Head Judges

In 2010 Jesús Salazar made the decision to fully immerse himself in the world of coffee.

His knowledge has been based on two main areas: medicine and philosophy. Thanks to his medical background, Jesús understands the biological, botanical, physiological, and chemical aspects of coffee. On the other hand, his philosophical training provides a solid foundation for exploring and understanding the culture and social impact of coffee in different contexts.

For Jesús, crafting cups of coffee with complex sensory profiles is a commitment to coffee quality. However, he also considers it essential to establish ethical and responsible relationships with all individuals involved in the coffee supply chain. He firmly believes that coffee quality cannot be separated from its ethical and social impact.

He is the Founder and CEO of Cafeología, a company that engages in the entire coffee cycle, from planting and cultivation to generating trust through ¨Beneficios Comunitarios¨, coffee shop services, export and education. He is also responsible for the Cafeología Award, a public recognition of small coffee farmers in Chiapas.

Jesús is known as a Cafeólogo, a designation that goes beyond being just a name or a brand. It represents his personal philosophy and unique approach to researching and sharing coffee with others.

Furthermore, he is an Instructor and Cupper for the Cup of Excellence on multiple occasions, as well as a Q Processing Instructor by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) and SCA Instructor.

Jesús lives and work in Chiapas, Mexico, he is father and husband, and coffee farmer as well.

John is the founder of Coffee Nexus, an Edinburgh based consultancy focusing on quality improvement, value addition and sustainability in the supply chain. His background is in sourcing and supply chain management, and he works with a range of clients across the globe primarily on sourcing, sensory and roasting related projects. John is a long-term advocate of the Cup of Excellence and long-term advocate of the programme’s pioneering approach to supporting coffee quality and producer recognition, since his first juror experience in Guatemala 2002.He’s has been part of the Head Judge team since 2012. He currently sits on the SCA Education Advisory Council, previously SCAE’s Education Committee, working on curriculum and content development for their Coffee Skills Programme.

John began his career in coffee in 1993, roasting a few thousand pounds per week and working as a barista in a small, independent café roaster just outside of Manhattan. Since then he’s been a coffee bar manager, regional retail manager, director of training, director of coffee, a CEO of two coffee companies and partner in another, a green coffee trader, and has managed a vertically integrated international coffee company with two coffee farms in Brazil, two mills in Brazil, plus roasting and retail operations New York City. John is a Certified Q Grader and Head Judge of the Cup of Excellence program.  Today, John is extremely excited to be CEO of Vassilaros & Sons Coffee where he spends his days connecting New Yorkers with delicious coffees from around the globe.

Armando started his career as a Food Scientist and got engaged with coffee working in the field as a Quality Control Manager for the largest coffee exporter in Colombia (FNC/ALMACAFE), Master Roaster with Specialty Roasteries (Australia/MECCA), Head of Arabica Project in Asia with major Agri-business Company (Vietnam/OLAM), entrepreneur/importer (Denmark/Star-up), Project Manager (UAE-Dubai/CYPHER), Trader and Green Coffee buyer (Korea/ SPC) and currently Director of Coffee for independent Roastery/MAGMA.

As Owner of award-winning Cafe’s in Chapel Hill, NC (USA), along with his wholesale roastery, Carrboro Coffee Roasters; Scott has had many opportunities to travel, teach and learn about coffee production, process, selection, roasting, retail and quality trends for the last 20+ years. He is an active educator in the industry in most all disciplines, and consults for cafes and businesses nationally and around the world for technical skill, knowledge, and competition. He serves as a World Coffee Events Representative and Certified Head Judge for the World Coffee Championships for the last 15 years, and is also an instructor for the WCE Judge Certification program.  Scott sits on multiple WCE and SCA Committees and has been active as a member of the CQI Coffee Corp. He has been involved in the Cup of Excellence Program since 2007 and a Head Judge for the last 5 years.

Co-Founder Idle Hands Roasting Co., Licensed Q Arabica Grader and Head Judge for the Cup of Excellence Program.
Ricky grew up in Australia and began his coffee career as a barista at Campos Coffee after moving from Melbourne to Sydney. During this time, he was introduced to the Cup of Excellence program, which sparked an interest in coffee quality and evaluation. As his career progressed, Ricky took on various roles, including positions in the education and innovation team and green coffee approval. Ricky later relocated to North America, where he gained valuable experience across multiple markets. He worked as a bar manager, head of training and education, quality control specialist, and regional sales manager.
In 2021, Ricky co-founded Idle Hands Roasting Co., a wholesale-focused roasting company based in Salt Lake City, USA. The company is dedicated to community, mutual growth, and equity throughout the value chain. Ricky is also a licensed Q Grader and serves as a Head Judge for the Cup of Excellence program. Ricky enjoys film photography and can be frequently found in the desert and mountains of the
USA’s Southwest.

A specialist in coffee grading, tasting and quality control, Silvio Leite has more than 30 years of experience in the coffee business.

During the twelve years in which he worked for the Bozzo group, Silvio Leite dedicated himself to coffee grading and tasting. He developed and implanted coffee controls in the firm and was responsible for the quality control of all branches of the Bozzo group, based in Geneva, Switzerland.

During his fourteen years with Agribahia, a company of the Espírito Santo group, Silvio came to prominence as a specialist in coffee processing and quality control at all stages of post-harvest processing. He was Commercial and Industrial Manager, and as a Director took an active part in the administration of the group’s two farms.

An expert coffee taster, Silvio Leite is a cupper certified by the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) and has participated as a judge in many coffee quality contests, both in Brazil and abroad. He is the president of the international jury of the Cup of Excellence quality contest, one of the most prestigious in the world coffee market, which recognizes the best coffees produced in each country.

Silvio is a reference in the Brazilian coffee scene, especially in the state of Bahia, where he holds the posts of President of the Bahia Coffee Trade Center and of the Association of Coffee Producers of Bahia.

Silvio Leite is a founding partner of AgriCoffee and AgriCafé.

Holding an Economics and Business Administration degree, his coffee life started as Head of Economics Department for the Salvadoran Coffee Council back in 2001. The coffee bug bit him while overseeing several quality and marketing programs. In 2003, he co-coordinated the first CoE program in El Salvador and kept involved until 2009, when he became a coffee grower and started a consulting firm focused on marketing, quality control and fostering relationships between growers and buyers.

He’s been related to Cup of Excellence not only as organizer but as national and international judge, winning CoE grower and now as Head Judge for ACE/CoE since 2021. Luis holds active Q Grader license, Q Processing Professional certificate as well as having a Lecturer certificate for teaching Quality Evaluation and Post Harvesting Processing courses for CQI. He founded the Salvadoran Coffee School and currently acts as president for the Salvadoran Coffee Cuppers Association (ASCAFE).

Paul Songer has been in the specialty coffee business for over 30 years, beginning his career at Allegro Coffee Company, a medium-sized wholesale specialty roaster in Boulder, Colorado, as a repairer and installer of espresso machines and other coffee machinery. He gradually moved from equipment to cupping and training, writing technical manuals and conducting training with sales staff, customers, and internal sensory panels as manager of training and research. During this period, he was also a partner in a Boulder coffee house, a business that has been in continuous operation since 1996. In 1998, Songer took the position of Director of Coffee Operations at Coffee Analysts, an independent lab specializing in the sensory, chemical, and physical analysis of coffee. This led to further independent research and a certificate of sensory analysis at the University of California at Davis. During this period he was a judge for one of the initial barista competitions held at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) convention in 1998. He served for over 10 years on the Technical Standards Committee of the SCAA and has given several technical presentations at their conferences. He has had numerous articles on coffee published and is the co-author of the SCAA Water Quality Manual, which deals with the chemistry of water and its effect on brewing coffee. He has also authored or co-authored chapters in the books, Specialty Coffee: Managing Quality and The Craft and Science of Coffee. He began in COE as a participant cupper in 2000 and has served as head judge for over 35 competitions. He currently works as an independent consultant specializing in application of sensory analysis techniques to the coffee business, product development, sensory panel training, quality control, and roasting. Offered seminars include cupper training, roasting, and brewing.

Alex started in coffee in 2005, working as a barista in his hometown of Eugene, Oregon. In 2009 he competed in and won the Northwest Regional Barista Competition. Alex has worked guest barista shifts in Iceland and Sweden and has volunteered for numerous national and international coffee events, including the Nordic Barista Cup, as a USBC Judge. In 2012 Alex joined the team at Portland’s Heart Coffee Roasters. Over nearly six years at Heart, Alex directed their training programs, managed quality control, and worked as part of the green buying team.

Alex enjoys travel, Oregon’s incredible natural beauty, and Cats. He is also a pretty good cook.

Rachel Apple is an independent consultant & an esteemed figure in the specialty coffee industry, with over 18 years of comprehensive experience. With a knack for forging impactful relationships and driving operational excellence, Rachel has left an indelible mark on every project she’s touched, from her tenure as Quality Control Manager at George Howell Coffee Company to her instrumental role in building out both green and roasted coffee supply chains and quality systems at Cometeer. She has consistently demonstrated a rare blend of expertise, passion, and dedication, which she has brought to Cup of Excellence since participating in her first International Jury in Mexico 2018. Rachel also serves as a US Barista Championship Head Judge, Sensory Lead, and Committee Member, investing years in volunteer work and leadership in the specialty coffee community. Although Rachel now calls Boston home, she maintains her Oklahoma roots with flair, often spotted donning fringe or her Stetson cowboy hat.

Rony Studied coffee cultivation management as a career and graduated in Instituto 21 de Octubre, and have a Q Graders License extended by the Coffee Quality Institute of America (CQI). He has 16 years of cupping experience and has done the technical coordination for Honduras in all 12 Cup of Excellence events to date. Rony constantly participates in international coffee events such as SCAA, SCAE, SCAJ, Cafe Show, MICE, Tea, Coffee and Wine Show and helped in Bolivia’s, Mexico’s and Costa Rica’s COE Events in Pre-selection, Judges Evaluation and Training, National and International Week Coordination and he is among the head judges in Cup of Excellence.

He studied Business Administration, getting into the coffee industry on 1991. In 1993, he began to cooperate with the Guatemalan National Coffee Association (Anacafé) working for the Small Producers Quality Assurance program funded by USAID. Since 1998, he was Anacafé’s master cupper until 2012. He also has the Guatemalan Coffees Expertise Cupper degree awarded by this Association. In 2014 he founded a family company focused on Quality Assurance, Finest Coffee Identification, and Trading. Ambrocio was recognized as Star Cupper by the Central America and Dominican Republic Quality Coffee Program (CADR-QCP) and given the Q Grader degree by the Coffee Quality Institute in 2005, at the beginning of the program, joining the Q Instructor and QI Reviewer teams in 2014 for Quality Coffee Institute. He has participated actively in the prestigious program Cup of Excellence since the beginning of the programa in Guatemala in 2001, being responsible for the technical coordination in Anacafe Guatemala in the first years of the program. Afterwards, He became part of the Head Judge and Trainer teams, evaluating the cuppers and running the competitions in most of the countries where the programs is run.