Thank you for your interest in being a judge for the 2026 Best of Hawai'i competition! This competition strives to strengthen the Hawaii coffee brand and foster growth domestically and internationally to celebrate the hard work, innovation, and ingenuity of regional coffee producers.
We welcome anyone who has experience, qualifications, and credentials to support this event to being a success by applying! Each applicant will be evaluated along criteria including previous cupping experience, international certifications or credentials, global representation, and availability to travel to the event. Please review the following stipulations to participation BEFORE applying.
The cupping evaluation is scheduled to take place the week of March 23-27, 2026, in Missouri City, TX USA (located just outside of Houston, TX). As a judge, you will be responsible for your own travel to and from the cupping event. A small daily stipend will be provided as well as hotel room and meals during the day. The competition will take place over a minimum of 4 days. The results of the event will be shared at the Hawaii Coffee Association Annual Conference held July 30-Aug 1. All expenses to attend the annual conference will be the responsibility of each individual judge.
If you have any questions, please contact the Competition Manager: Tim Heinze at timheinzesea@gmail.com.