George Howell, owner of Terroir Coffee and co-founder of the Cup of Excellence, has been a consultant in Peruvian coffee off and on since 2000. He notes, “An immense challenge to the country is transportation. It costs more money to get coffee from growing areas to [the port of] Lima than it does to ship that coffee from Lima to New York. These are the difficulties—tip-of-the iceberg kinds of difficulties.” From Lima, eight to 16 hours of driving over treacherous roads is required to reach farms in the vast interior’s major growing areas.

Poulsen's signature beverage was developed over the course of a month as he hunted for flavors to compliment the espresso he had chosen. "He called us from Europe out of the blue!" recalls specialty coffee veteran, George Howell, who roasted Poulsen's WBC-winning espresso blend through his company, Terroir Select Coffee. "I have known the fine people from Europa for several years, and they were familiar with Terroir's pioneering efforts to spolight quality craftsman-farmers. That is what Troels said he wanted - a quality single-origin statement espresso. He and the entire Europa team were thrilled when they tried our latest and final version, developed months earlier. Troels then built his speical drink to complement Terroir's espresso, not the other way around."

George Howell of Terroir Select Coffees, who volunteered in Peru prior to the convention to help prepare the local cuppers, agrees. “I do not think the problem of finding great expressions, usually produced in small to micro-lots, lies with the farmers,” he explains. “An amazing number are deeply committed to producing the highest quality possible. They show no trace of cynicism.” Yet the obstacles are indeed many. “The problem lies in the entire coffee delivery system,” says Howell, “from [the final drying mills] in the valleys bordering the coffee regions to [the port]; small exquisite lots getting mixed before proper assessment; micro-lots delivered not equaling samples sent; poor milling, and long delays at a humid port without proper facilities where quality easily dives towards instability and poor cup value.”