By Wendy Rasmussen, Teacher at GGUSD / Coffee Industry Veteran As a coffee professional, I have attended almost every single SCAA conference in roles of varying size and importance: attendee, volunteer, staff member. Since the conception of the SCAA Symposium, I have occupied a seat on the sidelines. In every one of these events I have walked …
It was announced today that Rob Stephen, SCAA Past President and long-time volunteer, has joined the team at Olam Specialty Coffee in the role of International Business Development Manager. With more than 20 years of experience in the coffee trade as a green coffee buyer, trader and quality consultant, Rob has been an integral part of the …
We’re pleased to announce the arrival of a new home brewer on the scene for those seeking ultimate coffee extraction quality at home: the Brazen Plus Customizable Temperature Control Brew System from Behmor. The Brazen Plus is the first brewer to achieve this certification under SCAA’s updated testing requirements. The brewer is the result of a …
by Mike Ebert, Firedancer Coffee Consultants Last month, somewhere in Seattle….. April 26, 2014, 5 p.m.: I am at the Seattle Convention Center where this year’s Roasters Guild Membership Meeting is taking place, listening to great report-outs from members of the Executive Council, seeing the new members getting sworn in (ok, not “sworn”—but that would …
by Christopher Schooley, SCAA / Coffee Shrub Roasters lift, and carry the weight. Roasters wait, and they wait. Production may be patience and repetition, but that doesn’t mean for a second that it’s not soulful. In fact, it is incredibly enriching if you allow yourself to be open to it. Production roasting is meditative and physical, …
by Steven Lee, Groundwork Coffee “Anything essential is invisible to the eyes. It’s the time that you spent… that makes …(it) so important.”—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince Over the years, I have been lucky enough to have very generous people invest time and energy into my coffee education. Some have played a more active role …
An Interview with Paul Thornton, SCAA Immediate Past President & Director of Coffee for Farmer Brothers / Coffee Bean International How did you get started working in coffee? I was looking for a summer job out of high school. My brother worked for a small roasting company called Coffee Bean International, which at the time owned …
by Ben Angelo, Stumptown Coffee Roasters I think there’s a common hunger for knowledge when discovering and exploring craft roasting. That first batch drops and you want to know it all: was that the right temp to drop my Guatemala Antigua? Was the time good? It all looks brownish, so what’s the color I’m looking for? …
by Candice Madison, Notes Coffee Roasters It’s early morning—well, early-ish—and I’m sitting drinking a v60 of Kamwangi AA Lot #032 from Kirinyaga, Kenya. This new-crop coffee is one of many I have had a hand in buying for our roastery. I roasted the pre-shipment sample on a Quest M3, devised an appropriate profile for filter, highlighting …
by Rosemary Trent, Pueblo a Pueblo For more than a decade, SCAA’s Sustainability Council has recognized individuals, businesses, and organizations that promote sustainability within the coffee world, selecting one each year to receive the prestigious Sustainability Award. This year’s panel received an unprecedented number of applicants representing projects that have demonstrated remarkable dedication to real and …