DESCRIPTION

Over the four-day course, you will participate in:

• In-depth lectures and discussions on CoE, specialty coffee, and what makes CoE coffee unique.
• Various sensory exercises are designed to help you grow in perceiving and understanding aroma and taste. These exercises will be the start of learning to calibrate with the group.
• Tastings are designed to demonstrate the importance of the correct cupping procedure and the effects of different variables on cup profiles.
• Understanding common defects in coffee.
• Learning about the CoE method for scoring coffee.
• Calibrating with a diverse group of cuppers over multiple cupping sessions.
• Introduction and discussion around CoE’s unique way of evaluating cuppers’ skills and confidence.
• A test designed after the program CoE uses to select National Jury members.

What you will receive:

• Priority consideration for 2024 CoE observer seats.
• A detailed report explaining the data gathered from you cupping test.
• Certificate of Completion.
• Limited edition CoE cupping spoon.

Classes will begin at 9:00 and finish around 5:00 pm with an hour break for lunch, which will be provided. Be prepared to experience the Cup of Excellence (CoE). Students will cup many different coffees, processes, and cultivars, practice the logistics and cupping protocol of a CoE cupping, and take an exam just like National Jury sensory professionals. This will show you how you are calibrated with the rest of the jury and your sensory confidence with representative scores samples.

In the first two days, we focus on CoE cupping, the protocol of identifying qualities, identifying common flavor attributes, scoring, and a common language. We then will advance to expose all participants to a technical approach to our quality variables, different varietals, and some common defects. Sessions include lab, lecture, and active discussions. We will also provide coffees from other countries for you to taste and learn about; processed naturals and honey/pulped naturals & varieties, etc. The third day will be filled with multiple cupping and calibration sessions. The fourth day of the class will be the “test” with three cuppings back-to-back.

We’ll be actively standing during cupping and seated for discussions, so please wear comfortable clothing and shoes. No use of perfume or cologne allowed. Please bring a notebook and, if you like, samples of your roasted beans. You’ll have the opportunity to see other coffees from other attendees.

You will receive a CoE cupping spoon, and other fun things at the beginning of the class. Upon completing the course, you will receive a certificate of completion signed by your instructor.  Within one week, you will receive your testing results. The information you receive will be in the same format as those who undergo a CoE national jury testing.

This experience is intended to share the Cup of Excellence program with you, improve your cupping and sensory evaluation skills, and share with others in a jury setting. This is the best way to learn and calibrate your sensory skills. Thank you for joining us.

INSTRUCTOR: Armando Sierra

Armando Sierra is a passionate coffee person with over two decades of experience in the business, he has witnessed firsthand COE contests as a National Jury and International jury in South & Central America since 2005 thus, he understands in and out the hard work behind producing a good cup of coffee.

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 a producer country (Colombia/FNC), 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.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

This SET course requires 12 students to register for the class to run. Once you have registered for the course, we will send you updates on the status of the class and how registration is proceeding.

SET Courses are eligible for a 100% refund for 31 days before class starts. Between 30 and 16 days before the start of class, the courses are eligible for a 50% refund. From 15 days before the beginning of the system, it is nonrefundable unless CoE cancels the course. Refunds requested over 90 days after the initial date of purchase will only be issued in the form of credit for future purchases on the CoE and ACE website.

If students are late or do not show up for class, CoE cannot ensure their cupping data will be included in group discussions, calibrations, or post-class reports, nor to grant the student a Certificate of Completion.