The final album celebrated the Arabica and Robusta award recipients. Congratulations to the producers, and thank you to the judging team and everyone who supported the competition. Explore the original judging, preparation and awards albums below.

The original source post is preserved below.