The Importance of Exercise: Palate Development
by Julie Housh, Intelligentsia Coffee As coffee professionals, we practice tasting coffee on a regular basis—whether via cupping or dialing in—employing tools like the SCAA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel to articulate the flavors we find in coffee. In my everyday role as a coffee educator, I often hear new baristas and consumers admit that “coffee just …
The Barista: A Sustainable Profession in the Making
by Anne Nylander, SCAA The term “professional barista” simply did not exist in coffee 30 years ago. This role in the industry was built in no small part by large coffee retailers who brought the professional barista to the masses, and baristas now grace our cafes on a daily basis. Today, baristas are often seen …
A Fly on the Wall: The Sociability of Coffee
by Amy Hall, Espresso Elevado It’s a quiet afternoon in Plymouth, Michigan. A young woman strolls into the little coffee shop on the corner where I am standing behind the counter with a smile, ready to take her order. “I’m waiting for someone,” she quickly alerts me. I nod and tell her that if she …
90+ Profiles: Getting to Know Charles Babinski
Who are you and what do you do in coffee? I am Charles Babinski, co-founder of G&B Coffee and Go Get Em Tiger, two coffee shops in Los Angeles, CA. How and when did you get started in the coffee business? I got started in the industry when I was 19 as a barista in …
Portfolio | Issue No. 4 | Technology
HARIO “the King of Glass” is a manufacturer in Tokyo, Japan that specializes in heat resistant borosilicate glass. HARIO first began as a manufacturer of laboratory equipment in 1921. The skills and techniques learned from creating these precision scientific tools have been applied to the production of HARIO’s coffee and tea brewing equipment. As a …
Portfolio | Issue No. 4 | Connections
STiR Tea & Coffee Industry International is now the leading-circulation magazine for the tea and coffee industries globally. STiR’s editorial team brings you all the latest trends, sourcing, and markets for the vast range of tea and coffee industrial and retail products worldwide. STiR Tea & Coffee also brings to readers regular profiles and updates …
Announcing the Newest SCAA Certified Home Brewer: KitchenAid® Pour Over Coffee Brewer
For its newest coffee brewer, KitchenAid Brand went straight to the source and partnered with industry experts to design the new Pour Over Coffee Brewer. In addition to partnering with baristas, the brewer was developed from the ground-up to meet the SCAA’s rigorous technical guidelines, to ensure that the highest quality home brewer was designed. It …
New SCAA Certified Bonavita Brewer Coming in October
Bonavita now has three SCAA certified brewers, with their newest addition (Bonavita Coffee Maker BV1900TS) due to market in early October. Building on the success of predecessors, the Bonavita 8-cup Stainless Steel Carafe Coffee Brewer features improvements that will result in an even better cup of coffee. Bonavita is committed to bringing the highest level of coffee brewing …
Old Dogs, New Tricks
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 …
Rob Stephen Joins the Team at Olam Specialty Coffee
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 …
New SCAA Certified Home Brewer Joins the Family
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 …
Where Did We Come From? A Roasters Guild Folk Story
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 …