With the cooperation of SCAA, SCAP successfully hosted the first BOP in 1996.
SCAA provided support in the following areas:
1. Official cupping form (evaluation of 10 criteria, including aroma, acidity, sweetness, clean cup, and balance)
=> *SCAA Score: Specialty Coffee Evaluation Criteria by SCAA
2. Blind cupping method (compromising farm and lot names to ensure fairness)
3. Judging protocol (re-cupping at each temperature level and standardized scoring)
Training of local cuppers
SCAP fine-tuned the cupping process to reflect the characteristics of Panama's altitude, variety, and process. International and local judges were presented with the winning lots, and the results were made available to domestic and international buyers, ensuring transparency.
Later, around 2000, Price Peterson of Esmeralda Farm wrote an article about the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP) cupping judging event held in Boquete.
According to Peterson, Panama, located between Colombia and Costa Rica, is an excellent coffee-producing region blessed with fertile volcanic soil and a high-altitude climate.
The judges were led by world-renowned coffee expert George Howell, along with renowned experts such as Martin Diedrich, Bob Fulmer, and Grace Mena. SCAP, in partnership with SCAA,
invited Howell to establish a quality certification system.
Howell understood the local terrain and coffee characteristics before judging, and evaluated 33 flawless lots.
Each lot had to produce a minimum of 250 saleable bags.
As a result of the judging,
the top three winners were Ruiz's "La Berlina," Teodoro Garrido's "Boquete Premium," and Juan Pablo Berardo's "Santa Teresa."
It was notable that five of the top six grape varieties were Caturra or Catuai, and that many of them were grown in mid-altitude areas at altitudes of 1,300 to 1,500 meters.
Furthermore, both traditional fermentation methods and new processing methods using deviscosification machines achieved high quality.
While high-altitude grapes that had recorded high yields the previous year showed a decline in quality, Peterson wrote at the time that a recovery was expected next year.
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