The Cup of Excellence sensory education training course has been delivered over the past 4 years with great success. Graduates have improved their sensory skills and gone on to participate in international juries with the Cup of Excellence program. Taste some of the best coffees in the world, and improve your sensory skills.

Curriculum

• Taste a wide range of coffee qualitities and improve your ability to score across the range of qualities
• In-depth lectures and discussions on COE, specialty coffee, and what makes COE coffee unique.
• 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 confidants.
• A test based on the program COE uses to select National Jury members.

New hybrid format

1. Lecture - delivered online one week before in person class
2. In person cuppings- 2 days of cuppings to explore the range of coffees, practice the sensory protocols with supervision from an instructor and calibrate with the groups
3. Results presentation - one week later we share the results of the cupping assessment

Classes will begin at 9:00 and finish between 4:30 pm and 5:00 pm with an hour break for lunch, which will be provided. Be prepared to experience the Cup of Excellence (COE). You’ll cup many different coffees, processes, and cultivars, practice 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 the “test” with three cuppings back-to-back.

Nov 17th - Hybrid webinar

Nov 23-24 In-Person Class – Using the Simonelli campus as a base with multiple cupping labs joining via Teams.

Dec 1 Wrap up - presentation of results

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. Lunches will be provided.

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, an apron, 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 three weeks, you will receive an email containing your testing results. The information you receive will be in the same format as those who undergo 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.

Locations

1. Belforte del Chienti MC - Italy Simonelli Campus

2. Edinburgh, UK – Coffee Nexus

3. Reykjavik Iceland – Kaffibrugghúsið

4. Sofia Bulgaria – Dabov Specialty Coffee

5. Greece

6. Dubai

7. Romania

INSTRUCTOR: Scott Conary, Head judge CoE

As Owner of award-winning Caffe Driade & Open Eye Café, along with Carrboro Coffee Roasters in the United States; Scott has had many opportunities to travel, teach and learn about coffee production, harvest, selection, blends and trends for the last 22+ years. He is an active educator in the Industry in most all disciplines and consults for companies, restaurants, and cafes nationally & around the world while also serving as a World Coffee Events Representative and Certified Head Judge for the World Barista Championship for the last 18 years. Scott trains Barista’s and coffee professionals, & works as a consultant, in the U.S. and around the world, for skill, knowledge and competition. Along with his job of sourcing coffee personally from farmers around the world for Carrboro Coffee Roasters’ Farmer Direct Relationship Program, he works for the Alliance for Coffee Excellence and their Cup of Excellence program as a Head Judge in coffee growing countries.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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 ACE 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 ACE website.

If students are late or do not show up for class, ACE cannot ensure their cupping data will be included in group discussions, calibrations, or post-class reports.