So, many of you may have noticed the photo of my tamper tat on my forearm. My whole concept is to have a portafilter on my other arm. I really liked the "Baristas for Bikes" logo for the upcoming WRBC but the portafilter is in the wrong direction and I'd want the bicycle tire on the larger part of my forearm. So, if you have some design talent, submit the winning entry and receive one pound of Bicycle Blend Espresso, a Cosmic Cup/Viva Barista T-Shirt and $40 donated to Bikes to Rwanda in your… Continue

Belle Batista's (Aldo Coffee) been a champion long before Nick announced the winners on Sunday afternoon at the Mid Atlantic Regional Competition in Washington DC. Few competitors (or people for that matter) have the compassion and grace that Belle exudes every time I have talked to her. Saturday evening, after I totally blew my performance at the MARBC, and I was wallowing in anger at myself and at the world in general, and good dose of self-pity, Belle came up to me and said some very nice… Continue

After several trips to NYC recently, I think it's amazing what is happening to the NYC coffee scene. What used to be a wasteland of Starbucks and old-school (read-old Italian espresso), has turned into the Third Wave flooding the city with pioneers like Jonathin Rubenstein (JOE), Ken Nye (9th Street), Caroline Bell and Chris Trimbrell (Grumpy) paving the way for Gimme and Cafe El Beit and others. How exciting, to be able to go to one of the most… Continue