People of Specialty Coffee: An Interview with Juan Luis Barrios
What are the biggest obstacles that today’s coffee farmers need to overcome to stay in coffee? Regardless of the size of one’s farm, I believe the biggest obstacle is being profitable on a consistent basis each year. This is quite challenging because there are many factors that are beyond our control: C-contract prices, climate, diseases …
Tibor Varady – On Hiring and Getting Hired in Specialty Coffee
We’re beyond excited to release the video of Tamper Tantrum’s third speaker at our CoLab: Prague event last May. Tibor Várady is the owner of Espresso Embassy, one of the pioneer specialty coffee shops in Budapest, Hungary. Having dropped a career as environmental lawyer, Tibor jumped on the specialty coffee bandwagon “arrogant, ignorant and enthusiastic,” earning himself a finals …
Emergence of a Coffee Origin: The Complete Interviews
Interviews by Will Frith Quang, La Viet Specialty Coffee Why do people leave coffee farming in Vietnam? All the young guys want to discover a new world; they’re attracted the bright lights of the city – even if they have to rent a house and get a very low salary, just enough to cover their …
Women Farmers Top First Myanmar Coffee Competition
Today we received news of the first national coffee cupping competition, held in Myanmar this past May, where two women smallholder farmers were awarded first and second place in their category and the overall event at Myanmar’s first national cupping competition held in Yangon. Results were announced and trophies presented at a formal ceremony last week in …
SCAA Releases Regional Coffee Competition Infographic
By Ric Rhinehart, Executive Director, SCAA We have had a chance to get a tremendous amount of input over the past few weeks on the regional barista competitions and their place in our community. All of the staff and directors at the SCAA recognize the value these events bring to a wide range of stakeholders, …
Erna Tosberg – Do We Need Barista Competitions?
The second speaker at CoLab: Prague, held on May 22nd, 2015, is no stranger to our audience: Erna Tosberg participated at our inaugural Barista Camp in Greece as knowledgable AST and all-round great connector. As a barista and trainer working at roestbar and at the associated training school Kaffeschule, both in Münster, Erna has slowly but surely spread coffee excellence in Germany.
Keep your Cool with Cold Brew
Sponsored story provided by the Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company. By Mike Strumpf, Director of Coffee, Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company You are sitting on a patio during a heat wave, knocking back bottle after bottle of fantastic cold brewed coffee in an effort to stay refreshed and also focused on your important task. As a …
Chahan Yeretzian – On Water, Freshness, and Extraction
On May 21-23, 2015, the first CoLab in Prague took place – during 3 days baristas gathered in Prague to share ideas over coffee and food, discover the city and its bursting coffee scene, and to get inspired by talks and discussions. BGE worked together with Tamper Tantrum to bring 6 speakers to the stage. We’re very excited …
Coffee Talk: Dialing In
By Danny Pinnell, SCAA At SCAA, we love seeing members come into the office. This week’s coffee talk was a particularly special treat as Barista Guild of America Executive Council member Alexandra LittleJohn of Equator Coffees and Teas came by and prepared coffee for us. Alex came by and told us about a coffee and espresso …
SCAA Announces Changes to United States Barista Championship Program
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), the organization who produces the United States Coffee Championships, has announced changes to the prequalification system for the United States Barista Championship (USBC). Competitors will be able to register to compete at the USBC, beginning in the 2016 cycle, as follows: Baristas who either hold a level 1 …
SCAA Barista and Roaster Compensation Report Shows Correlation Between Certification and Higher Salaries
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) has published the 2014 Barista and Roaster Compensation Report, which shows that while some coffee professionals are paid only slightly over minimum wage, certification plays a key role in advancing their compensation. The objective of this report, conducted in conjunction with Marketing General, Inc. (MGI), is to recognize …
DRC’s First-Ever Coffee Cupping Competition Rejuvenates Coffee Sector
The first-ever specialty coffee cupping competition in the DRC, Saveur du Kivu, took place with great Congolese and international fanfare on June 2nd and 3rd. The events were hosted by the Government of South Kivu and the National Coffee Organization of DRC, and the competition followed Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) global standards to …