Ramírez represents the new generations linked to the coffee value chain who demonstrate skills and passion for the country’s flagship product.
Álvaro Suárez León
Juan Gabriel Ramírez is one of the great prides of Risaralda, he is the national coffee cupping champion and will represent Colombia in the cupping world cup that will take place between June 16 and 23 in Greece, where he will compete with 38 participants of the same number of countries.
He is a confident, calm man, linked to the world of coffee from a very young age, he has been 16 years old and has been cupping coffee for 7 years, with a capacity, virtue or talent that allows him, almost spontaneously, to taste a coffee to discover its attributes. , its softness, its aroma, its acidity, its sweetness; to differentiate it from others and choose the best.
THE PROCESS
Throughout his 16 years linked to coffee, the passion for this very popular drink throughout the world and the passion to learn more and more awoke in Juan; For this reason, in 2019 he managed to be certified as a taster, one more step in this exciting world.
The certification gives Juan the certainty of his very high level, of his ability and ability, which he begins to develop more and more like any other career that not only has to do with taste; but also with knowledge of the market, of the varieties of coffee, of ways of cultivating it, of the entire process from planting to harvesting, washing, until bringing it to the table of consumers who are increasingly demanding in this regard. Colombian product recognized throughout the world.
After being certified, Juan begins in the world of regional, local competitions, which gives him experience and the opportunity to educate his palate.
WHAT IS THE COMPETITION LIKE?
The cupping competition in search of the national champion consists of placing three cups of coffee in front of the contestant. Then you must describe the attributes or defects of each cup, normally one of the coffee cups is different and the contestant must discover it among 8 sets of three cups in a certain time.
Next, he chooses the different cup and puts it in front of a line and the judge holds it up in front of the competitor and if that cup has a red dot below it, the contestant is correct.
When a coffee is being tasted, it is done for different purposes. Either to discover its attributes or problems, failures that could occur in the production process, collection, washing; problems or attributes can be detected.
But also when working for a coffee company, you can discover the profile of the rate that the client is looking for, for example, coffees with more or less acidity, body or the type of roast of a coffee. According to Juan, each coffee is different and is roasted differently, therefore, the taster is also able to find the ideal roast for a certain type of coffee.
COLOMBIA IN THE WORLD CUP
Colombia has obtained third and sixth place in the world cup cup. Juan aspires to be the first world champion in Greece for the country.
“We have trained a lot from the point of view of cupping coffees, but we also work mentally, we work on concentration, because on the day of the final competition, which will be June 23, we hope to raise our hands in the act of triumph for Colombia and Risaralda.”
In Colombia there are at least 350 people certified as tasters and in Risaralda there may currently be more than 300 specialty coffee shops, which denotes significant growth in specialty coffee; thanks to the support that this Government of Víctor Manuel Tamayo Vargas has been giving to the sector.
Likewise, the Government of Risaralda, thanks to the implementation of the ‘Made in Risaralda’ brand, has taken specialty coffee growers to world fairs in the United States for three consecutive years, achieving significant business for Risaralda’s special coffee that is opening step and it begins to stand out as a region specialized in special coffee, worth the redundancy.