Cup of Excellence 2020
Cup of Excellence
What is it?
It is the most prestigious competition and auction in the world for high-quality coffees. Every year thousands of coffees are examined at a level that is unmatched by any other championship worldwide. Winning coffees are sold at global auctions where the resulting proceeds go mostly to farmers.
Cup of Excellence has pioneered its integrity and transparency in the coffee industry, ensuring the value of winning coffees. The COE raises funds for coffee producers in coffee countries, incentivizing and motivating producers who know that there may be recognition and financial reward for their hard work and effort. During the years of its existence, it continues to build a more transparent infrastructure and provides farmers with the necessary tools so that they can improve their farms.
Cup of Excellence
How does it work?
Each sample that enters the competition process is assigned a number known only to the auditor. Each member of the jury blindly tastes the coffee without having any information about it. The competition is very rigorous with cupping evaluations carried out in various stages by experts.
- National Jury of approximately 12 qualified people in the country of origin.
- International Jury of 20-25 people with a lot of experience.
In order to understand the demanding level to which the coffees are subjected, one only has to think that for 300 coffees analyzed, 9000 cups would be tasted and that each coffee among the first 10 selected would have been tasted at least 120 times.
Ethiopia
Auction June 25
It is the first year that the competition has been held in this country with a historical number of samples received, a total of 1,450. These coffees are analyzed in a specialized laboratory located in the country's capital, Addis Ababa, and only 150 of these go to the next round, of which the international jury will only taste 40 coffees.
This competition will play a decisive role in promoting the country's coffee varieties and is organized by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority and USAID Feed the Future.
Nicaragua
Auction July 16
The first time this competition was held in Nicaragua was in 2002 and it was very well received from the beginning due to the interest of the producers to participate in this championship.
On April 22 the list was published with the producers and the preselected coffees and at the end of April of this year the national week began that contemplates the competition of these coffees and which was marked by the protocols of social distancing and by all the strict security standards generated by COVID-19.
The Cup of Excellence Nicaragua is organized by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, the Government of Reconciliation and National Unity and Conatradec.
Guatemala
Auction July 28
Guatemala was the second country in the world to organize the Cup of Excellence competition in 2002. As every year, the National Coffee Association -Anacafé- will be executing this program in conjunction with the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, in order to provide coffee growers a platform to sell their coffee at great prices and present it to the international market.
The pre-selection dates of samples will be from April 27 to May 1, from 18 to 22 of the same month the national competition will be held and from 15 to 19 June the international competition.
Costa Rica
Auction August 5
Costa Rica organized its first competition in 2007 and this year celebrates its thirteenth edition thanks to the Alliance for Coffee Excellence and Café de Costa Rica. The deadline for receiving samples for the coffees in this country has been May 6 and a preselection will be held from May 11 to 16.
The Cupping of the National Judges are held from May 25 to 29 and the tastings of the International Judges from June 22 to 26, recognized tasters of important companies from Europe, Japan and the United States participate in the latter.
El Salvador
Auction July 30
El Salvador organized its first competition in 2003 thanks to the Consejo Salvadoreño del Café an autonomous state institution whose main objective is to improve the promotion and positioning of El Salvador's Coffee.
The first phase of this prestigious competition was held on March 5 and 6 with the calibration of judges and continues with the reception of coffee samples from March 30 to April 3. The third phase of the competition corresponds to the pre-selection of the registered samples, from April 15 to 18 and concludes with the evaluation of the international jury, which will take place between May 5 and 8, to prepare and send the samples from May 11 to 29 .
Colombia
Auction November 19
Colombia held its first Cup of Excellence competition and auction in 2005 and it was in 2017, after two years of absence, that it resumed. This year the organization was carried out hand in hand with the Asociación Colombiana para la Excelencia del Café – ASECC with a renewed concept.
The Cup of Excellence seeks to enhance the work of Colombian Coffee Growers by allowing them to present their coffees to the international community. It is also an important space in which the coffee culture is transmitted and the production and consumption of excellent coffees is promoted both locally and abroad among professionals and consumers. The competition will take place between the months of August and September.
Perú
Auction December 3
The Peru Cup of Excellence has its origin in a very recent date, since the first time the competition was held and the auction was in 2017.
This opportunity arose from the collaboration of Alliance Coffee for Excellence and Central de Café y Cacao, together with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of Peru, the National Coffee Board, the Peruvian Coffee and Cacao Chamber and the National Coffee Platform .
Brazil
Auction December 10
Brazil was the first country in which this competition took place, under the name of "The Best of Brazil" in 1999 it began its journey to which later other producing countries would join, seeing the great reception it had.
The contest made a change in 2018 and decided to incorporate two producer award modalities: The Cup of Excellence Winners and the National Winners. The Cup of Excellence Winners, which is the new category, is held on the coffees that have been the winners of the championship, and that will have a score equal to or greater than 86 points and will be offered in the auction of the winners.
