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For Immediate Release
ECAFE Foundation Inc.
Contact: Willem Boot
Email: willemboot@earthlink.net
1st Ever ECAFE Gold International Competition for Ethiopian Cooperative Coffees Concludes with 26 Lots Selected for Auction
A jury of 16 distinguished international judges at the 1st annual ECAFE Gold Ethiopian Cooperative Coffees Competition has selected 26 winning coffee lots, which will be available in an internet auction hosted by the SCAA on May 10, 2005. The auction will include 14 rarely offered grade one washed coffees from the Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions. Particularly unique in this auction are the 12 specially selected and processed unwashed varieties from the Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, and Nekemte regions. “These outstanding naturals,” comments Colleen Crosby, co-founder of ECAFE Foundation, “embody the rich aromatics and flavors found in the Ethiopian spice market. Exotic fruits and elegant floral notes contribute to the distinctness of these exemplary coffees.”
Various award winning coffees offered through the auction will also carry Organic and Fair Trade Certifications. The auction finalists will include 14 Certified Organic coffees, five Certified Fair Trade Organics, and one Certified Fair Trade Conventional lot.
ECAFE Foundation and representatives from the Ethiopian Cooperative Coffee Unions celebrated at an award ceremony on Saturday, held at the cupping facilities of the Central Liquoring Quality Center in Addis Ababa. Abraham Bageshaw, head of the Central Liquoring Lab said, “During this rigorous week of coffee evaluations, a total of 96 finalist coffees were cupped. Of each auction coffee lot, at least 29 cups were evaluated and tasted by the international jury.”
An obvious standout and the highest scoring finalist coffee in the washed category was the coffee submitted by Kello Cooperative of the Yirgacheffe Union. Kello’s washed coffee exibited orange and cinnamon flavors with elegant floral notes, full rich body, and velvety smooth texture. In the unwashed category, the Djimma Grade 3 coffee entered by Campi Cooperative of the Oromia Union was noted for its sweet apricot and ripe fruit flavors, delicate balance, and creamy vanilla finish. “The complex, sweet flavors of these natural coffees astounded our entire jury; we could be at the beginning of a new trend in Ethiopian specialty coffee,” says Willem Boot, head judge of the competition.
Immediately following the award ceremony, 16 members of ECAFE Foundation and the International Jury travelled to the Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions to present awards to several of the highest ranking cooperatives in the competition. The farm visits to the cooperatives proved that producing exemplary coffee is no coincidence. Preparation began six months before the competition when participating cooperatives committed to specially select and carefully process a small lot of their finest coffee. Perfect husbandry, meticulous selection and harvesting, and careful drying on raised drying beds clearly contributed to the success of the winning coffees. These farmers welcomed ECAFE’s recognition of their expertise and devoted attention to quality.
For information on pre-registration and samples for the May 10th auction of ECAFE Gold Ethiopian Cooperative Coffees, please send an email to info@ecafefoundation.com |
