In Chiapas, Casa Cafeòlogo Is A Coffee Hotel For Green Buyers

Less than an hour’s drive from San Cristobal de Las Casas, near Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala, is Los Altos de Chiapas. San Cristobal, a small, romantic town, is beloved by tourists to the greater Chiapas region for its food as much as the colors of its buildings, but Jesus Salazar loves it for a different reason.

Salazar, who runs coffee hotel Casa Cafeòlogo, is here for the weather, altitude, and soil.

Los Altos de Chiapas began producing coffee only 70 years ago, which, relatively speaking, makes the growing region relatively young. Consequentially, the producers here are open to experimentation, and Salazar works with 16 different producers to this end to improve their quality. He teaches picking techniques, processing methods, roasting, and cupping. Some of his projects include cherry picking instruction, process experimentation, roasting, and cupping. In San Cristobal, Salazar owns and operates a roastery and cafe called Carajillo, where he employs the sons and daughters of some of the producers he works with—when they return to their parents’ farms, they’ll be better informed about the extension of the coffee chain, and able to inform larger decisions about production.

As of 2010, Mexico was the world’s largest producer of certified organic coffee by volume in the world, and that doesn’t factor in the large amount of coffee grown by producers who lack certification due to its cost, but adhere to organic production practices nonetheless. All the producers Salazar works with grow organic coffee.

Pedro Vázquez is one such producer, with his whole family involved in the farm. Two of his daughters work with Salazar at Carajillo, one as a roaster and cupper in-training and the other as a barista. His wife oversees the Vázquez farm’s harvest, while their other three daughters live on the farm.

Ann and Pedro Vázquez

The Vázquez farm used to grow sugar cane, but 30 years ago was converted to coffee production. The Vázquez family now grows Bourbon and Typica varieties, and has survived an outbreak of Coffee Leaf Rust, when two-thirds of their crop was destroyed. The Vázquez family hopes to produce Pacamara and Marago coffees in the future, and are now laying the groundwork for increased production quality by taking care of their soil and planting shade trees.

Pedro Vázquez is sometimes more a philosopher than a farmer—he believes producing organic coffees is better not only for the soil but also for the soul. He says every time someone drinks a sip of his family’s coffee, he is sharing a drop of life with them, because well-harvested coffee is life.

Inez Vázquez pulls a shot in Cafeòlogo’s cafe

The use of chemicals, Vázquez thinks, will destroy his soil, which he simply won’t tolerate—he hopes one day to leave the farm to his family. Although the farms Salazar works with are too small to compete in the Cup of Excellence competition, a coffee from Chiapas’s Finca Los Azahares won fourth place in Mexico’s competition, winning a presidential award, and so the quality of the region is not without recognition.

To promote the development in Los Altos de Chiapas, Salazar opened Cafeòlogo in the city center of San Cristóbal explicitly for the purpose of hosting green coffee buyers. Each bedroom is kitted out with a Kalita set and specialty coffee, and guests have access to a cupping and roasting lab, a barista training center, and a beautiful cafe, which itself features a one-group Slayer and the coffees of producers Salazar is partnered with.

Thanks in part to Salazar and the producers he represents, Chiapas may be coming into its golden years as a production region. If his hotel is good enough for Tim Wendelboe, who stayed there while visiting Chiapas on behalf of Noma Mexico, it’s good enough for the coffee lover in all of us—and is all the more reason to schedule a visit.

Ximena Rubio is a coffee professional based in Mexico City. Read more Ximena Rubio on Sprudge. 

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Coffee Makes You Bad At Gambling

For anyone who has spent any amount of in an ultra-cold, windowless casino, breathing in pumped in recycled air, you know that the house wants you awake enough to keep putting money on the table. For me, an ex-full-time-ish poker deviant (and now just an occasional deviant dabbler), my go-to was always coffee; alcohol was for suckers looking to have a good time throwing money away. But I wasn’t there for fun, I was there to win, so I needed my wits about me. At least six cups of free casino coffee should do the trick, no?

But according to Extra Crispy, a study shows consuming caffeine will actually make you worse at gambling.

Published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, the study is a joint effort between researchers at Cambridge and the University of Chicago. The researchers followed 60 “problem gamblers” and tracked their caffeine consumption during their gambling sessions and found that those consuming caffeine “exhibited a five percent greater likelihood of placing a bad bet.”

This dip in play may be caused by two things. From the article:

While we think of coffee and other energy-providing beverages as the opposite of brain-fogging alcohol, caffeine does in fact impact decision-making centers in the brain. There’s also possibly a bit of a weird placebo effect: if we think a cup of coffee sharpens the mind, it’s easier to be convinced that the betting strategies you’re considering is the right one.

While a five percent dip seems nominal, gambling and poker are all about the numbers and knowing the odds. With even a one percent advantage, over a long enough period of time the house will bleed you dry. So drink coffee sparingly. When it’s 2:15am and half the table are sitting on some big stacks and are trying to bribe the server into one last round of shots, a coffee may not be a bad idea. But remember, jacked on caffeine or not, “but they were suited” is always a bad rationalization for talking yourself into a hand.

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

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Build-Outs Of Summer: Manzanita Roasting Company In San Diego, CA

Cowboy coffee. It means different things to different people. For many, it’s the sludge you make while camping over an open fire (often using a sock, worn or otherwise). But for San Diegans, cowboy coffee is coming to embody something entirely different. That’s where Manzanita Roasting Company comes in. Located on a winery, Manzanita is bring cowboy-chic to the coffee shop.

The new roastery is the work of husband and wife duo Weston and Samantha Nawrocki. Both coming from culinary backgrounds—Weston a chef and sommelier and Samantha in local wine—the two have shifted their focus to coffee. The couple has been roasting as Manzanita for three years now, but it wasn’t until earlier this month that they opened their flagship roastery/cafe. So grab your boots and get to scootin’. We’re headed to San Diego to check out the new Manzanita Roasting Company.

As told to Sprudge by Samantha Nawrocki.

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

Well, we’re a husband and wife roasting team in San Diego, roasting for almost three years and sourcing the best microlots we can from small farmers who love what they do. Weston was a WSET 3 Sommelier and classically trained Chef from Vancouver, Samantha a San Diego native wine and marketing chick. We’re growing our wholesale, picking up national awards, and just landed on Thrillist’s top 21 USA roasters list. We’re passionate about people, coffee, keeping it green and environmentally friendly, and roasting sweet, happy beans. Now we’re opening our flagship coffee house, on our family’s winery where our roaster is. That’s about it.

Can you tell us a bit about the new space?

It’s a mixture of hipster coffee meets cowboy western movie, in a really green and airy space, adjacent to the roaster. We wanted to create a space that people are comfortable in, that’s modern and serious about the coffee but lighthearted, a bit funny, and welcoming to anyone and everyone who comes in. Definitely not white walls and succulents. I think we’ve done what we set out for. The space is happy, lighthearted, a bit edgy, and well, there’s the whole cowboy bit. But when you’re located on a 128-year-old California winery, you need to embrace what’s around you also and not be too pretentious and stuffy.

Weston and Samantha Nawrocki.

What’s your approach to coffee?

We like to listen to the coffee. Weston roasts like he’s tasting wine. You need to let the terroir speak for itself and adjust the roast accordingly. Sweet, balanced beans with some complexity from the first sip to the last is what we are always aiming for and that also shows respect to the grower as well as the barista, who are so important in the equation, too. We can source great coffees from some pretty awesome farmers but we have to do them justice in our roasting AND then roast to where baristas are excited about the coffee too. They finish the process and hand you something truly delightful that they can stand behind too. This is what we love. Everyone is part of this.

Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?

We have a groovy La Marzocco Linea, a Mahlkönig EK43 for the pour-over bar, a Nuova Simonelli Mythos One for the espresso bar, a Baratza Sette 270 for our decaf espresso, a Wilbur Curtis Twin one gallon brewer, numerous cocktail shakers for our cold brew cocktail bar, and a broken janky oven. There’s more I’m sure.

What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?

Week of June 1st, 2018!

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

Craftspeople are our awesome winery maintenance staff, Weston, my brother Ross Rizzo (also talented winemaker), Najila the potter, who is making our hand-thrown limited edition mugs for our merch wall, Darlene, who is making our repurposed totes for the merch wall, Dave, Joh, and numerous unpaid laborers and friends who work for wine and coffee.

Thank you!

Manzanita Roasting Company is located at 13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte, San Diego. Visit their official website and find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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.

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What Café Owners & Baristas Need to Know About Water Quality

Great coffee beans: check. Great equipment: check. Great recipe: check. So why doesn’t your brewed coffee taste great?

It could be the water.

Water makes up as much as 98% of your coffee, meaning that poor-quality water can turn your beverage into a flat, bitter, or vinegary experience. And not only can it obstruct extraction or produce unpleasant flavours, but it can also cause significant equipment problems.

To find out more, I spoke to Paul Stack, Operations Director at Marco Beverage Systems, which creates award-winning hot water dispensers and brewers, including the Marco MIX (which has an inbuilt filter) and SP9. I also reached out to two of Marco’s customers: Nathan Retzer, owner of Quarter Horse Coffee in the UK, and Taylor Cowan, Co-Founder of Spirit Tea in the US.

Let’s see what they had to say.

Using a Kalita Wave and Marco SP9 to brew coffee. Credit: Five Senses Coffee

The Taste of Water

We think of a “watery taste” as simply referring to strength and body, but actually, water often comes with its own set of flavours.

Water might contain minerals, dissolved substances, and even additives, all of which can have an impact on your coffee’s flavour. Drinkable water is not always delicious water.

And as Nathan tells me, “Coffee is mainly water, so any flavour the water comes with will taint the coffee.”

You’ll find minerals such as calcium, chlorine, fluoride, and iron. Nathan says, “You can taste minerals, so the more of them, the more you can taste them with the flavour of the coffee.”

Of course, not all minerals are bad – in fact, some of them can even help with extraction.

Tea and timer: it’s easy for customers to control brew time, but good extraction still relies on water quality. Credit: Spirit Tea

When Water Causes Extraction Problems

Brewing coffee is all about extraction: getting those flavour and aroma compounds out of the ground coffee and into the hot (or cold!) brew.

And having the right amount of minerals like magnesium and calcium can actually help baristas to achieve a better extraction. Magnesium aids in the extraction of fruitier and sharper flavours, while calcium enhances creamy notes.

This is due to the positive charge of their ions. Generally, flavour compounds in coffee are negatively charged, so they become naturally attracted to the positive charges of minerals such as magnesium and calcium.

But if there are too many of these minerals, that isn’t so good for extraction either. They can crowd up the water so that there’s less room for flavour compounds.

You need the Goldilocks of water: not too hard, not too soft, just right.

Freshly made Chemex coffee: this black brew is still mostly water. Credit: Sebastian Chodzinski

Is Your Water Damaging Your Equipment?

But it’s not just the coffee that’s affected by the water – your equipment is too. “You need to be mindful of the quality of the water you are putting into your machine,” Taylor explains. “If you are using tap water or you are using a bad filtration system, that is going to destroy your equipment, in addition to making your beverages taste bad.”

Mineral-rich water, also known as hard water, can cause particular problems. As hot water evaporates, minerals can be left behind in your equipment. These deposits, which are also called limescale, can then harm its performance.

Deposit build-ups can form on your boiler’s heating element, for example, which will then make it harder for it to efficiently heat up water. Limescale (which is primarily calcium) can also clog up pipes, preventing the correct flow of water and steam.

The end result: increased maintenance and cleaning, reduced efficiency and consistency, and potentially even damaged equipment.

Nathan recommends periodically changing your filter to protect against this. “Water filtration is very affordable and can save you thousands in the long run,” he stresses. “Why spend 8–12,000 on a nice espresso machine if you have it seize up in two to three years?”

The Marco MIX, which has an inbuilt filtration system. Credit: Marco Beverage Systems

How to Measure Your Water Quality

At the very least, café owners and baristas should know the following information:

• Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

TDS measures any minerals, salts, metals, or other solids that have been dissolved in the water. As Paul explains, “Minerality concentration in water is a significant taste impactor, which can be negative and positive depending on minerals and concentration and can significantly affect extraction.”

The SCA recommends a TDS of “between 75–250 mg/L TDS, with a target of 150”.

• Water Hardness

Water hardness refers to the concentration of specific minerals in the water: calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese, along with some others in smaller amounts. In other words, water hardness forms part of TDS.

The more of these minerals in the water, the harder it is. The less, the softer it is. And remember, water that is too hard or too soft will lead to extraction problems. The SCA recommends “1–5 grains per gallon (gpg) or 17–85 mg/L, with a target of 3–4 gpg or 51–68 mg/L.”

Paul emphasises that calcium is the primary component of limescale, something which means that water hardness is key to equipment longevity.

• pH levels

pH levels also play a crucial role. A quick science class recap here: water is neutral if it has a pH of 7.0, alkaline if it is more than that, and acidic if it is lower than that.

The more neutral the water, the better. The SCA recommends using water with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Highly alkaline water can often result in a flat cup and end up contributing to limescale.

Freshly brewed, ready to drink. 

Don’t let poor water get in the way of great coffee. If there’s one thing that all of us in specialty coffee can agree on, it’s that every detail counts. And good-quality water can protect your coffee quality and your equipment longevity.

Written by Gisselle Guerra.

Please note: This article has been sponsored by Marco Beverage Systems.  

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Improving Vietnam’s Coffee Quality, One Variety At A Time

Although it is the world’s second-largest coffee producer, Vietnam has never had a reputation for producing high-quality Arabica. Robusta accounts for the majority of beans grown in the country, meaning that the likeliest place you’ve experienced Vietnamese coffee is in espresso blends—where it’s added for crema-improving qualities—or as instant, freeze-dried powder.

This year, three domestic producers are hoping to change that. Tran Nhat Quang from La Viet Coffee, Nguyen Dung from The Workshop, and Nguyen Canh Hung from Bosgaurus Coffee share a mutual vision of bringing Vietnamese Arabica’s overall quality up to specialty standards. By innovating growing and processing practices in Vietnam’s central highlands, they hope to develop a high-quality coffee production model that can scale. 

Bosgaurus Coffee’s Nguyen Canh Hung

The three chose to hone in on a single varietal for improvement—Catimor. Catimor, often typecast by the specialty coffee industry for its characteristics inherited from Robusta, is nonetheless widely planted in Vietnam due to its high yield and leaf rust resistance. Its quality improvement could, as a result, have a major impact on the country’s overall coffee quality, and affect a greater number of producers than that of any other varietal. 

The First Brick In The Wall

Broad changes to industry take time and effort. This year, the three producers focused on improving the cup quality from a single farm—owned and operated by Pham Manh Hung. They helped Pham implement harvesting and processing best practices across his five-hectare land area (about the size of seven soccer fields), which has a production capacity of 10 tons of Catimor per year.

Pham’s farm is located at 1,450 meters above sea level, in the Lam Dong region’s Cau Dat area—Lam Dong is where the majority of Arabica is cultivated in Vietnam, with varietals overwhelmingly constituted of Red and Yellow Catimor. Prior to this year, Pham had been planting commodity-grade coffee for 10 years. He decided to collaborate with La Viet, The Workshop, and Bosgaurus to raise his coffee quality to specialty standards. 

They began with the harvest.

Because strip harvesting is the norm in Vietnam, it is vital to provide producers with skills in selective picking. Wages for harvesting are typically paid by weight of picked cherry—to increase quality, that metric has to be shifted to cherry quality.

“Old habits die hard,” Bosgaurus Coffee owner Nguyen Canh Hung says of the implementation of quality-focused picking on Pham’s farm. “Although we paid pickers higher wages than the market standard, close monitoring and incentives to reward pickers were needed to improve quality. We gradually increased the percentage of ripe cherries picked, achieving 99% by the end of the harvest.”

Trust The Processing

Bosgaurus Coffee

For the owners of Bosgaurus, La Viet, and The Workshop, acquiring ripe cherries was just the first step in a longer journey to scale specialty grade coffee to Vietnam. The next step was applying innovative processing methods. Generally, processing is overlooked by the country’s coffee industry, and in fact is regarded as a potential risk to quality rather than a tool with which to improve it. The industry’s assumption as a whole is that the longer a coffee’s processing time, the higher the risk of beans being subject to unexpected weather changes. Bosgaurus’ Nguyen believes that changing this mindset is crucial, and that processing could become a positive agent of increasing quality if he can reduce its variability.

The three producers started by experimenting with a processing method borrowed from wine production called yeast fermentation. They bought yeasts from Fermentis—a company specializing in producing yeasts for beer and wine processing. Yeasts were hydrated and injected into fermentation tanks along with coffee seeds for different durations, between 22 and 72 hours. Every two hours during the fermentation process, data on moisture content, humidity, temperature, water quality, pH, and degrees Brix were measured and recorded.

After, washed beans were dried on raised beds for 20 days. Typically, Vietnamese Catimor tends to have a sharp acidity, with a woody and nutty flavor. Coffee from one recent batch of 72-hour yeast-processed Catimor prepared with a Hario V60, however, dazzled with a bright and fruity acidity more akin to Kenyan coffees—the mouthfeel was juicy and the aftertaste sweet. And although this particular brew had some of the varietal’s signature woody flavor, once cooled, the cup’s overall complexity was remarkable.

“For now, the exact effect of yeasts on coffee flavor remains to be seen,” Bosgaurus’ Nguyen says. “As this is a novel approach to coffee processing, we cannot say for sure which yeast strain will contribute which flavor to the coffee.”

He went on to explain that through a relationship with Lucia Solis, a prominent coffee fermentation designer currently experimenting with yeast fermentation processing in countries across South America, he was developing specific processing techniques to bring sweetness to Catimor’s flavor profile. They’re also finding that longer fermentation times appear to lend more complexity and higher cupping scores to coffees.

The quality specialists in Vietnam are also experimenting with a method of juice fermentation, which entails flushing fermentation tanks with water, yeast, and fresh, concentrated pineapple juice for a period of 36 hours. The juice provides nutrition for the yeasts, accelerating their microbial activity to add fruitier flavors to coffee. The end result of one juice fermentation trial was a sample aptly named “Pineapple,” whose cups had an aroma of tropical fruit, a citrus-like acidity, a hint of orange sweetness, tea-like body, and a chocolatey finish.

Along with the batches of yeast and juice-fermented coffees, a sample of anaerobic, naturally fermented Catimor was recently served at Bosgaurus in limited quantity. Nguyen says the goal for developing this particular method is to promote cup consistency.

Looking Forward

Vietnam’s reigning Barista Champion, Tran Han

Measuring the experiments on Pham’s farm in terms of their impact on cupping scores is already taking place.

“We sent samples to Johan & Nyström in Sweden, Toby’s Estate in Australia, and partners in Germany and Japan for blind cuppings,” Nguyen says. “In the United States, with the help of Modbar‘s Will Frith, our coffee was cupped at Sustainable Harvest.”

The results of these blind cuppings were striking. All samples received cupping scores between 82 and 84. As details about each coffee was revealed, those who had taken part in the exercise were surprised.  

“The change we achieved this year was promising,” Nguyen says. “We owe this success to the hard work of farmers and baristas from La Viet, The Workshop, and Bosgaurus. Next year, we want to keep up the good work and establish a stable production model, before replicating it on other farms in the region.”

For now, new facilities, equipment, and plans are already being prepared for Pham’s next crop.

Tung Nguyen is a freelance journalist based in Vietnam. This is Tung Nguyen’s first feature for Sprudge Media Network. 

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WOC 2018, Amsterdam: The Cupping Schedule

We’re just days away from one of the biggest coffee events of the year: World of Coffee, Amsterdam. Set in one of Europe’s trendiest cities, the three-day-long exhibition boasts a huge range of features. In addition to hundreds of exhibitors, attendees will get to experience the World Barista Championship, the Sustainability Forum, lectures, Best New Product Awards, the Roaster’s Village… and, of course, coffee cuppings.

These cuppings are an invaluable opportunity for roasters and coffee buyers to discover new coffees, sample a wide range of origins, and understand the market trends.

So check out the cupping schedule below and make sure you don’t miss out:

Ricardo Pereira of Ally Coffee cups new coffees. Credit: Tony Abbott for Ally Coffee

Thursday June 21st

Collaborative Coffee Source, Colombia – 10:00 AM, Booth 30 in the Roaster’s Village

IHCAFE/Cafe de Honduras, Copan and Western Honduras – 10:00 AM, Booth E46

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Ethiopia – 10:30 AM, Booth VL9

Inconexus, Women’s Power – 10:30 AM, Booth 28 in the Roaster’s Village

Cerrado Mineiro Region, Brazil: 2017 Award Winners – 11:00 AM, Booth C12/B13

Guatemalan Coffees – 11:00 AM, Booth D33 
Washed, natural, and honey coffees from the 8 regions of Guatemala

Inconexus, Microlots – 11:30 AM, Booth 28 in the Roaster’s Village

Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee – 11:30 AM, Cupping Room 1
Lots include an Ecuadoran, a Rainforest Alliance Certified Colombian EP, a Brazilian, a Sumatran, a Guatemalan Primavera, and a Fairtrade Organic Peruvian

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Brazil – Espírito Santo – 12:00 PM, Booth VL9

Collaborative Coffee Source, Kenya – 12:00 PM, Booth 30 in the Roaster’s Village

Cerrado Mineiro Region, Brazil: Institutional Expocaccer – 1:00 PM, Booth C12/B13
Lots from Central de Cooperativas dos Cafeicultores do Cerrado (Expocaccer).

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Brazil – 1:30 PM, Booth VL9

Inconexus, Varietals – 1:30 PM, Booth 28 in the Roaster’s Village

Collaborative Coffee Source, Honduras – 2:00 PM, Booth 30 in the Roaster’s Village

Inconexus, Processing – 2:30 PM, Booth 28 in the Roaster’s Village

IHCAFE/Cafe de Honduras, Café Marcala and Montecillos – 10:00 AM, Booth E46

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Colombia – 3:00 PM, Booth VL9

Cerrado Mineiro Region, Brazil – 3:00 PM, Booth C12/B13

Guatemalan Coffees – 3:00 PM, Booth D33 
Washed, natural, and honey coffees from the 8 regions of Guatemala

Fazenda Rio Brilhante, Cerrado Mineiro, Brazil – 3:30 PM, D10/C13 Room B
2018/19 harvest from Rio Brilhante Farm. Coffees include Catuaí 144, Yellow Icatu, Yellow Bourbon, Red Bourbon, Topázio, and Catuaí 62, all UTZ and Rainforest Alliance certified

Caravela Coffee, Colombia and Centrals – 4:30 PM, Booth D18 (Besca Stand)

Gold Mountain Coffee, Nicaraguan Micro Lots – on demand, Booth E5

O’Coffee, New Profiles – frequently occurring, Booth E12
New micro lots from Alta Mogiana, Brazil

Swiss Water cupping. Credit: Swiss Water Coffee

Friday June 22nd

Collaborative Coffee Source, Ethiopia– 10:00 AM, Booth 30 in the Roaster’s Village

IHCAFE/Cafe de Honduras, El Paraiso and Opalaca – 10:00 AM, Booth E46

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Highlights – 10:30 AM, Booth VL9

Cerrado Mineiro Region, Brazil: Institutional Expocaccer – 11:00 AM, Booth C12/B13
Lots from Central de Cooperativas dos Cafeicultores do Cerrado (Expocaccer).

Guatemalan Coffees, Guatemala Top 10 Cup of Excellence – 11:00 AM, Booth D33 
Coffees from Huehuetenango, Jalapa, Chimelenango, and Palencia

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Colombia – 12:00 PM, Booth VL9

Collaborative Coffee Source, Costa Rica – 12:00 PM, Booth 30 in the Roaster’s Village

Caravela Coffee, Colombia and Centrals – 1:00 PM, Booth D14 (Ikawa stand)

Cerrado Mineiro Region, New Crop Teaser – 1:00 PM, Booth C12/B13

Olam Specialty Coffee Europe – 1:00 PM, Booth D11
Introducing Olam Specialty Coffee Europe with a cupping of some of their best coffees from across the Americas, Asia, and Africa

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Brazil – Espírito Santo – 1:30 PM, Booth VL9

Collaborative Coffee Source, La Palma y El Tucán Challenge – 2:00 PM, Kaffa Brew (La Cabra pop-up café)
Cupping competition of La Palma y El Tucán Heroes Series

IHCAFE/Cafe de Honduras, Cup of Excellence Honduras Top 10 Winners – 2:00 PM, Booth E46

Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee – 2:30 PM, Cupping Room 1
Lots include: an Ecuadoran, a Rainforest Alliance Certified Colombian EP, a Brazilian, a Sumatran, a Guatemalan Primavera, and a Fairtrade Organic Peruvian

The Colombian Coffee Grower’s Federation – 2:30 PM, Booths D24–C29
This cupping will be divided into two sessions.

The first session will feature Geishas, Red Bourbons, Colombias, Castillos, and more, processed as washed, natural, and honeys.

The second session will feature regional and certified coffees, including Cauca, Nariño, Tolima, Risaralda, UTZ, organic coffees, and more.

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Brazil – 3:00 PM, Booth VL9

Cerrado Mineiro Region, Brazil – 3:00 PM, Booth C12/B13

Guatemalan Coffees – 3:00 PM, Booth D33 
Washed, natural, and honey coffees from the 8 regions of Guatemala

Gold Mountain Coffee, Nicaraguan Micro Lots – on demand, Booth E5

O’Coffee, New Profiles – frequently occurring, Booth E12
New micro lots from Alta Mogiana, Brazil

Cupping Guatemalan coffees. Credit: Guatemalan Coffees

Saturday June 23rd

Collaborative Coffee Source, Guatemala – 10:00 AM, Booth 30 in the Roaster’s Village

IHCAFE/Cafe de Honduras, Cup of Excellence National Winners– 10:00 AM, Booth E46

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Ethiopia – 10:30 AM, Booth VL9

Cerrado Mineiro Region, New Crop Teaser – 11:00 AM, Booth C12/B13

Guatemalan Coffees – 11:00 AM, Booth D33 
Washed, natural, and honey coffees from the 8 regions of Guatemala

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Highlights – 12:00 PM, Booth VL9

Collaborative Coffee Source, CCS Selections – 12:00 PM, Booth 30 in the Roaster’s Village

Minasul, Brazilian Specialty Coffees – 12:00 PM, BSCA Booth D10/C13 – Room A

Cerrado Mineiro Region, Brazil: 2017 Award Winners – 1:00 PM, Booth C12/B13

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Brazil – Espírito Santo – 1:30 PM, Booth VL9

Collaborative Coffee Source, Burundi – 2:00 PM, Booth 30 in the Roaster’s Village

IHCAFE/Cafe de Honduras, Comayagua and Agalta – 10:00 AM, Booth E46

Ally World of Coffee Cupping, Brazil – 3:00 PM, Booth VL9

Cerrado Mineiro Region, Brazil: Institutional Expocaccer – 1:00 PM, Booth C12/B13
Lots from Central de Cooperativas dos Cafeicultores do Cerrado (Expocaccer).

Guatemalan Coffees – 3:00 PM, Booth D33 
Washed, natural, and honey coffees from the 8 regions of Guatemala

Gold Mountain Coffee, Nicaraguan Micro Lots – on demand, Booth E5

O’Coffee, New Profiles – frequently occurring, Booth E12
New micro lots from Alta Mogiana, Brazil

Perfect Daily Grind

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The post WOC 2018, Amsterdam: The Cupping Schedule appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8200593 https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2018/06/woc-2018-amsterdam-the-cupping-schedule/

Crush The Rush: A Ferociously Fast Barista Battle From La Marzocco

Are you ready to Crush the Rush? No, I’m not talking about beating your YYZ high score on Guitar Hero, I’m talking about the new fast-paced espresso drink making competition by La Marzocco. Pitting teams of three in a head-to-head, bracket-style competition, Crush the Rush is making 10 stops on a US tour, and it is rolling through Portland June 26th. Sprudge Media Network is the official media sponsor of Crush the Rush, and along with national sponsor Oatly, we’ll be there every step of the way to gush about the rush crush.

The game is simple: you and two of your efficiency beast barista friends (Beastristas? Rabeastas? You get where I’m going with this) will go head-to-head against another team of three to see who can make eight randomly generated espresso-based drinks the fastest. But it’s not just speed, it’s quality. Each drink will be judged by both a technical and a visual judge to ensure all shots falls within competition parameters and to assess drinks based on cleanliness, microfoam quality, and fills level, respectively. If both judges vote “pass”, this the drink counts. If not, well then consider yourself wrapped up in the remake-it blanket. The last team standing will be crowned the winners and receive the $300 cash prize.

Both teams will be working on La Marzocco’s Strada AV (with scale technology) and a Mazzer E grinder to create their drinks. Teams are to bring five pounds of coffee to be used in the competition, but beyond that, nothing additional is required (other than the entry fee); in fact, teams are expressly prohibited from bringing anything else.

Crush the Rush will be visiting the following cities:
Portland, OR: June 26
San Francisco, CA: July 2
Los Angeles, CA: July 6
Houston, TX: July 17
Atlanta, GA: July 24
Washington, DC: July 30
Chicago, IL: August 7
Kansas City, MO: August 10
Denver, CO: August 14

Entry fee for Crush the Rush is $30 per team. Teams can sign up for their preferred city by following the links above. For more information and the full list of rules, visit La Marzocco’s official site. So grab your friends—the good ones, not the ones texting during the lunch rush—and prove your workflow dominance.

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

*all media via La Marzocco

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8200593 http://sprudge.com/crush-the-rush-a-ferociously-fast-barista-battle-from-la-marzocco-133947.html