2014 Good Food Awards: Congratulations to 1000 Faces and Metropolis Coffee

Each January, the Good Food Awards honor the very best foods -- both in taste and in sustainability -- in 10 categories and across five regions of the U.S. One of those categories is, of course, coffee. When this year's winners were read last weekend, we were delighted to read the names of two of our favorite coffees from two of our favorite roasters, 1000 Faces Coffee and Metropolis Coffee Company, among them.   The Good Food Awards hold a special place for us because they're not just another award for good-tasting coffee. In order to be considered for a Good Food Award, a company must emphasize sustainability, fairness, ethical treatment and transparency all along the food chain. If those sound familiar, it's because we also look for roasters who strive for sutainability, ethical treatment, transparency and excellent taste to feature here at Coffee Kind. The Good Food Awards Gold Seal goes to winning coffees that are also using certified organic coffee beans.   the 4-year-old awards program is also notable in that it assembles some of the foremost professionals working in the various food industries as judges. This year's coffee judges included buyrers, roasters and tasters at some of the best-known and most-respected roasteries and coffee bars in the country, including Joe New York, Intelligentisia, George Howell Coffee, Verve Coffee and Square Mile Coffee. In other words, these kudos are awarded by coffee people who really know their coffees.   If you're wondering what a Good Food Award-winning coffee tastes like, check out:  

1000 Faces Coffee Suke Koto (Gold Seal)

  1000 Faces is no stranger to the Good Food Awards. The Georgia roasterie also won a Gold Seal last year for another Ethiopian, Shakiso Mora Mora. The Gold Seal is reserved for winners that are far along the path of full sustainability without sacrificing great taste.This year's winner features silky milk chocolate, wild raw honey, juicy ripe apricot and tangerine flavor notes.  

Metropolis Coffee Company Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Ayele

  Metropolis Coffee Company boasts numerous awards in its 10-year history, including the prized Roast Magazine Microroaster of the Year (2007) and Roasters' Guild Roasting Competition, Best Roaster (2005). The singular coffee bar was also listed among America's Top 14 Coffee Bars by Food & Wine magazine (2006) and one of the Country's Best Brew Shops (2012) by the Huffington Post. The award for Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Ayele is just the latest of many kudos. The winning coffee boasts lemon, peach and melon flavors, a supple body and citric, bright acidity.   Many of these coffees are microlots, meaning that there are very limited amounts available for sale -- and you can expect those supplies to dwindle quickly after the accolade awarded this past weekend.  

 

Full List of 2014 Good Food Awards Coffee Winners

 

• 1000 Faces Coffee, Suke Quto, Georgia
• De La Paz Coffee, Kenya Gichathaini & Peel Sessions, California
• Flying Goat Coffee, Ethiopia Wote Konga, California
• Intelligentsia Coffee, Organic Shegole Ethiopia, California
• Kickapoo Coffee Roasters, Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Idido, Wisconsin
• Kuma Coffee, Kenya Kiamabara AA, Washington
• Metropolis Coffee Company, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Aylele, Illinois
• Olympia Coffee Roasting Co., Ethiopia Konga, Washington
• Panther Coffee, Ethiopia Chelba & Nicaragua Kailash
• ReAnimator Coffee Roasters, Ethiopia Sota, Pennsylvania
• Roast House, Batzchocola Guatemalan, Washington
• Sightglass Coffee Roasters, Ethiopia Guji Yetatebe, California
• Square One Coffee, Guatemala Acatenango, Pennsylvania
• Tandem Coffee Roasters, Aylele Yirgacheffe Ethiopia, Maine