ARAXA, Brazil (Reuters) - An international jury of coffee tasters shattered the silence with the sound of whistling, slurping and spitting as they sampled the finest coffees grown by the world's largest producer.

Shunning massages and mud baths in this spa resort in Brazil's main coffee growing state of Minas Gerais, the 25 coffee tasters from 13 countries selected on Friday a winner from the 66 finalists in the 5th Brazil Cup of Excellence Competition.

The winning farmer -- whose coffee was said by euphoric cuppers, as they are known in the trade, to taste like "dark red burgundy" with a delicate "red rose" bouquet -- was chosen from a record 974 entrants and will be announced at a ceremony in Sao Paulo on Nov. 3.

The top 44 coffees will be sold at an Internet auction on Dec. 9. Last year a Japanese buyer paid a record $12.85 a pound for the winning coffee, as Brazil strives to change its image from a bulk commodity to a quality coffee producer.

On eight identical tables, the cuppers from Australia to Norway and El Salvador "blindly" slurped spoonfuls of infused coffee from small glass bowls, four for each sample to avoid any inconsistency in preparation.

The coffee is inhaled with a whistling sound so as to obtain the aroma and sloshed around the mouth so that its taste can be evaluated before it is spat out without being swallowed.