Perceiving is Believing: Getting to Know Your Coffee
By Tim Castle, Castle & Co. I’ve always thought of coffee as an information medium, much like a flash drive. It is a liquid and volatile (gaseous) collection of pixels, or data points: we smell it, inhale it, feel the temperature of it in our hands, the steam of it in our nostrils—in addition to …
Translating the Language of Sustainability
By Adam Kline, Atlantic Specialty Coffee Inc. As specialty coffee professionals, we know we are lucky. Lucky in many ways, but especially in that our industry has developed based on the distinction of quality over the equalizer of commercial price. We realize that our unique need to protect quality—of coffee and of life—allows us to conceptualize …
The Home Consumer: Are they Ready for the Pros?
By Anastasia Chovan, UNIC USA The fundamental question for specialty coffee is this: what does the future of the coffee consumer look like? In other words, how are consumers going to be making coffee at home in the coming years? Those companies who are able to anticipate this trajectory will be the winners. Where should you …
90+ Profiles: Getting to Know Brian W. Jones
Who are you and what do you do in coffee? I am Brian W. Jones, a designer and collaborator in various coffee-related endeavors. I started the website “Dear Coffee, I Love You,” co-founded the late Coffee Common, and recently helped start a new coffee roastery in Berkeley, CA called Supersonic Coffee, where I am the Director of Brand and Design. How and when did you …
Creating Quality: Beverage Preparation, Roasting, and Sourcing
By Spencer Turer What defines quality in craft beer, ice cream, or cheese? In Vermont, we are fortunate to have products that define these categories: Heady Topper from the Alchemist, ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s, and cheeses from Vermont Creamery. These are products that are recognized as top quality. Do they have more …
Specialty Coffee Consumption: A Look at the Numbers
By Heather Ward, SCAA I am now, and have always been, a specialty coffee consumer. I love everything about coffee: the fragrance, taste, and simple moments taken with my cup of coffee that help me get centered. Coffee is what I look forward to every morning, whether it is manually brewed at home or at …
Coffee Talk: Blends
By Danny Pinnell, SCAA As the resident “new guy” around the office, I have been asked to chronicle (no pun intended) some of the things I’ve been learning, whether it concerns staff trips to coffee plantations around the world or weekly “coffee talks” held in our staff meetings. The following focuses on the latter. I …
Coffee Kids and the Roasters Guild Grow it Forward for Coffee Farmers
By Kristina Morris Heredia, Coffee Kids For the third year in a row, the Roasters Guild kicked off Coffee Kids’ Grow it Forward campaign to help coffee-farming families grow food, grow income and grow in self-sustainability. Through their Silent Auction during the 14th annual Roasters Guild Retreat, they raised more than $5400 for coffee-farming families. In …
SCAA Board of Directors Approves Slate for 2015 Elections
SCAA is proud to announce that the Board of Directors has approved a slate of candidates, as recommended by the Nominating Committee, for the 2015 Board of Directors Elections! The board has nominated Heather Perry of Klatch Coffee for 2nd Vice President and Guy Burdett of InterAmerican Coffee for Secretary/Treasurer. For the four other director …
SCAA Offers Job Opportunities in Sustainability and Communications
The Specialty Coffee Association of America staff is a small but mighty force of workers who support a diverse and vibrant community of coffee professionals. SCAA membership is growing, event and education offerings are multiplying, and the need for an organization committed to supporting the growth of the specialty coffee industry has become sharply evident …
Global Coffee Treasure Goes Under the Hammer | Portfolio | Issue No. 5 (2014)
One of worlds the largest and most significant Coffee and Tea making collections is about to go under a private online auction hammer for the first time in its existence. The Bersten Collection and Museum is the result of a life long treasure hunt by one man; collector, coffee roaster, author, inventor, entrepreneur and coffee …
Marcus Boni Returns as Opening Ceremonies Host for SCAA’s 2015 Event
SCAA has announced today that Marcus Boni (follow on twitter), Brand Director with Espresso Supply in Seattle WA and well known performer and MC, has been confirmed as the 2015 SCAA Event Opening Ceremonies Host. Boni hosted the Opening Ceremonies once before — in 2014 (watch video). Next year’s Opening Ceremonies are scheduled for Thursday, April 9th …