The Cup of Excellence (COE) competition, established in 1999, has become a leading grower’s competition in 13 coffee-producing countries. The Cup of Excellence is organised by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, which was founded by George Howell and Susie Spindler. The competition grew out of an initiative by the International Coffee Organisation intended to promote specialty coffee. Its unique scoresheet was designed by US coffee roaster George Howell. The scoresheet subdivides the profile of a cup into eight categories. This groundbreaking 100-point scoring was the first numerical scoring system for specialty coffee.