The Jose Ignacio Gomez Lopez lot ranked 7 in the 2020 Colombian COE. A fully washed coffee sourced directly from Caravela.
Alliance for Coffee Excellence
The Alliance for Coffee Excellence was established in 1999. It main aim is to reward excellence in coffee production.
In their words from their website allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org:
In 1999 the Cup of Excellence (COE) founders along with the Specialty Coffee Association of America developed the first global internet auction platform for award-winning coffees. These auctions have allowed exemplary coffee farmers, whether award-winning or not, to realize a greater financial price for their coffees. Prices from the auctions have been multiple times higher than the traditional method of selling. The pricing transparency of the auctions has increased the overall value of top specialty coffees globally- not just for the COE coffees.
The global accessibility of the auctions allowed for any size roaster anywhere in the world to purchase an exemplary award-winning coffee either solely or in a group. These are coffees that may not have otherwise been available or even known. Before internet auctions, most of the top quality coffees were either blended or sold to the preferred customers of exporters. Transparent auctions supported those roasters or importers wanting a direct channel to high-quality farmers and have helped multiple companies expand their customer base and increase the success of their farmer-identified coffees.
In late 2002 with its mission to reward exemplary coffee farmers and to grow the Cup of Excellence program, the Alliance For Coffee Excellence, Inc ( ACE) was created. The founding of ACE relied heavily on donated support from The Brazil Specialty Coffee Association ( BSCA) with Marcelo Vieira becoming its first chairman. Susie Spindler organized ACE as a Montana non-profit, took on the responsibility of the Executive Director and agreed to manage the fledgeling organization and enlarge its impact. In 2003 ACE worked in conjunction with an Australian firm and created its own auction platform and its own website in order to become a membership organization. Several international roasters provided extra funding in exchange for lifetime memberships. The new website and auction platform supported a database that would allow for greater business and relationship building between the winning farmers, their neighbours and the marketplace.
Colombian COE results of 2020
To rank in the top 10 at the COE of any country is an achievement. It means that the coffee has qualified through at least 3 rounds of tasting (typically more). Full results of every auction are published on the ace website. All the prices and those who purchased the coffee are published.
To view the results of this competition see: https://allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/colombia-2020/
Colombian El Paraiso
Jose did his studies in Accounting and 2nd generation of coffee growers in his family. Back in 2009, he started work on his farm. In 2012 Jose began to focus on producing higher-quality coffees. This mission became a passion that has allowed him to build a coffee laboratory and a buying spot in his region where he also buys coffee from other growers.
He also grows other varieties such as Bourbon Sidra, Java, Castillo and Gesha. Jose explains that Cup of Excellence has always been a way to measure his level of quality with other coffees in Colombia and thinks this is a wonderful way to showcase and bring value to his farm.
Auction Price: $25.30/lb
FOB Price: $26.70/lb
| Rank in COE | 7 |
|---|---|
| Farm Name | El Paraiso |
| Farmer/Rep. | Jose Ignacio Gomez Lopez |
| Score | 88.41 |
| Country | Colombia |
| Year | 2020 |
| Size (30kg boxes) | 14 (we got one) |
| City | Buesaco |
| Region | Nariño |
| Program | Colombia 2020 |
| Auction | Cup of Excellence |
| Overall | Brown Sugar (2), Citrus (2), Floral (2), Jasmine (2), Tropical Fruit (2), Apple, Apricot, Black Tea, Cane sugar, Cocoa, Fruity, Grape, Menthol, Orange, Peach, Red Currant, Red Grape, Stone Fruit, Vanilla, Yellow plum |
| Aroma/Flavor | Citric Acid (4), Bright (3), Orange (2), Stone Fruit (2), Apricot, Berry, Coating, Crisp, Juicy, Lemon, Malic Acid, Mandarin Orange, Multiple fruit acid, Peach, Sweet, Tangy, Tart, Tartaric, Tartaric acid |
| Acidity | Black Tea, Brown Sugar, Citric Acid, Harvey, Jasmine, Juicy, Lively, Round mouth feel, Silky, Structured, Very sweet |
| Processing system | Washed |
| Variety | Caturra |
| Auction Lot Size (lbs.) | 892.87 |
| Auction Lot Size (kg) | 405 |
Additional details of the coffee:
| Packaging: | CoE vacuum pack | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roast used: | What we call a bump and kick with a shortened development time to 35 seconds. We start with intense heat, slow into yellowing and accelerate into first crack, removing heat as it approaches. | |||||||||||||
| Characteristics: | Our notes are brown sugar, berries and medium mouth feel, with a little peanut brittle to finish. | |||||||||||||
| Our brews: |
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Transparency Information
| Sourced from | Caravela |
|---|---|
| Price | Auction Price: $25.30/lb; FOB Price: US$$26.70/pound |
| Cupping score | 88.41 (from CoE panel) |
| Logistics | R11.50 / kg |
| Producer/Organization | Caravela |
| Lot size bought | 1 x 30kg |
| Relationship | Our relationship with Caravela goes back to 2008. |
Dan Bunker –
What a fantastic coffee both fruity sweetness and cocoa in one cup. Wow. Yes it is a little bit expensive, but when you drink it, first you are blown away by its complexity then you can enjoy the fact that Jose’s family are just a little better off by you enjoying it.
Warren Machanik –
Thanks, for the feedback. A coffee that enjoyable at many levels as you said.