mycuppa October 2013 Newsletter

The coffee roasting event, Golden Bean 2013/14, was held in October 2013.

We undecided as to whether we really wanted to enter Golden Bean this year.

In the lead-up months to the event, we had been thinking about which of the almost 50 coffees we have in our portfolio to submit as entries.

Decisions, decisions!

With our big portfolio, including several custom coffees prepared for specialty cafes, many are absolute standout combinations.

Last year (2012/13), we took some big gambles (risks) with entries by submitting left-field, super-fruity coffees that had been well-regarded by expert baristas in Melbourne.

Last year's strategy bombed - although we did manage to pick up a Silver medal and a Bronze. 

We only decided at the very last minute, with just 2 hours remaining on the clock before the previous express post collection - a.k.a the deadline.

I was not happy with the rushed preparations.

Still, we collected two(2) Bronze medals in the highly contested Espresso and Single Origin Categories - given the circumstances, I was quite happy with the result.

Our Espresso blend continues to be a consistent medal winner - this is now four years in a row our beloved Espresso has picked up awards - a sure sign of consistency.

Sumatra Lake Tawar picked up a medal in the Single Origin section - it continues to be a very popular coffee amongst our mycuppa clients.

There is only a one-point difference between the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals when judging coffee quality.

The standard is incredibly high, and the difference between Gold and Bronze can be barely noticeable.

As the judges need to evaluate hundreds of coffees within a short timeframe, the difference can come down to palate fatigue on the judging panel, e.g. they are unable to taste certain elements because their palate has been over-stimulated.