The results are in! The blind-tasting event of The Good Coffee Contest 2023 – Shotim Magazine's second annual competition for Israeli coffee roasteries – was held last month (Thursday, May 11) in Tel Aviv, sponsored by Schweppes and Loveramics. A professional judging team blind-tasted and ranked 90 coffee blends and single-origin coffees, that were submitted by 26 different Israeli roasteries from all over the country. Scroll down to see the list of 2023 Winners.
This is how it happened:
All the blends and single-origin coffees that participated in the competition were categorized by the type of beans and the origin of the coffee. Single-origin coffee beans were categorized by geographic region, and blends were divided into three categories based on the percentage of Robusta beans in the blend: one category of 100% Arabica blends, another category of blends with up to 15% Robusta beans, and a third category of blends with more than 15% Robusta beans. Premium coffee beans (over 200 Israeli Shekels per kg) competed and were judged as a separate category. In 2023 we added two new categories of Turkish/Arabic coffee – with cardamom and plain.
The judges blind-tasted all the coffee using the Cupping method, according to the strict recommendations of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), with Loveramics 200ml cupping cups. Between sips, the judges cleansed their palates with Schweppes soda water. The tasting and judging were conducted under the supervision of Adv. Yifaat Daniel.
The judges did not know anything about the coffee they tasted – not who roasted it, not the roasting level, not its cost, not its origin nor even if it's a blend or a single-origin coffee. Each of the judges – without consulting each other – ranked each coffee with a score of 1 to 10, based on their general impression of the aroma and taste of said coffee. The judges' average is the final score of each coffee. The top three coffees in each category were awarded the title of Shotim Magazine's Best Coffee for 2023. Top competitors who received the exact same average score would share the title.
The judging team: Uri Katan – coffee consultant for restaurants and coffeeshops, barista instructor; Maya Lapidot – coffee blogger (owner of Caffe-in blog) and culinary tour guide in Haifa; Orly David – VP of Sales and Business Development at Creama+; Or Schiefer – owner of Oroast Coffee Products, imports and sells coffee roasters and grinders; All the judges are impartial and are not affiliated with any roastery.
More details on how the blind-tasting and judging were conducted, and photos from the tasting event, can be found here.
And the Good Coffees for 2023 are:
Ethiopia:
- Shukaffe Jerusalem (website)
Guji; Natural process; Organic; Micro-lot; Light roast - Coffee-Chino (website)
Frana; Sidamo - Espressotech (website)
Guji; Natural process
Yirgacheffe (Ethiopia):
- Alali Coffee (website)
Kochere - Ishu Coffee (website)
Gelena Gesha Grade 1; Natural process - TOSTATO (website)
Kochere; Wet process; Medium roast
And:
Bereshit Roast (website)
Dumerso; Natural process; Medium-light roast
Colombia:
- Birma Coffee (website)
Colombia; Medium roast - Jera (website)
Tolima; Wer process; Organic; Medium roast - We Love Coffee (website)
Orfa Guerra; Castillo and Catuai; Altitude 1,600-1,700m; Natural process; Cupping Score 87.5; Medium roast
Brazil:
- Shukaffe Jerusalem
Daterra Cerrado; Altitude 1,700m; Natura process; Light roast - Coffee at the Market – Tel Aviv (website)
Daterra Summer Solstice; Natural process - Granos (website)
Mantiqueira de Minas; Marcia de Jesus; Caturra, Red Catuai, Yellow Catuai; Altitude 1,550-1,900m; Cupping Score 83; Medium roast
Central America:
- Blooms (Instagram)
Costa Rica - Shukaffe Jerusalem
Galapagos San Cristobal; Micro-lot; Grade 1; Natural process; Light roast
And:
Chupchik (website)
Guatemala Antigua; Washed process; Medium roast - Landwer Coffee (website)
Guatemala Antigua SHB Pastoral; Altitude 1,450-1,850m; Wet process; Medium roast
Blends – Up To 15% Robusta:
- Zoe Coffee (website)
Milano Blend (12.5% Robusta) - Shukaffe Jerusalem
Espresso Napoli Blend (10% Robusta); Guatemala, Costa Rica, Brazil; Italian roast - Timothy (website)
House Blend (10% Robusta); Brazil, Guatemala and Central America, Africa, India; Light roast
And:
Ishu Coffee
Kaldi Blend (15% Robusta); Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, India
Blends – More Than 15% Robusta:
- Shukaffe Jerusalem
Mocha-Java Blend (20% Robusta); Ethiopia, Indonesia - Buondi by Coffee Brands (website)
Nitro Blend 80 (20% Robusta); Organic; Medium roast - espressoBar (website)
Classico Blend (20% Robusta); Colombia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Uganda; Post-roast blend
Blends – 100% Arabica:
- Chupchik
Ido's Blend (Guatemala, Brazil, Ethiopia); Medium roast
And:
Espressotech
House Blend; Espresso roast - Alali Coffee
Beta Israel Blend (Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Ethiopia) - Talek (website)
HaShuk Blend (Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia); Wet process and Natural process; Medium roast
And:
Roastelier by Nescafé (website)
House Blend (Colombia, Brazil); Wet process and Natural process respectively; Medium roast for Filter Coffee
Premium Coffee (more than 200 NIS/kg):
- Buondi by Coffee Brands
Panama Pacamara; Natural process; Organic; Light roast - Jera
El Salvador Volcan Santa Ana; Bourbon and Hybrid San Francisco; Micro-lot; Altitude 1,500-1,700m; Light roast - Coffee at the Market – Tel Aviv
Colombia Huila; Yesid Castañeda; Caturra; Altitude 2,000m; Natural process
Turkish/Arabic Coffee (plain):
- Ishu Coffee
Ethiopia Guji; Honey process; Light roast - Bereshit Roast
Bereshit Black Blend; 30% Robusta - Coffee Organization (website)
Arabian Blend (Central America and the Caribbean, 100% Arabica); Organic; City Roast
Turkish/Arabic Coffee (with cardamom):
- Talek
Black Coffee Blend (Honduras, Brazil, Ethiopia, India); 8% Robusta; Wet process; Dark roast - Shukaffe Jerusalem
Baghdad Coffee Blend; With Ethiopian cardamom - El Nakhle Coffee (Green) (website)
Roasted and ground coffee with cardamom
