International Coffee Tasting Asia 2015 returns on the 1st and 2nd December. This international competition is unique in that in order to select the best coffees it relies exclusively on the modern sensory analysis. The 2015 edition, which will be held in Taiwan, is organised by the local branch of the International Institute of Coffee Tasters (Iiac) with technical and scientific support from the CSA Italian Tasters.

For more information, contact: carlo.odello@italiantasters.com

Read also:

• Registration is open for International Coffee Tasting 2019, the competition that rewards great coffee
• The International Institute of Coffee Tasters opens its branches in Korea and Taiwan
• Registration is open for the International Coffee Tasting 2018, the international coffee competition

New certification sessions for Italian Espresso and for Espresso Italiano Trainers will take place in Italy from the 19th to the 22nd October 2015, just before the international trade show Host.

The Italian Espresso certification programme is run by the Italian Espresso National Institute (Inei) in cooperation with the International Institute of Coffee Tasters (Iiac). It is made up of two modules (M1 Espresso Italiano Tasting and M2 Espresso Italiano Specialist). The two courses will take place on the 19th and the 20th October and are valid for the Inei’s certification Italian Espresso.

The certification programme for Espresso Italiano Trainers will immediately follow on the 21st and 22nd October. Candidate trainers have to attend two more modules (M3 Senses Brain Sensory Analysis and EIT Espresso Italiano Trainer course). Certified trainers will be entitled to hold the sensory seminar Espresso Italiano Experience on behalf of the Iiac. The content of the seminar includes information on espresso and tasting techniques with the final aim of teaching the students how to assess the quality of Italian coffee. Each student receives a certificate after passing the thoery and tasting exams at the end of the seminar. There are more than 150 Espresso Italiano Trainers in the world.

For more information, please download the PDF or write to carlo.odello@italiantasters.com.

Read also:

• Italian Espresso certification programme and certification for Espresso Italiano Trainers in October 2014
• Italian Espresso certification programme and certification for Espresso Italiano Trainers in Fall 2016
• Certification Session in October 2013: become an Espresso Italiano Trainer

Watch what happened at the International Coffee Tasting 2014 (Brescia, Italy, 21 and 22 October 2014), the only competition assessing the quality of coffee by a wise use of sensory analysis. 26 sensory judges from 9 countries gather together to evaluate 149 coffees from 15 countries. All the judges were skilled coffee tasters authorized by the International Institute of Coffee Tasters.

http://youtu.be/jpxfpvoU8CI

Read also:

• Registrations Open for the International Coffee Tasting 2014, the World Coffee Tasting Competition
• Tutti i vincitori di International Coffee Tasting 2014, il concorso internazionale del caffè
• International Coffee Tasting Asia 2015: registration is open for the international coffee competition​

The International Institute of Coffee Tasters’ (Iiac) seminars, dedicated to Italian espresso tasting, will take place in the Caffè Italia area of the ISM trade fair in Cologne from 1^st to 4^th February. These short meetings will introduce visitors to the main characteristics of the drink, with the aim of providing essential information on assessing the quality of the espresso. They will be held twice a day (at 12.00 p.m. and 3.00 p.m.) by Manuela Violoni, member of the board and lecturer of Iiac, in the Caffè Italia area in hall 5.2.

Read also:

• Italian Espresso certification programme and certification for Espresso Italiano Trainers in October 2014
• Seminars on tasting Italian espresso at the Ism 2016 (Cologne, Germany)
• Sensory analysis of the Italian espresso at Host 2017 with the International Institute of Coffee Tasters (Iiac)

Si è chiusa a Brescia la sesta edizione di International Coffee Tasting 2014, il concorso tra caffè organizzato dall’Istituto Internazionale Assaggiatori Caffè (Iiac). Iscritti al concorso 149 caffè da 15 paesi (Italia, Corea, Australia, Canada, Cina, Germania, Giappone, Portogallo, Slovenia, Spagna, Svizzera, Thailandia, Taiwan, Stati Uniti, Vietnam). Le valutazioni sensoriali sono state affidate a 26 giudici di 9 paesi diversi (Corea, Danimarca, Giappone, Italia, Malesia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spagna, Svezia).

Read also:

• International Coffee Tasting 2010: all the winners
• 2008 International Coffee Tasting: the winners
• International Coffee Tasting 2012: The Winners

After months of anticipation, the 2014 Espresso Italiano Champion has been named. Held for the first time in London at Pall Mall’s Royal Automobile Club, Filippo Mezzaro beat 14 other baristas to win the prestigious title. All 15 competing baristas came from 14 Italian espresso companies and partner organisations from around the world.

Each barista had 11 minutes to produce 4 espressos and 4 cappuccinos, judged by a panel of technical and sensory judges. The technical judges graded the baristas on the production of their coffees; whilst the sensory judges let the coffee speak for itself.

Each barista was awarded a certificate by the Vicepresident of INEI (Espresso Italiano National Institute), Marco Paladini, and the Secretary General, Luigi Odello. For the best espresso, Cristian Tetro representing Costadoro, took the title and the best cappuccino went to Alessandro Corsi, Essse Caffè. The overall champion, creating the best espresso and cappuccino of the day with the perfect technique, was of course Filippo Mezzaro, representing Torrefazione Saturno.

Filippo’s family life has over 40 years history in the cafe industry: ‘For me, coffee is first of all a passion, but managed with the proper training, it is a much higher quality.’ Filippo has always participated in courses run by the INEI and IIAC (International Institute of Coffee Tasters) and has always believed in continuing his education alongside his hard work as a barista.

This debut event and Filippo’s win signify the beginning of a new trend in the UK coffee market – a trend that celebrates the skill of a traditional barista and the origins of Italian espresso.

Read also:

• Espresso Italiano Champion 2017: international semi-finals and final at Host 2017
• Espresso Italiano Champion 2018: Taiwanese professional wins the barista competition from the Italian Espresso National Institute
• Japanese baristas: training in Italy for a greater expertise

New certification sessions for Italian Espresso and for Espresso Italiano Trainers will take place in Brescia (Italy) from the 27th to the 30th October 2014, just after the international exhibition Triestespresso.

The Italian Espresso certification programme is run by the Italian Espresso National Institute (Inei) in cooperation with the International Institute of Coffee Tasters (Iiac). It is made up of two modules (M1 Espresso Italiano Tasting and M2 Espresso Italiano Specialist). The two courses will take place on the 27th and 28th October and are valid for the Inei’s certification Italian Espresso.

The certification programme for Espresso Italiano Trainers will immediately follow on the 29th and 30th October. Candidate trainers have to attend two more modules (M3 Senses Brain Sensory Analysis and EIT Espresso Italiano Trainer course). Certified trainers will be entitled to hold the sensory seminar Espresso Italiano Experience on behalf of the Iiac. The content of the seminar includes information on espresso and tasting techniques with the final aim of teaching the students how to assess the quality of Italian coffee. Each student receives a certificate after passing the thoery and tasting exams at the end of the seminar. There are more than 100 Espresso Italiano Trainers in the world.

For more information, please download the PDF or write to carlo.odello@italiantasters.com.

Read also:

• Italian Espresso certification programme and certification for Espresso Italiano Trainers in October 2015
• Italian Espresso certification programme and certification for Espresso Italiano Trainers in Fall 2016
• Certification Session in October 2013: become an Espresso Italiano Trainer

The sixth edition of the International Coffee Tasting will be held in Brescia (Italy) on October, 21-22. The commissions of the International Institute of Coffee Tasters, the scientific and independent association that concentrates exclusively on the sensory analysis of the coffee, will meet in Brescia to evaluate samples of coffees coming from all over the world.

International Coffee Tasting 2014 accepts coffee in all different styles, from espresso beans to capsules, from pods to filter coffee. Each company participating to the competition will receive its ranking and the sensory profile of its own product. The winners will be entitled to use the official logo of the competition on the winning products.

The international Coffee Tasting 2014 is open to coffee roasters from all around the world. Coffee roasters can submit their applications by September 19.

The International Coffee Tasting 2014 is sponsored by Wega and by Compak Coffee Grinders.

More information

– competition rules and application forms: http://www.assaggiatoricaffe.org/site/?q=en/node/1006

– a short clip about the International Coffee Tasting 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxm8eDjLhBs

– contact person: Carlo Odello (carlo.odello@italiantasters.com)

Read also:

• Registrations are now open for the International Coffee Tasting 2010, the world coffee tasting competition
• Watch what happened at the International Coffee Tasting 2014, the international coffee competition
• International Coffee Tasting 2012: The Winners

We are pleased to announce that Scae invited the International Institute of Coffee Tasters (Iiac) to hold a seminar about the methodology of tasting Italian espresso at the upcoming World of Coffee in Rimini.

The seminar Espresso Italiano Experience will be held on the 10th June (10–12 AM) in the cupping room by Carlo Odello, member of the board of the Iiac, communications manager for the Inei (Italian Espresso National Institute) and founder of the Ibs (Italian Barista School). He will talk about the scientific tasting method developed to assess the quality of a cup of Italian espresso. Participants will thus learn how to use the Italian Espresso Sensory Map and the tasting sheet developed by the Inei for its certification program for Italian coffee roasters, machines and grinders manufacturers and baristas.

For more information and reserve your seat, please contact Julie Barwick, Scae Education Development Coordinator, at julie@scae.com or visit http://scae.com/news/scae-notices/919-exclusive-first-look-world-of-coffee-workshops.html

Read also:

• Sensory analysis of the Italian espresso at Host 2017 with the International Institute of Coffee Tasters (Iiac)
• New edition of Espresso Italiano Tasting: the sensory analysis of the Italian espresso in a single volume
• Italian Espresso certification programme and certification for Espresso Italiano Trainers in Fall 2016

by Luigi Odello (president of the International Institute of Coffee Tasters)

When a country does not feel threatened, it dismisses the army. This is precisely what the coffee plant does to caffeine, which in practice represents one of its weapons against attacking diseases. The tendency to produce caffeine is however part of a plant’s genetics, and as such is difficult to change.

However, the Brazilian researcher Mazzafera achieved just this, through genetic manipulation, to obtain a plant that produced no caffeine at all, but when reproduced, this same plant then returned to producing the traditional caffeine content. The fact remains that when the plant no longer needs to defend itself against external attack, it produces less caffeine: the Robusta coffee plant, when grown in a healthy environment, such as at high altitudes, reduces its own production of caffeine.

This is the same case of the Arabica. In a virtually parallel manner, the trend of chlorogenic acids acts in the same way, constituting another essential defence mechanism for any compounds exposed to the risk of mould, as these acids neutralise their enzymes by acting on the protein part. Thus for humans, it is important to obtain coffee from plants that had less need to defend themselves, as doctors generally agree on the maximum recommended daily intake of caffeine: 300 milligrams.

This means that we can actually drink 6 or 7 espresso coffees, if the alkaloid content is around 40-50 milligrams, but we should halve this in the case of coffee with a high caffeine content. Here is another advantage that the world would have passing to Italian Espresso: an Italian moka coffee can contain twice the caffeine and a filter coffee even three times. But we were talking of Italian Espresso: 7 grams of coffee to obtain a cup of 25 millilitres in 25 seconds. Obviously, that changes if we take the case of the recent inventions of 9/10 grams.

Read also:

• Flavors, coffee seeds maturity and fashion trends​
• Good or bad, you pay it all the same
• International Coffee Tasting Asia 2015: registration is open for the international coffee competition​