The Cup of Excellence 2017 enters today its hot phase in Nicaragua.
- The Pre-Selection was already from 6 – 10 March 2017.
- The National Jury decided from 27 – 31 March 2017.
- And the International Jury will start the evaluation today (03 – 06 April 2017).
- The winning coffees with 86 points and more will then be auctioned at the live online auction on 01 June 2017.
What is the Cup of Excellence?
The Cup of Excellence is the most prestigious competition and award for high-quality specialty coffee. Each year, thousands of coffees are submitted for consideration, with the winners being sold at premier online auctions at premium prices, often far above the normal paid price. The preeminent auction proceeds to farmers and helps them to experiment with different varieties and processing, buy new land and equipment. More workers can be paid, more children sent to school, houses built or converted. In short, the revenues not only give the coffee farmers a good reputation, but can also improve their standard of living.
The competition pioneered integrity and transparency in the coffee industry. Quality wins.
What is the process?
Each coffee participating in the competition will be given a number which is only known to the head judge for each competition. Within 3 weeks, all specialty coffees are tasted blindly at least 5 times. The entire process is documented. At first, the submitted coffees are assessed by a national jury of about a dozen qualified jurors from the country of origin. Subsequently by an international jury consisting of about 20-25 experienced jurors from all over the world.
The Scoring
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) developed the criteria:
- The coffee is judged according to 10 criteria: aroma, acid, body, character, sweetness, clarity, equilibrium, balance, finish and overall impression.
- For this, 10 points can be assigned from “0” for not existing to “10” for unique.
- Coffees with more than 80 points are called “specialty” – with more than 85 points “excellent”.
Only coffees with at least 86 points are then auctioned. The price paid is not depending on the points or placement order, but the bids.