Once judges were finished with each round of cupping they met in a conference room with head judge Silvio Leite to give their scores and talk about the coffees. Often, when the discussion about a particular aroma or flavor becomes animated, Silvio has provided insight into why the trait exists. In some cases it's related to post-harvest techniques-when the cherries are picked, how much fermentation if any, how the cherries are dried if they're naturals, etc. While discussing a high scoring natural coffee, Silvio noted that the coffee could score even higher with a few changes in production techniques.

And this is the crux of the Fair Trade Certified Cupping Competition. By looking at how the coffees scored and relating that back to how they were produced will enable the Responsible Sourcing Project lift up the level of Brazilian Fair Trade Certified coffees. Feedback on individual farmers' coffees provided be expert roasters, green buyers, and academics enables the technical trainings to become more fine-tuned.

On to Belo Horizonte for the awards ceremony and auction. Stay tuned!


Silvio Leite leading the charge for Brazilian Fair Trade Certified coffees.