The first stage of the National Award «Roaster of the year» 2023 was held from the 1st to the 3rd February. Over 70 people from all over the country took part, but only 50 of the best roasters made it to the second stage. This event was attended by the Q-grader of our company Antonova Marina, who joined the judging panel.
After the event, Marina answered a couple of questions and shared her impressions:
"The tasting was conducted according to the SCA cupping protocol. We noted the positive and negative sides of the sample, looked at how the coffee changes at different temperatures, and scored points. After cupping, we discussed all the samples with the judges, determined the best and worst on the table. The most difficult and exciting thing was to give feedback to the participant, describe the coffee, note the positive aspects, and also what I would like to fix. There was a lot of good coffee, and I wanted to return to some cups. Of course, there were also controversial points in the evaluation process. I had to go back to the samples after the cupping was over, try again and make the final decision. The chief judge of the award, Polina Vladimirova, helped a lot. In my opinion, this is a great event that charges with team spirit and I am very glad that I have been taking part in it for the 2nd year."