Bom Dia

by Zarah Patriana · 2008-10-21 07:41:00 UTC
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It's Tuesday morning and I can think of a dozen (a baker's dozen) places I'd like to be right now and one of those places is definitely Brazil. Rio. The Amazon. Baile Funk. Give it to me. A girl can dream, but alas, I'm needed in the real world.

However, I'm not done with you Brazil! Yesterday, was the first day (of four) of the first ever Fair Trade Certified Cupping Competition and Auction, taking place in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Ten Brazilian Fair Trade Certified Arabica producing cooperatives will be submitting samples for judging in the competition. The goal of the event is to showcase high quality Fair Trade Certified coffee produced in Brazil and provides FTC licensees access to the best coffee in the region.

Wait, what's a cupping competition you ask? First of all, cupping is a method done to evaluate the different characteristics of a coffee bean. When cupping coffee, you are able to figure out aroma, flavor, acidity, depth and so much more. It involves stirring, smelling, sipping (slurping?) the coffee then spitting it out into a spittoon. I actually found all this out when I visited SolCafe in Nicaragua and met with a professional coffee cupper that tasted up to 60 coffees a day. A day! Needless to say, he doesn't really drink coffee at home.

Judging will be going on until the 24th, when the winners will be announced. Also, TransfairUSA is organizing a four day excursion for those who wish to visit the coffee cooperatives in the area. Really, why aren't I in Brazil right now?

This competition is a great way for the producer and producer organizations to meet with buyers and create that personal tie. Follow along with updates from the competition at their blog. It promises of interviews, photos and winner annoucements. So, bom dia everyone. That's Portuguese for good morning. Look, it's before noon and you're already speaking Portuguese. Impressive.

Zarah Patriana
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