Amazing coffee doesn’t have to be full of caffeine.  For the 2026 Hacea Roasting Championship, we’re teaming up with Swiss Water Decaf to bring a unique new challenge to roasters of all sizes.  In this year’s challenge, roasters will receive both conventional and Swiss Water decaffeinated green coffee to roast into the perfect half-caff blend.  Both the conventional and decaffeinated coffees come from the same natural processed lot from the Muhororo Washing Station in Rwanda.  Roasters will submit a sample of roasted decaffeinated coffee and roasted sample of the conventional coffee, which will then be blended 50/50 by our judges to create the perfect half-caff blend.  Winners will be announced at a live online event on Friday July 17th, 2026.

Click here to order your entry pack! 

The Rules:

Submitting your entry

• Roasters may purchase their entry pack online through the Hacea Coffee Source website. Entry packs will be available in different sizes to accommodate different roaster sizes/capacities. This half-caff roasting competition will be limited to no more than 100 participants.

• All entry packs will begin shipping out from Hacea on May 29th.

• Entries are per person, not per company. Multiple individuals from a single company may enter, but each must purchase their own entry pack. One entry per purchased entry pack. Only one entry per company or individual will be accepted.

• Participants must submit exactly 200 grams of roasted decaf and exactly 200 grams of roasted conventional coffee in two separate bags that will be provided.  DO NOT PRE-BLEND YOUR COFFEE!  Your entry will be blended by Hacea Coffee Source at a 50/50 ratio for judging.

• Each entry must use the coffee provided in the competition pack exclusively, without any additional components, or be disqualified. Each coffee sample (decaf and conventional) must be packaged and labeled separately in the bags provided.

• All entries must fill out the provided identification label that is included on the roasted coffee bags. Circle either “Decaf” or “Conventional” for each corresponding entry. If your valve bags do not have the entry card attached, please handwrite on your valve bag your order number, full name, and label which sample is your light and dark roast entry.  Do not pre-blend your entry.  Each entry will be blended at a 50%-50% blend by the Hacea judging team.  Any entries pre-blended will be disqualified.
  

• A pre-paid return label and shipping envelope for shipping the two 200 gram bags will be emailed to you within 30 days of entries being due.** All return shipping labels will be sent out by the end of day June 15th, 2026. If you do not receive your return shipping label in your inbox by June 15th, 2026, please contact us right away! Unfortunately we cannot accommodate  pick up orders for the entry due to the return label process.

• Additional coffee can be ordered through our website:
  • Rwanda Nyamasheke Muhororo Natural
  • Swiss Water Decaf Rwanda Nyamasheke Muhororo Natural

• Entries must be received at the Hacea tasting room by Monday, July 13th for judging and evaluation.

Evaluations and judging

• Each coffee will be brewed for judging and evaluation with an AeroPress using Hacea’s AeroPress recipe. 

• All entries will be brewed for evaluation from July 15th-16th.

• Judging and evaluation will be based on a custom scoring rubric, which is detailed below. 

• All entrants will receive their complete scores with feedback from judges by email within two weeks after the winners are announced.

• The winners will be announced on July 17th, 2026.

• Prizes will be awarded for the top scores in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place. A complete list of prizes can be found below.

Additional rules and comments

• Additional coffee can be ordered separately, but the order number included with each entry submitted must match the order number that was used to purchase the competition entry pack.

• **INTERNATIONAL ORDERS  WILL NOT BE SENT A RETURN LABEL. INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE TO SHIP EACH ENTRY TO HACEA COFFEE SOURCE

Sensory Evaluation and Judging

Half-Caff Blend Evaluation (50 Points)

1. Flavor (10 points)

• 10-8: Clean, well-developed, highlights origin characteristics.

• 7-5: Mostly pleasant, but some muted or underwhelming notes. Flavors muddled and lacks clarity.

• 4-2: Unbalanced, bitter, or slightly underdeveloped.

• 1-0: Under-roasted, grassy, or off-putting flavors present.

2. Aftertaste (10 points)

• 10-8: Pleasant, lingering, and clean.

• 7-5: Fades quickly or slightly dry.

• 4-2: Harsh, sour, or astringent.

• 1-0: Unpleasant, bitter, or off-putting.

3. Acidity (10 points)

• 10-8: Vibrant, complex, and balanced.

• 7-5: Noticeable but slightly sharp or unbalanced.

• 4-2: Too sour, flat, or muted.

• 1-0: Unpleasantly sharp or non-existent.

4. Body (10 points)

• 10-8: Light yet structured, juicy, and balanced.

• 7-5: Noticeable but slightly thin or lacking depth.

• 4-2: Obviously thin.

• 1-0: Flat, hollow, or lacking presence.

5. Sweetness (10 points)

• 10-8: Complex and fruity sweetness present.

• 7-5: Some sweetness but not missing potential.

• 4-2: Lacking noticeable sweetness.

• 1-0: Overly dry, tart, or bitter.

The Prizes:

• Prizes will be awarded to the top 4 scoring coffees based on an average of all the judges scores.  Prizes will be announced online through Instagram on July 17th, 2026.  Winners will be notified afterwards via email and prizes will be shipped to the winners.

• 1st Place Prize - Fellow Ode Brew Grinder, Fellow Aiden Coffee Brewer, $200 gift certificate to Hacea online ($1764 value)

  • Fellow Ode Grinder

  • Fellow Aiden Brewer

  • Book Of Roast Volumes I & II - Presented by Roast Magazine
  • 20kg SWD Rwanda Namasheke Muhororo Natural - Presented by Swiss Water

• • $200 Hacea electronic gift card

• 2nd Place Prize - Fellow Ode Brew Grinder, Fellow Electric Kettle, AeroPress, Fellow Prismo, Fellow Shimmy, and $100 gift certificate to Hacea online  ($614 value)

  • Fellow Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle

  • AeroPress Clear

  • Fellow Prismo

  • Fellow Shimmy

  • $100 Hacea electronic gift card

  • 8kg SWD Rwanda Namasheke Muhororo Natural - Presented by Swiss Water

• 3rd Place Prize - AeroPress, Fellow kettle, Hacea cupping kit ($313 value)

  • Fellow Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle

  • AeroPress Clear

  • Hacea Cupping Kit

  • 2kg SWD Rwanda Namasheke Muhororo Natural - Presented by Swiss Water

• 4th Place Prize - Aeropress Clear, Fellow Shimmy, Prismo Filter ($120 value)
  • AeroPress Clear

• • Fellow Prismo

  • Fellow Shimmy

Click here to order your entry pack! 

Click here to download and print competition entry card.

Click here to download printed competition insert.