Aid in Action

The Sweet Smell of Success: African Women Attain International Certification as Specialty Coffee Judges

 | Thursday, June 11, 2009

 

The World Barista Championship (WBC) Judges Certification Committee carries out certification workshops around the world every year to certify judges for the annual World Barista Championship. The first ever judging workshop in Africa was held in Nairobi, Kenya on March 20 - 21, 2009. Out of 14 candidates, only three passed the intensive two day training and examination program.  All three are women and are certified as WBC judges in the Sensory category. They are Erina Nigrini representing Stil Coffee of South Africa, Teija Lublinkhof of Marika’s Coffee in Zambia, and Mbula Musau from the East African Fine Coffees Association Secretariat in Uganda.

Mbula Misau is no stranger to the coffee industry. Mbula is the Quality and Marketing Manager for the East African Fine Coffees Association (EAFCA) and is a qualified cupper and Barista trainer with over ten years experience in the African and Latin America. EAFCA is the regional trade association for specialty coffee growers and with help from USAID’s Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Program (COMPETE), and USAID’s predecessor program, the Regional Agriculture Trade Expansion Support Program (RATES), EAFCA has focused its core mission on developing the quality and marketing of specialty coffees. 

RATES/COMPETE brought in the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) to work hand in hand with EAFCA on training staff in assessing quality coffee.  CQI is the educational arm of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). CQI believes that the coffee industry's quest for quality starts with certified professionals who stand by their senses. A CQI volunteer, John Sanders of Hines Coffee, worked with Mbula Misau to strengthen the institutional capacity at the East Africa Fine Coffee Association, training Mbula in coffee grading and assessing coffee quality. Mr. Sanders has also served as a volunteer judge as several African national efforts of CQI and RATES/COMPETE have resulted in expanded knowledge base of African coffee professionals who can assess, cup and grade coffee according to international standards. 

EAFCA directly links growers with major international roasters and retailers such as Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee & Tea and Green Mountain Coffee.  EAFCA’s commitment to developing a high quality product that meets the demands of global consumers has put  African coffee back on the map.  Mbula is in charge of coordinating and implementing quality programs and trade and marketing activities for EAFCA and its 10 member countries, so it was no surprise that she wanted to add World Barista Championship Judge
Certification to her credentials.

It is a rigorous process to become a WBC judge. Candidates may attain certification as Technical or Sensory judges, but not both. They must pass a series of tests including an intensive written exam focusing on the WBC Rules & Regulations and general coffee knowledge (growing regions, processing, varietals and how all those relate to cup quality). There are hands-on practical tests that involve coffee tasting exercises for sensory judges such as evaluation of Cappuccino and Espresso coffee and blind tasting and evaluation of various brewed coffees and assessment of technical skills for technical judges (evaluating coffee waste, station set-up, and work flow). The examinations were administered by representatives from the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) and who are part of the WBC Judges Certification Committee and they were assisted in facilitating the event by Bridget Carrington and staff from C. Dorman Limited.

WBC conducts judging certification programs to enhance judging competence in the region, to certify judges who will capably run National Barista Championships in Africa according to WBC standards, and to include judges from the region at the 2009 World Barista Championship (WBC) competition in Atlanta.

As WBC Certified Sensory Judges, Erina, Teija and Mbula are part of a pool of volunteer judges that will evaluate the taste of beverages served in the 2009 competition, as well as, the creativity, technical skill and overall presentation of competitors.