El Salvador Cup of Excellence 2009

I do believe El Salvador is my favorite Cup of Excellence competition. I like to be on the jury here. The coffees are really good. You have these super balanced Bourbon cultivars, and these really wild Pacamara cultivars, so there is always a surprise or two or three on each table. Here's a few pictures from the 2009 Comptetition.

Ah ... another early morning arrival in El Salvador. I hate TACA	The jurado de jueces internacional. Woo!	My favorite feature - dressed-up cinder blocks. And activity sandals!
We went to a coffee farm, to see real coffee trees. A Pacamara. Finca El Retiro	New flowers coming soon, Pacamara. Finca El Retiro	Typical El Salvador farm setting. Finca El Retiro
El Duke, at the Cipres Mill. He's a sweet guy. Someone cut him with a machete. Ugh.	La Majada cooperative mill - lots of pulpers.	Wood for burning at the mill. This is cleared from shade trees at farms.
Another late dinner, but with pupusa galore!	Marimba until you drop.	El Zorro de Sonsonate. Marie dnaced with the Zorro
This guy can boogie! Zorro means "fox"	El Zorro does his crazy thing.	73 years old, nothing stops the fox!
Marie of Portland Roasting - not afraid to dance.	Vytautus is the most rad Lithuanian.	Keishin
Most meat eaten on a jury, ever. Jason	Takashi from World Coffee	Paul Songer, head judge ...
Jorge Escobar	Jan, a coffee xpert	Yoshi of Itoya Coffee
Synove is not a math function.	Anette of Square Mile	Bob from New Orleans
Yoshi Kato, Bontain	Hishashi from Unir Coffeee - we went to Peru together too.	Noah
Chris Davidson	Crazy barefoot Christian	Other Christian, Mercanta
Jorge Acuna - statistically we were calibrated in cupping.	Paol Transcends	Inoue of Wataru
Well, had to have one of me too.	Christian Rotsko	Jorge and Jorge
Cup cleaning	Cups in the sunlight	color.