Ben Blake here, with another weekly recap served up fresh and at a comfortable drinking temperature. Let me just say wowโitโs hard to believe itโs already been six whole days since the Federal Government shutdown here in the United States.ย Cafes around Washington D.C. have seemed busier than normal this week, lending their spaces to furloughed federal employees. I’m based in DC, and I had a chance earlier this week to walk around town and document some of my very favorite “Shutdown Specials” around town – take a look at that here.
Embarrassing government shutdown or not, one thingโs for sureโthe Sprudge News train just keeps chugging along. Hereโs all the specialty coffee news you might have missed over the last seven days.
Urban Outfitters + Kickapoo
Sprudge.comโs Alex Bernson was the first to report that Urban Outfitters are preparing to open their first-ever specialty coffee bar, located at the 5th Avenue store in New York City. Starting October 7th, youโll be able to sip on a cup from Kickapoo Coffee Roasters out of Viroqua, Wisconsin. The coffee bar, tucked into the back corner of Urban Outfittersโ shop at 5th Ave & E 43rd, is the first in a line of planned New York City service concepts, which include a bar/restaurant in their upcoming Williamsburg shop, and a cafรฉ in their planned Herald Square retail fantasia.
Sprudge.com’s original reportage for this feature was later excerpted by Gothamistย andย New York Magazine’s Grub Street.
Coffee Variety or Star Wars Character?
Coffee icon Peter Giuliano has been playing “Star Wars Or Coffee”ย on his blog recently, and we thought weโd play along too. How many can you get right? How big of a dork are you, really? And how much do you guys love Star Wars .gifs, because we really, really love them.
Top 25 Moments at #BNLA
Barista Nation Los Angeles โ known far and wide on various social media platforms as #BNLA โ went down this past weekend in Montebello, California, and was by all rights a smashing success for all involved. Your Sprudge Editors were on hand and put together this list of the top 25 moments from the event.
Top 10 Busiest Cafes in the U.S.
Foursquare, the popular Social Media/Location Tracker/Creeper Tool, compiled a list of the top ten busiest cafes in America based on highest concentration of Foursquare users. Did your cafe make the list? Were you upset, and did you perhaps complain to Sprudge about where your cafe placed, or why your cafe wasn’t there, or why we’d decide to publish something like this list in the first place, since Foursquare is only kind of “cool” anymore? Whatever your reaction was, let’s relive it all right here.
Bernson & Beard Tour Mazzer
After speaking at the 2013 Nordic Barista Cup, Sprudge Assistant Editor Alex Bernson and photographer Kate Beard traveled to Italy with our partners at La Marzocco. Their virtual tour of the La Marzocco factory is here, and this week, we presented a similarย glimpse inside the Mazzer factory in Gardigiano, Italy. We recommend a visit, especially if youโre going to be in Italy for La Marzoccoโs Out of The Box event October 17-19th.
Menottiโs Coffee Stop
Barista stud Christopher Nicely Abel Alameda opened his much anticipated new project this week, and weโve got an inside look from our LA desk chief, Julie Wolfson. Itโs called Menottiโs Coffee Stop and itโs gorgeous.
Starbucks to Roast in Seattleโs Capitol Hill
Starbucks have signed lease papers on a 15,000 square foot building at 1124 Pike, on the western slope of Seattle’s achingly hip Pike / Pine corridor. Plans call for aย roaster / retailer cafe, the very first of its kind for Starbucks, who until now has roasted their beans in massive unseen roastworks. The world collectively yawns for now, but when that cafe starts getting built out, expect an armada of mainstream media coverage, because Starbucks.
Joanna Han in Copenhagen
Our own Joanna Han recently spent time in Scandinavia touring some of the greatest coffee spots aroundโin this, her third feature from the trip, Ms. Han takes us through 10 places to eat, drink, and hangout in Copenhagen.
Portlandโs Din Din Is Adorbs
Your Sprudge Editors took time to check out Din Din, a lovely new multi-use restaurant, cocktail bar, and cafe space in Portlandโs emerging NE industrial neighborhood, nestled in among the warehouses, photo studios, and all-weather outdoor hanging deer antlers. Totes adorbs.
Counter Culture Variety Show!
Our friends and partners at Counter Culture Coffee are taking World Brewers Champion Erin McCarthy and teaming him up with the owners of Finca El Puente for an epic eight city RV cross-country thrill ride. Itโs a continuation of the companyโs successful Works In Progress series, for which we were on hand as part of the Fruitbombs and Fermentation tour last year. This year, theyโre calling this WIP tour โThe Variety Showโ, and there are eight free and open to the public events taking place around the US.
Human Poop Coffee: “The deed has been done.”
In a worldwide exclusive feature and interview, your Sprudge editors detail their experience visiting Randy Goldman, producer of “Human Kopi Luwak” coffee. I donโt have much else to say about this, other than itโs a must read, and the folks at Willamette Week, Digg, andย Eater PDXย seem to agree. I may never look at my editors the same way again.
Ben Blake is the genius behindย Draw Coffeeย (@DrawCoffee), a working barista atPeregrine Espressoย in Washington DC, ย and a regular contributor to Sprudge.com.ย Read more Ben Blake here!
