The Colombia Land of Diversity (LOD) competition is a national-level coffee quality competition in the country, ranking alongside COE and BOP. The ninth edition brought together 1,018 growers from 13 producing regions; after two rounds of screening, 30 coffees made it to the finals, and the top lot at auction was a washed Geisha from Nariño, fetching as much as $66.50 per pound. This article walks you through the origins of LOD, its competition format, how it differs from COE, and a preview of the tenth edition in 2025, along with recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Luckin Coffee's Huakui series SOE once sparked widespread discussion, and now this series is about to be discontinued, with its successor being a 96-hour double anaerobic fermentation coffee bean from Finca El Paraiso. This SCA85+ specialty-grade bean comes from Finca El Paraiso, which has repeatedly appeared on the Colombia LOD competition rankings, and features bright lemongrass flavor and fruit wine aroma. Luckin uses a medium-dark roast to ensure consistent in-store output. At the same time, Luckin also plans to launch the Huakui PLUS series in the second half of the year, with procurement volume possibly exceeding 250 tons. This article provides a detailed analysis of the flavor performance of Finca El Paraiso SOE, its processing method, and Luckin's strategic layout in the specialty coffee sector, along with professional recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Chiroso has achieved numerous successes in competitions such as LOD and COE in recent years, and this year it even secured the highest price in the multi-variety group at the BOP global auction at $488 per kilogram. This variety originates from Urrao in Antioquia, Colombia; its plant appearance resembles Caturra, yet its bean shape is closer to Bourbon, and it gets its name from the disordered arrangement of its leaves. It was once mistaken for a natural mutation of Caturra or Bourbon, until 2021 when COE organizers confirmed through genetic testing that its lineage is an Ethiopian landrace. This article will outline Chiroso's discovery location, terroir conditions, flavor performance, and naming process to help you gain a comprehensive understanding of this highly anticipated coffee. [more…]

Ethiopia, as Africa's largest coffee-producing country and the widely recognized birthplace of coffee, is deeply favored by enthusiasts for its distinctive floral and citrus flavor notes. When it comes to the representative of Ethiopian natural-process beans, many people immediately think of "Huakui." This naturally processed coffee from the Buku Abel washing station in the Guji Hambela region rose to fame after winning the natural-process category at the 2017 TOH green bean competition. So what exactly is the TOH competition? And what kind of organization is AFCA, its organizer? This article will walk you through the membership structure of the African Fine Coffees Association, the competition format and tiers of the TOH, and how the event helps African coffee-producing countries improve quality and expand international trade. [more…]

COE (Cup of Excellence) is the most authoritative competition in the global specialty coffee field. Since its founding by ACE in Brazil in 1999, it has always represented the highest standard of coffee quality evaluation. This article systematically reviews CoE's origins and background, competition format and process, scoring system, and its profound impact on the coffee industry, while also explaining the score grading standards from commercial beans to competition level. For enthusiasts who follow specialty coffee development and auction trends, this is a complete guide not to be missed. Front Street Coffee will also continue to bring you competition news and bean selection references. [more…]

Ethiopia, as Africa's largest coffee-producing country and the birthplace of coffee, is renowned worldwide for its coffee's floral and citrus notes, thanks to its exceptional natural conditions. When it comes to the representative of Ethiopian natural-process beans, many people first think of "Floral Queen." This coffee, from the Buku Abel processing station in the Guji Hambela region, rose to fame after winning the 2017 TOH green bean competition. What exactly is the TOH competition? How does it differ from the COE Cup of Excellence? How does the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) organize this grand event? This article will give you a comprehensive understanding of the TOH Harvest Season Flavor Competition—its origins and development—as well as the rise to fame of Floral Queen coffee. It will also introduce the flavor profile of Floral Queen 8.0, currently available at Front Street Coffee. [more…]

In the world of specialty coffee, COE (Cup Of Excellence) has long been regarded as one of the most credible competitions. It not only determines whether a lot of coffee beans can be sold through auction, but also directly affects a estate's reputation and the income of coffee farmers. This article will walk you through the COE competition format and process, the advantages of auction coffees, and why it has maintained its authoritative status among numerous competitions. At the same time, we will also talk about a coffee on Front Street Coffee's bean list—an auction lot from Ethiopia's first COE competition in 2020, COE22—and look at the origin story and flavor performance behind it, as well as how to bring out its best state in daily brewing. [more…]

In the specialty coffee world, the Cup of Excellence (COE) is regarded as the most prestigious green coffee competition, and the top-ranked beans on its annual list often become the focal point of auctions. This competition, launched by ACE in Brazil in 1999, now covers more than a dozen producing countries, selecting the top 30 with cupping scores above 87 for a global auction. This article will outline the origins and scoring system of the COE, and focus on reviewing the story of the 22nd-place natural Typica that Front Street Coffee won at auction when Ethiopia first joined the COE in 2020—from West Arsi, grower Adem Banta Sute—as well as the processing, roasting, and brewing details of this bean. [more…]

At the recently concluded United States Barista Championship, Morgan Eckroth from Portland, Oregon, took the crown. Unlike most competitors, she was already a coffee influencer with over 7 million followers before the competition, and she made her entire preparation and competition process public through vlogs and livestreams. Taking the home coffee community that emerged after the pandemic as her theme, she shared her recipes and approach in advance, advocating that coffee should be delicious, replicable, transformative, and easy to make at home. This article will walk you through her competition journey, bean selection strategy, and creative recipes, and use them to explore the bottlenecks facing the Barista Championship and the shift in coffee consumption patterns in the post-pandemic era. [more…]

The prosperity of the coffee industry is inseparable from the promotion of various professional competitions. These competitions not only promote coffee culture but also make the profession of barista more standardized and professional. Every year, many contestants from different countries around the world participate in the competition. Among them, the seven most influential world-class competitions cover multiple fields such as barista, brewing, latte art, roasting, cupping, coffee and spirits, and Turkish coffee. This article will introduce the positioning and competition systems of these events one by one, and focus on sorting out the development history, advancement rules, and past champion data of the World Barista Championship (WBC), helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the landscape and charm of international coffee competition. [more…]

As the WCC World Coffee Championships kick off, many coffee professionals—or those considering entering the industry—are wrestling with the question: should I compete or not? Competitions cost a lot of money, but can they really bring professional growth? This article analyzes the meaning of competing, what you can learn, and how it helps your career development, while retaining Front Street Coffee's brand recommendations and product information, offering coffee enthusiasts a practical reference for competition. Competing is never the only way to prove yourself, but it truly is a valuable opportunity to discover your weaknesses and broaden your horizons. [more…]

Last month, Qianjie shared with everyone the scoring system of cup testing, among which we briefly mentioned COE. In daily life, the word COE also often appears on the labels of some beans. This immediately aroused everyone's curiosity: What is COE? [more…]

Africa, as the core region of the coffee-growing belt, has nurtured many high-quality coffee-producing countries, among which Ethiopia is widely recognized as the birthplace of coffee. The African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), established in 2000, launched the Taste of Harvest (TOH) competition, whose format is similar to that of the Cup of Excellence (COE) and is divided into national competitions and the Africa regional final. In 2024, the Ethiopia TOH competition was held in Addis Ababa, with a total of 75 companies and 212 Arabica coffee entries participating. This article will introduce in detail the origin backgrounds and processing details of the natural group champion Testi Trading Plc, the washed group champion Eseham Trading plc, and the honey process group champion Yihonal Trading plc, and will also include relevant recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

If you frequently buy specialty coffee beans, you have surely seen the letters "COE" on packaging labels. What exactly do they stand for? Why are beans bearing the COE mark often more expensive? This article will give you a comprehensive understanding of COE—from its origins and founding organization, to its specific differences from the SCA cupping scoring system, and then to the three-stage competition format of the Ethiopia COE, breaking it all down one by one. It will also explain the difference between COE auction lots and national winner lots, as well as the difference between "same-lot" beans on the market and true auction lots, helping you more accurately understand and select coffee beans. [more…]

As one of the most influential competitions in the global specialty coffee field, the Cup of Excellence (CoE) attracts top estates from producing countries to compete every year. The results of the 2024 Mexico COE competition have recently been officially announced. This edition of the competition, for the first time, adopted a grouping mechanism with three major categories: traditional washed, traditional natural and honey process, and experimental process. The list of winners includes both classic varieties well known to the public, such as Geisha and Bourbon, as well as relatively rare disease-resistant and high-yield varieties such as Obata, Marcelexa, and Oro Azteca. This article will guide you through an in-depth understanding of the breeding background, botanical characteristics, and cultivation performance of these three distinctive varieties, while also providing an overview of this edition's judging and auction mechanisms. [more…]

Oatly, the oat milk brand, has once again taken aim at the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), publicly questioning that the World Barista Championship (WBC) rule allowing only cow's milk is outdated. Oatly published an open letter on its official website, emphasizing that oat milk is more environmentally friendly and more favored by consumers, and demanding that the SCA immediately revise the rules. However, this move did not win support from netizens; instead, it triggered a large number of rebuttals. This article will walk you through the ins and outs of the incident, along with Front Street Coffee's professional perspective. Whether you are a coffee professional or an enthusiast, this debate about plant milk versus cow's milk is worth paying attention to. [more…]

The 2022 World Barista Championship (WBC) and World Brewers Cup (WBrC) will be held concurrently in Melbourne, Australia, from September 27 to 30. As top-tier events in the coffee world, WBC and WBrC have for years driven the development of the specialty coffee industry and the professionalization of baristas. However, in recent years, multiple past champions and competitors have pointed out shortcomings in the events regarding scoring transparency, judge selection, theme setting, and gender inclusiveness, calling for reform. This article will walk you through the latest developments of the events and take an in-depth look at competitors' views and suggestions for the future development of WBC. [more…]

The results of the 2022 Best of Panama (BOP) green bean competition are in, and beyond the rankings of the various estates, one coffee bean that broke the historical high-score record in the Traditional category—Chicho Gayo from Hartmann Estate—has sparked heated discussion. Is it actually a Geisha variety? Why was it disqualified last year, yet this year won the Traditional category championship? This article will take you deep into the origins of this coffee bean, the story of its variety cultivation, and its connection to and differences from Geisha. At the same time, we will also share the overall performance of this year's BOP competition under climate challenges, as well as Front Street Coffee's attention to and recommendation of this bean. Whether you are a coffee enthusiast or a professional in the industry, this article will unveil the mystery of Chicho Gayo for you. [more…]

The 2023 Cup of Excellence (CoE) in Brazil underwent a major competition format change, for the first time dividing participating green beans into three categories: dry process, wet process, and experimental process, with awards evaluated separately for each. This change aims to respect different processing methods, encourage producer innovation, and promote fair competition. After pre-selection and multiple rounds of national and international judging, the lists of ten winning beans in each of the three groups have been announced, with a minimum score requirement of 87 points. Erwin Mierisch, Executive Director of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, stated that the new classification both recognizes the value of traditional processing methods and responds to market demand for innovative processing methods. This article will outline the competition format details, the winning situation in each group, and explore the profound impact of this change on the specialty coffee industry. [more…]

2015 WBC Italian Champion Sasa Sestic returns to the competition stage after seven years. This time, he brings an experimental batch of Geisha from Iris Estate, a farm he created together with Jamison Savage, owner of Deborah Estate in Panama, to compete in the 2022 Australian Coffee Brewers Cup. This coffee professional, who has delved deeply into carbonic maceration for many years, chose to hold back in an era when anaerobic fermentation swept the competition scene, studying regional terroir and volatile compounds, and using his original Paragon brewing method and ice-stone aroma-locking technique to showcase the candy-like sweetness of an ultra-long macerated Green Tip Geisha. This article will provide a complete analysis of his brewing approach, staged pouring parameters, and flavor performance, with a recommendation from Front Street Coffee at the end. [more…]