Values
Cup of Excellence is not an external label we attach to a product. It is a **community we belong to** — one that treats the farmer as the protagonist of the story rather than a footnote in the supply chain.
DABOV × Cup of Excellence
A journey through the best coffees in the world
Cup of Excellence is the engine that drives specialty coffee forward — a global community built on the conviction that quality can change lives. Our founder Jordan Dabov has been part of its international jury since 2013.
Cup of Excellence (CoE) is the engine that pushes the specialty coffee world forward. It is a community built on a single, stubborn belief — that quality can change lives. The producer's life, the buyer's, and yours.
Three reasons we orient our work around the programme
Cup of Excellence is not a logo we attach to a product. It is the framework we work inside.
Expertise
Our founder **Jordan Dabov** sits on the international jury. Each year he selects, in person, the highest-scoring lots from the world's harvests — and brings them home for Bulgarian customers.
Quality
A single uncompromising standard, end-to-end: **from the farm gate, through the warehouse and the roastery, to the cup in your hand**. Cup of Excellence is the public certification of that approach.
What it actually is
Cup of Excellence — the programme
The Cup of Excellence programme was launched in 1999 by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE). It is a highly respected, internationally recognised initiative whose explicit purpose is to find and reward the best coffees in the world.
The competition runs annually in more than fifteen producing countries and is open to every coffee farmer regardless of size or location — a smallholder with one hectare submits on the same terms as a 500-hectare estate. That equality is structural; without it, the programme would not work.
Lots that survive the country-level rounds proceed to the international jury, where they are scored against the most demanding evaluation framework specialty coffee has produced. The lots that clear the threshold receive the Cup of Excellence trophy — and are sold, days later, at international online auction to roasters worldwide.
The revenue from each auction is split between the winning producer and the national coffee organisation that hosted the country round. That split is intentional — it returns capital directly to the farmer who did the work, and reinvests in the infrastructure that enables the next harvest's competition. These coffees routinely sell for many multiples of the conventional specialty market price.
The name Cup of Excellence is a stamp of quality — a guarantee of the very best coffee beans in the world.
On the cupping table
How a Cup of Excellence is judged
The jury is composed of highly qualified international experts — coffee buyers, roasters, and certified Q-graders. Our coffee hunter Jordan Dabov is one of them.
The panel evaluates each coffee against a strict, comprehensive set of criteria: fragrance, aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, and cleanliness of the cup. Each lot is scored individually before any discussion happens, on a 100-point scale calibrated against the SCA cupping protocol.
The entire process is blind. The identity of the farm, the producer, and the country are not revealed during evaluation. This is the most important rule in the programme — it is the only way to guarantee a fair and unbiased scoring, and it is why the Cup of Excellence trophy carries the weight that it does.
1999
Cup of Excellence founded
2013
Jordan Dabov joined the jury
15+
Producing countries hold competitions
86+
Score required for the trophy
DABOV inside the programme
Why DABOV is part of Cup of Excellence
Our connection with Cup of Excellence is not commercial — it is structural. From the founding of DABOV we have worked from a single conviction: quality coffee starts with the farmer — with the soil, the climate, the cultivars, and the person behind them. Cup of Excellence protects exactly this: transparency, sustainability, and respect for the producer's labour.
For us, being part of Cup of Excellence means much more than participating in an auction. It means belonging to a global community of farmers, cuppers, roasters, and visionaries who believe the future of coffee lies in quality and ethics.
DABOV is an active participant in that community — as a buyer, as an ambassador for specialty coffee, and as a bridge between the farmer and the end customer. We have participated in Cup of Excellence competitions every year since 2016, and each year we secure between two and four coffees from different producing countries.
The Cup of Excellence stamp, in practical terms
A score above 86
On the 100-point SCA cupping scale. This is the explicit numeric threshold for the trophy — no judgement-call equivalent.
Blind, multi-juror evaluation
Multiple independent international jurors agreed, without seeing the producer name, that this lot belongs in the world's top tier.
A traceable, named lot
Cup of Excellence coffees are not blends. They are a specific lot from a specific farm in a specific harvest year — with the producer named on the label.
On the international jury since 2013
- 2013
First invitation — as observer
Jordan's involvement begins in 2013, when he is first invited as an observer on the international jury of Cup of Excellence Brazil. After successfully passing the calibration — with scores identical and very close to the panel averages for each coffee — he is invited to join the international panel as a full juror.
- 2014
First year as a full juror
Jordan's first year scoring lots as a full international juror at Cup of Excellence Colombia. After scoring, the jurors' own assessments are released — Jordan ranks among the world's most accurate cuppers, his scores closest to the panel averages. This earns him a place on the CoE finals jury, where the country's highest-scoring coffees are evaluated over consecutive sessions.
- 2015
First complete CoE lot to Bulgaria — and to Europe
A landmark year for DABOV. As part of the international jury at Cup of Excellence Costa Rica, Jordan selects a coffee, purchases it at the auction, and imports the entire lot.
For the first time in the history of Bulgaria — and in Europe — a single buyer brings home a complete Cup of Excellence lot. The farm is Doña Ileana; the coffee is organically certified.
- 2016
A 1st-place Geisha for Bulgarian shelves
After 2015's success, Jordan judges Cup of Excellence Guatemala — a competition focused on highland coffees from volcanic-soil regions. Award-winning lots score above 87 points, ranging 210–620 kg, with Bourbon, Caturra, and Pacas dominating, processed washed, with chocolate, caramel, and spice profiles.
The pivotal moment: DABOV imports a complete batch of premium Guatemalan coffee. But this one is special — it took 1st place at Cup of Excellence, a Geisha from Finca Calibus La Sierra. The promise becomes explicit: Bulgarian coffee lovers will have access to the world's best coffees.
- 2017
Two journeys, two trophies
Jordan judges in Costa Rica and returns to Brazil. Two unique lots arrive in Bulgaria:
- 1st place Brazil — Fazenda Paraíso (Andrade Brothers), 93.26 points
- 11th place Costa Rica — Doña Ileana again, 88.24 points (won at auction for the second time)The Doña Ileana cup is exceptional: dried fruit, raspberry, strawberry; cinnamon and brown sugar in the aroma; creamy body; long, sweet finish with delicate citric acidity.
- 2018
Three competitions in one year
Jordan is invited to three consecutive juries: Nicaragua, Honduras, and Brazil. In all three, finalists score above 87 points with lots between 180–360 kg. Pacamara, Catuai, and Bourbon dominate; processing splits between washed and natural.
The year delivers a new treasure: coffee #6 from Nicaragua by producer Gabriela Hueck at Finca La Virgen — a farm now well-known to DABOV customers.
- 2019
A near-record auction score
Sensational year. Jordan is invited to the 20th anniversary edition of Cup of Excellence Brazil, attended by all the legends who founded the Alliance — Kentaro Maruyama, Silvio Leite, the Mieres family, the Andrade brothers.
Also a juror in Honduras, where DABOV wins Lot Santa Lucia at auction — 94.84 points, the second-highest score ever recorded at a Cup of Excellence auction worldwide (the all-time record is a 2015 Brazilian lot at 95.18).
The full Honduras top three: Santa Lucia (Comayagua) 94.84 pts Geisha washed 210 kg · Las Flores (La Paz) 92.25 pts Catuai natural 420 kg · La Sierra (Santa Barbara) 91.84 pts Pacas washed 210 kg.
- 2021
Travel resumes after the pandemic
After the pandemic and the resumption of international travel, Jordan judges in Mexico — bringing home the 1st-place winner from Ernesto Pérez of Finca Santa Cruz, plus Lot El Estrobo, the 8th-place finisher.
The year also delivers three more standout lots: El Salvador's Tres Pozos (7th place), Brazil's Sítio Monte Alegre (14th place), and a complete Peruvian natural Geisha from Santa Teresa (5th place).
- 2022
A new origin emerges
Jordan is part of the international jury at Cup of Excellence Mexico, recognising the 30 highest-scoring coffees with a minimum threshold of 87 points across at least five cupping sessions per coffee.
Jordan also participates in the pilot programme Best of Thailand, organised by ACE to develop a future Cup of Excellence Thailand programme. The Mexican lot Apipias (25th place) — coffee from the rare Marsellesa variety — comes home.
- 2023
Five lots in a single year
Coffee hunting takes Jordan around the world. DABOV secures five complete lots:
- Mexico Santa Cruz — 2nd place, 90.69 points
- Mexico — 10th place, 88.16 points
- Indonesia (Christian) — 6th place, 88.91 points
- Indonesia (Dr. Hamdan) — 10th place, 87.85 points
- Costa Rica (Don Danilo) — 11th place, 88.67 pointsAnd as a bonus: the 1st-place winner of Cup of Excellence Thailand.
- 2024
Four juries, five coffees
One of Jordan's most demanding years, with four jury invitations and five coffees brought home from Peru, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, and Ethiopia:
- Peru — Geisha El Pino — 7th place, 89.31 points
- Brazil — Ecoagricola — 2nd place, 89.88 points
- Colombia — Geisha Honey by Johan Falla — 21st place
- El Salvador — 3rd place
- Ethiopia — 20th place, 87.46 points - 2025
Two more trophies
Jordan judges in Nicaragua and Mexico. Two lots come home:
- El Salvador — Finca Los Naranjos, Lot Los Angeles — 4th place, 90.97 points
- Nicaragua — 2nd place, 90.5 points - 2026
Coming up
In 2026, specialty coffee takes Jordan to Honduras and Costa Rica. The lots will follow.
The other side of the table
The farms behind the trophies
Cup of Excellence beans are grown, picked, and processed to the highest standards on a small number of farms worldwide. Reaching CoE often requires a farmer to restructure the entire operational workflow — to install standards that produce the kind of cup quality the jury rewards. From the idea of specialty to the actual production, years can pass in continuous experimentation and the introduction of new sustainable practices.
This is why the work of these producers is so highly valued, and why their reward is so deserved. Some of the most successful farms that have participated in Cup of Excellence and produced award-winning lots:
- Finca El Puente (Honduras) — sweet, juicy varieties Catuai, Geisha, Java; 1st place Cup of Excellence 2016
- Finca Las Nubes (Costa Rica) — fresh, citrus varieties Tarrazu and Villa Sarchi
- Finca Los Angeles (El Salvador) — sweet, floral varieties Pacas and Bourbon
- Finca El Conocaste (El Salvador) — floral notes from Geisha and Java
- Finca La Virgen (Nicaragua) — complex, nutty Pacamara and Catuai
- Finca Santa Cruz (Mexico) — sweet, clean Geisha and Caturra
- Finca Fatima (Mexico) — fruited, fresh Marsellesa and Typica
- Finca Monteverde (Colombia) — chocolate and fruit notes from Caturra and Colombia
- The Niguse Gemeda Mude family (Ethiopia) — high-altitude 74158 cultivar
- The Tamiru Tadesse family (Ethiopia) — natural Ethiopian heirloom varieties
Each farm offers distinctive, complex flavour profiles — the result of soil, climate, terrain, and above all the sustainable, ethical practices of the farm and the dedication of the farmers.
On the palate
The flavour profile of Cup of Excellence coffees
High-quality specialty beans are grown in some of the most diverse and remote regions of the world, which produces an enormous variety of unique and complex profiles and origins. Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Ethiopia, and Indonesia — Jordan has been on the international jury of every one of these countries over the last 13 years.
The flavour profile of CoE coffees is incomparable. Carefully selected for their unique aroma, flavour, acidity, and body, they carry distinctive and complex profiles — often with notes of citrus and stone fruit, berries, and floral or jasmine-tea characters.
These flavours are the result of the unique terroir and microclimate of each origin region, but also the dedication of farmers to sustainable and ethical practices, to innovation, and to high standards in processing and cultivation.
Getting the most out of a CoE bag
These coffees are too good to brew on autopilot. A few small choices unlock most of what they have to offer.
Drink them fresh
Aroma peaks around **day 45 after roasting** and slowly fades. We recommend consuming within **6 months of pack date**; once the bag is opened, ideally within **2 weeks**.
Grind immediately before brewing
Whole beans hold their volatile aromatics. Pre-ground coffee starts losing the highest notes within minutes. A burr grinder + grind-to-order is the single biggest upgrade most people can make.
Choose the brew for the cup
**French press** emphasises body and chocolate notes. **Pour-over (V60, Chemex)** highlights bright acidity and fruited top notes. **Espresso** concentrates flavour into an intense extraction. We recommend **filter brewing for CoE lots** — V60 or Chemex — to extract the most nuance.
At the table
Pairing CoE coffees with food
Pairing Cup of Excellence coffees with food can be a wonderful experience. The complexity and sweetness of these coffees suits a wide range of flavours. They pair beautifully with chocolate desserts, fruit-based pastries, and even savoury dishes.
Rich chocolate and nut tones complement the sweetness of dessert; bright acidity and fruit notes balance the richness of fruit pastries; the complex profile makes them suitable for savoury pairings, creating an interesting contrast with rich, aromatic meats and cheeses.
Cup of Excellence coffees are a perfect finish to an excellent lunch or dinner — adding a final note of elegance to the menu, with a sweetness that lingers and reinforces the meal that came before. It is no accident that they are the choice of most Michelin-starred restaurants.
"Sitting on the jury, you taste 240 coffees in a week. The ones that score above 88 do not need a discussion. Everyone at the table knows."
Cup of Excellence — the practical questions
What does "Cup of Excellence" actually mean — is it a certification? +
Not in the way Fair Trade or organic certifications work. Cup of Excellence is a competition and an honour, not a continuous-audit certificate. A specific lot wins the trophy in a specific year. The same farm next year submits a new lot and competes again from scratch. That is the whole point — the trophy follows the cup quality, not the brand.
How is a CoE coffee different from a regular specialty coffee? +
Regular specialty coffee is, by SCA definition, any coffee scoring 80 or higher on the 100-point cupping scale. The Cup of Excellence threshold is 86 — and most winning lots score 88 to 94. The difference between an 84 and a 90 is not subtle: it is the difference between a clean, well-made coffee and a singular, layered cup that resets your sense of what coffee can taste like.
How much CoE coffee does DABOV bring in each year? +
Typically two to four lots per year, drawn from whichever competitions Jordan is invited to judge. Lots are usually 150–420 kg in size — meaning supply is genuinely limited and bags often sell out within weeks of release. The list of CoE lots from the past decade — and the years they came home — is on the timeline above.
Are CoE coffees expensive at retail? +
Yes — and the price reflects what the lot was bought for at auction, not a markup applied at the roastery. A Cup of Excellence lot at green-coffee level can be 5×–20× the conventional specialty price; the retail bag therefore sits well above ordinary specialty pricing. We list the score, the auction year, and the producer on every CoE bag we sell so customers can see exactly what they are paying for.
Does DABOV roast every CoE lot the same way? +
No. Each lot has its own roast profile, developed against the producer's processing method (washed, natural, honey, anaerobic) and the cultivar's intrinsic density and sugar content. A Geisha at 2,200 m altitude does not roast like a Bourbon at 1,400 m, and treating them the same wastes the coffee.
What it means for us
Cup of Excellence — and what we do with it
DABOV does not enter Cup of Excellence as a competitor. The connection between us and the programme is built through Jordan's expert participation as an international juror, and through the purchase and presentation of award-winning Cup of Excellence microlots.
These coffees are produced in limited quantities (typically 150 to 420 kg), with fully traceable origin and a flavour profile that represents the best of a given region in a given year. Participation in Cup of Excellence gives DABOV direct access to the highest standard in world specialty coffee — and turns us into a natural intermediary between the award-winning farms and the end customer.
Cup of Excellence lots, on the shelf
When a Cup of Excellence coffee is in stock, it is on the catalog. Browse the current selection — the trophies, the scores, and the producers behind them.