Specialty Coffee Archives - Page 5 of 35 - The Curb Kaimuki

Contrary to how it may appear, barista competitions are a team sport. While the competitor is the only person to take the stage for that fateful 15 minutes, they do so representing not just themselves but often a group of people that helped shape their run; baristas are, in short, the tip of the spear.

Even in the niche world of coffee competition, one that creates very big fish in a small, somewhat obscure pond, coaches remain relatively unknown. Save for a handful of World Barista Championship winners like Hidenori Izaki, Sasa Sestic, and Pete Licata, who made names for themselves on the grandest of coffee stages and used that momentum to kickstart a successful post-WBC career, coffee competition coaches are not household names.

Coffee competition coaching is a fairly esoteric gig, and most non-competitors have no idea what coaches do. Sure, we know they “help make the routine” and maybe they help decipher the day-of-competition flavor calls, but beyond that, it’s all just a black box, especially at the World stage of competition, where the stakes are higher and the demand for a new, noteworthy routine is paramount. A competitor goes in, bursting with talent and potential, and comes out the other side a more complete package, hopefully a champion. That’s pretty much the beginning and end of the rest of the world’s knowledge of coaching.

If there is anyone who does know, though, it’s Federico Bolanos. His may not be a household name (even among coffee obsessives), but Bolanos is one of the most prolific coffee coaches in the history of the World Barista Championship. His resume includes five Semi-Finalists, none more notable than Costa Rica’s Maria Elena Rivera in 2019, who placed 13th without “exotic auction coffees, an experimental processing method, rocket science, or a revolutionary technology,” as she stated in her routine, itself an impressive feat. Bolanos has also coached two Champions: the 2011 Champion from El Salvador Alejandro Mendez—the first winner (of two total) from a producing country—and Jooyeon Joon, the 2019 Champion from South Korea, whose routine was one of the most memorable in competition history.

Who better to ask about the world of barista coaching than the person a little over a month removed from a wildly successful season behind the scenes? Sprudge has previously interviewed Bolanos about his pioneering work in Salvadoran cafe culture as the founder of Viva Espresso, but when we speak with him this time, it’s all about competition, the life of a coach, what he looks for in a trainee, and everything in between.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

For those of us who have never experienced that side of competition, can you give us an introduction into what a Barista Competition coach does?

I can’t speak for other coaches, but I help baristas in all aspects of their preparation for a championship. I structure a tailored training program for the needs of a barista and the available time frame. A complete training program includes: sourcing and coffee selection, presentation concept/theme ideas, signature drink creation, finding the best brewing parameters, developing roast profiles, technical skills, presentation action steps, speech development and refinement, reference material/accessory design, and competition coaching and support during competition week.

Can you give examples of these things in action and how you help coach them?

I help competition baristas improve their technical skills by perfecting their movements and making them work more efficiently, purposely, and consistently. With regards to presentation action steps, I help them structure their actions and decide on the strategy of what should be achieved, when it should be done, and how it should be performed.

I also help competitor write and refine their speech. This is usually a three-step process. The first step is a sort of “pre-speech”, which involves deciding what should be talked about and when it should be said. The second step is writing the speech itself, which involves the how it should be said. And the third step is refining and improving the speech.

How did you get into coaching?

Everything began after attending my first SCAA Coffee Expo in 2006. I was working at an exhibitor booth when I heard a loud crowd cheering across the expo floor. I asked someone what was going on and the guy responded that it was the national barista competition. I had never heard of or seen a barista competition in my life, so I decided to go and check it out. I still remember like it was yesterday, the moment I walked up to the comp area and saw a barista making her presentation… I felt an amazing energy coming from the people on the stands cheering and watching attentively every move and word of the barista. I immediately knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and right then and there I had a dream: to win the World Barista Championship!

Everyone I told this dream to said I was crazy or that it was near impossible to achieve. This didn’t discourage me… it actually had the opposite effect, it made me more passionate to pursue this dream. So, next year I was a sensory judge at the US Barista Championship, and with that experience I returned home full of answers and highly motivated to keep following my dream. The following year, El Salvador was going to organize its first ever barista championship. So, I immediately began training myself and my wife to compete. My wife won first place and I finished in fourth. This is how I found out I was better at guiding others than performing.

You have coached people from all over the world. How do these relationships come to be? How do you decide who you want to work with? What are you looking for in a potential trainee?

In most cases, the company where the barista works contacts me by email or thru social media (Instagram: @federicobp). We then get in touch and organize a video call.

There are many things I take into consideration before deciding who to work with. I like to work with baristas that compete for a higher purpose and greater good, not personal benefit, fame, or glory. I also like to work with companies that understand that great results are not overnight miracles; they take time and are the result of a long process.

The most important trait I look for in a trainee is a good-hearted person with an academic and scholarly approach to coffee. I also seek and value modesty, passion, drive, intelligence, and a good working ethic.

Is this how your relationship with Jooyeon Jeon began?

I met JooYeon’s boss, Hyunki, in 2013 during his coffee sourcing trip to El Salvador. He then got in touch with me and I agreed to prepare her for the South Korean Barista Championship. A few months later, we began training together. Since the moment I met her, I knew she was someone really special… someone that was made from the stuff champions are made, someone with huge potential and that had everything I look for in a trainee. So, since the very beginning of our journey together I told her I believed she could become a World Barista Champion.

What does coaching international competitors look like? Is it all mostly digital or do you spend time in person as well?

The training is in person. I always travel to do the trainings at the barista’s company facilities, except for the sourcing and coffee selection process, which requires traveling to coffee-producing countries. The duration of the training varies from barista to barista, since each one chooses the length of the training time. A training can last anywhere from one week to several months. More time means better results, which is why I recommend four to five training sessions a week, leaving two to four weeks between each session. Between sessions, I leave the barista with “homework” and follow up their progress digitally until the next training session.

How are routines and themes decided? Do competitors normally have the idea and you help shape it or do you have a more active role in figuring these things out?

It depends. If the barista already has a presentation concept/theme, I always make an assessment to determine if it has potential. If it doesn’t, I give them other ideas and if it does, I help them shape it and develop it. Up to this point, I have never worked with a barista who doesn’t need help in this area of their presentation.

Jooyeon Jeon’s routine is truly the most memorable one I have ever experienced. Walk us through it from her coach’s perspective.

To me, form is just as important as substance. We created a concept with an in-depth scientific content (substance). So, we balanced this by developing a friendly delivery (form) that would lighten the presentation to make it more enjoyable and fun to experience.

We wanted to change the “you” (judges) and “me” (competitor) setting to a “we” (friends) environment. So, right from the beginning, the judges were asked to stand inside JooYeon’s space, instead of outside with a table separating them. This would make them feel intrigued for what would follow next. Judges were then asked to sit on the table where they could be relaxed, feel closer to JooYeon, and enjoy her coffee as friends. This playful and casual setting would surely increase their expectation and create the perfect atmosphere to introduce the concept/theme of the presentation.

While preparing her signature drink espressos, she spoke about the coffee’s origin with a focus on how carbohydrates developed at the production/farm stage and the impact it would have in the cup. During the milk bev preparation, the speech was about how she achieved a higher concentration of carbohydrates by freezing and melting the milk, plus talking about how carbohydrates were affected during the processing and drying stages and their influence in this would have on the cup. Following came the espresso course, so the focus was to talk about how her coffee was roasted and again on its effect on carbohydrates of green coffee and the connection to the taste they would enjoy.

Next up came the sig drink. Judges were invited to move to the edge of the other presentation table (standing up this time) where the sig drink would be prepared, explained, and served. Again, the focus of the drink was carbohydrates to continue reinforcing the connection with concept/theme and its importance. I’m particularly proud of the sig drink we created because it had perfect synergy with her coffee: it reincorporated the carbohydrates her coffee lost during roasting, plus it revealed the polysaccharide sweetness from her coffee’s espresso puck that had never been extracted ever before. We wanted her presentation to finish with a climax, so I thought it would be a great idea to ask judges to raise their glasses and celebrate her coffee and the whole experience with a toast!

Jooyeon’s routine had the judges constantly in motion: first standing before her during the intro, then sitting on the bar, then moving around another bar. It really took advantage of the customizable stage setups. What was the thinking behind keeping the judges active in that way?

We wanted to keep the judges engaged. Sitting down on the tables was different, casual, and fun, but moving them to a different space would add another layer of engagement and excitement to the presentation.

Of all the routines you helped coach that didn’t win, which one is the most memorable?

I would have to say the presentation of William Hernandez in 2013 that helped us finish in 3rd place. It stands out because it was focused on the aromatics of coffee how it complemented the sensory experience. The espressos were served in a wine glass that had been placed upside down over the espresso and then over the ground coffee used to brew them to capture both the aroma and the fragrance. Judges were led on the tasting of the espressos sip by sip to really enjoy its complexity and structure. The signature drink was created making the aromas a key component of the beverage. I also loved that the presentation was full of wonderful moments and details, like the playful and fun way of explaining the new processing method applied to the coffee… many people still remember the happy-faced sun used to visually represent the sun drying.

If you can give one piece of advice to someone who has competed in the past but is having trouble making that next step, what would it be?

I would recommend to keep going and keep learning. Most of the time what separates a world champion from the other competitors is that the champion failed more times than the other competitor has even competed.

Thank you Federico!

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

All images courtesy of Federico Bolanos unless otherwise noted.

The post World Barista Champion Coach Federico Bolanos: The Sprudge Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

We here at Sprudge love you just the way you are; you come here to read about coffee news and culture with us, and we couldn’t ask for anything more. You don’t need to change, not for us, not for anyone. But, if you are looking to physically alter your appearance by shedding a few unwanted pounds—which is okay too, be your best self, whatever you deem that to be—coffee may be able to help you with that. New research suggests that coffee may have a “fat-busting effect.”

As reported by CNN, a study published by researchers at the University of Nottingham found that coffee may help stimulate brown fat cells, “which play a key role in how quickly we can burn calories.” According to the article, there are two different types of fat cells in the human body, brown fat and white fat, and they serve very different metabolic purposes. White fat cells store fat, which can then be harnessed as energy when needed. Brown fat cells generate heat, particularly by burning sugar and fat, per professor Michael Symonds, the study’s co-author. Brown fat has previously been known to exist in high levels in children, a recent discovery of the cells in adults has brown fat as a new subject of scientific research in hopes of finding a new means of fighting obesity.

For the study, University of Nottingham researchers asked five women and four men to drink coffee and then used thermal imaging to see if these individuals’ necks—where most brown fat is stored—showed signs of increasing heat in the brown fat cells. They found that there was indeed a heat increase in the thermal images, leading researchers to posit that coffee can activate brown fat cells and thus, their fat-burning properties.

The research is still in the early stages and researchers have yet to identify what exactly in coffee is having this effect on brown fat cells (the leading candidate is of course caffeine), but the results from the limited sample size appear to indicate that coffee, via the activation of brown fat cells, can help improve blood sugar control and blood lipid levels as well as burn extra calories that can help with weight loss.

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 Study Finds New Way Coffee May Help You Burn Fat appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

The Build-Outs of Summer rolls on, quite literally in this case, with the brand new outpost for Hopscotch Coffee & Records in Winchester, Virginia. With an already established brick-and-mortar cafe and record store, Hopscotch has decided to go on tour with their brand new mobile espresso bar inside a 1972 Dodge B300 camper van.

But this isn’t just some dude with a few bags of beans and an AeroPress calling himself a coffee bar, this moveable feast comes equipped with two of the brand new Modbar AV modules for some serious portable portafilter power. Though we can neither confirm nor deny, we assume the tape deck in the B300 is in full working order and will be blasting good tunes to round out the vintage Hopscotch vibe.

The 2019 Build-Outs of Summer is presented by Pacific Barista Series, notNeutral, KeepCup, and Mill City Roasters.

As told to Sprudge by Nate Rhodes.

For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?

Hopscotch Coffee & Records is an independent specialty coffee and vinyl only record shop located in Winchester, VA. We started as a small bar inside a local bakery Bonnie Blue in 2013 and expanded to our current location with the addition of the record shop the following year. We offer locally roasted coffee from our pals at Lone Oak Coffee Co. on espresso, slow bar, drip, and whole bean. While you enjoy your beverage you can relax in one of our many seated areas or flip through the new and used vinyl we have for sale.

Can you tell us a bit about the new space?

The new space is in the form of a 1972 Dodge B300 camper van that we will turn into a mobile espresso bar. We are looking to be able to take our amazing coffee and good vibes on the road, whether it’s for local events, markets, festivals, or private events and even on the open road to meet up and share with coffee drinkers all over the US.

What’s your approach to coffee?

Approachability, quality, and fun.

Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?

We will be installing a two-group ModBar AV.

How is your project considering sustainability?

Since we have the main location as the destination spot with a solid following and not a lot of overhead in the van it should sustain itself well.

What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?

Summer of 2020.

Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?

Working with Terry Ziniewicz of Caffewerks on water storage and filtration.
Eric Decker of Espresso Meccanica on the installation of the ModBar.
Matchstick at Custom Vanner Magazine on making the van solid and reliable.
All other work will be done in-house.

Thank you!

Thank you guys for what you do for the specialty coffee world!

The Build-Outs Of Summer is an annual series on Sprudge. Live the thrill of the build all summer long in our Build-Outs feature hub.

Photos courtesy of Davey Hess.

The post Build-Outs Of Summer: Hopscotch Coffee & Records In Winchester, VA appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

CW: This story contains depictions and outlinks to graphic descriptions of offensive language.

Disclaimer: This story contains both direct statements and outlinks to first-person accounting of past events. Sprudge Media Network cannot independently verify the accuracy of this growing volume of claims.

In the early morning hours of Saturday, June 22nd, the Ballard location of Seattle’s Slate Coffee Roasters was unable to open for business. Instead of the hum of regular weekend commerce, guests to the cafe were met at the door with resignation letters from five now-former Slate employees—Jason Beutler, Samantha Capell, Rachel Hopke, Meri Novascone, and Felix Tran—as well as a letter explaining to customers the reasons for their decision to part ways with the company. In the letter, the coffee professionals (whose titles with Slate range from barista to manager) cited “a toxic work environment” leading to their resignations, including but not limited to “dishonesty, discrimination of many kinds, bullying and intimidation, late and unreceived pay, [and] disingenuous promises.”

The labor dispute boiled over into the digital world via @CoffeeAtLarge, an Instagram account created by the former Slate employees that in a few short days has amassed over 4,000 followers alongside hundreds of comments and shares. In a series of posts, the account detailed the chain of events leading to this weekend’s walkout.

The flashpoint appears to be the dismissal of Samantha Capell, a Retail Training Manager and Location Manager at Slate’s cafe in the Ballard neighborhood. Two days prior to the walkout, Capell submitted a letter of resignation citing “increasing toxicity of the upper management culture,” setting her final day over a month later. According to a letter from the company signed by the Director of Retail Nathan Patrick Wirrig (posted on the Ballard store window, and depicted on Instagram), Slate terminated her employment that same day, citing the reason as a “no call, no show on 18 June 2019.”

In the wake of the incident, Sprudge has reached out to Coffee At Large, individuals associated with Coffee At Large, and Slate Coffee Roasters ownership for comment and clarification. Using the Coffee At Large email account, Samantha Capell wrote us a detailed message elaborating on the situation that led to last weekend’s walkout.

Excerpted from Capell’s email below:

[On the issue of unreceived pay]

One employee was shorted 3 paychecks over January and February. This issue still has not been resolved 4 months later, even after numerous attempts on the employees end (as well as the then-manager) pressing them to pay.

I was missing a paycheck from January 4th and after following up every week or so I received it in the middle of March. (At the same time I was looking for my paycheck, I was following up on one from another former employee who came in once or twice a week for months.) Every time she or I would follow up, the management would say they’d be delivering it, and it wouldn’t be there.

[On the issue of late pay]

This is so frequent it’s comical. Yesterday, in fact, one of the employees had to go in and request a paycheck when some people got their direct deposits and some didn’t. But this happens every three or four pay periods. We wait for our Friday deposit, all try to follow up after receiving nothing and are told that due to “the roaster being broken” or “too many timecards needing adjusting” checks will be delivered to cafes within the next few days. (Sometimes to cafes people don’t work at.)

[On the issue of hostile work environment]

(One issue was) the inability to set up meetings or reviews with management regarding working conditions or promised pay reviews. I was reprimanded for not following expectations that were never communicated to me. My job description changed without my awareness and I was reprimanded for such. One employee notes that when she complained about mistreatment to her manager, her manager reported it to the person it was regarding, and he called her out for it in the middle of a staff meeting.

[On the issue of offensive and discriminatory language]

Two former employees can attest to a member of upper management calling the building manager the C-word; one manager asked an ethnic employee if they had their green card; one manager mentioned that an employee was awfully skinny for a Mexican; one asked a former Mexican employee if she knew any Mexicans who would work for cheap to fix the floors; finally, since my resignation/termination, every person above the level of barista at Slate Coffee is a cis-gendered Male (in a company that tends to draw minority/non-binary/queer etc people).

Capell and others associated with Coffee At Large describe a series of misogynstic, homophobic, transphobic, racist, and anti-immigrant statements allegedly attributed to the management and/or ownership of Slate Coffee Roasters. In the course of our reporting over the last 48 hours, additional accounts similar to the above claims by Capell have been published publicly by former Slate employees on Instagram, and the collective membership of Coffee At Large continues to grow.

Sprudge has reached out to Slate for comment on the events of last weekend and Coffee At Large. No comment has been received as of press time, but the company did post the following message on Instagram, reprinted here in full:

To our Coffee Community:

​​We are saddened by the recent event of five baristas walking out on their cafes because of their personal unhappiness with Slate. As a family-owned business, we understand that tough conversations can turn into constructive growth. We will continue to to work collaboratively with our staff though meetings and revised standards to allow for more communication so to better shape our ways of doing business. This is something that we have been striving for in the past.

As in the past and moving forward, we are committed to building a thriving culture for all workers and member of our community. Just as we value sourcing coffees in alignment with sustainable and equitable practices, we are committed to building a culture, internal practices, and safe work environment in line with those values.

We intend to work through and understand the details and concerns made by our former employees and do not take the matter lightly. It is our intention to hold space for a thoughtful dialogue.

For the moment, we have limited Instagram comments so that we may address all questions, comments, thoughts, and concerns through email at press@slatecoffee.com.

Many thanks to our supportive guests, employees, and coffee industry partners and friends during this difficult time.

​​Sincerely,
​​Lisanne Walker & Keenan Walker

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 Coffee At Large.

The post Citing A Toxic Work Environment, Baristas Walk Out At Seattle’s Slate Coffee appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

The crashing summer waves, the waving evening breeze, the softly breaking dawn, they whisper. Can you hear it? It’s the thrill of the build! The 2019 Build-Outs of Summer season is back, and we’re kicking things off the way any sensible city dweller might: by heading to Long Island. Oyster Bay, to be specific, where Southdown Coffee are prepping a second location, fresh off owner/founder Marc Boccard’s top three finish at the 2019 US Roasters Championship. This is a stunning new opening in an historic converted farmhouse, and we can think of no better way to kick off our biggest and best Build-Outs of Summer Season yet.

The 2019 Build-Outs of Summer is presented by Pacific Barista Series, notNeutral, KeepCup, and Mill City Roasters.

As told to Sprudge by Mark Boccard.

For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?

We opened in 2014 with our shop in the “Southdown” neighborhood of Huntington, NY. Most of the businesses at this small intersection are called “Southdown Pizza, Southdown Laundry, Southdown Market, etc etc,” so that’s how we cooked up the name. Technically I’m the sole owner of Southdown Coffee, though I always say “we” since I still have many people who’ve been with the company since the beginning and it’s such a group effort.

When we opened we were roasting as members of Pulley Collective, eventually purchased an Diedrich IR-12, and are now installing a new 15KG Mill City in our new space in Glen Cove, NY, which will give us *LOTS* more space for production, training, and QC. This year I took home 3rd place at US Roasters Championship which has definitely helped to generate a lot of interest in what we’re doing. In our cafes, we are focused on presenting people with beautifully roasted coffees at high standards of preparation, and maintaining an inviting atmosphere for our guests.

Can you tell us a bit about the new space?

The new space is in a historic homestead from 1810, which was recently purchased and is being heavily restored by the new owner. Much of the building was in disrepair and I think the general model of renovation was wise, gutting out tiny second floor spaces and creating cathedral ceilings to create a very open and fresh feeling, with plenty of original touches remaining so you still feel the age and character of the space.

Shortly after buying it, the owner reached out to lots of local (LI, NYC) graffiti artists and invited them to write on virtually every surface of the building. It caused a major uproar in the town, but ultimately started a great conversation about what to do with these historic treasures when they’re beyond repair. We’ve kept a few of the pieces and it definitely adds a very cool and unexpected layer of history to the space.

What’s your approach to coffee?

My approach starts with demanding progress from myself and my staff to make sure we’re always working harder at improving ourselves. My greatest failures have always turned into successes as long as I’ve been able to bury my ego and learn from my mistakes. So I guess the answer is that my approach is to keep learning and hope that the customers notice the hard work, which I believe they have!

Other than that, we’re probably not much different from most specialty companies these days, trying to bring in the nicest coffees we can afford, keeping things seasonally fresh and diverse for our customers. We serve pour-overs in the cafes and focus on single origins, though I’m having lots of fun playing with our new espresso blend as well. I start pretty much every day with a cup of batch brew.

Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?

Kees van der Westen Mirage, Mahlkönig K-30s and an EK43, a FETCO, a built-in Marco Hot Water Tower for pour-overs, and Mill City 15KG roaster.

How is your project considering sustainability?

We currently use compostable cups, straws, and packaging in all of our cafes. I’ve been looking into potential parters for carbon offsets for our coffee roasting. We discount coffee purchased with a reusable cup.

What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?

August 1st, 2019

Thank you!

Thank you!

The Build-Outs Of Summer is an annual series on Sprudge. Live the thrill of the build all summer long in our Build-Outs feature hub.

The post Build-Outs of Summer: Southdown Coffee In Oyster Bay, NY appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

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 Grant Gamble

Cill Fisher is the co-founder of Floozy Coffee, an Australian coffee roasting and retail company based in Newcastle, New South Wales.

More information about Cill from Floozy Coffee’s website:

“Cill has a background in economics and women’s advocacy, and recently earned her Master’s in Economic Development based on a systematic review of women’s land rights in the coffee sector. Cill was invited to be a guest speaker at Beanstock Coffee Festival in Canada in 2018 to discuss inclusivity in the sector and has since been featured as a speaker at a number of other industry events promoting the role of women in the industry.”

“Floozy was founded in 2017 as a response to male bias in the coffee sector. Coffee roasting is male-dominated worldwide, as is the entire coffee supply chain. Cill and Kmac work to highlight and support female producers at origin, encourage other women coffee roasters, promote and train female baristas and coffee shop owners, and contribute to future gender disaggregated research within the sector. Floozy’s goal is to promote and advance the women in coffee, showcase the talents of the ladies in the industry, and train up future generations of badass coffee chicks.”

Floozy is at the forefront of fusing specialty coffee culture with feminism and social enterprise. Proceeds from both retail and wholesale coffee sales at Floozy have supported a range of women-centric charities and groups in its two years of operation, including the IWCA, SameCup, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, and Carrie’s Place. Floozy’s coffee program highlights the work of emerging coffee producers worldwide, with a focus on women-owned coffee projects. Their coffee ships worldwide.

What issue in coffee do you care about most?

When my business partner Kmac and I decided to start Floozy, it was in response to the underrepresentation of women in coffee roasting. As we got deeper into our business, we discovered that gender inequality in the coffee sector was a major problem at all levels of the coffee supply chain, not just in roasting. At the core of my business and my academic work is the central theme of women’s empowerment. Floozy is focused around the empowerment of women in the coffee chain through purchasing and representation, and my research is concerned with understanding the tools and resources necessary for women in coffee to be able to empower themselves. Both of these aspects of my work contribute to a greater goal of achieving gender equality in the coffee sector.

What cause or element in coffee drives you?

My background is in women’s rights and economic development, so the persistent gender inequality at all levels of the coffee supply chain is definitely what gets me out of bed in the morning.

What issue in coffee do you think is critically overlooked?

Since writing my Master’s thesis on women’s land rights in the coffee sector, it has become really apparent to me just how little we know about the rights and roles of women in coffee producing countries. So much of what we “know” about women in coffee stems from some really outdated and statistically invalid reports. There is a dire need for some quality research into women’s contribution to the coffee sector to better inform the way we purchase and consume coffee.

What is the quality you like best about coffee?

For me, coffee has always been less about the actual drink and more about the people behind it. The people who make coffee are my favorite kind of people.

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

Less “god-shot” more “god-barista” (if that makes sense which it probably totally doesn’t). First, my dear friend Clive in Armidale, who got me to cut down from a large skinny cap with two sugars to a large flat white. Then Kmac and Hal in Newcastle, who got me interested in the world of specialty coffee and trained me to order small flatties. And of course, Jacob and Peter at the Coffee Collective in Copenhagen, who introduced me to the magical world of filter coffee, tasting notes, brewing methods, and all that jazz.

What is your idea of coffee happiness?

Being able to spend time alone with a good book in a cafe that feels like home.

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

Obviously I love what I’m currently doing with Floozy, so that. I’d also love to get more involved with research, and will be kicking off a PhD next year.

Who are your coffee heroes?

When I first decided to be a coffee roaster, Talor Browne was the only female coffee roaster I knew of. I think she’s amazing and she has inspired me a lot on my journey, and I would totally say that she’s one of my heroes. Kmac is obviously one of my coffee heroes as well. She’s the one who sucked me into this industry in the first place! And of course my partner, Grant, whose passion for coffee is literally unparalleled (ask anybody).

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

Steffen Altmann, my behavioral economics professor from the University of Copenhagen. This man taught me the meaning of good research, and how to truly think critically. I’m sure I owe him a coffee or two.

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

Before I accidentally became a coffee roaster, I was going down the path to be a behavioral labour economist. Sounds kinda boring in retrospect.

Do you have any coffee mentors?

I accidentally found myself a coffee mentor in Chris Tellez. We became besties when his cafe, Show & Tell (Kitchener, ON, Canada), bought our coffee. I flew over for a visit, we got matching tattoos, and now we chat almost every day about the struggles and triumphs of running a small business and everything in between. The first thing I see every morning when I wake up is a sign that reads “What Would Chris Tellez Do?”—powerful words to live by! Haha no but seriously the dude’s amazing and I look up to him a lot. That’s why I nominated him for the Sprudge 20!

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

I’m so stubborn that honestly it wouldn’t have mattered. I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way but had plenty of wins too. I think the most important thing is just not to take ourselves too seriously. And that excluding someone or looking down on them for not being Melbourne-enough is actually not that cool. We all belong in coffee, whether we know everything or nothing.

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

If I can afford to go to space I can probably afford to commission a Kalita 155 in pink. And maybe my Loring. And a Nespresso machine for when things get desperate.

Best song to brew coffee to:

The Crazy Frog by Axel F or anything by the Dixie Chicks. Duh.

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

I haven’t even been in coffee for two years yet, so seriously, who knows!

What’d you eat for breakfast this morning?

I only eat breakfast on my days off, and they’re pretty rare, but it was super nice to actually have breakfast cooked for me by my boyfriend today! Otherwise it’s normally a flattie followed by too many cups of batch brew.

When did you last drink coffee?

Earlier today!

What was it?

First was a fun Colombian by our friends at Morgon Coffee Roasters in Sweden, and then a French press of Floozy Daddy Issues I found in the back of my cupboard that was roasted almost two months ago. (Side note: how many other coffee roasters out there forget to take coffee home with them?!)

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

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

The post Cill Fisher: The Sprudge Twenty Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Finca El Teatro is a 15-acre farm in Las Marias, Puerto Rico that grows coffee, bananas, plantains, yams, and malanga lila. Or at least it did until 2017, when Hurricane Maria devastated it. Because of the advancing age of farm owner Don Antonio Román, Finca El Teatro has sat dormant, unable to produce, with the 80-year old Don Antonio surviving on social security.

But now, a GoFundMe page has been created to help the Román family get the capital they need to return Finca El Teatro into a working farm.

The crowdfunding campaign was started by Belto Román Rodríguez, Don Antonio’s grandson, whose employment with the American Red Cross renders Finca El Teatro ineligible for aid from the organization due to a conflict of interest, per the GoFundMe page. This led Belto to search of other means to raise the funds needed for this grandfather’s farm.

With the GoFundMe, Belto is hoping to raise $60,000 that will go toward:

Home repair
Plow machine
Fix the load bus
Construction of fence for control of theft and wild pigs
Tools and light equipment
Tree crusher
Cleaning of trees for land preparation
Animal feed, fertilizer, and organic fertilizers

As of the time of publication, the campaign has raised just over $300 in two days. For more information on Finca El Teatro, visit their GoFundMe page.

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 Finca El Teatro GoFundMe page

The post Help Puerto Rico’s Finca El Teatro Become A Working Farm Again appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

In a city full of self-starters and go-getters, New York is an ongoing contributor to the growing sentiment that “everyone’s a roaster now.” This caffeine-fueled entrepreneurial jungle is continuously teeming with aspiring business owners, new cafes, and roasting companies despite the city’s continual crunch for real estate. It’s no wonder WeWork and other shared-facility co-working communities thrive in a landscape with a lack of affordable space. Paolo and Chisato Maliksi’s Regalia Roasting Collective is the next logical step in the coffee chain—it’s a shared roasting space and wholesale venture for both brand new coffee professionals and those venturing over from the restaurant world.

The Maliksis launched Regalia in a Long Island City in 2018, located below the owners’ own apartment. Their intention is to provide a welcoming space for aspiring roasters, but particularly those in the rest of the food and beverage world. Additionally, Maliksi wanted to give more creative and financial freedom to businesses outside of what coffee wholesale programs have to offer them.

“I pretty much think that every specialty coffee roaster provides an à la carte menu and makes you buy from that à la carte menu, and if we just think about it like that, there’s nothing really specialized about that,” Paolo Maliksi says. “It’s just like, ‘Here are my offerings. Please buy [them]. And we’ll do the best we can to ensure that you continue to make it taste good.’”

Regalia gives clients the power to take full reign of their own supply. They not only teach interested parties how to roast, but also how to source their own green coffee. The first taste is free: Regalia offers a complimentary introductory two-hour roasting session to get themselves familiarized with Regalia’s 15kg Mill City roaster, along with their QC accessories—a Decent DE1Pro, Mahlkönig EK43, FETCO CBS 1131 V+, refractometry equipment, moisture analyzer, cupping equipment, and various minerals for building water. They also offer climate-controlled green storage and green coffee pickup from New Jersey’s Continental Terminals—acting as “the Uber of Coffee,” as Maliksi says.

“The mission is to lower the barrier into entry into roasting,” Maliksi says. “It used to be this secret, invite-only, you’re not ready for roasting kind of thing. But people can come in, they can go through the session. If they say it’s not for them, now they know about it. We are not just about renting the roaster to other people who want to start companies. We are out there to rent the roaster to cafes and bakeries.”

To hone his focus, Maliksi first studied current roasting collective operations worldwide, including Pulley Collective (with locations in Brooklyn and Oakland). Combining the cost of a dedicated roasting space, green coffee and storage, and workers’ hourly wages, Maliksi sees the shared Regalia space as a way for business owners to offer true specialty roasting experience at a fraction of the cost of starting a brand new facility. However, if the idea of roasting remains daunting despite the savings, Regalia offers “ghost roasting” toll services and private labeling, along with a subscription service of their own roasts. There’s also a traditional wholesale coffee program with outsourced tech support and weekend open houses for clients to showcase their offerings to the public.

On a regular weekday, a visit to Regalia shows one person roasting, and perhaps another one in the corner packaging their own offerings, while another is busy cupping their latest batches and trying to get feedback from you. With upcoming plans to bring in other complementary businesses to the space (e.g. graphic and interior designers), the Maliksis see Regalia becoming a bigger community moving forward—in step, it would seem, with coffee itself.

Katrina Yentch is a Sprudge contributor based in New York City and the online editor for Barista Magazine. Read more Katrina Yentch on Sprudge.

The post Inside Regalia Roasting Collective, A Shared Roasting Space In Long Island City appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Some Yorkshire natives frequently describe the area as “God’s own county,” which suggests they’re not shy of sharing the virtues of this northern English region. Leeds is Yorkshire’s largest city, which may explain the loud and proud approach of many locals when their home is the subject.

That said, the place does have a fair bit to shout about. Formerly an industrial powerhouse built on the milling trade, Leeds has evolved to become the country’s second-largest financial and legal hub, with four universities fueling growth across different sectors.

Previously dubbed “the United Kingdom’s fastest-growing city,” Leeds now blends historic houses of commerce like the 1857 Kirkgate Market—one of the largest in Europe—with designer developments such as Trinity Leeds. But fortunately, it’s not all big brands. Recent years have seen the city’s independent economy thrive, and this is evident in the ever-expanding set of places to pick up a great coffee.

Locals appreciate this daily, whether they’re working on deals, dissertations, or just feel tired from worrying over when Leeds United will finally awake from slumber and win promotion back to the Premier League. But the city’s well worth a stop for tourists too, particularly as its cultural, sporting, and social attractions are a straightforward train trip from London, Edinburgh, Manchester, or York. The list below is by no means exhaustive, but if you feel your energy dipping as you wander across this lively city, it includes some of the best places to grab a brew and recharge.

La Bottega Milanese

A man in an immaculate shirt and tie dispenses drinks and “Ciaos” in perfect synchrony. Customers sip cappuccinos while standing at tiny tables. People in suits breeze past naked lightbulbs and concrete pillars. That instrumental funk you’re imagining? It’s playing.

You might be in Leeds, but the stylish La Bottega Milanese does its best to capture something of the city it’s named after. Espresso comes from two La Marzocco Linea Classic Pros, and the drinks menu proudly wears its Italian heritage, with traditional nods including an affogato and a liqueur-spiked espresso corretto.

The “off-peak” service section offers AeroPress and V60 cups too, and more modern tastes are reflected in the range of non-dairy milk and matcha, beetroot, and turmeric lattes. One of three grinders will presumably always hold La Bottega’s own La Classica blend, but recent guest espresso came courtesy of Darkwoods Coffee, based only 25 miles from Leeds.

If you plan to stop for more than a quick caffeine hit, you might find yourself tempted by the counter of savory and sweet Italian treats. Do chocolate cannoli taste just as good regardless of which country you’re in? There’s only one way to be sure.

North Star Coffee Shop & General Store

Want to escape the city buzz and wander by some water? A 20-minute walk from the central train station, North Star lies just off the River Aire on Leeds Dock. While the company has been roasting coffee since 2013, the cafe opened its doors less than two years ago.

The outside seating might not always be your first choice (Yorkshire isn’t famous for its climate), but the tranquil interior provides an ideal opportunity to relax with a drink. A piccolo with North Star’s Burundi Maruri Natural was the best coffee of my last weekend in Leeds, and the shelves were full of more offerings from Peru, Rwanda, and El Salvador. A La Marzocco Linea PB sits on the light wood counter—there are always two espresso choices—while filter comes from Marco SP9 brewers.

Noisette Bakehouse takes care of the food here: breakfast and lunch plus highly photogenic cakes and pastries. The “General Store” features plenty of coffee equipment next to various food and drink products, and the menu also includes beers from some of Leeds’s superb breweries. One of which—Northern Monk—has a bar that is only a short stroll back up the riverside …

Layne’s Espresso

Something of an early fixture on the Leeds specialty coffee scene, an unmistakable orange front gives way to a clean, minimal space. (Is it possible to say that a venue opened in 2011 has a rather “classic” feel? Maybe in this industry.)

Layne’s baristas serve espresso from a Synesso MVP, with batch and pour-over brews also on the board. London’s Square Mile regularly provides the coffee here, but the V60 was recently loaded with a single-origin Colombian from Round Hill Roastery in southwest England.

Being around the corner from Leeds Station means Layne’s is often busy, but the apparently compact layout benefits from chilled out basement seating. The main service area provides contrasting viewing opportunities: will you choose a window pew and look out on bustling commuters, or turn inwards to see plates proceed from the open kitchen? The food includes brunch comforts such as Turkish eggs and buckwheat pancakes, as well as coffee complements from fellow Leeds business Porterhouse Cake Co.

Given its people-watching potential—and how tough it can be to find good coffee in the United Kingdom after 5pm—it’s worth knowing that Layne’s is open until 7pm weekdays, 6pm weekends.

Temple Coffee & Donuts

Though it sits on an unremarkable lot among garages and petrol stations, this is a popular fuel stop to the west of the city’s financial district. Savvy work on branding and social media is reflected on the premises, where the décor’s as bright as the rainbow of donuts at the counter. If you don’t plan on dunking one of these in your drink, they can be carried away for later in equally fresh pink and green boxes.

Still, it’s not a case of style over substance. Coffee–from East London’s Dark Arts–flows smoothly from a three-group La Marzocco Strada, with batch-brew filter available. Vegan caffeine fiends might appreciate that the swap to oat milk is free, which is not the case in some other city shops. It makes sense here though: all the donuts are vegan, as is the ice cream.

A couple of iced coffee options sit alongside more alternative specials, including the “Purple Haze: lavender steamed milk with floral flavors.” There’s less in the way of coffee equipment for sale, but there is a wall of branded merch should you desire a cafe-related souvenir of your stay in Leeds.

Kapow Coffee

Its renown as a shopping destination means that each weekend crowds hit Leeds in search of glitzy goods. If that all gets too much, you can stop here in the smaller Thornton’s Arcade, and find an oasis of relaxed style and substance.

Kapow’s downstairs area is snug, with a couple of small tables and some window seats. This means customers have the option of chatting with the friendly staff, who knock out espresso on a Kees van der Westen Mirage Duette. Pour-overs are on hand too; a honey-processed Ethiopian from Echelon Coffee Roasters was fresh and floral on my latest stop.

Echelon was one of several Leeds-based coffee brands stocked on that visit. Maude Coffee Roasters—last seen plotting another specialty venue for Leeds, titled Fwd Coffee—was also among the many retail bags in the window. This suggests a laudable commitment to the locality, despite the house espresso being provided by London’s Union Coffee.

Customers who pass the small but well-filled cabinet of goodies—plenty of gluten-free options alongside decadent brownies from Leeds’s Brown & Blond—can enjoy a peaceful hour on two airy additional floors, with artwork dotting the walls throughout.

Opposite Cafe

This unfussy pit-stop between the city centre and the student areas of Hyde Park and Headingley has been around longer than many of the specialty spots in Leeds: a sign informs passers-by that Opposite has been “Smashing out amazing coffee since 2005.”

The Cafe lies—funnily enough—opposite the main campus of the University of Leeds and therefore fuels the toil of students and staff throughout the day. But this isn’t an extension of the library: the easygoing vibe means many tables are free of textbooks, and the helpful baristas are just as accommodating to customers from further afield. Dropping in on a weekday afternoon, I was handed a super-smooth oat milk flat white, and suggestions for other worthy cafes in the city.

Here, Union Coffee is fed into a La Marzocco Linea PB, with batch-brew from the likes of North Star. Tempting homemade cakes are bolstered by strong pastry work from another Yorkshire city; cinnamon buns and more are sent up from Sheffield’s Cawa Bakery. Back in Leeds, Opposite could provide a handy pause on the way to an intimate gig at the Brudenell Social Club, or a film at the beautiful Hyde Park Cinema.

Cielo Coffee House

Though Leeds has certainly improved in the last few years, it’s not always easy to find a quality cup away from more central parts. Happily, this outpost in the eastern area of Garforth has been roasting and pouring coffee for more than a decade, and has retained its upbeat atmosphere.

This might be down to the owners’ commitment to giving their profits to other local organizations, or their volunteer program, which helps young people gain coffee skills that can lead to paid employment.

It would be a shame if the product didn’t match the principles, but thankfully it deserves a mention too. All of Cielo’s coffee is roasted on site, and an April trip to Uganda was planned to build more direct relationships with importers. Espresso is dispensed from a La Marzocco FB80, and the house choice is rotated regularly.

Nearby French bakery Dumouchel supplies excellent pastries, and those wanting a sugar fix might also eye the hot chocolates, often served swaying with cream and chunks of sweet snacks. Cielo is a heartening example of a neighborhood independent that has survived the nationwide deluge of awful-to-average chain coffee.

Martin Flynn is a freelance journalist based in Sheffield. This is Martin Flynn’s first feature for Sprudge.

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

Source: Coffee News

Freelance illustrator Moonsub Shin is turning single-use paper cups into works of art. Born and raised in South Korea, Moonsub Shin moved to New York City in 2007 and began drawing on paper cups in 2017. Drawing interiors, coffee gear, and baristas, Moonsub Shin captures the vibe and subtle details of each cafe. We’ve seen cups pop-up on display on counters in Portland and New York. We connected via email to learn more.

Interview edited and condensed for clarity.

We first met you as you were illustrating on a coffee cup at the New York Coffee Festival last year. How long have you been drawing on coffee cups?

I call it “Paper-cup Drawing” and it’s been two years since I started the project.

We’ve seen your cups proudly displayed at cafes around the world. How many cups have you illustrated since you’ve started this project?

I don’t count the exact numbers of the cup drawings. I think they might be about 300.

 

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Fully getting the taste of Coffee, Music and Space + the barista who is well fitted suspenders outfit Cafe “immute” @_immute 신사동 골목길에 카페인지도 잘 모르고 지나칠 수 있는 카페 하지만 그냥 지나치기엔 매력넘치는 카페 immute @_immute 서스팬더가 아주 잘 어울리는 사장님께서 음악과 함께 내어주시는 커피는 다시 찾아오게 만들만큼 매력적이었다 그리고… 컵은 그리기가 어렵지 않게 겉코팅이 없었다 #너무좋았다고한다 _ _ #페이퍼컵드로잉 #papercupdrawing #일러스트레이션 #드로잉 #페이퍼컵아트 #그림 #카페 #커피 #서울 #신사 #임뮤트 #illustration #drawing #sketch #moonsketch #papercup #papercupart #seoul #cafe #coffee #cupart #sinsa #immute

A post shared by Moonsub (@moonsub) on Apr 23, 2019 at 3:39am PDT

How long does it take to complete a coffee cup illustration?

It usually takes 30 minutes but sometimes takes an hour. It depends on the conditions. Capacities of the cup, cup’s surface, and what I want to draw on it.

You spend your time in South Korea and New York City—where are some of your favorite places to drink coffee in those places?

Here are some of my favorite cafes in both cities:

NYC – Partners Coffee, Devocion, Coffee Project NY, Felix Roasting Company

Seoul – Fritz Coffee Company, Manufact Coffee, Gray Gristmill

That is such a difficult question. Both cities have so many great cafes. It’s so hard to pick only some cafes. Actually, my home is the best place to enjoy coffee because I can do whatever I want!

What are you brewing at home now?

I’m drinking iced pour-over coffee. The coffee is Costa Rica Perla Del Cafe Typica Natural, roasted by Fritz Coffee Company in Seoul. Usually I also make espresso, cappuccino, latte, and cold brew at home.

How do you make it?

I’m using a Breville BES 860XL for espresso-based coffee, Hario V60, Chemex, and HOLZKLOTZ for the pour-over coffee, Bean Plus Cold Brew Coffeemaker for the cold brew. Wow… now I realize I have a lot of gear.

 

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Blue Bottle x Hudson Yards @bluebottle @hudsonyards 지난주에 여기 컵드로잉하고 카페에 주고 갈까말까 고민하다가 그냥 하나 더 그려버림 블루보틀만 몇개째 그린건지 #4군데8개 – – #페이퍼컵드로잉 #papercupdrawing #일러스트레이션 #드로잉 #그림 #카페 #카페 #커피 #뉴욕 #블루보틀 #허드슨야드 #컵아트 #컵드로잉 #illustration #drawing #sketch #moonsketch #papercup #nyc #cafe #coffee #bluebottle #cupart #cupdrawing #bluebottle #hudsonyards

A post shared by Moonsub (@moonsub) on Jun 5, 2019 at 11:45am PDT

What projects are you currently working on?

I have a few freelance jobs. Some jobs are related to cafes and others are not. Paper-cup Drawing is my on-going project. Also, I’m preparing the essay-illustration book.

Can you tell us more about the essay-illustration book?

Oh, it’s really in the beginning steps. It is about the NYC cafes I love. Try to share my experiences about them from the illustrator’s point of view. I don’t want the book to be a “coffee evaluation book.” I just want to show how NYC cafes are great. Of course, it will contain many illustrations I draw.

Looking forward to it! Thanks, Moonsub!

Photos courtesy Moonsub Shin.

The post Coffee Design: Paper Cup Drawings With Moonsub Shin appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News