Cup Engineering

The scan

What's new in coffee

Industry news, published research, notable bean releases and equipment launches, gathered by a weekly scan and ranked by how much they should change what you do at the brew bar. Highlighted cards are the must-reads.

AllIndustryResearchBeansEquipment|Must-reads only

Week of Sep 14, 2026

1 item
BeansGlobal Coffee ReportT4 · Press

Pact Coffee Pays Record $55.50/kg for DRC's First Anaerobic Coffee Lot

At the Best of Congo Cooperatives auction (Sept 1-3, 2026) in London, UK roaster Pact Coffee outbid 63 other buyers to win Izuba, the top-scoring lot from growers at the Yetu Qahwah washing station — the first anaerobically fermented coffee produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The winning bid of $55.50/kg set a new price record for Congolese coffee; judges cited caramel and honey notes with a cognac-like finish. Every lot in the auction sold, with bidders from three continents.

Why it matters: It shows DRC moving beyond commodity-grade robusta and washed arabica into experimental fermentation, and Congolese lots starting to compete on price with more established East African origins.

Publication date unknown · collected Sep 14, 2026

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Week of Sep 5, 2026

6 items
BeansNewsroom Panama· Aug 8, 2026T4 · Press

Best of Panama 2026: 40 winning lots sealed for the 23 September online auction

The 30th Best of Panama announced its 2026 winners on 1 August: Elida Estate took Geisha Washed at 96.25 points, Lérida Estate took Geisha Natural at 95.63, Altieri Specialty Coffee won Varietals at 93.63 and Hacienda La Esmeralda won the Copa Panamá for highest accumulated score. Forty lots are now held under external audit at the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama ahead of the international electronic auction on 23 September 2026. Last year's auction set the all-time record of $30,204 per kg for an Esmeralda washed Geisha.

Why it matters: The auction sets the price ceiling for the whole Gesha market; if you want a 2026 BoP lot, watch roasters like Proud Mary, Archers and Onyx in October to December when the winning lots ship.

Published Aug 8, 2026 · collected Sep 5, 2026

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BeansDaily Coffee News· Aug 26, 2026T4 · Press

Best of Congo Cooperatives puts 14 traceable DRC microlots up for auction 1-3 September

The 2026 Best of Congo Cooperatives program offers 32 coffees from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: 14 international-winner microlots sold on the M-Cultivo auction platform from 1 to 3 September, plus 18 national winners on an offer sheet. Auction lots run from 86 to 300 kg with bids opening at $13 per kg ($5.90 per lb), and the catalogue spans fully washed, natural and anaerobic-fermentation lots, several produced by women's groups.

Why it matters: Congo remains one of the least-seen East African origins on roaster menus; lots bought here will surface as single origins in October to November, so it is a chance to taste Kivu coffees outside the usual Rwanda and Burundi rotation.

Published Aug 26, 2026 · collected Sep 5, 2026

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BeansSprudgeT4 · Press

Presta Coffee Roasters releases three lots from Yemen's Al-Khanshali Estate

Tucson's Presta Coffee Roasters has released three separate lots from Al-Khanshali Estate, the Yemeni farm project started by Port of Mokha founder Mokhtar Alkhanshali after eight years working with Yemeni growers. The lots are from the 2025 harvest, sold in 4 oz bags at $30 to $40 each or as a three-lot set for $95; one lot is described as ripe pineapple and chocolate-covered strawberry opening into hibiscus with a creamy body.

Why it matters: Yemen arrives in consuming countries this quarter and estate-level, lot-separated Yemeni coffee is still very rare; the 4 oz format makes a side-by-side of three lots affordable.

Publication date unknown · collected Sep 5, 2026

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BeansSey CoffeeT5 · Maker / roaster

Sey releases its first Aji separation from William Ortiz's La Cabaña in Pitalito, Huila

Sey's 2026 Colombia line-up from William Ortiz (La Cabaña, Pitalito, Huila, 1,700 masl) now includes a single-variety Aji lot, the first time Sey has offered this rare Colombian variety from him. Cherries are floated, held overnight, de-pulped, dry-fermented for 36 hours, washed and dried on raised beds to 10.5% moisture. Sey describes the cup as rose, açaí and ripe raspberry. Sibling lots from the same farm include Chiroso, Pink Bourbon and a second-harvest Chiroso.

Why it matters: Aji is one of the few Colombian varieties with a cup as floral and fruit-driven as Gesha; this is a rare chance to compare Aji, Chiroso and Pink Bourbon from one producer and one process.

Publication date unknown · collected Sep 5, 2026

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BeansPerfect Daily GrindT4 · Press

Non-Gesha varieties are taking Cup of Excellence top spots even as Gesha dominates barista stages

Perfect Daily Grind reviews the 2026 competition season and finds a split: most finalists at the 2025 World Barista Championship and 2026 World Brewers Cup still used Gesha (often blended with other varieties), but at Cup of Excellence the winners were a Bernardina at Finca La Esperanza in El Salvador (91.95 points), a Parainema in Honduras and a washed Java in Costa Rica. Gesha still holds the most category titles overall, but locally adapted and landrace varieties are beating it on the cupping table.

Why it matters: If you buy competition lots, Bernardina, Parainema and Java are now the varieties to try; they cup at Gesha level and sell for far less at auction.

Publication date unknown · collected Sep 5, 2026

varietiescup-of-excellencecompetition
BeansSey CoffeeT5 · Maker / roaster

Sey's 2026 Peru season opens with a wet-fermented SL9 from Carlos Saenz's Machay Pata

Sey's 2026 Peru release from Carlos Saenz (Machay Pata, in the valley around Amaybamba) is a washed lot of the SL9 variety, de-pulped on the day of harvest, wet-fermented for 32 hours and dried on raised beds to 10.5% moisture. Sey describes the cup as mango, jasmine and lychee. It joins other 2026 Peru lots from the Saenz family and Gilber Huayllas as the new Peruvian crop lands.

Why it matters: Peru is at peak freshness now and SL9 is a variety most drinkers have never tasted; this is a clean washed benchmark for the origin before the more common Typica and Caturra lots arrive.

Publication date unknown · collected Sep 5, 2026

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