Hundreds of specialty farmers are submitting samples of their best coffee to try to win this year’s Cup of Excellence (CoE) title in Brazil.
Around 800 samples of Brazilian coffees are expected to be received, which will be evaluated by international judges invited to come to the country to elect the CoE coffees.
The CoE in Brazil, which judges the best of the best in the coffee world, is part of the ‘Brazil. The Nation of Coffee’ sector project, held by the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), and is carried out in partnership with the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE). This year, the international phase will be hosted by Expocaccer, Cooperative of Coffee Growers of the Cerrado.
“Expectations are running high this year that judges will have the opportunity to taste some of our best coffees in Brazil,” says Vinicius Estrela, Executive Director of BSCA.
Last year’s winner was Vitor Marcelo de Queiroz Barbosa with his coffee from Fazenda Cachoeira, in the city of Carmo do Paranaíba, in the Cerrado Mineiro region of Brazil. It was awarded 90.50 points from the international jury. His sample, with the variety Yellow Catuaí, was crowned the best specialty coffee in Brazil. At auction, the coffee hit the record average price, and it was sold to Canada, South Korea and Taiwan.
“We know that the opening price is a reference that signals the excellence of the Cup of Excellence winners, however, with the heated market, we have a positive expectation to reach significant levels in the commercialization,” says Estrela.
For 2022’s competition, the samples that are submitted will be analysed by type, colour, appearance, humidity, water activity, defects, and beverage quality as part of the pre-selection process. Specialty coffee producers obtaining an average grade equal to or higher than 86 points, up to a maximum of 100 coffees, will continue to the national phase, which will re-evaluate these coffees.
The top 40 samples that score 86 and above qualify for the international phase of the competition, where judges will define the 30 champions of CoE 2022. These will involve coffees that achieve at least 87 points and will be commercialised in a disputed international internet auction.
The competition will also have national winners, which were awarded 86 points or more, and any coffees scoring above 87 beyond the 30 CoE coffees. These national winners will be available for sale, for up to two weeks, on ACE’s online platform, with BSCA’s support.
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