International Institute of Coffee Tasters opens branches in Korea and Taiwan

The International Institute of Coffee Tasters (IIAC), an organisation that promotes Italian coffee, announced on 6 February that it has opened new branches in Korea and Taiwan. The two new branches will strengthen the IIAC's presence in Asia. The group currently has a branch in Japan that has been active for the past six years. Established over 20 years ago, the IIAC is dedicated to the tasting of Italian espresso coffee, actively promoting this product with the Italian Espresso National Institute. The IIAC said that the institute has, over the past two years, seen significant growth in the number of local tasters in Korea and Taiwan. The area now boasts an impressive 38 Espresso Italiano Trainers, instructors trained to promote Italian espresso culture through educational activities. Italian instructors regularly hold sensory analysis courses in Seoul and Taichung. “The creation of these branches in Korea and Taiwan will provide these two countries with more organisational autonomy, and represents another step forward for our work,” said Luigi Odello, Chairman of IIAC in a statement. “These two new branches can now be added to the Japanese branch in Tokyo, now active for six years, thereby reinforcing the network that in Asia alone has nearly 700 tasters, many of whom have now reached advanced training levels.”