News

You asked for more book tour, and more book tour ye shall receive.

Through the last quarter of 2018 Sprudge Media Network’s founders, Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen, embarked on an epic book tour across the United States, appearing in book stores and coffee houses, event spaces and chic espresso bars. The tour crisscrossed the continent, with appearances from Los Angeles to Manhattan and most points in-between: axe throwing in Salt Lake City, Gritty hangs in Philly, an epic culinary experience in Columbus, a rainy, dreamy night in San Francisco, a vintage comics-fueled tour of Pittsburgh, and many more.

The New Rules of Coffee now available on Amazon.

But it wasn’t enough! We heard from readers across the great US of A a mighty query: “Why didn’t you visit our city?” That’s why in June 2019 we’re picking back up the road bindle and heading back out for a new set of dates, stopping by to see friends in three cities we missed on the first go-round. Those would be Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and Chicago, dates for which we’re thrilled to announce today.

On Wednesday, June 12th join us Las Vegas, Nevada at PublicUs (1126 Fremont Street) for an evening book event. This event runs from 5pm until 7pm and includes local food and beverages, a live reading of chapters from the book and community Q&A. Join us for our first-ever Sprudge event in Las Vegas, with community food partners Atomic Kitchen, Hatsumi, and Gaucho’s Sacred Flavors.

On Friday, June 14th join us in Minneapolis, Minnesota at Dogwood Coffee for a two-part event. That morning from 11am to noon we’ll be signing books and hanging out at the stunning new Dogwood Coffee HQ and cafe (1209 Tyler Street NE). These are some of our favorite styles of events—come meet us, get your book signed, have a chat and enjoy the cafe vibes. Then that evening we’ll be throwing a big event with Dogwood and community partners Mill City Roasters, Cafe Imports, Rustica Bakery running from 7pm to 10pm. Expect a live reading from The New Rules of Coffee, community Q&A (moderated by the good folks at Cafe Imports), tastings, delicious stuff, and ping pong.

And on Sunday, June 23rd we are thrilled to bring The New Rules of Coffee to the great city of Chicago for an all-day experience with Intelligentsia Coffee. By day we’ll be touring Intelli coffee bars across the city in an epic Instagram caffeine crawl; by night join us for a party at Intelligentsia’s Fulton Street HQ (1850 W. Fulton Street) from 6pm to 9pm for a live episode taping of the Coffee Sprudgecast and sampling the city’s many delights, with more details announced soon.

Visit Sprudge.com/booktour to view past events and check out updating event info for our 2019 dates. Can’t make it to a book event? Order your very own copy of The New Rules of Coffee direct from Amazon, out now on Ten Speed Press (a division of Penguin Random House).

We’ll see you on the road!

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Source: Coffee News

On May 23rd, we reported on a recent podcast published by Santa Cruz-based coffee roasting and cafe brand Cat & Cloud. In the episode, titled “Being Sued By Caterpillar Inc.“, co-founders Chris Baca and Charles Jack stated their company was being sued by the Peoria, Illinois-based construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar to “cancel their trademark.” Shortly after the podcast was released, a petition on Change.org was created titled “Tell Caterpillar Inc. to Stop Bullying Cat & Cloud and Other Small Businesses.” As of publication it is approaching 12,000 signatures.

Before reporting our coverage on May 23rd, we reached out to both Caterpillar Inc. and Cat & Cloud for comment. Both brands have since replied with statements, which we are publishing here in full today.

Up first, the full statement from Caterpillar, sent to us by Rachel Potts, Manger-Corporate Media at Caterpillar Inc.:

Caterpillar serves customers around the world, many of whom earn their livelihood with one or two machines and often a good pair of work boots. We value all of them and strive to provide exceptional products and services. This means we have a responsibility to protect and maintain the brand they love and rely on every day – including our existing trademarks.

We are not suing Cat & Cloud, not targeting a small business and not focused on Cat & Cloud’s primary interest: coffee. We’ve simply asked the U.S. Trademark Office to remove Cat & Cloud’s trademark registration on footwear and apparel only, products for which Caterpillar has longstanding trademarks and a considerable business. We hope to resolve this issue quickly.

Next, here is full comment from Cat & Cloud co-founder Jared Truby:

Caterpillar has released a blanket statement that seems to lead people to consider that we may be negatively affecting their merchandise sales. They also fail to state that we are going to have to go to court to defend our Trademark. They are attempting to cancel our trademark and therefore this is far more than a ‘cease and desist’.

The most notable things to us are the lack of attempts to go after Targets “Cat & Jack”, Dr Seuss’ Cat & the Hat and whats most weird is the attempt to own the term “Cat” which would mean no more printing the term Cat on any clothing for anyone ever without potential for lawsuit. We feel bullied. We feel that we aren’t even close to effecting a $54 billion company.

At the end of the day, we are sucked into what will be an expensive legal battle and we feel we need to defend, not only ourselves, but the other small businesses with lesser voices & community support. America is special because of small businesses with authentic character. This feels like an attack on all of us even if it isn’t meant to be.

We are so grateful for support from the community. We will be starting a gofundme to help with current & future legal fees that will continue to mount & undoubtedly be thousands more.

To those that are willing, please connect with any influencer’s, any media outlet and or just post the petition to spread the word. Please note the money donated to Change.org helps fund the exposure levels, it does not go to Cat & Cloud.

Wish us luck as we are attempting to stay focused on opening our 3rd and 4th location this year.

Much love to you all,
Jared & the Cat & Cloud fam.

This story is developing…

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 Brand House Direct

The post The Plot Thickens Between Caterpillar And Cat & Cloud appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

In the hazy afterglow of the Milan Coffee Festival (and a bustling after-party at their brand-spanking new Art & Caffeine Flagship Store), espresso machine pioneer Faema was on my mind.

With the emblematic Duomo of Milan eternally bound to the company logo, Faema started its operations in the city of Milan in 1945 and shortly thereafter started producing its first espresso machines. The brand lays claim to an extensive list of technological innovations, none bigger than being the first coffee machine with a volumetric pump—it allows the machine to maintain a specific amount of pressure (nine bars of atmospheric pressure, to be specific), which is an important variable in producing a consistent espresso. The company was also among the first to acknowledge that intrinsic bond between professional cycling and espresso culture in 1956—from there to modern-day sponsorships and community involvment, Faema has long been an active player in the waves of coffee’s subcultural revolution.

Shortly after the festival I toured the brand’s impressive new flagship HQ. I arrived on a Monday and was greeted by the store’s in-house coffee specialist, coffee trainer, and hospitality ambassador Angelo Sportelli.

Gesturing to join him, Sportelli posted up in front of an all-white Faema E71E espresso machine featuring a rear copper panel with an inlay of the “Art & Caffeine” logo, and invited me to pick from a selection of five different coffees to dial in together.  I thought for just a second that it might be a little late in the afternoon for me to taste a dozen shots of espresso, but then suddenly couldn’t resist the urge to indulge. I found myself hypnotized by the overarching third eye above the words in the giant mural on the wall: “Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation.”

As we pulled through a half-hopper of shots, a few members of the marketing team joined us in assessing how some of the new features of the E71E affect flavors of espresso extraction. In between sips and pensively staring into demitasse cups, they started to explain some of the features of the campus and the upcoming classes.

In just the following three weeks after my visit, the Flagship hosted a holiday-themed latte art throwdown, a master class with 2018 Italian Latte Art Champion Manuela Fensore, and a two day master class with 2018 World Barista Champion Agnieszka Rojewska. 

Faema’s Flagship during a raucous party.

The building was as stunning as in the day as it had been at night, but the daylight and lack of partygoers unveiled the incredible depth of the space. The first floor is fully equipped with a customized Giesen W1 for coffee roasting courses, several espresso performance bars, a multi-purpose bar equipped for coffee mixology innovation, and practicing alternative brewing methods. You could of course find more than a couple ways to lounge in between all the caffeine.

Rossella Musarra, Faema coffee specialist and sales promoter, was in the background practicing her routines for the 2019 Coffee in Good Spirits competition. When a large group of guests arrived to visit the space and took over Sportelli’s focus, I took it as a cue to see if I could get my hands on one of Musarra’s presumably delicious drink trials. After all, the sun was setting, and an aperitivo was on the horizon.

I hadn’t considered that these drinks would be secret recipes for an upcoming competition, but as usual, a little spark of Italian hospitality illuminated my moment of potential disappointment. Musarra took time from her routine to whip up her decadent “Improved Irish Coffee” for me in a to-go cup just in time to head back out into the cool Milanese air.

If you’re visiting Italy for coffee experiences, today’s modern scene will have you spoilt for choice. But if Milan in particular is your destination, well—make Faema’s stunning new Art & Caffeine Flagship store your first stop before exploring the rest of this beautiful and historic city.

Alexander Gable (@mrgable) is a freelance journalist based in Milan. Read more Alexander Gable for Sprudge.

Disclosure: Faema is an advertising partner on Sprudge Media Network. 

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Source: Coffee News

The home automatic coffeemaker has come a long from the days of the Mr. Coffee. No longer just satisfied with letting a machine do much of the morning time heavy lifting, consumers are seeking a product that delivers a cafe-quality product in an easily repeatable fashion. The biggest breakthrough on that front in the past decade or so has been the automatic machine that brews coffee at specialty coffee-approved water temperatures, and there have been quite a few entries into that space (we even featured a brand new one last week).

Even with a glut of products on the market, little headway has been made in the way of brew customization in a home machine. Until now, that is. Known as GEESAA, the new automatic pour-over device gives the user complete control over how their coffee is brewed—water temperature, pour speed, even where the water is poured in the brew bed—and it’s on Kickstarter now.

Created by Taiwanese coffee professionals with a combined 40+ years experience, GEESAA is the product of three years of research and development. Using a placement-adjustable spout and a turntable-like base to rotate the carafe and brewing device, GEESAA mimics the motion of hand-poured coffee to bring the cafe experience to the home. But what really sets GEESAA apart from other automatic brewing devices currently on the market is how customizable it is. Using the smartphone app, GEESAA users can select a water temperature between 75 and 96 C (167-204.8 F), a flow rate between one and eight cc/sec, where on the brew bed the water is poured, how many phases the water is poured in, and the time intervals between those phases up to 120 seconds.

Or if you are just looking to make a good cup of coffee, you can choose from one of your own saved recipes or choose from a list of “barista recipes” available in the app.

With a little over four weeks left on the Kickstarter campaign, GEESAA has already surpassed its $25,000 goal, but there are many deep discounts still available for would-be backers. Set to retail at $1,000 USD, the campaign has a few Super Early Bird deals priced at $599. After that, the Early Bird pricing will take effect at $699. GEESAA comes in both 110v and 220v power, and according to the Kickstarter backers can expect to receive their rewards in October 2019.

For more information or to back the campaign, visit GEESAA’s Kickstarter page.

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

All media via GEESAA

The post Now On Kickstarter: GEESAA Is The Super Customizable Automatic Brewer appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Laura Gonzalez – @StrongWomenOfCoffee of Vancouver, British Columbia

Our coverage of the Sprudge Twenty interviews presented by Pacific Barista Series continues this week on Sprudge. Read more about the Sprudge Twenty and see all of our interviews here.

Nominated by Stacey Lynden

Laura Gonzalez is the founder of @StrongWomenOfCoffee, an Instagram account documenting the work and achievements of female-identifying and non-binary coffee professionals around the world. Born in Guadalajara, today Gonzalez is based in Vancouver, where she works at Genius, an espresso equipment supply and tech service. Through this work, she has helped lead multiple tech training seminars and info sessions, affordably priced and focused on offering resources to women and marginalized members of the coffee community.

This interview has been lightly edited. 

What issue in coffee do you care about most?

There are a lot of playing fields in the industry that aren’t exactly equal. For example, people who compete [in barista competitions] and are able to buy “fancy” coffees and expensive gear for competitions often end up with a bit of an edge. I think it should be equally accessible for as many people as possible and I want to help with that.

What cause or element in coffee drives you?

Bringing people together and how passionate our community is in working toward a sustainable future.

What issue in coffee do you think is critically overlooked?

I don’t think this issue is overlooked, because most of us are aware of the problem of female producers fighting to have the same respect, support, and opportunities as their male counterparts in many countries where coffee comes from. It is such a big part of their culture and is so deep that I think many of us might not even understand, and I think it is unbelievable that so much teaching is still necessary that women are equal and should have the same opportunities.

What is the quality you like best about coffee?

The opportunity to never stop learning. Coffee is such a complex world that it constantly amazes me.

Did you experience a “god shot” or life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?

A major revelation moment came when I started working in coffee and was sitting at a table with 12 males and I was the only female. That’s when I started to realize how male-dominated this industry was. Not sure if that counts as a coffee revelation…

It absolutely does. What is your idea of coffee happiness?

It would be amazing to be one of the first industries to have equal pay and diversity in all sectors of the industry. Of course, we’re close in the service end, but there’s so much more that’s often not considered in how coffee gets to a consumer.

If you could have any job in the coffee industry, what would it be and why?

I’d love to learn about green coffee buying. I think it is one of the most interesting jobs in the coffee chain with tons of responsibilities. They need to be aware of the global market, quality, sustainability, ethical producers, etc.

Who are your coffee heroes?

Everybody in a marginalized group in the coffee industry is my hero. So many are fighting to have a more inclusive industry: womxn, LGBTQ+, non-gender conforming, POC, etc.

If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Gertrude Stein strikes me as someone who really knew how to entertain and converse. I’d love to hear about Saturdays at her salon, with Picasso, Matisse, and Hemingway. She must have had some interesting stories to tell. And Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a woman I’ve always admired. I wonder if she’s a coffee drinker.

If you didn’t get bit by the coffee bug, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

It is very difficult for me to picture what I’d be doing if I wasn’t in coffee. This is not because it was my dream job, and been part of my life for a long time, but because as an immigrant sometimes our opportunities are uncertain. I was just lucky to get offered a job in coffee and find a community that is welcoming.

Do you have any coffee mentors?

Anybody who is willing and happy to share their coffee knowledge with me is a mentor and there’s always something new to learn from other people.

What do you wish someone would’ve told you when you were first starting out in coffee?

Get out of your comfort zone as soon as possible. Great things will happen if you do.

Name three coffee apparatuses you’d take into space with you.

I guess hand grinder, a Chemex, and a scale.

Best song to brew coffee to

Any song by Selena Quintanilla is a good song.

Look into the crystal ball—where do you see yourself in 20 years?

I try not to think about the future too much—it gives me anxiety—so I just try to focus on one day/week at a time.

What’d you eat for breakfast this morning?

Shakshuka. My first time—I loved it.

When did you last drink coffee?

Three hours ago.

What was it?

It was a Chinese washed pour-over.

Thank you. 

The Sprudge Twenty is presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2019 Sprudge Twenty honorees please visit sprudge.com/twenty

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

The post Laura Gonzalez: The Sprudge Twenty Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Ithaca Coffee Company brings bold colors and rainbow holofoil to its brand new packaging. The fifteen-year-old small-batch specialty coffee roaster out of its namesake Ithaca, New York operates out of two shops in the city. “Coffee is our primary focus, but we also have a nicely curated gourmet market and craft beer selection,” says Marketing Director Aaron Rovitz.

“There is a popular local saying that states ‘Ithaca, New York: 10 square miles surrounded by reality.’ We like to think of ourselves in that way,” Rovitz explained to us over email, “Our shops, and even our coffee, provide an opportunity to escape the day to day insanity while discovering something surprising, delicious, and… gorges (sorry… had to).”

Boxes from the side.

When did the coffee package design debut?

We first rolled out the new package in our stores and online in early April 2019. Shortly thereafter we were selected to be featured in the 2019 Specialty Coffee Expo Design Lab where we debuted to the WORLD!!!! Woo-hoo!!! But in all seriousness, we really did appreciate the acknowledgment and exposure, so thank you SCA for keeping the Design Lab going.

How different is it from your previous design?

Our previous package was a tall 12oz kraft box using black ink printing, with some splashes of color coming from a few sticker labels. It had an earthy feel, but still reflected the sense of care and quality on which we pride ourselves.

Our new package is still a 12oz box, but we have changed up the dimensions and format slightly so make it a bit more user-friendly. We also chose to print this box with fresh and vibrant colors, the two things we hope come first to mind when you think of Ithaca Coffee Company. We chose to feature bolder, cleaner, and more simple imagery while bringing the bling with our rainbow holofoil logo panel.

What was the inspiration for the new design?

We wanted the new package to better reflect our personality and principles as a specialty coffee roaster. The clean, fresh, and colorful design is meant to reflect the clarity and vibrant flavors highlighted in our roasting aesthetic, with a focus on sweetness and aroma. The side and back panels recognize the unique charm and beauty of our home city as well as our dedication to small-batch roasting. Finally, the labels are meant to acknowledge that as the coffee roaster we are merely the final link in the product chain, highlighting farmer or farm first, followed by region and country above our logo. Ultimately we hoped for a design as fun, exciting, and compelling as the coffee inside!

Who designed the package?

The package was conceived, designed, and executed 100% in house. The concept came from our head coffee roaster Chris Ganger, who worked with our graphic designer Nina Widger on creating the first pass. Then after some team input and collaboration, we ended up with the final design.

View of the back.

What coffee information do you share on the package?

On the front the customer sees the farmer or farm, region, and country. On the top we elaborate on this with altitude, variety, and processing information. On the back we add a brief tasting profile outlining flavor, acidity, and body.

From the top.

Why are aesthetics in coffee packaging so important?

For many people the package is their first introduction to your product, so of course you want something that is going to catch the eye and make them pick up the box to find out a little more. You also want it to be something that adds to their brewing ritual at home, something they can leave out on the counter or shelf that will enhance the experience with a pleasing visual element. For us, the most important aspect is to somehow convey something about the coffee inside as quickly and simply as possible. They aren’t able to smell and typically can’t see the coffee they are purchasing so they’re really taking a gamble if they’re just giving you a try without doing any research. If the aesthetics of the package can signal toward the aesthetics of the coffee, it can serve as a great guide to the customer.

For package nerds, what type of package is it?

Our boxes are printed and assembled by Professional Image who have been great to work with on this and past projects. The exact dimensions of the box are 4 x 3 x 6.5 inches. Our new box is printed on 18pt C1S stock, and used a matte aqueous finish. Our logo is printed on using a holographic foil from Infinity Foils.

Where is it currently available?

On our website and in our two retail locations in Ithaca, NY. We are also in Wegmans Markets in Ithaca and Johnson City Binghamton, and occasionally in the Kingston, NY Adams Fairacre Farms market. We are always looking for new wholesale customers and would be happy to ship some samples.

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

The post Coffee Design: Ithaca Coffee Company appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Chris Baca and Jared Truby, the chill Santa Cruz coffee bros better known as Cat & Cloud, are being sued. Did they steal someone’s killer wave? Did they harsh someone’s vibe in a felonious manner, possibly related to a wicked 360 ollie of some sort? No and no. They are being taken to court by Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar, “the world’s largest construction equipment manufacturer with net revenue exceeding $54 billion in 2018,” owns the trademark for “CAT”, the shorthand moniker they go by that is plastered over all their equipment. Cat & Cloud owns the trademark for their name as it relates to the coffee space. Caterpillar is suing Cat & Cloud to “cancel their trademark.”

In a podcast published on May 20^th, Baca and Charles Jack—the third founder/owner of Cat & Cloud—share their side of the story. According to Cat & Cloud, the initial notice of potential litigation came on August 4^th, 2018. After filling out “70-question interrogatories” and spending thousands of dollars on legals fees—the coffee company expects to spend upwards of $20,000 once it’s all said and done—Baca and Jack say they have decided to not “roll over” but to fight what they consider to be a frivolous law suit.

Now, a petition has been created on Change.org to “tell Caterpillar Inc. to stop bullying Cat & Cloud and other small businesses.” In a little over a day, the petition has already received over 500 signatures, and the number continues to grow with each subsequent browser refresh.

The saga of Cat & Cloud v Caterpillar Inc. appears to be just the latest example of brands vigorously pursuing copyright claims in the coffee space. This is an issue we profiled at length in Jenn Chen’s landmark three-part investigative feature on intellectual property in coffee, which you should definitely read here (part one) (part two) (part three).

Sprudge Media Network have reached out to both parties for comment and will update this article once we hear back.

This story is developing…

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 from Inside Cat & Cloud’s Santa Cruz Dream Cafe

The post Cat & Cloud Is Being Sued By Caterpillar Inc. appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Are you a Bay Area coffee professional looking to take the next step in your career? Or how about a non-coffee professional considering removing the “non” from your title and embarking on a specialty coffee journey? If you are either of these things, then Oakland’s Royal Coffee would like to have a word. Taking place at The Crown on June 28th, the green coffee importing company has teamed up with coffee companies from across the Bay Area to host the first-ever Specialty Coffee Job Fair.

Completely free to attend, the Specialty Coffee Job Fair runs from 10:00am to 2:00pm and includes premier coffee companies like Blue Bottle, Andytown, Equator Coffees, and Red Bay Coffee, with even more expected to be added. The goal of the event, per Royal Coffee’s website, is “to give coffee professionals the opportunity to connect with hiring managers and learn about employment opportunities.”

As well as being a hub for potential employment in the coffee sector, the Specialty Coffee Job Fair doubles as an educational opportunity. During the four-hour event, the Bay Area Coffee Community will host a panel discussion “on key topics facing job seekers in the specialty coffee industry.”

And make sure you come dressed for success. Royal suggests all attendees come in “professional attire” and bring with them printed résumés and cover letters.

It all gets going at 10:00am on June 28th at The Crown in Oakland. While the event is free to attend, Royal does ask that all interested parties RSVP via Eventbrite, which can be done here. For more information, visit Royal Coffee’s official website and check out the Specialty Coffee Job Fair Facebook event page.

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

Disclosure: Royal Coffee, Blue Bottle, and Equator Coffees are advertising partners with the Sprudge Media Network

The post Oakland: Royal Coffee Is Hosting The First Ever Specialty Coffee Job Fair appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Photo by Tony Adams.

Our coverage of the Sprudge Twenty interviews presented by Pacific Barista Series continues this week on Sprudge. Read more about the Sprudge Twenty and see all of our interviews here.

Nominated by Kat Melheim

Elle Jensen is an entrepreneur, community organizer, and coffee professional based in Denver, Colorado. In 2015 Jensen opened Amethyst Coffee on Denver’s Capitol Hill; in 2018 the brand’s second location opened in the Berkeley neighborhood. In 2015 she launched the Cherry Roast, a landmark “platform and coffee competition to support and provide visibility for womxn/trans/GNC/gender queer coffee professionals.”

In her nominating essay, Coffee People Zine creator Kat Melheim writes “[Jensen] creates a welcoming and inclusive space for guests and baristas alike. She is an amazing, transparent, and honest business owner with the interests of the community at heart.”

What issue in coffee do you care about most?

I’ll give you the answer that strikes a chord with me most in this moment, but I don’t think as business owners we get to choose an issue that we care about “most” because we are in a privileged position that demands we care about all issues at the right time. Currently, most of my brain space is taken up with ways to increase cafe transparencies to make hospitality work more sustainable for people who want to make it their career, but behind that is a multifaceted web of decisions that inevitably require that I also care about every aspect of our industry. I suppose I could distill it down into I care about making coffee a sustainable career for everyone along the value chain, with a focus specifically on front of house staff. I don’t imagine I’m known for giving simple answers…

What cause or element in coffee drives you?

The social awareness that I believe serving coffee requires. I think coffee is a beautiful conduit for human interaction, in so many different ways, and I think we have a responsibility as folks who live in consuming countries, and have chosen to serve coffee professionally, to challenge the social norms that are so harmful to so many.

What issue in coffee do you think is critically overlooked?

Again, I think there are many issues on a large scale that are critically overlooked, but being that I am, and always have been, a front of house worker, I think that there is a total lack of efficiency in coffee shops that make them much more stressful to work in and run. I always say that managers are like goalies, the ball has to get by everybody else first, but no one is mad until the goalie lets the shot in/drops the ball. This is not a sustainable infrastructure to promote people into. We set them up for failure; we reward people in the wrong ways for their hard work and dedication to our companies. There is a lack of re-addressing our existing cafe infrastructure that is holding us back and making us unsustainable.

What is the quality you like best about coffee?

It’s a tropical fruit, borrowed from D.

Did you experience a “god shot” or life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?

Well, god-shots don’t exist, but, yes, I did have a defining coffee moment. It was in the basement office of Pavement Coffee on Boylston Street in Boston. There were maybe eight of us at this cupping and probably no more than six bowls. I had a Kenyan coffee, roasted by Counter Culture, that tasted just like carrot juice. It was the first coffee I didn’t relate to a memory or personal experience and actually was able to relay a flavor call. I was at the cupping table, fortunately, with some really supportive people and it is a truly cherished sensory memory.

What is your idea of coffee happiness?

Living in a world where the whole coffee supply/value chain is at peace and not just living but thriving.

If you could have any job in the coffee industry, what would it be and why?

My job. It’s an incredible job.

Who are your coffee heroes?

Breezy Sanchez, my business partner. She is a living freaking legend.

If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

My dad, #ddc. I have a lot of questions.

If you didn’t get bit by the coffee bug, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

Coffee is my career, and I’m privileged that I got to make that choice. Coffee took over my life at some point, and I’m just now sorting out my identity outside of it, therefore this question is hard for me. I don’t think I need to be “doing something instead” but rather “also doing other things”. However, if you end up with access to another dimension and happen to also run into alternate dimension Elle, please introduce us. I’d love to meet her and see what she’s up to.

Do you have any coffee mentors?

If we’re talking about the traditional mentor/mentee relationship, no I do not. However, I have dear, dear friends whom I bounce ideas off of, cry to, call when I don’t know what to do about an employee situation, look up to as people outside of coffee, and who I whole-heartedly depend on as a human. I recently had a conversation with one such person and he brought up the idea of community and dependency. This man is an integral part of my life, and my business greatly depends on him. He pondered if because we are so dependent upon one another, are we more invested in each other’s lives? The answer is yes. At first that sounds strange, because it sounds like our care for one another is contingent upon our working relationship. However, it really means that in a world where everything feels temporary and “community” is a word that is tossed around like an Aerobie frisbee, coffee has afforded us the space for actual connection and a relationship that is real, happy, and beautifully human.

What do you wish someone would’ve told you when you were first starting out in coffee?

No one has the right to treat you like you are lesser than them. Also never underestimate a floor drain’s propensity for nastiness and clean that shit regularly.

Name three coffee apparatuses you’d take into space with you.

Look, I’m really not sure about the whole space thing. I’m much more interested in the bottom of the ocean, and if I’m journeying to either of those places I’m a multi-billionaire or a scientist (spoiler: I am neither of those things), because these hypothetical questions aren’t really my imaginative style. Anywhere I go I will always choose to take my people with me over any apparatus. This means I really need some buddies for the zombie apocalypse because I will have a lot of people and ZERO apparati with me. So we’ll all die if I’m in charge.

Best song to brew coffee to:

Go! by Santigold and Karen O.

Look into the crystal ball—where do you see yourself in 20 years?

This is not a question I regularly ask myself because I find it stressful and rather useless (I’m not a dreamer in this way, life comes at ya fast), but I have thought about it for the purpose of this questionnaire and here it is…

I have puppies. My husband, Stuart, and I grow our own food and have a sweet little homestead with some friends. Breezy Sanchez, my business partner, and I maintain our YouTube channel which went viral and has over 2.3 million followers. Amethyst has grown to a company run by an incredible group of passionate, courageous, smart, funny, mostly gender/sexuality fluid folks who are having the time of their lives. I have more time to be involved in social activism and political issues. Stuart and I visit Breezy and her wife at their adorable bed and breakfast in New Mexico often. I might be running for office. Stuart and I are planning to open our breakfast restaurant in which I get to live out my dreams of being a salty, feminist diner waitress.

What’d you eat for breakfast this morning?

Seeded rye toast from a bakery called Dry Storage in Boulder, CO who mills all of their own grains! What!

When did you last drink coffee? 

*sip*

What was it?

Girma Eshetu, a washed Ethiopian roasted by Jason Farrar of Commonwealth Coffee.

Thank you. 

The Sprudge Twenty is presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2019 Sprudge Twenty honorees please visit sprudge.com/twenty

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

The post Elle Jensen: The Sprudge Twenty Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

It’s been about a month since the completion of the 2019 coffee competition season and the withdrawals are already starting to kick in. I can’t sleep at night unless someone describes anaerobic fermentation to me before calling “Time!” Luckily for me, there’s a new competition happening next month to hold me over until 2020. Making its first appearance in America, the Tea Masters Cup is the leafy equivalent to the Coffee Championships, and there’s still time for you to be a part of it.

Taking place in Las Vegas on June 11^th and 12^th at the World Tea Expo, the American Specialty Tea Alliance (ASTA) will be hosting the first US national qualifying round for the Tea Masters Cup. Like with the Coffee Championships, the Tea Masters Cup consists of multiple disciplines for potential competitors to take part in, including Tea Preparation, Tea Pairing, Tea Tasting, and Tea Mixology, though for its first foray, the US will only participate in two: Preparation and Mixology. As with the coffee circuit, the winners of these events at the national level earn the right to represent the US at the World stage of competition occurring later this year.

Though 2019 will be the first year America has participated, the Tea Masters Cup has existed since 2013 and consists of 22 countries across four continents. But according to World Tea Expo event director Samantha Hammer, the addition of America to the competing bodies represents a milestone in increasing the popularity of the event worldwide:

Having the United States be a part of the Tea Masters Cup – especially at World Tea Expo and within that community – is an important step toward furthering the art and craft of professional tea preparation in our country and abroad. World Tea Expo is excited to be a part of the team making this happen, and we’re proud to host the competition this June in Las Vegas.

And perhaps the coolest part of the competition’s nascence in the US is that there’s still time for you to be a part of it. The tea world in America is small and insular—think the early years of the USBC—and the ASTA is looking to expand the pool of entrants outside the usual suspects. If you want to take part in the first ever US Tea Masters Cup event, fill out the registration form here to be considered. For more information on how to prepare, check out the ASTA’s handy guide.

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 the American Specialty Tea Alliance

The post The Tea Masters Cup Comes To America. Sign Up Now To Compete appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News