Head Judges

Paul Songer - Head Judge, Quality Control - 🇺🇸

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.

Scott Conary, Head Judge, Quality Control - 🇺🇸

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.

John Thompson - Head Judge, Quality Control - 🇬🇧

John is the founder of Coffee Nexus, an Edinburgh based consultancy company that focuses on quality improvement, value addition and sustainability in the supply chain. His background is in sourcing and supply chain management. He works with a range of clients across the globe, primarily on sourcing, sensory and roasting related projects.

John is a long-term advocate for the Cup of Excellence program and the program's pioneering approach to supporting coffee quality and producer recognition. John became dedicated to the COE program after his first International Juror experience in Guatemala 2002. He has been part of the Head Judge team since 2012.

In addition to John's work with COE, he has also served on the SCA Education Advisory Council, previously SCAE's Education Committee, working on curriculum and content development for their Coffee Skills Program.

Ricky Dyson - COE Head Judge - 🇦🇺 🇺🇸

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, Utah, 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.

Jesús Salazar - COE Head Judge - 🇲🇽

In 2010 Jesús Salazar made the decision to fully immerse himself in the world of coffee. Previous to coffee, his knowledge and skills were been based in 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.

Jesús 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, Jesús is an Instructor and Head Judge for the Cup of Excellence, as well as a Q Processing Instructor for the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) and SCA Instructor.

Jesús lives and works in Chiapas, Mexico. He is a father and husband, and coffee farmer as well.

Silvio Leite - Head Judge, Quality Control - 🇧🇷

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 the 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 competitions, both in Brazil and abroad. He is the president of the international jury of the Cup of Excellence, the most prestigious competition 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.

Eduardo Ambrocio - Head Judge, Quality Control - 🇬🇹

Eduardo studied Business Administration and entered the coffee industry in 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.

From 1998-2012, he was Anacafé's Master Cupper. During this time he received the Guatemalan Coffees Expertise Cupper degree awarded by this Association.

In 2014 he founded a family-owned company focused on quality assurance, finest coffee identification, and trading. Eduardo 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, he joined the Q Instructor and QI Reviewer teams in 2014 for Quality Coffee Institute.

Eduardo has participated actively in the prestigious Cup of Excellence program since the first competition was held in Guatemala. Later, he became a Head Judge and Trainer for COE, evaluating cuppers and running the competition in most of the countries where the program has been held.

Rachel Apple - COE Head Judge - 🇺🇸

Rachel is an independent consultant and esteemed figure in the specialty coffee industry, with over 18 years of comprehensive experience. Rachel has a knack for forging impactful relationships and driving operational excellence. She 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 the 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.

Alex Pond - Head Judge & Sr. Education Manager - 🇺🇸

Alex Pond is an award-winning professional in the coffee industry with two decades of experience. He is the founder of Elio Coffee, a micro-roaster and consulting firm based in Portland, Oregon, dedicated to fulfilling the educational needs of the global coffee community. From 2018 to 2024, Alex served as the Senior Education and Project Manager for the prestigious Cup of Excellence (COE) and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence. Before joining COE, he spent nearly seven years as the Lead Education and Quality Officer at Heart Coffee in Portland, Oregon.

During his time at COE, Alex developed and expanded the Sensory Education Training (SET) program, reaching hundreds of students worldwide. He introduced them to the COE scoring philosophy and provided a pathway to become an International Judge for the Cup of Excellence. Alex created a global calibration class called SET VC during the COVID-19 pandemic, which remotely calibrated students in nearly 20 countries, fostering education and community while deepening their understanding of coffee excellence.

Alex began his career as a barista. In 2009, he won the SCA (formerly SCAA) Northwest Regional Barista Competition and went on to compete in the semifinals of the United States Barista Competition. Alex has also served as a sensory judge for both the USBC and other regional competitions.

Stephen Vick - Head Judge, Quality Control - 🇺🇸 🇰🇪

Stephen Vick was born in Portland, OR., USA and attended the University of Washington where he graduated with a degree in Human Centered Design and Engineering. He began his coffee career in 2000 as a barista at Zoka Coffee where he competed in the United States Barista Championship and became a World Barista Championship Judge.

After working for a few years as a barista trainer and moving back to Portland in 2005 to work for Stumptown Coffee, he had the opportunity to participate as an International Jury member for the Cup of Excellence (COE) in 2006. Stephen continues to work as a Head Judge for COE.

Stephen left Portland in 2008, and moved to East Africa to work on a project in Western Tanzania with Sustainable Harvest coffee importers. After this project, he continued his work in East Africa as a field agent for Intelligentsia Coffee, as well as working for a year in their Chicago Roasting Works. In 2012, he ventured back out west, becoming the Green Coffee Buyer for Blue Bottle Coffee. His love for East Africa pulled him back to that side of the world in 2016, where he helped open African Coffee Roasters, which roasts and packages 1500 tons of coffee annually for export to the European market.

In 2024, Stephen joined the Board of Directors at Spring Valley Coffee, A Nairobi-based roaster, retailer and wholesaler. 2024 also saw the opening of Stephen's Bahari Coffee, a small seafront cafe at the Shela Jetty on Lamu Island.

Rony Gamez - Head Judge, Quality Control - 🇭🇳

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.

Søren Sylvest - Head Judge - 🇩🇰

After graduation, Søren established a start-up with a business school friend. The mission of the company was to revolutionize the Copenhagen coffee scene. Over a period of 20 years there were among the pioneers of specialty coffee in Denmark presenting several Cup of Excellence coffees.

Søren also took part in teh creation of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) chapter in Denamrk and served as a Chairman for the first five years. Søren reflected that this was a fun period with several World Barista Champions coming from the Copenhagen coffee scene.

After selling the roasting company, Søren joined the African Coffee Roasters in Nairobi, Kenya as the International Sales Director and helped to grow that company.

Today Søren is combining coffee consulting with heading coffee procurement and quality control inNordic Sourcing Guild, a collaboration in sourcing and logistics for coffee roasters.

Søren likes to work in different cultures and to connect coffee and people, while sharing his technical and commercial coffee experience. He has been involved in the Cup of Excellence program since 2002 and has served as a Head Judge for Cup of Excellence competitions since 2022.

Keita Matsumoto - Head Judge - 🇯🇵

Keita began working for Wataru & Co., Ltd. in the late 90's in green coffee sales. At that same time he also began his career as a professional cupper. In 2002-2003, he was a trainee in Cicafe in Costa Rica and from 2004-2008 he worked in Guatemala as a Wataru Representative purchasing green coffee in Central America. While in Guatemala, Keita had the opportunity to connect with many producers throughout Central America. He was one of the pioneers of specialty coffee sourcing in our Wataru.

Keita was certified as the first Japanese Q-grader in 2005. His first experience with Cup of Excellence was in 2005 when he attended the El Salvador COE International week as an observer. After successfully completing his week as an Observer, he attended the Guatemala COE the following week as an International Juror.

Since 2008 worked as a trader, buying directly from the producer and selling directly to Roasters.

Since 2018, Keita has also been a producer of coffee with his small farm in Honduras.

Keita speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Luis Rodríguez - COE Head Judge - 🇸🇻

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).

César Herrera - Head Judge - Producer - Quality Control - 🇨🇴

César is a coffee producer with a long tradition, as his family has been growing coffee since 1926 in the Andean mountains of central Colombia. He also has more than 35 years of experience working with the coffee institutions in his country: 5 years in research at FNC/Cenicafé in the field of entomology; and more than 27 years at FNC/Almacafe working in quality control as a Coffee Quality Analyst and as a Regional Manager coordinating the logistics, marketing, industrialization, quality control and export of coffee owned by the FNC.

He was in charge of coordinating the logistics of 9 versions of the Cup of Excellence and the selection of national judges. In addition to being Head Judge, he has been a national and international judge in Colombia and Costa Rica; he received the title of Q Grader from the SCAA in 2006; He was invited in 2010 by the SCAJ to present the 10 best coffees selected for the Cup of Excellence that year in Colombia.

He is a Business Administrator, with specializations in "Technology in Agricultural Production" and in "Management and Marketing". He has been a university professor in the area of Coffee Reengineering.

He is currently the Manager of "Avemaría Café SAS"; a family business founded in 2016 focused on the cultivation, quality control and marketing of coffee produced on the family farm.