February 2009 Blog Posts (42)

Off to El Salvador

Posted by: Steve Hawthorne



For those of us that work in the coffee industry, visiting a coffee farm is probably at the top of a list of 'must dos' in our career. Next week Thursday, our Vice President of Retail, Athena, and I will be able to check that off our lists. We will be traveling to El Salvador on behalf of our Green Coffee Team to visit the Lima Family and their cooperative of coffee farms.



For almost a year, we have been purchasing coffee from this group...the… Continue

Added by Stone Creek Coffee Roasters on February 17, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

blind tasting

Honestly, I have never had any real palate refining classes or intense cupping knowledge. I have been to literally hundreds of specialty coffee retailers all over the country, and even some outside of the country, and this is where my palate has been exposed to different forms of coffee. Having said that, if sometimes I seem unhappy with a product or if asked what I think and I respond honestly, it really should be taken with a grain of salt. I am no expert, and I have only fell in love with 3… Continue

Added by Greenway Barista on February 17, 2009 at 6:11am — No Comments

Barismo's Jaime Van Schyndel Spotting



Just searching for "coffee" on viddler.com resulted in finding this hidden… Continue

Added by Jason Haeger on February 17, 2009 at 1:07am — No Comments

Coffee Kids Program Trip: Peru

In February, Coffee Kids Program Department staff went to Peru to meet with Coffee Kids counterpart COCLA and visit with other cooperatives and organizations working to improve the lives of coffee-farming families.



Although some sectors of the Peruvian economy have not been affected by the world economic crisis in a visible way due to government subsidies, the reality of the global financial crunch is evident in rural areas.



Tabaconas Community Members

During our stay, we met with… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on February 13, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Adventures in Creativity

A customer of ours recently challenged us to doing something really special for the guest-use computers that we were selling her for their shop: they wanted to make sure that their computer had a different look and feel than any other, but had no input as to what they wanted other than that they had a lot of customers stop by on their way to a nearby Aquarium. So we made her a special icon pointing to the website of the Aquarium and put a nice water themed graphic on the computer for her. She… Continue

Added by Anthony Clark on February 12, 2009 at 8:43am — No Comments

I must be nuts!

Or simply fanatical. Realized since installing my four station pour over bar last Turkey Day now offering 6 "House Coffee" choices all same "house" price plus currently 3 additional uplift price choices: Panama Esmeralda Gesha No. 5, Ethiopia Idido Misty Valley and Aloha Hills Kona Fancy. Many customers love it, taking their time deciding which coffee to try each day. Have descriptions of each coffee by the pour over station. Oh, I offer $1 off in house "re-fills", which can be… Continue

Added by Mike McGinness on February 11, 2009 at 9:48pm — No Comments

The Ghost of Rancilio Past

has cursed me since '99. Maybe 2009 will be the year Marzocco breaks the curse of the Rancilios.

Added by Greenway Barista on February 11, 2009 at 9:30am — 1 Comment

Nearly 100 Attend Open House

Kimberly Kiel Drawing Winner Coffee Kids open house on Thursday, January 29, was a rousing success with nearly 100 people from the Santa Fe area in attendance. Coffee, chai and cider from Java Joe's of Santa Fe was much appreciated and we shared information about our work with a great group of people.



Kimberly Kiel of of Horizons Sustainable Financial Services, won the drawing for a print from Photographer Dorie Hagler's series, "Behind Every Cup." To see the whole series, visit… Continue

Added by Coffee Kids on February 10, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments

Calling all Coffee Enthusiasts to Navy Pier, February 20-22!

Did you know that Coffee Masters is hosting this year's Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition? Baristas from the surrounding states of Illinois - including Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio - will converge to take part in a competition designed to encourage and recognize the art of espresso preparation and service. This event takes place during Coffee Fest Chicago and is presented by the Specialty Coffee Association of… Continue

Added by Coffee Masters, Inc. on February 10, 2009 at 8:22am — No Comments

competing

I just want to say that competing in NERBC was one of the best things I've ever done. Everyone that I met was so awesome, and I really feel that I did something and it was a blast. I'm definitely stepping up my game and pushing myself further into the professional barista community. Also this experience has broken barriers within myself such as confidence, anxiety, and my ability to speak in front of crowds. I am proud to say that I've inspired employees at my coffee house just by getting up… Continue

Added by Jaimie Rae Weidner on February 9, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Thanks to Caffe D'arte

I had a pleasant surprise this weekend regarding Caffe D'arte. My children attend a non-profit co-op preschool where the parents are required to help put in time and effort. For the last two years my wife took the position of executive fund raiser. Basically they have five or six people that call and send letters requesting donations for the annual auction that accounts for a HUGE chuck of their operating capital.



Personally I hate being a mooch, so I stay out of that end of things… Continue

Added by Mike Spence on February 9, 2009 at 10:36am — No Comments

American Barista & Coffee School Announces New Latte Art and Sensory Skills Workshops - USBC

Portland, OR (February 9, 2009) – Two new half-day latte art and sensory skills training workshops will be held concurrent with this year’s United States Barista Championship in Portland at the American Barista & Coffee School on March 5th.





The Latte Art Workshop led by American Barista & Coffee School Director of Training Matt Milletto and Lead Instructor… Continue

Added by Matt Milletto on February 9, 2009 at 9:31am — No Comments

Indonique World Tea Party

We have about 60 participants so far for the Indonique World Tea Party on Feb 27th at Narcissus Chocolate Cafe in Wethersfield, CT with another 50 at The Chimes Bed & Breakfast in New Orleans. That's at least $110 in donations, which will buy about 478 meals for children in India. This does not include the 10% from sales anticipated at each event and… Continue

Added by George on February 8, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Round Five

Well, I skipped a week of bloggin', so I'll just call this round five. I'm a little foggy on the details, as it was a crazy full roast day last Thursday and we jumped right into it, so I was not taking copious notes.

Super solid today though; Its felt a lot more intuitive, and I was hitting our profile right on the money, for the most part. No serious errors. I'm trying to make my 'dosing' more consistent, that is, scooping green beans.

Something kind of 'clicked' today. Good day. Oh,… Continue

Added by Chad Smith on February 5, 2009 at 4:05pm — 1 Comment

Mercy Corps offers new retail location!

Mercy Corps is pleased to offer a lease opportunity for a unique café space in its new global headquarters building at SW Ankeny Street and First Avenue in Portland's historic Old Town Chinatown neighborhood.







Be a part of Mercy Corps' new global headquarters project, currently undergoing construction and renovation in the historic Skidmore Fountain Building. As an icon in the Pacific Northwest and one of the world's leading international development agencies, Mercy Corps… Continue

Added by Ginger Gerhart on February 5, 2009 at 9:07am — No Comments

I just unloaded 40,000 lbs. of this seasons new crop.

Yesterday I unloaded the first 40,000 pounds of this season’s crop. A little bit of everything from each of our two plantations…some semi wash, some full wash and my personal favorite (as well as a Topeca first)….3,000 lbs of high grown yellow bourbon naturals. Yes, you heard right….naturally processed coffee from the mountains of El Salvador. We haven’t cupped it in the states yet (we’ve had it for less than a day) but we cupped it on the plantation in December and found some very prominent… Continue

Added by Derek Dyson on February 5, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Volunteer at SCAA Event and Save

The SCAA is now filling volunteer positions for the upcoming Exposition in Atlanta, April 17-19th. During the Annual Exposition the SCAA requires the help of over 200 volunteers to help make The Event a success. There are a variety of different positions available with different skill sets needed. And the best part is if you work 5 volunteer hours, you will earn a $95.00 credit towards the "Lectures + 3-day Trade Show Badge." Volunteers who work at the USBC in Portland, Oregon in March can also… Continue

Added by Mike Ferguson on February 4, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Ive shrunken my roaster!

So i have figured out how to magically shrink ones roaster size... ready here it is:
first, wake up before the sun and go to the roasting facility.
second, warm up the roaster. stare at it like its your fiance at your wedding.
third, start roasting; don't stop roasting until after the sun sets (12-16 hours).

-trust me. if you do this, your roaster will seem extraordinarily small the next time you look at it.

p.s. this is not a recommended scenario.

Added by lucky on February 4, 2009 at 9:15am — 1 Comment

Indonique World Tea Party

OK guys we've set a date for the next Indonique World Tea party: February 27 at Narcissus Chocolate Cafe in Wethersfield, CT, 5-7 pm Happy Hour with Free samples and live music afterwards. We hope our friends around the world will join us in their own parties and send us some photos or video. We have a theme for this one: Gave up coffee for Lent? Try TEA!



Remember, if you're having Indonique tea, a donation has already been… Continue

Added by George on February 3, 2009 at 6:00pm — No Comments

Australian Barista Championships

Hi everyone!

Congatulations to Tim Adams from Queensland Australia, who will be represesnting us in Atlanta in April!



Tim managed to defeat me by just 10 points. He really was very good, how could I not be proud of such a lovely and humble guy who is completely self taught. Well done Tim!



Now back to me... I'd like to thank a few people. First of all my amazing BF David Makin who has been not just an incredibly dedicated coach, but a genuine, caring friend even when I… Continue

Added by Zoe Delany on February 2, 2009 at 8:00pm — 2 Comments

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