Once the announcement of the finalists began the atmosphere inside the auditorium became electric. As each winner took the stage their friends and families erupted in cheers and applause. The pride each of the producers' eyes was wonderful. Each producer was greeted on stage by the buyer of their lot, Silvio Leite, representatives of Pinhalense Agriculture Equipment, Cafe Bom Dia, and SEBRAE. The top three spots in each category also received cash prizes. After the awards ceremony, everyone… Continue

After the the auction and a short lunch, the awards ceremony was set to begin inside SEBRAE's large auditorium. The finalists in each category were invited to attend with their families and fellow co-op members. Buses had come from Nova Rezende, Boa Esperança, Poço Fundo, and as far away as Espirito Santo state.



Before the winners were announced the various partners in the project each took turns talking about the successes of the Responsible Sourcing Parnership, including TransFair… Continue

Results for the 2008 Fair Trade Certified Cupping Competition, Brazil



Naturally Processed Coffees

Place…

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The final scores for the competition and are being calculated by Silvio Leite's team and descriptions of the lots are being written for tomorrow night's auction. Members of the panel are catching up on work from home, watching the Rwanda Cup of Excellence online auction, or enjoying a pleasant post-almoço siesta.





More delicious food at the Centro do Excellencia.…



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Once judges were finished with each round of cupping they met in a conference room with head judge Silvio Leite to give their scores and talk about the coffees. Often, when the discussion about a particular aroma or flavor becomes animated, Silvio has provided insight into why the trait exists. In some cases it's related to post-harvest techniques-when the cherries are picked, how much fermentation if any, how the cherries are dried if they're naturals, etc. While discussing a high scoring… Continue

Silvio Leite and Wendy de Jong in full cupping mode.



This morning our crew of judges and TransFair USA staff left the Colinas Hotel and headed out to the Centro de Excellencia for the final two rounds of cupping



The morning will feature ten of the top natural coffees from Tuesday's session and eleven of the semi-washed/washed coffees from yesterday (the eleventh coffee is due… Continue

After the visit at COOPFAM's new dry mill and cupping room, we all piled into the van and set off to visit a member's farm. The journey was worthy of an Indiana Jones movie. We were told that the carpets of giant red ants we'd pass on the road were signs of coming rain (not eminent doom.) One collapsed bridge forced a long detour around to another bridge which looked like it was about to collapse. Bets were taken on how the van would fall into the river. The scenery, as it is in most coffee… Continue

After the cupping the panel of judges visited COOPFAM (Cooperativa dos Agricultores Familiares de Poço Fundo e Regiao, or just Poço Fundo) Founded in 1991, the co-op has grown to achieve many of its long term goals and recently completed a new dry mill in May of this year. Three years ago the co-op began exporting its own coffee which completed the journey to self-sufficiency in all matters of post-production.…



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Just a small clarification for anyone who thought we were serious about the strict food regime of bread and water for the judges-we've been eating some wonderful meals. The joke was more about cupping competition director Silvio Leite and his stellar attention to detail and procedure. There are however some guidelines for diet when cupping. Things you want to avoid the night before and day of the cupping include onions, garlic, hot peppers, and alcohol. While those ingredients have been absent… Continue

Tuesday here at the Center of Excellence saw the conclusion of round one for naturally processed coffees. Naturals, those allowed to dry whole with the beans still inside the cherry, can be problematic on the cupping table. "It's always difficult to cup natural coffees because you can always find a lot of variations from cup to cup and table to table" says Andrew Miller of Cafe Imports. Twenty-nine coffees in three flights were cupped on Tuesday and Andrew saw two coffees per set that were… Continue

While our judges finish cupping the third and final round of naturals, let's learn a little more about them.







Oscar Gonzales, Supply Manager, Sustainable Harvest, Lima, Peru

Oscar Gonzales began his career in coffee eleven years ago. He initially started working at national roasting companies, where he established strong relationships with key coffee companies and exporting cooperatives in Peru. Oscar then worked with coffee… Continue

For those of you who've never been on a cupping panel I should probably dig a little deeper on calibrations. First, the calibration can also serve as a warm-up for the judges, giving them a chance make sure their own senses are dialed-in. As we well know, we all have different palates and different senses of smell. While experienced cuppers tend to be totally tuned into their noses & tongues, they're still individuals with varying life experiences and sense memories. One combination of… Continue

Today marks the start of the first ever Fair Trade Cupping Competition in Brazil. The judges are all well rested and ready to go after a proper night's rest. Our panel started out this morning from the Hotel Colinas in the heart of downtown Machado after a tasty Brazilian breakfast which included one of my favorites, Pao de Queijo with bacon. The judges, of course, we're only allowed a slice of white bread and some water so as to not upset their delicate palates (no I didn't see David Hermann… Continue

The first ever Fair Trade Cupping Competition in Brazil has brought together an international panel featuring roasters, importers, exporter, Q Graders, and cupping superstars from the USA and South America. In less than a week the international panel will begin the competition with a calibration meeting led by Silvio Leite to establish standards. On Tuesday 10/21 the panel will begin cupping the naturals category at the Center of Excellence in Machado. More updates to… Continue