Introduction to Colombia CoE and Introduction to Colombia La Lagrimita Estate

Cup of Excellence: The Premier Competition for Quality Coffee

CoE, short for Cup of Excellence, has become the benchmark competition model for coffee-producing countries around the world. Seven major producing countries currently take part in the CoE competition organization, including Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia in South America, along with Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras in Central America.

The CoE competition has persuaded smallholders in producing countries to focus specifically on raising their cultivation quality, while also letting international buyers connect directly with estates, which in turn promotes the high-quality coffee these hardworking small farmers produce. Coffee organizations in the producing countries are also willing to work with CoE's philosophy. For one thing, it deepens the impression the international community forms, and since these producing countries compete intensely with one another, creating the impression that a given country produces excellent coffee delivers brand value that is hard to buy at any price.

Some established interests in producing countries still oppose the initiative, however, such as traditional intermediaries who exploit farmers and self-interested businessmen; this year's Bolivia CoE competition was forced to be canceled, and many small coffee farmers there were saddened and outraged when they heard the news.

On the whole, the CoE model has brought very positive encouragement and faster development for smallholders across producing countries, tying together three favorable conditions, moving toward high quality, benefiting the environment and improving social standing, and it has won wide acclaim.

This year, the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE), in recognition of CoE's outstanding contribution, awarded its "True Sustainability Award" to CoE President Susie Spindler. The citation read: "for understanding and promoting long-term survival of coffee culture based on quality."

The Rigorous Selection Process

CoE is truly the most important model for discovering quality estates in the specialty coffee world.

CoE begins with preliminary selection and cupping by chosen domestic judges. Coffees that meet the competition standard, typically fewer than 75 out of every 500 estates, then go to internationally selected judges for three phases of cupping. That means these national competition coffees must pass through 5 strict rounds before it is decided whether they will be listed among that year's winning estates in the national competition.

The winning estates must reach a minimum score of 84 points. In exceptional years, around 30 estates might be listed, but strict standards combined with unusual climate years can leave only 20-plus winning estates for the year. The many remaining estates can only work even harder on quality and hope to be listed the following year.

La Lagrimita: The Tear Drop Estate

La Lagrimita, or Tear Drop Estate, was a winning estate in Colombia's second CoE competition of 2005. Among all the national CoE competitions, only Colombia holds two per year. That is because producing countries that straddle the equator have different harvest periods in their growing regions, which is why Colombia runs two competitions annually.

Colombia's second competition often coincides with the moment when high-altitude estates have just harvested and processed their premium beans, so it frequently turns up traces of high-altitude estates. La Lagrimita belongs to a small estate at quite high altitude with a cold local climate. Because it harvests only once a year, from April to June, it can only take part in the second CoE competition.

La Lagrimita carries a rather tragic name, "Tear Drop" Estate. The estate's bitter history goes back to the owner's grandmother, who spent the entire family fortune to buy the coffee farm. Cultivation brought countless hardships, and she still had to support the family. To this day the estate still grows fruit trees and raises poultry to get by.

In an interview with Colombian FNC officials, estate owner Jose Eliuth Munoz M said: "We are truly a small estate, harvesting only 40 bags of green beans a year, so we still have to rely on other cash crops to survive. I am already 50 years old but still single, unable to afford marriage. Even so, we diligently maintain the estate's original environment. Of our 6-hectare farm, only 2 hectares are used for coffee. All of the coffee grows under 100% shade trees, and water and soil conservation is excellent. We also introduced California red earthworms for organic soil cultivation, our main nutrient source for the coffee trees."

La Lagrimita Estate Details

Basic information on Tear Drop Estate, winner of Colombia's CoE competition (Second Competition 2005):

Country: Colombia

Estate Name: La Lagrimita (Tear Drop Estate)

Nearby Major City: Tambo, Province: Cauca

Estate Owner: Jose Eliuth Munoz M

CoE Ranking: 20

Estate Area: 6 hectares

Coffee Cultivation Area: 2 hectares

Altitude: 1,800 meters

Annual Rainfall: 1,710 mm

Shade Coverage: 100% shade-grown cultivation

Water Source: Natural mountain spring and tap water

Full-time Employees: 1 (the owner's brother)

Part-time Employees: 4 temporary workers during harvest

Varieties: Caturra (50%), Colombia (50%)

Processing Method: Traditional wet milling process

Batch Size: 24 bags

International Jury Score: 85.68

Cupping Code #: 280

International Jury Evaluation: Sweet, apple cider, fine red wine, chocolate, sparkling, juicy, fresh, refreshing, lingering

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's recommended brewing parameters:

Pour-over: V60 dripper, Fuji R440 grind setting 3.5, water temperature around 90°C

French Press: Recommended grind setting 4, water temperature 90°C

Siphon: Recommended grind setting 4, water temperature 90°C-91°C

AeroPress: Recommended grind setting 3.5, water temperature 90°C

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Brazil is one of the seven countries behind the CoE competition, and its coffees offer a fine everyday counterpoint to the delicate, high-scoring lots the contest celebrates. FrontStreet's Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon is a classic Brazilian single-origin from the well-known Cerrado growing region, a red Bourbon processed as a pulped natural and roasted to a medium level, which draws out rich notes of creamy peanut, toasted bread, caramel and hazelnut. The body is round and smooth, low in acidity and lightly bitter at the finish, and it works just as well as a pour-over while staying versatile enough for a moka pot, espresso SOE, siphon or French press.

For a sweeter, fruitier Brazilian cup, FrontStreet's Brazil Queen Estate is worth trying. Grown in Mogiana on fertile red volcanic soil, it is a rare yellow Bourbon, a natural mutation of Red Bourbon that tends to give a cleaner fruit character. It makes a sweet and rounded cup with the sugarcane sweetness and chocolate and fruit notes the estate is known for, brewed happily as a pour-over, in a moka pot or on a home espresso machine.