TOH Coffee Beans

Beginners to specialty coffee often feel puzzled by the names of coffee beans. Driven by passion and a desire to learn, they hope to find out more information. Among African-produced coffee beans, the acronym TOH frequently appears, and some specialty coffee shops even promote TOH as a selling point. So, what is the TOH coffee bean competition? And as names for coffee beans, what kinds of flavors do they have, and what tasting profiles can one expect?

TOH (Taste of Harvest) is a specialty green coffee bean competition initiated by the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), held annually across 12 coffee-producing countries in Africa, and limited to that season’s harvested beans. In other words, TOH coffee beans represent a collection of high-quality beans from all over Africa’s coffee-producing nations. Therefore, the flavor profile of TOH coffee beans varies widely—specific characteristics depend on the beans brought in by individual cafés, and cannot be generalized.

The nature of the TOH competition is similar to that of the COE in the Americas or the BOP in Panama. What sets TOH apart is that, in addition to a national-level competition, there are also regional and pan-African level green bean competitions. For those who are particularly fond of African coffee and are pursuing high coffee quality, TOH coffee beans are a great choice to try.