Difference between COE Winning Coffees and National Winners
The Alliance for Coffee Excellence has been running the Cup of Excellence competition since 1999 with the support of numerous entities from each of the participating countries. Throughout this period the organizers have seen how the participating producers have improved in many aspects: agricultural practices, harvesting methods, processes, etc. and this has had the consequence that the quality in the coffee industry has increased. That is why in 2016 it was decided to also start a second classification, the National Winners program, which includes the coffees that have been semi-finalists in the competition.
What is the difference between both classifications?
The list of coffees selected by the Cup of Excellence integrates the best coffees from each country, this selection is made through a rigorous process that includes a national jury and an international jury. This process ensures that the highest quality coffees in the country reach the COE auction.
On the other hand, the list of Coffees that have been selected as National Winners have also followed the same rigorous selection process but these are the coffees that have remained semifinalists in the competition since they have not obtained a sufficient score to be part of the prestigious list of the Cup of Excellence but they do have a score higher than 85 points. With this new modality, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence continues to bet on improving quality, since it allows that although a coffee has not been selected for the COE list, its high quality is also recognized.
How are they auctioned?
- Cup of Excellence Auction: The winning lots are the 30 best coffees that scored above 87 by the International Jury. Each of these coffees has been tasted at least five different times during the competition. The coffee is packed in 30 kg boxes containing two 15 kg bags vacuum packed.
- National Winners Auction: The national winner lots are coffees that have earned more than 85 points. Each of these coffees has been tested a minimum of five different times during the competition. The coffee is packed in hermetic 69 kg bags.
Auctions are held on different days and registration is required through the Alliance for Coffee Excellence.