Alliance for Coffee Excellence

2020 Guatemala Cup of Excellence

Geisha reigns at 2020 Guatemala Cup of Excellence

Cercol’s El Socorro farm has won the 2020 Guatemala Cup of Excellence (COE) with a 91.06 scoring washed Geisha coffee. It was the competition’s only coffee to earn a Presidential Award and marks the third time Cercol placed first in the Guatemala COE.
Read More
Campos Coffee Will Young

The ones that sparkle: the key to the longevity of specialty coffee

Dubbed the Academy Awards of coffee, the Cup of Excellence celebrates the world’s best coffees. Campos Coffee Founder Will Young explains why the competition is key to the longevity of specialty coffee. Getting your hands on a Cup of Excellence (COE)-winning coffee takes patience and commitment. The real fun for Australian buyers starts in the early hours of the morning when international online auctions commence, but the game’s not over until a final bid is made, the countdown clock expires, and the hammer falls. “The longest auction I’ve ever experienced was early 14 hours for a COE coffee,” says Will Young, Campos Coffee Founder and Chairman of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), the association that runs the COE competitions and auctions. 
Read More
Costa RIca Cup of Excellence

Tarrazú region dominates 2019 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence

Don Dario of the Tarrazú region has won the 2019 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE), with a score of 91.14 for its anaerobic processed Gesha. Tarrazú farms took out the top four spots in the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) competition, as well as seventh, ninth, and 10th. Don Dario’s owner, Grupo Los Grandes de Copey, is a joint venture between producers Johel Monge Naranjo and Manuel Salas Araya, which also won the 2017 COE with its farm Don Antonio. Last year’s winner, Luis Ricardo Calderon Madrigal of Don Cayito farm, placed second with an anaerobic processed Gesha that scored 91.02. Don Antonio placed third, with a score of 90.88 for its washed Gesha.
Read More