Right after celebrating the 10th birthday of DABOV Specialty Coffee, Jordan Dabov left for Brazil to take part in this year’s Cup of Excellence in the country of coffee. It takes place from 15 to 21 October in Guaxupé, Minas Gerais.
The world’s most prestigious specialty coffee competition was launched in 1999 in Brazil with the first edition of it, followed by the auction Best of Brazil. The Latin American country is the largest coffee producers in the world, but two decades ago it used to be notorious as the country that exported coffees with the worst quality. In order to show the world that high-quality coffee is also grown in Brazil, and also to properly evaluate the work of the farmers dealing with this difficult task, a group of enthusiasts and coffee connoisseurs have organized the first contest. After its success, other coffee nations started organizing Cup of Excellence for their own specialty coffees.
This year, 936 samples of specialty coffee from Brazilian farms were sent to Cup of Excellence. Of these, 150 were selected in the Natural and Pulped Natural categories for the second stage of the selection. After that, only 40 coffees per category will be cupped by the international jury. It is these two categories that make the competition the most difficult for the jurors because in the other countries there is only one category.
It is very difficult to differentiate one coffee from another because of their common characteristics, and only highly experienced professionals can truly assess them so that they do not ruin a farmer’s hard work for a year. That is why this competition’s jury is also extremely carefully selected. Jordan Dabov does not participate in it for the first time, which speaks enough. In fact, he was part of COE Brazil last year as well as a juror. Together with his 28 colleagues from around the world, he has already begun the exhausting cupping sessions – there are 4 in each category divided into two rounds within 5 days.
Here’s what Jordan shared directly from Brazil: ” Sometimes every one must be very focused. This week I will be 100% focused because I am part of the greatest coffee event in Brazil in 2018! I must say that preselected coffees are very very good. So happy to be part of Cup of Excellence, such an amazing event! Strong professionals from Brasil and all over the world. This is indeed a “coffee world cup” with the best of Brazil in 2018. And I am part of this event. So I am 100% concentrated.”
We look forward to more impressions of our coffee hunter, even more so that among the finalists in Naturals is our partner from Sitio do Boné, which last year ranked in the prestigious 7th place. If you still haven’t tasted this extraordinary coffee, order it while we still have it in stock!
