Fonte Coffee Master Roaster Judges in Brazil Cup of Excellence

Best of Brazilian Coffees to Be Sold In January 2006 Online Auction

SEATTLE, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ — Fonte Coffee Roaster’s Master Roaster Steve Smith was one of thirty-two influential coffee experts from around the world invited by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence to grade the new crop of Brazilian coffees in the prestigious Cup of Excellence competition. In November, Smith traveled to Pocos de Caldas, where the semi-finalists were judged. With the other coffee experts, Smith graded the Brazilian semi-finalists, the best the country has to offer, culled from more than 550 entries. The thirty-six winners will be sold to the highest bidder via an Internet auction on January 10, 2006.

“At Fonte, we seek out the best crops from around the world, and this year’s crop of Brazilian coffees was phenomenal,” said Steve Smith, Fonte Coffee Master Roaster. “Brazil is known for its exceptionally sweet coffees, perfect for espresso. Coffee connoisseurs like our customers will be delighted with the bold, fruity flavors of this year’s Cup of Excellence winners.”

The grading, which includes a point system for multiple categories, including sweetness, body, flavor balance and acidity, is scored on an average of all the scores and then valued accordingly. This year’s overall winner, Francisco Isidora Dias Pereira, from Fazenda Santa Ines Farm in the Carmo de Minas region, had a phenomenal score of 95.85. Smith described this crop as powerful, but elegant with bright notes of ripe fruit and a marvelous sweetness.

“Steve was an integral part of evaluating the best of the best from Brazil and that gives an inside track on the type of high-quality coffee that Fonte is always interested in buying for our customers,” says Fonte Coffee President Paul Odom.

With a distinguished career in roasting coffee spanning over two decades, Smith is an industry veteran and considered an expert by many in the coffee trade. Beginning in 1979, Smith worked for Starbucks and was one of the first roasters ever trained under the three original owners of the company. In the twelve years he worked with the company, he was the first and only roaster to earn the title of Master Roaster and was responsible for all aspects of the roasting process. In 1992, Smith brought his expertise to Fonte Coffee Roaster, an independent roaster in Seattle, where his craft-style of roasting coffee was welcomed as part of its unique approach to servicing high-end hospitality clients and coffee connoisseurs.

About Fonte Coffee Roaster:

Fonte Coffee Roaster is Seattle’s premium coffee roaster providing specialty coffee and tea for an A-list clientele of coffee retailers, restaurants and most luxurious hotels in the United States and abroad, including Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton and Peninsula Hotels. The independent company was founded in 1992 to create the most exquisite coffee blends in the world. Fonte’s Master Roaster manages a rigorous roast-to-order production process that involves shipping coffee to clients on the same day of roasting, ensuring to-the-minute freshness to all customers. Renowned for meticulous methods of production, Fonte is committed to exceptional cup quality — from sourcing the highest-quality coffee beans in the world, to blending compatible aromas and flavors with artisan quality, to roasting coffee by hand with masterful expertise. Fonte coffees are crafted to please the most discriminating individuals in the culinary community. For more information on Fonte’s finely crafted coffees, please visit http://www.fontecoffee.com or call 206-762-0760. Fonte Coffee Roaster headquarters are located at 5412 6th Ave South, Seattle, WA 98108.

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Source: Fonte Coffee Roaster