UKBC Champ John Gordon goes 3 for 4 - Our London correspondent Elyse Bouvier has the scoop on UKBC Champion John Gordon. This is Mr. Gordon’s third UKBC in four tries—a truly remarkable feat. His sensory-laden and meticulous routine combined with his magical beard conjured up a UKBC win and a place in the WBC Finals in Melbourne.

Symposium Colloqium: Experts Weigh in on Coffee Rust - Sprudge is pleased to bring you the first installment in our Symposium Colloquium video series, a collaboration with the SCAA Symposum. This video features James Hoffmann, Dr. Timothy Schilling, Dr. Aaron Davis of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Dr. Chafumi Nagai, and Alejandro Keller of Finca Santa Isabel, Guatemala.

We asked these experts the same rhetorical question: Suppose you heard someone say, “Coffee rust isn’t my problem, because I only buy the highest altitude and most expensive coffees.” How would you respond?

Check out their responses:

Great news out of Colombia - There are now four Plantations in Colombia that have been declared “rust-free.” More than 36,000 Hectares in total have been officially deemed rust-free—the first in Latin America. While this is great news, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Nerds Make Better Coffee In Space - Bet you never thought about the coffee problems Astronauts deal with while they’re in space. That’s ok, because this strapping group of engineering students at Rice University did, and they’re doing something about it. These guys have come up with a system to help make the shnasty freeze-dried Hula Girl instant coffee on board the International Space Station a bit more palatable—and customizable. Check out the amazing video while appreciating your non freeze dried coffee.

World Aeropress Championship Event Announced In Melbourne, and There’s Ping-Pong! We’ll be there with our live commentary and DJ skills.

Alex Bernson on the Surf Cafes of NYC - Our staff writer Alex Bernson indulged his inner Pacific Northwest Chill and scoped out NYC’s three surf-themed Cafes. These are truly unique spaces, and as Mr. Bernson suggests, they help fill the void of relaxed coffee shop atmospheres in the Big City. Check out the photos of these surprising spaces, and join Alex as he finds a little slice of home. Cowabunga!

Four Barrel’s Bobby Valentino Bikes Against AIDS - Four Barrel Coffee’s “very first barista” Bobby Valentino has joined the AIDS/Lifecycle “Ride To End AIDS”. Our friends at Four Barrel wrote a post about the entire thing, including the fact that Bobby’s needs to raise a minimum of $3000 before June 2nd. More from Bobby:

“I just decided today (4/23/13) to do the ALC12 ride down to Los Angeles on June 2nd. That leaves me with less than 40 days to raise the minimum donation of $3000. I hope that all you, that I love, can help me out. I figure with all the people that I serve coffee, meet at bars, dance, ride bikes, flirt, cross paths we can fulfill this great opportunity to raise money for AIDS/ HIV research and aid. All donations big and small are greatly appreciated and push me closer to my goal. Thank you. Love you. Bobby Valentino”

This is a great opportunity to remind you that we’ll be Official Media Sponsors of the NYC AIDS Walk coming up on May 19th. Consider how you might get involved, and join us in supporting AIDS Walk New York – learn more here.

And now, Wild, Wacky, and Wonderful coffee news that starts with “W.”

Wendleboe Begins Shipping Worldwide - The day has finally come when you can sit down with a piping hot cup of Tim Wendleboe coffee at your local cafe or in your home. TW worldwide shipping went live on May 1— get a move on it!

Welsh Barista Woos Guests by Singing Opera - According to Wales Online, this Barista “knows how to espresso himself,” and he’s taking special requests. Hunka hunka.

Whoops! Woman’s Name Mispelled as “Vagina” on Starbucks Cup in Hong Kong - Yeah that’s right—this story somehow made the front page of “Fox News LATINO.” When Virginia Goh ordered up a coffee from Starbucks, she couldn’t have known the horrors and traumas that would come next. Instead of a steaming hot cuppa coffee, she was handed a steaming hot…well…

But get this—according to her sister Veronica, this isn’t the first time Virginia has had her name misspelled by SBUX! More from Fox News Latino and their outstanding global coverage of non-events:

“Veronica said her sister previously had been named “Virgin,” which has led to her “every Starbucks experience … being tainted by fear and anticipation.”

It’s a rough life.

The post Last Week With Ben Blake – Week of May 4th, 2013 appeared first on Sprudge.com.

In a landmark decision made earlier this month, Four Barrel Coffee has officially gone soy free. Citing environmental, health, and taste reasons, Four Barrel Coffee joins a likeminded cadre of soy-free fine cafes worldwide, including Oslo’s Tim Wendelboe, who dropped soy from their menus in May of 2011. Four Barrel will instead offer almond milk, which is a delicious dairy alternative (homemade almond milk from Manhattan mainstay Abraço remain our favorite milk substitute and espresso experience).

Do you think it’s high time soy gets the boot from your cafe? Do you have differing views that need to be expressed? How do you really feel? Sound off in the comments below!

(Top photo via Flickr user Malloreigh, Four Barrel photo via 4B all-star Alex Powar)

The post San Francisco: Four Barrel Coffee Drops Soy Milk appeared first on Sprudge.com.

When companies do really well, they get to try new things. Meet The Mill, a collaboration between Four Barrel Coffee and Josey Baker Bread. It’s located in a former liquor store in the Western Addition neighborhood of San Francisco, at 736 Divisidero (map here). The Mill is currently deep in the build out process, but in the meantime they’ve opened a small tented kiosk inside the space, with a limited selection of whole beans and small wares.

Beans, small wares, and bread. Oh, the bread. When we visited The Mill on a recent trip to SF, Josey (of Josey Baker) had fresh-baked loaves of Sunflower Pumpkin Flaxseed Sour Dough bread (he calls it “Mill Bread”). He serves the bread toasted, then smothered with McClelland’s butter, Riverview Orchard Chunky Almond Butter, and a sprinkle of sea salt. It’s out of control good.

Baristas serve coffee via Hario V60 pour over, and offer espresso drinks made with two side-by-side La Marzocco GS/3s. The new location has an open backyard space (currently off limits to the public) and there’s talk of potentially beekeeping on the roof top. The fully built space still has no firm opening date, but there’s a whole host of early coverage and excitement surrounding the project from local and national media. Check out interviews and previews via Dwell, Haighteration, Eater SF, Grub Street, and NYT Travel.

What: Four Barrel Coffee’s new cafe, The Mill
Where: 736 Divisidero (map) in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood
When: Wednesday-Friday, 7am – 2pm; Saturday-Sunday, 8am-3pm

The post First Look: The Mill, A New Cafe From Four Barrel Coffee [Video] appeared first on Sprudge.com.

We love subscription services. It’s no secret – we’ve profiled more than a few over the last 3 years on Sprudge. But on a recent visit to San Francisco’s Four Barrel Coffee Roasters, we learned about a new subscription upgrade in a very old fashioned way: pamphlets on the bar counter.

Let’s get this out front: Four Barrel is not a Sprudge sponsor, though one of us used to work there, and they kindly gave us after-hours access to film “Shit Baristas Say” (114,948 views and counting!). Their uber-subscription service is newsworthy because it’s a fantastic model, adding supercharged value to the traditional model of simply receiving bags in the mail. When subscribed, you become apart of the 4B crew, complete with bi-weekly coffee deliveries and once quarterly “premiums” (think Dandelion Chocolate, or groovy gravy DIY Farmers Market jams). You’ll also be looped in on all the Four Barrel happenings in the Bay Area, with a direct e-mail line to the Four Barrel HQ.

As a member, you’re also invited to the upcoming Four Barrel Fourth Birthday Party. The party happens this Wednesday, August 22nd, and will feature free coffee, cake from the revered Tartine Bakery (they of the endlessly long lines, even at like 9am on Sunday), a photo booth, balloons, and for 2012: a petting zoo. Four Barrel is turning four years old, after all.

Here’s some more on their lifestyle jammer:

As a member of the Fifth Barrel Coffee Crew, you (or someone you love very much) will receive our favorite coffee selections every two weeks… for a whole year. It will be the best year of your life (so far).

1) BREW CREW MEMBER: Every two weeks, we pick out our two favorite single origin coffees. You receive one 12oz bag of each.

2) BREW CREW DEMI-MEMBER: Every two weeks, we pick out one of our two favorite single origin coffees. You receive one 12oz bag.

3) ESPRESSO CREW MEMBER: Every two weeks, you receive a 12oz bag of our flagship Friendo Blendo espresso blend, along with a 12oz bag of a different espresso roast. Usually, this will be a single-origin espresso roast, though we may get a wild hair and compose an exclusive blend now and then.

4) ESPRESSO CREW DEMI-MEMBER: Every two weeks, you receive a 12oz bag of either our flagship Friendo Blendo espresso blend, or a different espresso roast, depending on our whim. You may receive Friendo Blendo, a single-origin espresso roast, or an exclusive Crew-only blend.

Memberships start at $600 and are available online. We’d love to see this model taken on by more roaster / retailers around the world, because we think it’s a zippy way to build community, a zazzy way to keep great coffee in your home, a zelly means to secure a customer base, and a zestful example of give-and-take between roasters and their most ardent supporters. Rip off this idea, people! Let’s see more of it!

The post SF’s Four Barrel Turns 4, Ups Ante With Lifestyle Subscription appeared first on Sprudge.com.

Turns out, the heist was largely a hoax, except the staff working that afternoon at Four Barrel were not in on the joke. According to Four Barrel owner Jeremy Tooker, the boar was offered to Sean McGee, owner of nearby Mission District haunt Amnesia, as a donation for some pre-school auction or something a couple of months back. McGee and Co. thought it would be a fun idea to take the boar by staging a heist. Little did they know, the baristas at Four Barrel are a bunch of rough customers, certainly not the kind to let that shit go down without a fight.

McGee chipped his tooth but no one else was (seriously) injured, except for Mr. Teisl, who suffered some pretty serious cuts:

The boar went on to fetch $500 at the charity auction.

The post Update: Four Barrel Boar Heist Caught On Tape appeared first on Sprudge.com.

6:30PM PST – San Francisco’s Four Barrel Coffee just tweeted:

Four masked men came in and stole one of our boars. Reward for info leading to arrest.

The missing boar was the largest of the four that have been fixtures since Four Barrel’s grand opening in 2009. Here’s an undated file photo of the missing head:

The post BREAKING: Bandits Burgle Barrel’s Boar appeared first on Sprudge.com.

Read Sara Deseran’s 7×7 article about Four Barrel, Sight Glass, Blue Bottle and Ritual. While we don’t agree with the author’s main point – we think that web sites like Twitter, Four Square, and Yelp have made the service industry more self-aware and accountable – we do agree that customer service needs to be the primary focus for third wave shops worldwide.

The post SF: 7×7 Magazine On Customer Service appeared first on Sprudge.com.

Local San Francisco NPR affiliate recently interviewed the owners of leading cafes in the Bay Area, including James Freeman of Blue Bottle, Jeremy Tooker of Four Barrel, and Eileen Hassi of Ritual.  One of our favorite coffee bloggers had this to say about the affair:

The radio program played out like your typical coffee innovator/”third wave“/bleeding-edge routine that we’ve become accustomed to over the past decade. While a bit heavy on the Coffee 101 — particularly when callers asked common FAQ-type questions that have been answered on the Internet 20,000 times over already — KQED produced a good program overall.

James Freeman noted Italy’s “industrialized system of near-universal adequacy,” which is a different but accurate way of summing up our long-held beliefs that outstanding coffee in Italy is almost as hard to find as unacceptable coffee. Other covered topics included coffeehouses eliminating WiFi, Berkeley’s Caffe Mediterraneum inventing the latte, the Gibraltar, and even James Freeman designating home roasting as coffee’s “geeky lunatic fringe.”

Listen to the whole interview right here on Sprudge.com:

The post KQED Forum With San Fran Coffee Barons appeared first on Sprudge.com.

We caught up with Hiroshi at Four Barrel Coffee yesterday, where he was pouring latte art using Four Barrel’s single origin Colombia Andino espresso. Most customers we talked to were both a) baffled there was such a thing as a latte art competition and b) completely smitten with Hiroshi – it’s hard not to be. Sawada took over the brew bar of 4B for the day with a GS/3 – it was a great showcase of “barista as a craft” and also a terrific introduction to CoffeeKids for a lot of San Franciscans.

BTW, did you know Hiroshi has a blog? It’s in Japanese, but if you have Chrome it’ll translate it instantly! Though in our translation, his bio says he’s a “Latin Artist Representative.” You should also check out this Hiroshi shout-out in Oliver Strand’s recent Japanese coffee crawl guide.

The post Hiroshi Sawada’s California CoffeeKids Tour appeared first on Sprudge.com.

The specialty coffee industry is a small one, and is growing. When I first started working in coffee in New York City five years ago, there were only a few places serving coffee that was any good. Today, I know that the coffee in that town has been elevated not only at the cafe level, but also in restaurants and bakeries. It still has a long way to go, but I would guess that the overall exposure to well-sourced, well-roasted coffee has multiplied many times over in the last few years. But there are also many folks who don’t have an interest, who are perfectly happy with their “version” of coffee, be it a Starbucks frappacino or instant coffee. There is totally nothing wrong with that. I think that people who have a developing notion of the boundaries of food and drink, or who are interested in what they consume, or who just end up stumbling into a high quality coffee shop, will change their standards. These standards will change for not only what’s in the cup, but hopefully the quality of the experience — the barista, the space, the service, and the detail and transparency of the product.

Sounds about right. But wait, there’s more:

Do you have different roasts, or characterize them in a certain way?

Actually, the goal is not to characterize the roast at all. It is to showcase the coffee. Roast has been a categorizing and discerning factor in the marketing and selling of coffee since, I would imagine, it’s commercial inception. We never refer to roast with customers, and it is actually something we are constantly steering people away from. We are interested in what characterizes each coffee in it’s raw form — the varietals grown, the weather, the soil, the details of processing, the drying, the sorting. Coffee in appearance and taste can indicate to you one or all of those things. When roasting coffees that have so much character, the roast should really just integrate and develop those clear acidities, nuances, and sugars into a balanced and clean cup with significant mouth-feel and body.

Read the whole thing here, as you dare yourself to gaze upon Tal’s distended anamorphic visage.

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