A monthly cupping for Hong Kong roasters who want to get better. Compete on the same beans, learn from the same cups, then put each other's winners on every shelf in the collective.
Not a zero-sum competition. A monthly gathering of roasters who compete and collaborate — sharpening each other's craft, and amplifying each other's sales through shared shelves.
Each month, roasters submit two cups to a blind community cupping. The top 3 in each category go on the shelves of every participating shop for one month, promoted by Curate and the entire cohort. Winners get the spotlight. Everyone gets the skill, the network, and the sales lift.
Each month, every contestant roasts two coffees against the same brief — one regular, one exotic, both from this month's announced processing method. Everyone competes at the same retail price. Skill is what separates the cups.
Each contestant submits two cups per month. Same processing method, two price tiers.
One processing method per month. Announced 4–6 weeks in advance so roasters can source green and dial in.
Same coffees cupped a week apart. Forces roasts that hold up across the rest window — not peaks tuned to a single day.
Cups served in coded vessels. Each judge ticks their three favorites on a paper ballot. Optional tasting notes. No formal scoring.
Roasters and pros carry equal weight. Customers join the conversation. Headcount in each panel can vary — the bloc weighting stays fixed.
Most competitions reward the cup that peaks on a single judging day. This one rewards the cup customers actually drink — and the roastery that can deliver it consistently.
Cups must be roasted 7 days before Cupping Day 1. The same beans get cupped again at 14-day rest. No "1-day post-roast" cupping-table optimization.
Roasters submit a single roast batch. It gets cupped twice, a week apart. To win, the coffee has to taste good across the window — not peak for a date.
Winners aren't just announced. They're stocked at every participating shop for a month, with shelf-talkers, social posts, and @curatehk amplification. Discovery flows in all directions.
The processing method this month is anaerobic natural — sealed fermentation, full fruit. Source your green, plan your roast, and bring two cups: one regular, one exotic. Registration is open and free.
Register Now →An ongoing record of every cup that's made the shelf — month by month, with the pro panel's notes on what set each one apart.
Once the first cohort cups in July, every winning coffee will live here — alongside its tasting notes, the pro panel's verdict on what set it apart, and the shop you can buy it from.
How retail revenue splits, and how Curate handles the obvious conflict-of-interest questions before they get asked.
Curate's 10% applies only to winners' wholesale flowing through the network. On a roaster's own shop sales, the roaster keeps 100%.
Curate hosts the event. Curate does not judge. Six explicit guardrails:
Open to roasteries of any size — established, new, or one person and a sample roaster. Entry is free. Bring the two coffees, the curiosity, and a willingness to stock the winners on your shelf for a month.