Yordan Dabov
For the past 18 years, Yordan Dabov has devoted himself uncompromisingly to a single product: coffee. But not just any coffee—specialty coffee, the finest and highest-quality in the world. He is a coffee expert with an unfailing palate and a tireless, bold seeker of the world’s best coffees. Since 2013, he has been a member of the international jury for the Cup of Excellence—the most prestigious competition for specialty coffee—where he has served as a judge 20 times. Thanks to Dabov, in 2015, Bulgaria received its first-ever Cup of Excellence–winning coffee from Costa Rica. In 2016, he successfully acquired the Cup of Excellence–winning coffee from Guatemala’s Kalibus la Sierra farm, marking the first time an entire lot of a No. 1 Cup of Excellence auction coffee entered Europe. Another major achievement is the Best of Panama competition, where in 2018 the prestigious jury consisted of experts from Asia, the Americas, and Australia, and one European: Yordan Dabov. To this day, he remains part of the international judging panel of this top-tier event. And so, the fortunate and special story between Dabov and coffee continues to deepen.
Lecture with Tasting
In this morning’s lecture at DiVino.Taste, the renowned coffee hunter and specialty coffee expert, Yordan Dabov, will take us on a journey through the history of coffee—from its discovery and the first coffeehouses in Rome, Trieste, and Vienna, to its integration into Bulgarian culture. He will also draw an intriguing parallel between coffee and wine, emphasizing the similarities and differences between these two great beverages. Additionally, we will learn how perceptions of coffee and appreciation of its flavors have evolved over the past decade and continue to do so. The session will end with a brief tasting.