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The circumstances under which I found myself in Cluj-Napoca were definitely a case of doing it for the ‘gram. I’m not alone in spending too much time on Instagram, looking at pretty travel photos and dreaming of my next holiday, usually one that involves good food and coffee. Sometimes, my wanderlusting turns into actual travel plans. That’s how I found myself on a budget airline flight from London to Romania, knowing virtually nothing about the city I was about to visit, except that it might just be Europe’s best-kept secret speciality coffee haven. Taking a chance certainly paid off: the Cluj coffee scene blew my mind.

And if you’ve never heard of Cluj-Napoca, don’t worry. I hadn’t either until just a few months ago—you should definitely consider this an outsider’s view on this special place. Cluj (as the locals call it, dropping the pre-Roman denomination of Napoca) may be one of the most populous cities in Romania, but with a headcount of just 330,000 inhabitants, it retains a charming small-town feel. It’s considered the cultural heart of Transylvania, a region known worldwide for its beautiful scenery, rich history, and a population that is linguistically and ethnically diverse.

It’s easy to see why Cluj appeals to a young demographic. Students come here from all over Romania to study at the city’s universities. Young European expats and international tourists are attracted by the affordable cost of living, vibrant food scene, and wide offer of art, culture, and music events. And in the coffee realm, Cluj is home to many of country’s top baristas and roasters, pushing for coffee quality with a culinary approach and, together with Bucharest, paving the way for a booming young specialty coffee culture here in Romania.

YUME Coffee Roasters

Mihai Sumedre and Răzvan Roșu opened YUME Coffee Roasters in October 2014. The company focuses on roasting, producing a few hundred kilograms of coffee per week across different lines: six to eight light-roasted single origin coffees, a light-medium roasted espresso blend (YUME Espresso#1), a medium roasted 100% Arabica blend, and two single origins (Eclectic Line).

Inside YUME, a glass wall divides the roastery from the cafe area, where customers can taste the seasonal coffees and learn more about specialty and brewing through cuppings and workshops. “Education plays a vital role in changing the Cluj-Napoca and Romanian coffee scene for the better,” Roșu says. “We pursue a dream of perfection that is never to be attained, but always to be striving for, through a continuous craft improvement.”

Narcoffee Roasters

Narcoffee isn’t just one of the most beautiful coffee shops I’ve seen in Cluj. It’s an established coffee chain and roastery with five outlets in Romania (Cluj and Bucharest) and one location in Prague. It all started in Cluj-Napoca, where the first coffee shop was opened in late 2016 by restaurateurs Marcelus Suciu and Dan Isai. They are now planning an international expansion to Czech Republic, France, the United Kingdom, and USA.

Narcoffee’s goal since the start was to import excellent speciality beans from origin and roast them in small batches at the roastery in Cluj-Napoca, home to head roaster Marius Nica, a national and international Latte Art and Cup Tasters competitor. Espresso is popular here, though increasingly more people choose filter coffee, both as V60 and AeroPress.

“We take our mission of educating coffee drinkers very seriously. We taught a lot of our customers that coffee can be more than a bitter black liquid meant to wake you up,” says Paul Farcas, Narcoffee’s Business Development Officer. “It’s paid off as we have regular customers coming every single day, and many have changed habits from large lattes with a lot of sugar to delicious small cappuccinos with just the natural sweetness of our local fresh milk.”

Roots

Roots opened in January 2016 as an all-day eatery and cafe that delivers great experiences—from specialty coffee and tea to cakes and hot dishes, and wines and craft cocktails in the evenings. Like most of the coffee shops in the old town, the space is small yet comfortable. The wooden furniture and long coffee bar are modern and give the impression that a lot of thought and work have gone into the creation of Roots.

Roots is best appreciated as a breakfast and brunch spot: the atmosphere in the morning is lively with lots of customers (many regulars) coming and going all the time. The pancakes with seasonal stonefruit and hazelnuts were excellent. The Portuguese style pasteis de nata I tasted (after I saw them coming out of the kitchen) was quite possibly the best I’ve ever tasted (and yes, before you ask, I have been to Lisbon).

They choose to serve single origins for espresso and filter coffee here, with coffees roasted by one of Romania’s top roasters, Origo Coffee Roasters of Bucharest. “We appreciate Origo’s constant focus on quality and their passion for specialty coffee,” Bogdan Gheorghiu, owner of Roots, explains. “Our guests are open to new flavor experiences and we are happy to spread our passion for coffee with them.”

I loved Roots and its approach to food and drinks. I had a fantastic breakfast of pancakes and a flat white, but I also had the pleasure of tasting one of the best custard tarts of my life.

Espresso Studio

Espresso Studio was opened at the end of 2017 by Ioan Sumedre Jr. (Sumi) to create a cultural hub where people can enjoy high-quality specialty coffee and tea served in handmade ceramics, while also connecting over art exhibitions as well as literary and musical events regularly hosted at this space. Sumi is so passionate about coffee and crafts, he creates the ceramic cups and plates himself.

Espresso Studio is proud to serve YUME coffee and a wide range of single origins is offered for espresso and filter. The barista asked me about my personal preferences and recommended a flavorful Ethiopian Kochere Burtukaana coffee as espresso with milk.

Tucked away in a small lane off the main Boulevard Eroilor, Espresso Studio is not as fancy as other Cluj coffee shops, but it’s cosy and welcoming. At the time of my visit, during the Transylvania Film Festival, the cafe was a hangout for film lovers to discuss films and arts. “We believe that having a cup of coffee while being immersed in culture amongst friends and/or artists, musicians, actors, and other creative people is a plus, says Milena Surducan, the shop’s culture manager. “That’s why Espresso Studio was born.”

Eggcetera

Newcomer Eggcetera (opened April 2018) is the second Cluj cafe by Ioana Lazâr and Vlad Udrea. The couple founded Victor. Fresh To Go coffee shop in 2013 and have over five years’ experience in speciality coffee. The shop—as the name suggests—offers coffee and breakfast fare at any time of day.

A team of baristas headed by Udrea himself regularly holds coffee cupping sessions to pick the next single origins for espresso and filter coffee. Lazâr and Udrea are proud to collaborate with top Romanian roasters Origo and Bob Coffee Lab (whose Head Roaster was World Coffee Roasting Champion 2016 Alexandru Niculaie). They also work with foreign roasters such as Gardelli, Fjord, and The Underdog.

Eggcetera looks and feels like a restaurant first more than a cafe; the small space is fully occupied by tables while the coffee counter is at the back. As a self-confessed brunch lover, I thoroughly enjoyed my pretty dish of smashed avo and a Flat White, on par with the best brunches I’ve had in London.

Bujole

Boasting an enviable location on the main square, Bujole is a restaurant focused on speciality coffee paired with French-inspired cuisine. The interiors are modern, bright, and strikingly beautiful, but the best spot in the house is a table on the terrace overlooking the square, Piața Unirii. Bujole is the second brand by Marcelus Suciu, which follows on the success of Olivo Coffee Roasters. You’ll find Olivo a few minutes away on Bulevardul Eroilor. It is one of four speciality coffee roasters in Cluj-Napoca, supplying Bujole with coffee beans as well as specialised barista training.

Bujole works exclusively with single-origin coffees brought from all over the world to offer customers the experience of different flavors. In the evenings, the La Marzocco Linea PB machine goes under the counter (using a special mechanism, like a lift, which quickly lowers the machine underneath) and manual coffee brewing methods become the main attraction.

Let’s Coffee

Let’s Coffee is the small business of Vasile Lupsac and Oana Moldovan who opened the coffee shop in August 2015. The coffee is sourced from the best Romanian roasters such as YUME Coffee Rosters, Origo, Pressco in Baia Mare, and Bob Coffee Lab in Bucharest. Lupsac and Moldovan also buy coffee roasted around Europe from The Barn, April Coffee Roasters, La Cabra Coffee, JB Kaffee, TAF, and Gardelli Specialty Coffee Roasters.

“We were extremely excited when we received the first coffee from The Barn and we started preparing it. It was a great feeling for us and our customers,” Lupsac says. “We weren’t sure what it would look like, didn’t know what coffee we were going to use, just that we want to deliver quality services for an unforgettable experience.”

Lupsac and Moldocan prefer single-origin coffee, but don’t say no to a good blend. They explained that brewing methods like V60, AeroPress, and Chemex remain difficult to sell as many people in Romania associate filter coffee with tea and assume it is weaker than espresso. “We are trying to offer a range of filter coffees to raise interest and encourage our customers to try them,” Lupsac says. “There is a real connection between baristas and customers here in Cluj. That’s makes us special.”

Coffee Addicts

Coffee Addicts is a small independent coffee shop opened in 2016 by Mihai (Mike) Tarta. I stopped at the cafe for a quick cappuccino to go on a hot Sunday morning, the cafe was quiet and I had the chance to chat a bit with the barista. The espresso was heavy-bodied, with hints of dark chocolate, prepared with a blend of four medium roasted Arabica coffee beans.

An eye-catching mural of a tree bedecked with multicolored toadstools and creatures sets the fun scene here, suggesting variety and intrigue are the main attractions at this cafe. Indeed, it’s a multi-roaster shop which is “always open to experiments and fresh ideas,” says Tarta. “The coffee culture in Cluj is expanding and our customers welcome the change.”

Giulia Mule is a Sprudge.com contributor based in London. Read more Giulia Mule on Sprudge. 

The post The Coffee Lover’s Guide To Cluj-Napoca, Romania appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Rose Woodard presents at the 2019 US Brewers Cup (Photo by Elizabeth Chai)

Is 2019 the year of the coffee competition statement? At two separate North American competitions this past weekend, competitors from the United States and Canada used their stage time to make the case for change in the specialty coffee industry.

Social statements and impassioned messaging on the competition stage have a long history and are part of what we love so much about these events. This year we’re seeing competitors risk serious points and intentionally jeopardizing their ability to advance in order to make some of the biggest, boldest statements we’ve seen yet. Today we’re covering just two of these remarkable intentional actions—look for much more coverage in the days and weeks to come on Sprudge Media Network.

In Kansas City, home of the 2019 US Coffee Championships event, reigning 2018 US Brewers Cup champion Rose Woodard used the final three minutes of her routine to call for equality and fairness for all competitors. “The standards these competitors are held to are that of a white, male, heteronormative perspective,” Woodard told the judges. “That’s a major issue that needs to change before we can make progress in this industry.”

When we originally reported on this routine via Instagram, it ignited debate in the comments (along with some predictably disingenuous sealioning) and an outpouring of support for Woodard’s message.

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As reigning US Brewers Cup Champion, Rose Woodard received a bye to compete a second time at the national level, and felt she didn’t need to compete to win twice. Instead she chose to brew quickly using Aeropress, then spend the final 3 minutes of her performance to voice her concerns about marginalized competitors: “The standards these competitors are held to are that of a white, male, heteronormative perspective — and that’s a major issue that needs to change before we can make progress in this industry.” . Photo by Elizabeth Chai @ChaiAmericano for Sprudge

A post shared by Sprudge (@sprudge) on Mar 15, 2019 at 4:53pm PDT

Woodard provided a transcript of this routine statement to our Competitions Multimedia Manager Elizabeth Chai. We’re running the whole thing below:

Chai spoke with Woodard about the performance off-stage. “It really hit me that there are certain wording within the rules that leaves a lot of room for bias in the judging,” Woodard told Chai. “You can see that there’s a clear bias.”

This is powerful stuff, and we’ll continue to report on it in the days to come. A full interview with Woodard will appear in this week’s episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast (subscribe now and never miss an episode).

This story is developing…

SprudgeLive’s coverage of the 2019 US Coffee Champs is made possible by Joe Glo and Mahlkönig. All of SprudgeLive’s 2019 competition coverage is made possible by Acaia, Baratza, Faema, Cafe Imports, and Wilbur Curtis.

Elizabeth Chai (@chaiamericano) contributed to this reporting. 

The post Rose Woodard Confronts Bias In Coffee Competition Judging appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Is 2019 the year of the coffee competition statement? At two separate North American competitions this past weekend, competitors from the United States and Canada used their stage time to make the case for change in the specialty coffee industry.

Social statements and impassioned messaging on the competition stage have a long history, and are part of what we love so much about these events. This year we’re seeing competitors risk serious points and intentionally jeopordizing their ability to advance in order to make some of the biggest, boldest statements we’ve seen yet. Today we’re covering just two of these remarkable intentional actions—look for much more coverage in the days and weeks to come on Sprudge Media Network.

In Toronto, at the 2019 Canadian Barista Championship, competitor Chris Tellez confronted a long-established rule that disallows plant milks on the World Barista Championship stage. That would be Rule 2.2.2, which states “a milk beverage is a combination of one single shot of espresso… and steamed cow’s milk.” Tellez broke the rule willingly and with purpose, serving his judges milk drinks made using Minor Figures oat milk, earning zero points for the milk drink portion of his routine and resulting in a de facto disqualification. Check out the full rules here (via download) and you’ll see it under the section “Beverage Definitions.”

Chris Tellez at the 2019 Canadian Barista Championship. Photo by Ashley Tomlinson.

It’s fair to say this rule is outdated AF. In this day and age, so many coffee professionals work at the highest level using alternative milks—because their customers prefer it, mostly, though for some the choice runs deeper. Tellez, who is vegan, feels strongly that the competition stage can be a place for positive change. “There is not a single rule in the competition besides this one which puts into question a fundamental value that a person may have,” he tells Sprudge in the interview below. “[This rule] forces them to compromise in order to compete.”

Coffee competition rules are not etched upon some great inviolate tablet; indeed, they are annually evaluated and codified before each event season begins. The small group of coffee professionals who cooked up the barista competition format 20 years ago could have never predicted the quality of alternative milk we have today, especially the delightful steaming properties of oat milk. If you think it’s time for changing this rule, check out a new petition created by Floozy Coffee of Newcastle, New South Wales, coordinated for release with Chris Tellez’ routine this weekend in Toronto.

Sprudge caught up with Tellez digitally in the middle of one hell of a North American coffee competition weekend. Verily this story was originally intended to be a brief news piece but the interview came back great so we’re running the whole thing. Read on.

Chris Tellez pouring disqualification alt milk at the 2019 Canadian Barista Championship. Photo by Ashley Tomlinson.

Hey Chris — thanks for speaking with Sprudge. How did the plan for this statement come into place? How long have you been working on it?

Chris Tellez: I had thought about this idea since my last time competing, but was unsure of how to make it work, especially because the availability of great plant-milks is a pretty recent occurrence. I first shared this idea with my partner, and then my very dear friend Priscilla Fisher of Floozy Coffee Roasters. I think right away they both saw the intention behind it, and how important it was to me and encouraged me to make it happen. I really went back and forth, trying to decide if this was the best course of action for a long time, but once it came time to actually sign up I knew two things for sure. That I wanted to compete, and that I just could not justify using an animal product in order to do so.

What was the reaction in the room like? Have you heard from a lot of people since the performance?

Pin drops followed by a wave of applause… pretty wild actually. I have never received that kind of a response from a performance. I can say that it definitely wasn’t the most tight, perfect performance I have ever given, but I think the honesty of what I was doing resonated with people.

I have heard from a ton of people, lots of friends, lots of people I’ve never met. Overall it was a very positive response, though I am sure I will continue to hear from people in the next little while with all kinds of reactions, though I hope these come in the form of thoughtful discourse, as that is really what I am trying to create with all this.

Photo by Ashley Tomlinson.

Talk to us about coordinating your routine with a petition—we’ve never seen something quite like that before. 

Floozy was paramount in making this happen, and we most definitely planned to have the petition ready to sign once the performance was over. I also want to be super clear that the petition is coming from a place of huge respect and admiration for the competition. This competition has meant so much to me and my career over the years, and this is simply about testing the waters to see how many other people are interested in creating a dialogue surrounding this potential rule change. Floozy was a huge part of making this happen I truly hope that the WCE view this simply as a barometer of the industry, rather than an attack on all the incredibly hard work they do for us as baristas. I want this to spark respectful, honest dialogue and to help us all move forward, if that is what enough of the industry decides is important.

What role did your veganism play in the decision to make this statement?

I am vegan, and have been for the better part of the past 13 years. There was a short period where I was consuming animal products again, which coincided with a pretty heavy bout of depression, and manifested in an eating disorder. It was through becoming plant-based again that I was able to regain some of my balance and work through some of that trauma. this is something I’ve been really open about in the industry, and even lead a talk last year at the SCA Canada workshop all about Personal Wellness in the coffee industry.

My veganism most definitely played a role in my decision to do this, but regardless I think just looking at the pure environmental impact of milk and it’s major role in the carbon footprint of the coffee industry at the cafe level is enough to give anyone pause. Most of the numbers I pulled were from the United Nations’ FAO report on Dairy production, and since this is a global competition it felt like the most accurate numbers to describe our situation as an industry.

The other reality is that there are a lot of places in my life where I am not the most sustainable, eco-friendly and responsible as I could be, so this is no way is some kind of holier than thou sort of thing. I still drive a car, I still buy new clothing instead of getting everything first hand, I still have an iPhone, I have all the same habits as everyone else, but my veganism, and by extension this routine is my way of trying to offset those things a little, especially considering how environmental demanding our industry can be.

An oat milk cappuccino at Sey Coffee, Brooklyn. Photo by Liz Clayton.

There is perhaps a critique to be made that by making this statement in competition you “took away a spot from someone else” or somehow demeaned the competition culture. Have you heard this critique? How do you respond?

This is a really, really important point. In fact, one of the competitors brought it up to me immediately after my performance backstage. She had been lucky enough to get a space after being on the wait list, and she was understandably upset with the idea of a competitor doing something like this. I believe she felt that I was not taking the competition seriously and that I was taking away a spot from someone who would. This is a valid critique and it is one a thought about a lot both before the competition, and since competing yesterday. I am really grateful that she expressed her feelings about it, and it was a really honest and respectful conversation, one I hope we can actually continue after the competition . I have two main points about this.

Firstly, she should be mad, it’s ridiculous for a competitor to have to either take zeroes or get disqualified for choosing not to use a product that disagrees with their value system. It’s a waste of a spot and it is not fair to any competitor, including myself. There is not a single rule in the competition besides this one which puts into question a fundamental value that a person may have and forces them to compromise in order to compete. We may disagree with aspects of drink or presentation scoring, or technical evaluation, but I really can’t think of a rule which is quite like this one in. So I am glad she is upset, and I think we should focus that into seeing some change.

Secondly, I sat out of the competition for three years, waiting for this rule to change, and nothing happened. I really wanted to compete this year, I mean, I love the competition, but I just couldn’t compartmentalize my beliefs just to compete. I took the competition seriously and I have great respect for it, but I just couldn’t agree with this one rule. You could argue that if you don’t agree to the rules, you shouldn’t be in the competition, and I understand that thinking, but I also know that real change happens more readily and rapidly when people take chances. I have a good record in the competition, and I think I could have done really well this year if I had used dairy milk, so just as much as I took a spot from another competitor, I put my own chances of winning aside in order to open dialogue that I really hope speaks for a group of people in the industry that perhaps have never competed because of a rule like this. I hope the net benefit is larger than just a single competitor.

I suppose people can look at it like a stunt, or like I am just trying to be controversial, but what I hope is that more and more the competition is used as a platform for change in our industry, in a way which still honours the competition culture itself, which was the concept of my entire routine and speech. Just this weekend at the US Coffee Champs we are seeing some really progressive conversations happening on stage, and I really just hope that this is seen in this light.

What’s your all-time favorite desert island alt milk?

Well, I ended up using the Minor Figures Oat milk for the competition, because it worked best with my coffee, and they’ve been super supportive of us in our cafes. But for everyday use at home in smoothies, cereal or whatever else, I am trying my best to make milk myself, because there is no waste in packaging and I can use Canadian oats and hemp!

Thank you. 

Jordan Michelman (@suitcasewine) is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.

Photos of Chris Tellez at the 2019 Canadian Barista Championship by Ashley Tomlinson (@thelittleblackcoffeecup) licensed for Sprudge Media Network. 

The post Wait, Why Exactly Can’t You Use Alternative Milk In A Barista Competition? appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

The 2019 US Coffee Championships in Kansas City, Missouri have come and gone, leaving in its wake three days of intense coffee competition taking place across five separate stages. Over 100 coffee professionals descended up KCMO this weekend to vie for one of the coveted spots representing the United States of America in the World Coffee Championships happening next month in Boston.

Competitions this year included the Barista Championship, Brewers Cup, Cup Tasters, Roasters Championships, and for the first time in America, Coffee in Good Spirits, a tournament dedicated to the fine art of the coffee cocktail. There are so many stories to unpack from this weekend, from the powerful message returning Brewers Cup champion Rose Woodard used her platform to deliver to the meteoric rise of lactic acid processing (particularly from La Palma y El Tucan in Colombia) in Barista Championship coffee. Many of these stories, along with competitor interviews and much more, will be featured in the coming days and weeks on Sprudge and on the Coffee Sprudgecast (subscribe now and never miss an episode).

For now, while we catch our breath, let’s take a look back at the weekend that was, and celebrate our new batch of heroes from the 2019 US Coffee Championships.

SprudgeLive’s coverage of the 2019 US Coffee Champs is made possible by Joe Glo and Mahlkönig. All of SprudgeLive’s 2019 competition coverage is made possible by Acaia, Baratza, Faema, Cafe Imports, and Wilbur Curtis.

Catch up on the routines of every single barista competitor in our recaps on Sprudge Live.

2019 US Barista Championship Day One Recap

Anthony Ragler, Counter Culture Coffee, Brooklyn NY

2019 US Barista Championship Semi-Finals Recap

Sam Neely, Switchback Coffee Roasters, Colorado Springs, CO

2019 US Barista Championship Finals Recap

Samantha Spillman, Dillanos Coffee Roasters, Sumner, WA

Your 2019 US Coffee Champions

Barista Championship

1. Samantha Spillman, Dillanos Coffee Roasters, Seattle, WA
2. Andrea Allen, Onyx Coffee Lab, Springdale, AR
3. T. Ben Fischer, Elixr Coffee Roasters, Philadelphia, PA
4. Dylan Siemens, Onyx Coffee Lab, Springdale, AR
5. Sam Neely, Switchback Coffee Roasters, Colorado Springs, CO
6. Emily Orendorff, Boxcar Coffee Roasters, Boulder, CO

Brewers Cup

1. Kaley Gann, Messenger Coffee, Kansas City, MO
2. Justin Goodhart, Sweet Bloom Coffee, Denver, CO
3. Lance Hedrick, Onyx Coffee Lab, Springdale, AR
4. Jacob White, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, San Diego, CA
5. Jennifer Hwang, Klatch Coffee, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
6. Chelsey Walker-Watson, Atlas Coffee Importers, Seattle, WA

Coffee In Good Spirits

1. Matt Foster, Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co, St. Louis, MO
2. Sam Schroeder, Olympia Coffee, Olympia, WA
3. Brodie Lewis, Madcap Coffee Co, Grand Rapids, CO
4.  Nathanael Mehrens, Stay Golden, Nashville, TN
5. Joel Cronenberg, Provision Coffee, Gilbert, AZ
6. Dakota Graff, Onyx Coffee Lab, Springdale, AR

Cup Tasters

1. Jen Apodaca, Royal Coffee, Oakland, CA
2. Summer Zhang, Onyx Coffee Lab, Springdale, AR
3. Samuel Gurel, Sövda Coffee, Portland, OR
4. Helen Choi, Luce Ave Coffee Roasters, Houston, TX
5. Cameron Metzinger, Backyard Beans Coffee Co, Lansdale, PA
6. Roman Deshong, Amethyst Coffee Co, Denver, CO

Roasters Championship

1. Shelby Williamson, Huckleberry Roasters, Denver, CO
2. Hugh Morretta, La Colombe Coffee Roasters, Philadelphia, PA
3. Mark Boccard, Southdown Coffee, Huntington, KY
4. Janine Cundy, Joe Bean Coffee Roasters, Rochester, NY
5. Steve Cuevas, Black Oak Coffee Roasters, Ukiah, CA
6. Eric Stone, Mudhouse Coffee Roasters, Charlottesville, VA

A version of this article ran on Sprudge Live by Zac Cadwalader. Catch up on all the weekend activities over at our sibling site Sprudge Live, on Twitter @SprudgeLive and on Instagram @sprudge.

Thank you to our Sprudge Live coverage team Zac Cadwalader, Elizabeth Chai, Charlie Burt, Colin Whitcomb, and Laura Clark.

SprudgeLive’s coverage of the 2019 US Coffee Champs is made possible by Joe Glo and Mahlkönig. All of SprudgeLive’s 2019 competition coverage is made possible by Acaia, Baratza, Faema, Cafe Imports, and Wilbur Curtis.

The post Here Are Your 2019 US Coffee Champions appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Ahoy there Sprudge reader—please allow us now brief update on a project we’re very excited about, headed into a busy coffee events weekend. Just a few short weeks ago we invited our readers around the world to nominate oustanding coffee professionals for the Sprudge Twenty, a new leadership initiative presented by Pacific Barista Series. And nominate you did, with an outpouring of entries received from around the globe.

Nominations for the series are now closed. The first full class of Sprudge Twenty honorees will be announced on Monday, April 8th, in advance of the 2019 SCA Event in Boston (also home to the 2019 World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup Championship). Winners receive spotlight features on Sprudge, mentorship opportunities from Pacific Foods Barista Series, and much more to be announced in the weeks and months to come.

It’s our hope that you’ll be thrilled by our inaugural class of honorees, and that you find this work to be as exciting and compelling as anything we’ve done in our near-decade of publishing Sprudge—the site’s 10th anniversary is this September. Watch this space, and be sure to follow this weekend’s live coverage of the 2019 US Coffee Championships, happening this weekend on Twitter and at Sprudge Live, our sibling site dedicated to coffee sports.

Want to be the first to know the inaugural Sprudge Twenty class? Subscribe to our newsletter and podcast—you just might get an up-front scoop.

Jordan Michelman (@suitcasewine) is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.

The post The Sprudge Twenty Is Coming—Presented By Pacific Barista Series appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Spectrum Coffee is a new roasting company out of Brooklyn. The folks at Spectrum have been roasting out of the Pulley Collective in Red Hook for three years with the hopes of opening their own space sometime in 2019. Spectrum roasts coffee from Nordic Approach, Collaborative Coffee Source, and Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders. You can find their coffees at cafes like L’impremerie, Babydudes, Cafe Beit, and their sister cafe Dweebs out of Bushwick.

Spectrum packages their coffee in Biotre bags housed in a sturdy white box with clean lines, gold foil, and a pop of color on the top. All of the coffee information is kept in a tidy colorful band that distinguishes the type of coffee. The design process was a 50/50 effort between the Spectrum team and their designer friends. We reached out to Will Douglas and Sam Stoothoff digitally to learn more.

When did the coffee package design debut?

This most recent iteration released about a month ago. We’ve sort of been improving our packaging piecemeal since we started a few years ago. We’re pretty happy with it now, but as I’ve learned in this process, at least for me, I like change. I love working with people on new designs and the little sparks of idea you get in the shower that have to get translated into reality. We always looking to improve though, and through this design we already have fun new things we want to try next time.

Who designed the package?

The design was about 50% in house, 50% friends. We were lucky that one of our employees’ brother, Matt Varner, worked at a prominent design firm in New York. He created our logo font and layout, and we took it from there. The “scatter” logo on the bottom of the package was done by our friend Kaela Chambers, an independent artist in Jersey City.

The coffee information is on a wrap around the box—what kind of information do you think is important to share with the coffee drinker?

That’s been an interesting point of discussion for us. We include all the basics, like elevation, process, varietal, producer, etc. Something we’re interested in doing soon is including the price per pound that we paid for the coffee. Transparency is cool, but it needs context. A lot happens along the way to bump up the retail price, and we’re working on a way of communicating that so our customers know what they’re paying for. Cupping score is another metric we’re thinking about adding to the label. We’re figuring out how to present it so that consumers understand how the score fits in the bigger picture. A lot happens along the way that affects price, for instance, Costa Rica has a high minimum wage (cool and good) which leads to a more expensive final product that may score equal to a cheaper Colombian coffee. If you’re reading this and have thoughts, please reach out, we’d love to hear your ideas about what label info you’d be most interested in seeing!

Why are aesthetics in coffee packaging so important?

Coffee is fun and beautiful and deserves to be presented as such. If it weren’t dangerous and probably illegal we’d put one of those dumb party poppers in every box that would shoot confetti in your face the first time you open it.

Tell us the specifics on the design details.

The labels on the coffees are polypropylene. With our old retail design we needed something that wouldn’t rip. With this new one we’ll be switching to paper labels since they’re more environmentally friendly. We used a company called Packwire for the boxes. They were really nice to work with and manufacture in Canada. For a slightly higher price per unit we cut out an entire transpacific voyage compared to having them made in China. The gold foil is Crown #170 from Crown Roll Leaf.

The box itself is recyclable and the Biotre bag inside is 60% compostable. What 40% isn’t.

The innermost lining of the Biotre bags aren’t compostable, but they use an additive that allows them to break down in 5-10 years. The outermost two layers are totally compostable.

Where is it currently available?

Online or at one of our dope partners in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Thank you!

Zachary Carlsen is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge.

The post Coffee Design: Spectrum Coffee In Brooklyn, New York appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

There’s more bad news on the horizon for the coffee market, as the price of coffee futures drops to its lowest point since 2006.

According to Bloomberg, the issue stems from a global oversupply due in large part to the world’s top coffee producer, Brazil, seeing a record crop in 2018 with another big yield expected in 2019. The slump is taking a big toll on arabica coffee, which the article notes is “one of the worst-performing commodities in the past year.”

Arabica futures for May fell as much as 2.6 percent to 94.65 cents a pound in New York. Prices have dropped about 20 percent in the past year, and speculators have been net bearish for about 18 months.

The problem of an oversupply is not one that is easily remedied. As the article notes, even countries struggling to produce are still taking hits because Brazil’s prodigious output. And for farmers, it’s not as simple as just switching crops. Coffee trees take years to grow and then produce for many years after. In order to switch crops, farmers would have to rip out the coffee trees, rendering useless all the work they have done to get the trees producing as well as removing any chance of earnings when the price rebounds. They are essentially stuck.

And the price is expected to rebound. According to Olam International, “the world’s second largest coffee supplier” (as per Bloomberg), the worst of it may be over soon. Even amid the surplus the importer expects pricing to come up, but unfortunately, the reasons why aren’t positive. Olam states that bad weather will have a negative effect on producers in Central and South American growing regions, which may in turn bring the prices back up a tick.

The issue of untenably low coffee prices isn’t going away, at least not any time soon. For their part, the SCA is investing in their Coffee Price Crisis Response Initiative to help find ways to bring up the artificially low number. But for now, coffee futures remain low. What this says for the future of coffee itself is an open question.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Top image via Tanawatpontchour/Adobe Stock

The post Coffee Futures Hit Lowest Price Since 2006 appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Photo courtesy of Nico Alary.

When Holybelly opened in 2013 at 19 Rue Lucien Sampaix, it set a new standard in quality for the age-old union of food and coffee in Paris. The 30-seat establishment came out firing, serving world-class third wave coffee alongside neo-diner breakfasts of fluffy pancakes and egg and sides until noon, when the stunning seasonal lunch specials kicked in.

The concept puzzled Parisians at first. Was it a cafe? Or perhaps a restaurant? The chefs bustled about in gleaming whites, after all. “I think people struggle to put us in a category because we’re not a coffee shop, but we have really good coffee, and we’re not a restaurant, per se, but we have really good food,” says co-founder Nico Alary. “It’s not hard for Melbourne or New York, where every place is like that, but here we were kind of the first.”

Holybelly co-founders Sarah Mouchot and Nico Alary.

We assure you, not every place in New York or Melbourne is nearly as good as Holybelly. Despite the confusion, the cafe soon developed a loyal following, and brunch regularly drew crowds that spilled onto the sidewalk—perhaps even a little too often. “There was always a line and we were worried that people would associate us with, ‘I love Hollybelly and I love the food, but it’s too busy, let’s go somewhere else,’” says Alary. The space quickly outpaced the original vision chef Sarah Mouchot and Alary set out to create, which led to an expansion in 2015.

But the lines continued apace, and the couple had hesitations about further growth. They worried about Holybelly losing its soul, a carefully cultivated balance of good food, good coffee, and good service they pride themselves on. But when a space opened up down the street at 5 rue Lucien Sampaix in 2016, they decided to go for it. A year later, Holybelly re-opened there with 100 seats, inviting patrons to tuck into all-day breakfast from the comfort of snug leather booths and white-washed brick.

Mouchot and Alary still had the smaller, empty space at 19 rue Lucien Sampaix. They mulled over what to do with it: a roaster? A natural wine bar? But Paris had enough of those. “We thought, what about we just do another cafe, but we just do breakfast and lunch very differently?” says Alary. HB5, the “new” space, inherited the menu of big delicious breakfasts and daily specials, while the historic HB19 takes a more intimate approach to breakfast and seasonally inspired lunches. The menu is structured around a large selection of sharing plates and several daily lunch specials, a format that will enable Mouchot to showcase her talent in the kitchen and make the most of what’s in season.

The two locations complement each other: the founders were careful to preserve the Holybelly identity at both, while crafting two completely different dining experiences. Where HB5 channels cafe casual in leather booths, wood, and brick, HB19 offers a more intimate setting with teal velvet upholstery, marble, and tile. “HB19 is going to show what Sarah can cook and that precision she has for breakfast cooking that she also has for lunch cooking,” Alary tells Sprudge. “At HB5, a dish had to be a meal, so she was kind of limited in the things she could do. At HB19, she can do whatever she wants. It’s perfect for seasonal cooking because there’s no format. Maybe some days we’ll have ten plates and five another day, depending on what’s available.”

There are no pancake stacks at HB19 (don’t worry, they’re available all day down the street at HB5). Instead, Mouchot has run wild on a sweet and savory small plate experience, with dishes like soft-boiled eggs with buttery mouillettes, gravlax, haloumi slippers, beet salad with crunchy buckwheat nubs, kasha porridge, and mini-donuts with dulce de leche. The coffee here is also similar but different. Belleville Brûlerie still shines at HB5, where a more developed and accessible roast profile pairs wonderfully with hearty breakfast specials. At HB19, Swedish roaster Koppi accompanies what might be described as more delicate dishes, harmonizing well with the small but growing selection of natural wines on offer. In both cases, the coffee experience still stops short of a geek-out. “We stop before it gets too technical. So we do everything super well, everything’s weighted, calibrated, we use reverse osmosis water, but I always tell my baristas we’re not the kind of place where you can just make coffee,” says Alary, who would rather return to a place with good service and bad food than amazing food and poor service. “For me it’s about finding a balance between being a restaurant and a cafe.”

The interview portion of this feature with Alary was conducted just one day after HB19 opened. I found the space bustling with regulars, as though it had never closed. Alary attributes the easy transition to the experience the team has gained over the last six years, and a restaurant has evolved to reflect the owners’ own growing up as business partners and hospitality professionals.

“We’re still Holybelly,” says Alary. “We told our front of house staff, stay relaxed, friendly, dress however you want. It’s just really what you put in the plate and the coffee that changes, but we’re the same.”

Photo courtesy of Nico Alary.

Kate Robinson (@KateOnTheLoose) is a freelance journalist based in Paris. Read more Kate Robinson on Sprudge. 

The post In Paris, What’s Old Is New Again At Holybelly 19 appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

There is pretty much nothing coffee can’t do. If George Washington Carver had turned his attention to this caffeinated little wunderseed instead of the lowly peanut, we’d probably be brewing space coffee in our luxurious Martian summer homes by now. But Carver chose legumes, so our earthbound scientists have spent the past century shouldering the burden of finding the other 299 uses for coffee. And they’ve discovered another application: using coffee grounds as electrodes in lithium-ion batteries.

As reported by Phys.org, researchers from Moscow’s RUDN University—known more formally and also quaintly somehow as the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia—have found a way to take used coffee grounds and repurpose them as an eco-friendly replacement for graphite-based electrodes commonly found in lithium-ion batteries and electric cars. In an article in the Journal for Cleaner Production titled Non-porous carbonaceous materials derived from coffee waste grounds as highly sustainable anodes for lithium-ion batteries, the researchers were looking to organic waste as a source of carbon materials to be used in lieu of graphite. They considered items like “cherry and olive stones, pomace, seaweed, and rice husk” before ultimately settling on coffee, leaving no stone unturned.

To create the anodes (negative electrodes), researchers took used coffee grounds from their university canteen and reground them for uniformity before baking them at a balmy 800°C. They were then combined with a plastic binding agent to create the organic anode.

When tested, the coffee grounds had a “heat storage capacity of 285 mA-h at the current strength of 0.1A,” which according to Phys.org is a “modest value compared to modern accumulators.” But these numbers are much higher than those of anodes made from other types of organic waste, and the electrodes made from coffee grounds have unique properties that make them “more long-lasting and therefore energy saving.”

“Lithium-ion accumulators with our electrodes kept their initial capacity after 100 cycles, losing only 0.23 percent per cycle,” says Raphael Luke, director of the Center for Molecular Design and Synthesis of Innovative Compounds for Medicine, and a visiting scholar at RUDN. “Increasing energy storage requirements make our work particularly interesting. Its advantages lie in its simplicity and expediency. This method may be scaled out to industrial levels, as coffee grounds are available all over the world in huge quantities compared to other substances used in the production of lithium-ion batteries.”

We are probably still a long ways off from seeing electric cars being fueled by dumping coffee grounds into a little hole in the armrest a la the Super Mario Bros movie, but given the eco-friendly nature and ubiquity of the source material, it may only be a matter of time. Soon enough we’ll all be zipping around in our coffee-powered cars on our roads made of coffee to our houses powered by, you guessed it, coffee. We’d probably already be there if George Washington Carver was a coffee guy. DAMN YOU, PEANUTS!

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

The post Scientists Turn Coffee Grounds Into Electrodes For Lithium-Ion Batteries appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Kansas City is an established Midwestern coffee landmark, home to a wide range of coffee experiences for drinkers of every level of expertise. This coming weekend, the city will welcome coffee lovers and professionals from across the United States for the U.S. Coffee Championships at KC Expo Center. Whether you’re a competing barista or just visiting town and looking for caffeine, the Kansas City metro contains dozens of quality choices for coffee connoisseurs and newbies alike.

The metro area’s coffee scene is as diverse as the numerous suburbs and unique neighborhoods that it encompasses. It even crosses state borders, reaching into both Missouri and Kansas. The city has cafes that embody the quirkiest of Midwestern culture as well as outlets featuring just a good ‘ole cup of coffee, and in this way, Kansas City is a representation of how the Midwest is making its mark on the specialty coffee industry.

In this guide, we lay out the featured shops, recommended spots, and don’t-miss destinations from the city’s thriving coffee culture. You’ll find that Kansas City embodies both Midwestern charm and big city dreams, with a passionate community of coffee hospitality professionals and an experience for every taste. Let’s get drinking!

Quay Coffee

Photo by Cory Stipp

Quay Coffee (pronounced “key”) is a cozy, comfortable space tucked in Kansas City’s River Market district, located just north of downtown. The shop, the only multi-roaster on this list, features a rotating hand-selection of some of the nation’s best coffee. On any given day, the black letterboard announcing the brews available could list roasters like Hammerhand Coffee, based just a stone’s throw away in Liberty, Missouri, or Upper Left Roasters based in Portland, Oregon. Coffee offerings rotate every four to six weeks.

A stop at Quay pairs best with a walk through the Saturday Farmers’ Market or a visit to any of the City Market’s destination food offerings.

Messenger Coffee Company

Photo by Ryan Carr.

Since opening in fall 2017, Messenger Coffee Company has become a Kansas City coffee destination. Located inside a stately brick building, the vibe here is art museum meets coffee shop. A modern floating staircase invites you to the second-floor roasting space, coffee lab, and classroom alongside additional seating; keep going, and the third floor offers a quiet area with access to the rooftop. Come here to catch expansive views of the KC skyline from the heart of the Crossroads district while sitting next to the outdoor fireplace.

Be sure to check out the pastry case while you wait to order drinks. It’s filled with creative Ibis Bakery creations like fresh takes on classic croissants and mouthwatering desserts like the red wine brownie.

Broadway Cafe

Photo by Heather Burton.

Broadway Cafe and Roasting Company is widely regarded as a pioneer of third wave coffee in Kansas City. Located in the city’s lively and historic Westport neighborhood, Broadway Cafe is just a stone’s throw from some of KC’s favorite eateries and late-night hangouts. You can’t miss the cafe, with its striped awning and classic sign, right off of Broadway.

Inside the cafe, Broadway presents a no-frills espresso menu showcasing its coffee. Baristas sling espresso ristretto-style from a La Marzocco Linea machine set behind a high-top counter. Snack on a light item from the pastry case, like a sandwich or slice of cake, while sipping your drink. Settle in for an afternoon of Westport people watching from the cafe’s sidewalk seating, or sit inside and admire the eclectic art hanging from the warm tan walls.

Aside from the quintessential cafe space in Westport, you can grab a cup of Broadway Roasting Company coffee at the cafe located inside the roaster or at many of the Kansas City-area shops brewing Broadway.

Second Best Coffee

Photo by Aaron Rand.

Tucked unsuspectingly in a strip mall off in south Kansas City’s Waldo neighborhood, you’ll recognize Second Best by its giant eagle logo stenciled on the window. This open and minimalistic space presents a charming mix of modern clean design and homy nostalgia, with sleek black tabletops and white subway tiles paired with wood fixtures and vintage books. The name is meant to be cheeky: “Second Best” refers to the cafe’s continual focus on innovation and application.

The menu features manual brews, made exclusively using a Clever dripper, as well as classic espresso options. A seasonal menu offers more inventive drinks, like the winter favorite 511, a shot of prototype espresso over ice and AE Dairy eggnog topped with shaved Askinosie white chocolate. For a chilled option, try signature Red Ribbon Nitro plain, with milk and vanilla—called a Fred—or with milk and cinnamon, a Zip Zap.

Black Dog Coffeehouse

Photo by Ryan Carr.

Black Dog Coffeehouse is the only shop on this list located in the state of Kansas. The coffeehouse encompasses a large footprint in Lenexa, Kansas, a prominent suburb on the western side of the metro. Both coffee nerds and newbies can find something to suit their liking at Black Dog.

Black Dog serves Messenger Coffee, roasted just 13 miles north in the Crossroads district. An espresso-forward menu can be intimidating for those new to coffee; not so at Black Dog. A specialty latte menu provides options for those who don’t take their coffee black or need something a little sweeter. Coffee options find a home alongside a smoothie selection and Rishi Teas.

At Black Dog, you won’t have to worry about finding a place to sit. The space features three distinct seating areas as well as a large patio. It’s the perfect place to spend the day working, reading or socializing with a continuous flow of provisions.

Post Coffee Company

Photo by Liz Stevens

Post Coffee Company is one of my favorite spaces in KC. Located in Kansas City suburb Lee’s Summit, it feels far away from the city’s hustle and bustle. This bright and luminous shop with white-finished wood accents and polished concrete floors provides a subtle slate for creative coffee and work. The result feels almost retreat-like.

Post offers a straightforward menu—including batch brew, pour-over, iced and espresso options—that highlights the flavors and characters of Post’s own coffee, roasted on-site. Come for a coffee but don’t miss the donuts!

Also Worth Visiting

It’s impossible to highlight all of the outstanding coffee shops in KC’s varied and burgeoning coffee scene. I’d also recommend checking out Monarch Coffee, Oddly Correct, Eleos, the Roasterie, PT’s Coffee, and Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters, which currently doesn’t have a location but just opened an inventive greenhouse space in partnership with Family Tree Nursery called Cafe Equinox.

SprudgeLive Lead Photographer and KC resident Charlie Burt also suggests checking out Blip Roasters, Splitlog, Kaldi’s, Sister Anne’s, Filling Station, and Nomads.

Lauren Miers is a food writer based in Columbia, Missouri. This is Lauren Miers’ first feature for Sprudge.

The post A Coffee Drinker’s Guide To Kansas City appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News