The third edition of International Coffee Tasting, the international coffee contest organized by the International Institute of Coffee Tasters, ended on October 27. For two days, 27 tasters from nine different countries (Italy, Japan, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Germany) evaluated 121 coffees from Italy, Germany, Mexico, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, and the USA.

The major types of coffee competed for their place: espresso bar, moka, pods, capsules, and filter. All products were prepared by professional baristas and evaluated anonymously by the tasters who recorded their scores on taste cards. These were then processed statistically.

"Espressos of extraordinary elegance are appearing on the coffee scene. Espressos that no longer amaze with a luxurious, full body and oodles of crema but seduce us with an incredible freshness and remarkable aromatic complexity” – commented Luigi Odello, the General Secretary of the International Institute of Coffee Tasters and Professor of Sensory Analysis at several universities in Italy and abroad. "These products certainly represent the cutting edge in the future of high-quality espresso, especially in those countries where espresso is not traditionally consumed”.

“There has also been a considerable improvement in the single-dose coffee sector”, Odello adds. “In fact, now we have pods that allow for the optimal extraction of coffee and innovative capsules, both frequently conceived for restaurant coffee menus”.

The Winners

Italian Blends for Espresso

• Caffè Qualità Oro – La Genovese, Albenga (SV)
• Bar – Caffen, Napoli
• Bar 100% Arabica – Holly Caffè, Città di Castello (PG)
• Caffè Tonino Lamborghini – Officina Gastronomica, Parma (PR)
• Miscela Degustazione – Trismoka, Paratico (BS)
• Cinquestelle – Caffè Cartapani, Brescia
• Extra Bar – Caffè Fantino, Peveragno (CN)
• Superoro – Caffè Cagliari, Modena (MO)
• Oro Oro – Torrefazione Caffè Gran Salvador, Brescia
• Natura Equa Bio Fairtrade – Caffè Agust, Brescia
• Caffè Alberto Miscela Pappagallo Rosso – Taurocaf, Caselle Torinese (TO)
• Caffè Elite Bar 100% Arabica – Italcaffè, La Spezia
• Faraglia Espresso 100% Arabica – Torrefazione Olimpica, S. Rufina Cittaducale (RI)
• Espresso Bendinelli 100% Arabica Gourmet – Caffè Roen, Verona
• Olimpia – Torrefazione Parenti, Bologna
• Noir – Paladini, Borgo San Lorenzo (FI)
• Master Club Coffee – Costadoro, Torino
• Pelourinho 100% Arabica – Magazzini del Caffè, Brescia
• Super Bar – Torrefazione S. Salvador, Villa di Tirano (SO)
• Battistino – Torrefazione Caffè Michele Battista, Triggiano (BA)

Non Italian Single Origins And Blends for Espresso

• Barcaffè Prestige 100% Arabica – Droga Kolinska, Slovenia
• Espresso Single Origin Malawi Mzuzu Geisha Viphya – Adesso, Poland
• P&F Espresso Blend – P&F Coffee Limited, Thailand
• Bizzarri Blend – 100% Arabica Coffee – Caffè Umbria, USA
• Bacio Espresso Miscela Italiana – Bontà, Mexico
• Extra Milano – Massimo Cerutti, Switzerland
• P&F Splendid Espresso Blend – P&F Coffee Limited,Thailand

Single Origins or Blends for Italian Moka

• Oro Oro – Torrefazione Caffè Gran Salvador, Brescia
• Gayo Mountain Sumatra Indonesia – Corsino Corsini, Badia al Pino (AR)
• Caffè Alberto Miscela Espresso Casa 100% Arabica – Taurocaf, Caselle Torinese (TO)

Single Origins or Blends in Pods or Capsules

• Bacio Pods – Bontà, Mexico
• Caffè Morettino 100% Arabica Espresso – Angelo Morettino, Palermo
• Espresso Made In Italy – Caffè Agust, Brescia
• Costadoro Coffee Pod – Costadoro, Torino
• Caffè Roen Cialda Monodose – Caffè Roen, Verona
• Cialda Densacrema – Zicaffè, Marsala (TP)

Single Origins or Blends for Filter Coffee

• Barcaffè Filter 100% Arabica – Droga Kolinska, Slovenia

The third edition of International Coffee Tasting will be held in Brescia (Italy) on October, 26-27. 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 2010 accepts coffee in all different styles, from espresso 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 mission of the International Coffee Tasting 2010 is not only to award excellence, but also to support coffee roasters in reaching it. "The market is effectively polarizing itself, with peaks of high quality countered by example of poor quality", concluded Mr Odello.

International Coffee Tasting 2010 is open to coffee roasters from all around the world. Coffee roasters can register up until the June 30 (forms available at www.coffeetasters.org). For more information please contact Claudia Ferretti (claudia.ferretti@italiantasters.com, tel. +39 030 397308).

>> Go to the International Coffee Tasting 2010 page

The competition rules and the application form for the International Coffee Tasting 2010 are now avaiable on the website of the International Institute of Coffee Tasters.

The International Coffee Tasting 2010 is an international competition for single or mixed origin coffee, in beans, powder or single dose forms, for espresso, mocha or filter coffee. It will be held in Italy on October 26-27 and is organised by the International Institute of Coffee Tasters with the cooperation of the Centro Studi Assaggiatori (Italian Tasters).

The International Coffee Tasting proposes:

• to create a competition between coffees from throughout the world in order to emphasize the hedonic quality of the product which comes from particularly gifted areas and which is carefully grown, expertly selected, knowledgeably roasted and then, whenever appropriate, masterfully blended;
• to emphasis quality production by indicating to consumers the best products on the market;
• to stimulate producers to follow a quality path in its most modern definition: i.e. customer satisfaction.

For more information, just visit the website or send an email to info@coffeetasters.org.

The 2008 International Coffee Tasting was held in Brescia (Italy) on the 30th and 31st of October. 130 coffees from all over the world took part in the competition organised by the International Institute of Coffee Tasters with the technical cooperation of the Centro Studi Assaggiatori (Taster Study Center).

After two days of work, 26 tasters were able to award the best coffees with the Golden Medal. They evaluated each coffee blindly using a tasting card. The cards were collected and processed by the technicians of the Centro Studi Assaggiatori. A list of the winners was eventually issued.

“As far as the Italian market is concerned, the tasting sessions demonstrate an improvement in the average quality of coffee – told Luigi Odello, secretary general of the International Institute of Coffee Tasters and professor of Sensory Analysis in several Italian universities – Espresso confirmed as the best way to prepare coffee: the moka pot, the filter, the neapolitan and the home machines cannot reach its level of quality”.

All the winners of the 2008 International Coffee Tasting: the Golden Medals

Category: Italian espresso blends for the horeca

• Caffè Agust- Agust Natura Equa – Miscela di Caffè 100% Arabica da Agricoltura Biologica – Speciale Bar
• Caffè Haiti Roma di Azeglio Martella & C. Srl – Caffè Gran Riserva – Prodotto Italiano di Qualità
• Caffè Terzi Sas- Miscela Terzi n. 1 – 100% Arabica
• Costadoro Spa – Master Club Coffee – 100% Qualità Arabica
• Caffè Paranà di Giannelli Emilio – Espresso italiano in grani
• Holly di Ulivieri Raffaele – Torrefazione Caffè – Special Bar 100% Arabica 
• La Genovese Sas – Caffè Qualità Oro 
• Minuto Caffè Srl – Bar Gourmet Espresso 1 Kg – 100% Arabica 
• T.M. Srl dei F.lli Morandini & C. – Miscela Oro 90% Arabica Certificata in grani
• Torrefazione Artigianale Caffè Roen – Espresso Bendinelli "Gourmet 100% Arabica"
• Torrefazione Aryscaffè – Aryscaffè Eurobar 
• Torrefazione Caffè Avana – Miscela Degustazione "Sublime" 
• Torrefazione Gran Salvador Snc – 001 – Oro 
• Torrefazione Saturno Srl – Miscela 1 Bar Caracol 
• Torrefazione Taurocaf Snc – Caffè Alberto Miscela Pappagallo Oro – Espresso 
• Torrefazione Taurocaf Snc – Caffè Alberto Miscela Pappagallo Rosso – Espresso 
• Tris Moka Srl – Gran Caffè Gourmet

Category: Non-Italian espresso blends for the horeca

• Café Dromedario Sa (Spagna) – Cafè Colombiano Nariño Supremo "El Tambo" Café Dromedario – Café en Grano Natural
• Café Dromedario Sa (Spagna) – Cinco Alturas Cafes La Brasileña – La Tostadora – Café en Grano
• Café Dromedario Sa (Spagna) – Especial Espresso Cafè Dromedario – Café Natural en Grano
• Massimo Cerutti S.A. (Svizzera) – Cerutti "Il caffè" Qualità Extra Milano
• Monardo – AMeL Commercial de cafes e complementos (Brasile) – Antonello Monardo Caffè Espresso Blend – Sul de Minas Gourmet – 100% Arabica

Category: Home automatic coffee machine

• Caffè Mokarico Srl – Bar – Caffè torrefatto in grani

Category: Single-dose coffee machine

• Angelo Morettino Spa – Caffè Morettino "100% Arabica Espresso" – Cialda
• Caffè Cagliari Spa – Cialda Gran Caffè – monodose per macchine espresso
• Costadoro Spa – Cialde Costadoro – Coffee Pod
• Omkafè Srl – Cialde Top Quality Omkafè

Category: Moka coffee pot

• Angelo Morettino Spa – Caffè Morettino "Arabica Club" 100% Arabica – Morbido e raffinato
• Caffè Cartapani Srl – Miscela "Primeiro" 100% Arabica – macinato
• Café Dromedario Sa (Spagna) – Café Colombiano Nariño Supremo "El Tambo" La Tostadora
• Corsino Corsini Spa – Colombia Caffè Medellin Supremo – Compagnia dell’Arabica
• Milani Spa – Puro Portorico Yauco Selecto – 100% Arabica
• Minuto Caffè Srl – Fior di Aroma Macinato 250 g – 100% Arabica

Category: Neapolitan coffee pot / Filter

• Torrefazione Principe Gbr (Germania) – La Nera Espresso Casa

International Coffee Tasting 2008 will be the record-setting competition. Actually, more than 140 coffees from all over the world have registered for the biennial competition organised by the International Institute of Coffee Tasters. A sharp increase of the number of coffees compared to the first edition in 2006, during which, for the first time ever, tens of coffees were assessed by commissions made up of judges from the International Institute of Coffee Tasters. «A unique initiative which already in 2006 attracted also the attention of the media – said Odello – The mission of the International Institute of Coffee Tasters is that of promoting a scientific method for coffee tasting. Praising the best products of the sector means also rewarding those who work in a competent manner in order to provide consumers with a truly high quality coffee». Currently, the tasting commissions made up of tasters, both Italians and foreigners, from the Institute are being formed. See you all then on the 30th-31st of October when the international competition will take place in Brescia.

by Luigi Odello

Secretary General of the International Institute of Coffee Tasters, he is also a lecturer at the University of Udine, Verona and at the Cattolica in Piacenza. In addition he is the Chairman of the Taster Study Center and Secretary General of the Italian Espresso National Institute

Without competition, there can be no improvement. This is a genetics law but it is true also for the business world. However, many companies in the coffee sector are not that keen on competition, especially if it is on the sensory impact of the blends. Think about wine, a product from which coffee should draw inspiration if it wants to a step further towards the life of consumers. There is an incredible number of guides with all sorts of comments – expressed in differing ways – valuations at exaggerated rhythms and competitions with tens of editions left behind.

In our business, the International Institute of Coffee Tasters has recently finalised an unprecedented investigation on quality at the bar: 907 surveys in bars in the entire Italian territory, 20 bars in he city centre of Milan and Rome examined by means of the environment and sensory analysis.

On the one hand, the joy of the winners has been expressed in quiet tones, on the other, the anger of the excluded has been strong to the extent that the poorly appeased acrimony reached the governing bodies of major institutions. We should be happy about this because it is anyhow a reaction which means that something will happen. We would like this to turn into food for thought for everybody on what to do to improve rather than to boil down to plain expression of sorrow.

These are our thoughts while we are busy with the organisation of another big event at an International level: the second edition of International Coffee Tasting. The first edition, in 2006, was a success. Not only in terms of the number of attendees. Some companies bought entire pages on newspapers to advertise the award they won. Other participants asked if it was possible to display the logo of the competition on their product. Let alone the company that received an order of coffee from a big Dutch agent in order to supply 5000 families with the gold medal product.

International Coffee Tasting is the first and only competition in the world of this kind. Its rules are based on the strict rules applied to wine tasting and defined by the International Organisation of Vines and Wine. Expert tasters from the International Institute of Coffee Tasters taste, anonymously, the coffee and the data is processed with the support of the most modern statistics techniques.

What else can be done? Well, we are already aware that the anger of the excluded will show once again.

In November 2008, there will be the second edition of International Coffee Tasting, the only one international competition where coffee is tasted according to the scientific rules of sensory analysis. While for wine there are many competitions and they are now part of its history and tradition, in the coffee sector competitions are often focused on the barista and almost never on the product. Coffee Taster is aimed at promoting a competition between the coffees from all over the world as to highlight the degree of pleasure offered by the product that comes from well renowned areas, that is cultivated with all the necessary attention, thoroughly processed, skilfully selected, properly roasted and, when needed, finely blended. It puts emphasis on the most prestigious products and points out to the consumers the best products available on the market, thus stimulating producers to pursue quality in its most modern sense: customer satisfaction. International Coffee Tasting 2008 will be organised, just as the previous edition, by the International Institute of Coffee Tasters with the technical and scientific support of the Taster Study Center. Single origin coffees or blended, in beans, ground or in single dose for espresso, moka or filter will be admitted to the competition. During the 2006 edition, 81 coffees have been evaluated by three commissions of expert tasters. Medals have been awarded based on threshold scores in full compliance with the competitions rules which established that the coffees which could be awarded a prize had to account for maximum 30% of all participants. It was a very tight competition and some products did not win a medal just for a few tenths of a point. There was a very strict selection that awarded prizes only to high-level products. The announcement of the competition and the application form are available at www.coffeetasters.org. For further information please write to info@coffeetasters.org.