What the Cup of Excellence results tell us
The lots that scored, the farms that keep appearing, and the prices after.
The same names, again
A handful of estates dominate the top ten year after year. That is not a rigged result; it is what happens when the same families sort more carefully than everyone else.
The interesting data is just below the winners: farms that moved from 84 to 87 points, which usually means a new drying bed.
A competition is a price signal before it is a ranking.
What happens after the auction
Winning lots set a reference price that the rest of the island reads. A high auction result lifts farm-gate prices within weeks.
It also pulls the winning farms out of the domestic market, which is why the best coffee is often easier to buy abroad than in Taipei.
Disclosure: this article contains no affiliate links. Prices and dates checked in October 2026. Our methodology.