カップ・オブ・エクセレンス
The Cup of Excellence (COE), which was briefly mentioned in the previous column.
So, what exactly is COE?
What kind of coffee is marked with COE?
This time, I would like to introduce it in more detail!
First, in the first round, domestic professional cuppers (people who perform cupping) score the coffees.
Out of over 400 coffee samples sometimes submitted, up to 150 coffee samples with scores of 86 points or more can advance to the next stage.
In the second and third rounds, domestic cuppers also score, narrowing down to 90 samples after the second round and 40 samples in the third round.
From the fourth round onwards, internationally recognized cuppers score the coffees.
In the fourth round, international cuppers conduct cupping once to take over from the domestic cuppers.
In the fifth round, international cuppers select 30 excellent samples, which are then put up for online auction.
In the sixth and final round, the top 10 samples are cupped again, and the final scores and rankings are determined.
As high-quality coffee gains attention, COE-winning coffees are becoming more widely available in Japan.
When you see the COE mark, please take note; that coffee is a testament to the producers' hard work and effort, and it can be said to be as valuable as, or perhaps even more valuable than, gold.
What is Cup of Excellence?
Simply put, Cup of Excellence (COE) is an annual coffee competition. However, it's not just any competition; COE is like the *Olympics of coffee*, determining the best of the best quality coffee of the year. It is operated by the American NPO, Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), to discover, evaluate, and rank high-quality coffee. The title of COE is only given to the highest quality coffees that pass strict審査. Another characteristic of COE is that winning coffees are put up for auction online. Many coffee buyers participate in the auction to obtain the highest quality coffee. It is not uncommon for approximately 450g of coffee to fetch over 40 US dollars, sometimes even close to 100 US dollars, which speaks to how high-quality COE certified coffee is.Until you get the title of Cup of Excellence
COE competitions are currently held in 11 countries: Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica, Rwanda, Burundi, Mexico, and Peru. (It was previously held in Bolivia, but has since withdrawn.) Judgments are held in each country every year to determine the highest quality coffee in that country. Here, let's look at how strict the judging process is to earn the COE title.Eligibility
The eligibility for producers to participate in the COE competition is very simple: * "being a coffee producer."* That's all. COE is open to all farms in the country, and one sample can be submitted for free regardless of the size of the farm, or whether it is an individual or a cooperative.
Coffee Selection Criteria
Participating in COE is easy, but the evaluation of coffee is very strict. As a preliminary selection, scores are given for various items such as aroma, flavor, aftertaste impression, acid quality, and balance. To ensure fairness, the scoring is done without any information about the coffee producers being given to the scorers. Only coffees that score 86 points or more out of 100 among all coffees are allowed to advance to the next stage. Not many coffees can achieve a high score of 86 points. Also, if there is even one serious defect, it is immediately excluded, so only coffees that are excellent in all aspects can proceed to the next stage.
Competition
COE is held as a competition divided into 6 rounds.
First, in the first round, domestic professional cuppers (people who perform cupping) score the coffees.
Out of over 400 coffee samples sometimes submitted, up to 150 coffee samples with scores of 86 points or more can advance to the next stage.
In the second and third rounds, domestic cuppers also score, narrowing down to 90 samples after the second round and 40 samples in the third round.
From the fourth round onwards, internationally recognized cuppers score the coffees.
In the fourth round, international cuppers conduct cupping once to take over from the domestic cuppers.
In the fifth round, international cuppers select 30 excellent samples, which are then put up for online auction.
In the sixth and final round, the top 10 samples are cupped again, and the final scores and rankings are determined.
As high-quality coffee gains attention, COE-winning coffees are becoming more widely available in Japan.
When you see the COE mark, please take note; that coffee is a testament to the producers' hard work and effort, and it can be said to be as valuable as, or perhaps even more valuable than, gold.