WATTS WORKS - TRAVELOGUE, BRASIL CUP OF EXCELLENCE 2002

Tuesday, 23 October

The beginning step in any good tasting event, the jury calibration. Today we cupped three flights of the same coffees to align the 33 palates and standardize our scoring protocol. Properly calibrated, we retired to the dinner buffet to pad our stomachs in anticipation of tomorrow’s 5-flight, 50-coffee first round adventure. Finding material for said padding was not the least bit difficult, as this buffet was the size of two small coffeeshops and had everything from pan-fried Dorado (a local fish- white, mild and slightly flaky, much like an overgrown Bluegill) to fresh guava. It took at least three meals before I applied a semblance of restraint, realizing that there were still a few days left to sample everything (although calling what I did sampling is an abuse of semantics, for which I offer no apologies).

Wednesday, 24 October

Eight-thirty is the start time for today’s marathon, and everyone looks ready. This first day is grueling, and pictures of the jurors after rounds three and five provide convincing evidence to dispel any notion that we are simply here to relax. That mildly-dehydrated, ultra-caffeinated, and tightly saturated feeling that accompanies extended cupping is familiar to most everyone here, and is oddly appreciated in the same way as the burning muscles the morning after a vigorous game of basketball, a reminder of great effort expended. Needless to say there were some great coffees and some that should have stayed home; my personal scores ranged between a low of 51 and the rare 100, with 28 of the fifty passing into round 2. While I was reluctant to hand out a 100 on the first day, I could find no fault with this coffee. Refreshing and confident, with an electric acidity that rode in on a chariot of sweet peach and sugarcane and finished wet and clean with a composure that defines difference between the great and the truly noble, this fellow was unassailable. Having given the 100 score, I moved around to other tables trying to find a flaw with the coffee, nervous with each new spoonful that a blemish would appear somewhere on this beauty, but there was no such flaw to be found. On the other side of the spectrum was the 51, which went to a coffee that was apparently dug up and flown in from an ancient Egyptian tomb, possessing approximately as much life as the elevator version of a Celine Dion song. In between were many tasty coffees that were in varying degrees spicy, sweet, nutty, fruity, rich, tart, delicate, syrupy, gentlemanly, roguish…… Also present were some that had nice qualities but suffered from astringency, imbalance, dullness, chalkiness, or were otherwise unfit to be recommended as quality specimens. A bit of humor today came at my expense after I described a coffee as having the distinct aroma of plastic diapers but still found reason to score it a 90. While I’m not yet prepared to posit a real correlation between the smell of clean diapers and the taste of sweet ripe pears, there were some nice qualities in this coffee and it averaged an 83.6 on the day. The night came quickly, and the highlight of the evening was a brilliant acting performance by Hiroshi, who was tragically shot in the chest by the jealous ex-lover of his new girlfriend.

Thursday, 25 October

Round two begins at 9, and this time we’re down to four flights. A few minor roasting disparities cropped up and led to the withdrawal and subsequent re-roasting of these coffees, and the presence of a camera crew from Canada made the day a bit more surreal. I’ve never been one for the limelight, and a 5-inch lens hovering within drooling distance of my face was mildly distracting, but the coffee quickly refocused my mind. A mishandled cupping spoon that found its way into the bottom of a spittoon provided brief comic relief for our table, and the word of the day was of course one gigantic slurp.

I found another coffee worthy of a 100 score today, this one being the day’s winner, and of the thirty-eight coffees tasted today the group rewarded twenty-eight with a trip to the December auction. For those who are naturally curious, the so-called diaper coffee improved its lot in life today, moving up to an average score of 86. The day’s leisure activities included a ferocious game of water polo in which Soren played both the goalie position and the defensive line all by himself. At the end of the hotly contested match that included a dislocated shoulder and a bloody knee it was even more evident that coffeemen are not a group be trifled with.

Friday, 26 October

This day is the jury’s reward for hard work done during the week. The auction lots have by now been determined, and today’s cupping consists of only one flight—the best of the best, only the coffees that scored above 90 in previous rounds. Among these are the coffees that will surely be fought over in the auction, probably commanding a price 5 or more times the current market value, and will be treasured as some of the finest Brasil produced this year. In many respects today’s work is the most challenging, as we are dealing with coffees that are all of a very high caliber and the contrast between them is particularly subtle. To compare them requires digging very deeply into the cups and identifying the many micro-details that separate a 94 from a 95. In some ways, this is a matter of resonance…when cupping with this degree of sensitivity the elements that differentiate within such an elite group of coffees can often be felt more easily than described, and what makes a coffee the best can, in my mind at least, be reduced to the level of raw pleasure it offers the drinker. In the same manner a truly inspired piece of music can penetrate all prejudices or inhibitions and cause even the stiffest of folks to dance (or at least nod their heads expressively) a great coffee can sometimes be experienced in a physical way, yielding a pleasure that goes beyond the interpretation of flavors and qualities in the beverage and results in full-fledged joy. This is a rare occurrence, dependent as it is on expert roasting and preparation (as well as a cleanly, unmolested palate), and it is the crescendo in the work of a coffeeman. After the final round five coffees poked their heads out above the rest, and these would be honored as the presidential class.

This evening, our work finished, we returned as a group Salvador and celebrated at a local restaurant with yet another feast and a performance of some of the sickest capoeira I’ve ever seen.

Saturday, 27 October

A last-minute decision steered me to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, and it pleases me greatly to report that the girl from Ipanema is not just a mythical figure from an old song. The fact is, this girl exists and she is ever so lovely; the even more wonderful truth is that she is not one but many, making Ipanema one of the best places in the world to spend a day on the beach.

I will not dwell on my time spent here, but think grilled shrimp on the beach, cheese cubes grilled with spices in a small charcoal stove in the sand, soccer-volleyball, body-surfing, coconut water, beer in the afternoon….

Sunday, 28 October

More of the same, and this is just fine by me. Wouldn’t have it any other way.

I had the distinct privilege to be here in Rio as the new President, Lula de Silva, was elected by overwhelming majority. The mood was joyous, and the streets were full of celebration. I sincerely hope that in my lifetime we are able to elect a leader in the States that inspires this sort of hope, someone about who it is actually possible to become excited.

Monday, 29 October

The trip ends here in Sao Paulo, city of 17 million, not one of the prettiest places in the world but certainly full of energy. The group, reassembled after a weekend of travelling, put on some fresh, shiny duds and went to the awards ceremony to congratulate the farmers whose coffees would be put up for auction this December. It feels very good to connect these coffees to the people who produced them, taking a step out of the abstract and being reminded that what happens from this point onward is critical to the success of both these farmers and ultimately to the specialty coffee industry. It is one thing to taste, evaluate, and identify exceptional coffees. It is something altogether more challenging to get them into the market at a price that rewards everyone involved in their production and into the mouths of coffee drinkers who can truly appreciate their intrinsic worth.

Epilogue

Another lovely trip, it was only 10 days but felt like a month. To the organizers of the event-Susie, Silvio, Edgard, Marcelo, and of course George- I extend the utmost thanks for inviting me, love and respect to the fullest for making the Cup happen. To our staff and customers, I will try to bring home one of my favorite coffees from this event for you to enjoy. To Brasil itself…. Muito obrigado…. I’ll be back as soon as I can manage.