Imagine waking up each morning in Costa Rica to the sounds and smells of hand-ground coffee, brewed via Aeropress by a certified barista champion. This was our reality on the Cafe Imports Origin trip, and it came courtesy of Cuvee Coffee‘s own Lorenzo Perkins.

Throughout the trip, it was dubbed Cafe Lorenzo, and each day the cafe was situated in a different hotel, lodge, or beach-front. Every service felt a little different. Some days featured a soundtrack of Leonard Cohen, on others, the Cure. On days the pop-up opened at Jaco Beach, Mr. Perkins was spinning Bob Marley.

Cafe Lorezo Day Three featured a walk-up window and a soundtrack by Rhianna.

The pop-up cafe also set up shop at the Aguilera Brother’s El Toño farm in the West Valley, as well as the Riojorco mill and a grand Riojorco dinner meeting in Tarrazu. Guests were treated to a wide assortment of coffees from the champion’s cafes and roasteries, and folks from Costa Rica were particularly interested in the Kenyan and Ethiopian offerings.

We sat down with Mr. Perkins for this exclusive interview as he finished his last shift, before packing up his brewing supplies and heading home to Austin, Texas.

How do you feel your project went?

Lorenzo Perkins: I feel like it was really successful, you know. I was a little worried about being an Aeropress only cafe – because it’s kind of a divisive brew method. But it seems like people really took to it. We had some really beautiful coffees and I think we showcased them spectacularly.

What coffees were used during the week?

Lorenzo Perkins: Oh man, so, we had a washed Yirg and a Kenya from Verve. We were rocking a Guat and some El Sals from Coava and a really rad Burundi from Counter Culture, a naturally processed Guatemala from Raul Rodas’ Paradigma and the Colombia San Sebastian from MadCap.

Tell us more about your guest barista program.

Lorenzo Perkins: Yeah, our first guest barista was [2012 US Champion] Katie Carguilo. The awesome thing about running a guest barista program is they’re always going to bring something new or different to the cafe. She actually brewed iced Aeropresses, which was appropriate for how hot it’s been.

Today, actually, we had the NW Brewers Cup champion Devin Chapman from Coava who expanded our menu again and brought some sweet V-60s to the program.

Devin Chapman: It was a dream, you know? Just make it work. Grip it and rip it. Step up to the plate. Grab the bull by the horns.

What did you brew while you were on bar?

DC: I brewed a V-City with the Santa Sofia Peaberry. Like I said, grip it and rip it. I was pouring out of the orange Bodum kettle into the V60 that was drained into poured over into a Hario Buono kettle that we used as a brewer. Cowboy’d up a little bit, which is what I tend to do in these circumstances and tend to love. So you know, when in doubt. When you don’t have the stuff? Just cowboy up.

LP: I think that’s kind of been the theme for Cafe Lorenzo: pulling all the resources that we have available and really making it work. It’s been kind of a boot-strap kind of cafe but, like I said, the coffee has been delicious, the response from all our guests have been spectacular. I’m looking forward to maybe doing this again. So just keep an eye out for Cafe Lorenzo.

We sure as heck will.

Additional photography provided by Katie Carguilo and Noah Namowicz.

The post SCBRC Champion Opens “Cafe Lorenzo” Pop-Up In Costa Rica appeared first on Sprudge.com.

Welcome to another edition of our weekly Saturday news magazine, “Last Week With Ben Blake”. Mr. Blake is Sprudge.com’s trusty news intern, and also a heckuva illustrator. For more great work like the doodle you see above, check out Draw Coffee.

NWRBC Realness - The Northwest Regional Barista Championship is happening live all weekend from Seattle, Washington, starting with an exhilarating first round filled with baristas, brewers, and plenty of Espwesley to go on. Your heroes Jordan and Zachary have returned to their Seattle-ish roots to bring you incredible coverage of the event using the @SprudgeLive Twitter account. Tune into Twitter for a play-by-play of the entire event, and watch Sprudge.com for recaps and finalist announcements throughout the weekend.

For more information, including schedules and parties, check out the 2013 NWRBC Party Time Super Mega InfoPortal.

Don’t Be a Dick… – What’s more fun than making lists? Making long-winded lists littered with complaints about your job and the people you serve. That’s just what barista Marissa Reddy did in a recent article for XO Jane. In “How Not to Be a Dick at a Coffee Shop,” Reddy lists off tips and tricks to help teach the average, loyal (and paying) customer not be a dick to their barista. Hilarious, right? Oof. What do you think? We think XO Jane loves publishing snark, but does not enjoy being called out for it.

In a completely unrelated coincidence, Sprudge co-founder Zachary Carlsen discovered a hilariously similar article explaining how not to be a dick in a Doctor’s Office.

Brian Ludviksen, Bringer of Light… – If your spirits are broken, and you’ve lost all faith in humanity, check out this beautifully written piece from Counter Culture’s Brian Ludviksen–seriously, it’s really good, and we think its one of the most important pieces written about coffee service in some time. Consider it an antidote to the whole XO Jane barista dick debacle.

Sprudge Magazine: Carguilo’s Way – In just its second issue, Sprudge Sunday Magazine has fast become specialty coffee’s most prestigious cover page. In our most recent edition of the Sprudge Sunday Magazine, we celebrate Ms. Katie Carguilo. This past year was an exciting one for NYC-based Counter Culture barista, so we took some time to share our favorite KG features from 2012. After all, anyone who dresses as a Chemex for Halloween is alright in our book. This magazine cover is long overdue!

NYC’s Knockbox Classic – Our own Alex Bernson took some time to attend the wild & wacky NYC Knockbox Classic. The brainchild of Joe Coffee’s Anna Utevesky and Matt Banbury, the event was created to bring together all sorts of coffee folks, and to utilize more skills than latte-pouring skillZ. Over 150 people packed Joe Coffee to participate in and watch events such as “Mystery Box” and “I Like the Way You Grind.” Both your Sprudge Editors and your Sprudge.com Unpaid Intern are sincerely jealous of Mr. Bernson’s ability to attend this event.

Video-of-the-week: Ashton Kutcher Tangentially Involved In Coffee Project – Handsome men!? Blue Bottle!? Ashton Kutcher!? No matter where your mind just went, this is a gorgeous 12-minute video from the folks at Subculture Club, who spent some time talking with three of California’s best coffee roasteries. Watch below!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The post Last Week With Ben Blake – Week of February 2nd, 2013 appeared first on Sprudge.com.

For the second issue we’re celebrating Katie Carguilo, your 2012 United States Barista Champion. It’s been an exciting year for Ms. Carguilo, who works for Counter Culture Coffee in New York City. Look back at some of our favorite Katie Carguilo features in the links below.

Carguilo Called Champ! Interview and History (April 23rd, 2012)

The NERBC Videos: First Round Exit Interview and New Champ Shout-Outs (Feb 29th, 2012)

Katie Chats With Oliver Strand (NYT Diner’s Journal, April 23rd 2012)

Peter Giuliano: Why Katie’s WBC Routine Was Important (Dymaxion, June 13th, 2012)

Fermentation & Fruit Bombs With Katie & Counter Culture: Durham, Boston, Washington DC, Asheville, Atlanta & Chicago! (Fall / Winter 2012)

Katie Carguilo Dressed As A Chemex For Halloween (October 2010)

The post Sprudge Sunday Magazine – Issue #2 (Katie Carguilo) appeared first on Sprudge.com.

The Northeast Regional Barista Competition is back on track, scheduled for February 20th-22nd at Attic Studios in Long Island City and sponsored by Dallis Bros. Coffee. In advance of this event, our friends and longtime partners at Counter Culture Coffee are offering a fabulous competition workshop – or “Competitor Lab” – at their New York Training Center. The event is held this coming Saturday, January 26th, and will be led by reigning 2012 USBC champion Katie Carguilo this weekend. Here’s an overview from CCC online:

This lab assumes that its participants have a working knowledge of espresso equipment and technique and will serve to refine this knowledge into a set of skills tailored for the competition environment. This seasonal lab is held in conjunction with scheduled regional barista competitions. For more information about competition in your region, please visit the United States Barista Championship’s webpage.

Who should attend this workshop: Experienced baristas interested in competing in SCAA-sanctioned regional barista competitions.

Prerequisites: Barista experience and intent to compete; baristas attending this lab should be familiar with current USBC rules.

To give you a sense of what you’re in for at this training sesh, we attended Counter Culture Coffee’s “Training Lab” event in Chicago a few weeks back, which makes us uniquely attuned to giving you the deets. Counter Culture’s info-team knows a lot about what judges are looking for when scoring drinks and presentation, as well as the overall competition format. “The point of competing is to make better baristas,” Katie Carguilo told Sprudge. “That’s how the score sheet is set up.”

The Chicago lab demonstrated three barista competitor performances. For some attending the lab, it was the first time watching a competition run-through. The three baristas had distinct styles: one competitor weighed heavily on coffee, another customer service, while one was simply about their love for coffee.

Alex Brown, the judging instructor, led a heady discussion on the espresso and cappuccino portion of the score sheet and how scores are decided on and then calibrated. Katie served everyone two different espressos and cappuccinos – they together the group scored and calibrated.

Katie staged a complete run through of her winning United States Barista Championship presentation while the class acted as judges. Alex Brown did a competition style fifteen minute calibration with the class. “It gave the class an idea of what it’s like to be on the judge’s side of the table,” Katie tells us.

The lab finished with a technical cappuccino splitting and building workshop – everyone took turns making cappuccinos for each other and give each other scores on things such as temperature, foam distribution, and discussed strategies for consistency on a competition stage.

The instructors wrapped it all up by talking about how competition weekend is valuable for someone on any level – being a competitor, a judge, or a volunteer. “The point of the weekend is to bring the specialty coffee community together and engage with other professionals,” says Ms. Carguilo, “the best advice I ever got and something I share to those who want to compete – especially to those who’ve never competed before, is to have a couple of goals beyond winning the competition.”

The champ continues: “Whether that goal is to meet friends you’ve made on Twitter, or your goal is not going over time, setting up simple goals like that will make you more relaxed, you’ll have a better time, and walk away feeling like you’ve had a worthwhile experience. Of course the experience it worth it, but if you feel defeated, it’s hard to let that sink in.”

Sign up info for CCC NYC’s “Training Lab” is available here!

The post Saturday In NYC: Barista Competitor Lab At Counter Culture Coffee appeared first on Sprudge.com.

Shay Aaron, an Israeli artist based out of Tel Aviv, sells glorious miniature food jewelry. Aaron’s work has been featured in blogs like the Huffington Post, and recently Katie Carguilo, the United States Barista Champion, was spotted sporting the coffee bean studs ($15.50). We think it’s an absolute holiday must for the coffee lover in your life. Check out all of Shay’s coffee themed jewelry:

Coffee & Cake Earrings $26

A slice of black forest cake and a latte.

Black Coffee Cufflinks $24

The perfect accessory to that black tie coffee event, or to that Peninsula Polyamorous Coffee Social!

Coffee Bean Stud Earrings $15.50

Each coffee bean was hand-sculpted from polymer clay and mounted on surgical stainless steel ear posts. These tiny beans measure 12X8 mm. Like in nature, each bean is unique and features slightly different details.

Coffee Bean Ring (Sold Out)

Contact Shay Aaron to request this sold out item.

The post Holiday Wish List: Shay Aaron’s Quirky Coffee Jewelry appeared first on Sprudge.com.

Sprudge.com co-founder Zachary Carlsen is embedded all week long on the Counter Culture Coffee Fruit Bombs & Fermentation road show. Over the next few days he’ll be in Atlanta and Chicago, but today we join him in Asheville, North Carolina.

It’s a four hour drive to Asheville from Counter Culture headquarters in Durham, North Carolina. The city of Asheville – “Ashvegas” – is a progressive little Smoky Mountain town that’s positively buzzing with coffee professionals (and chockablock with beefy, bearded bears). Around 45 folks came out in force to the Counter Culture Asheville Training Center last Wednesday night, to join us at the Fruit Bombs and Fermentation Cycle Two, a Counter Culture Coffee and La Marzocco roadshow making its stops in CCC Training Centers in Asheville, Atlanta, Dollywood, and Chicago.

Just what is FB&F? It’s a part of Counter Culture Coffee’s Works In Progress tours that bring together coffee lovers of all shapes and sizes for evenings of cupping, education, tastings, prizes, and fun. For Cycle Two (read all our Cycle 1 coverage here!) there are several new coffees on the cupping table, including one that is being tasted for the very first time in the United States: A natural coffee from Burundi, the first of its kind, something so rare that the exporters had to ship the coffee without first dry hulling it.

Chocolate? I love it, but it makes me fat. All the same, they had some delicious nibbles of the stuff on hand at the TC, made by French Broad Chocolates, who were featuring their Tumpis Cooperative 70% dark chocolate, nibs, and cacao. There was also a selection of fine cheeses, grapes, honey crisp apples with creme fraiche, and some special beer to wash it all down. The beer was an exclusive brew crafted especially for the event by the fine folks at Green Man Brewery, a porter made with CCC’s Guatemala Concepcion Huista. Folks were buzzin’ and burpin’ – and the fun hadn’t even started yet!

Burundi coffee in various stages of hullin’ and cookin’.

Experimental coffees on the table included two different drying practices with Aida Battle’s Finca Mauritania, in El Salvador – one sample had been dried on clay patios for a week, while the other had been dried on raised beds for four weeks. The Ethiopia Haru from Yirgacheffe – a sample that had been fermented in tanks under water for forty eight hours and a sample that had been fermented in tanks without water. The fruit bombs on the table were the natural Rwanda Bufcafe from Gikongoro (a first for Rwanda, and something that was introduced during the first cycle of FB&F) and the Buziraguhindwa from Burundi in Kayanza – a sample that had been washed (like all coffees from Burundi) and a sample that had been naturally processed. Like Rwanda, the Burundian government doesn’t even have standards in place to export natural coffees. The samples had been shipped to Counter Culture Coffee unhulled in dried cherry form. The samples had to be hulled in the roastworks.

Katie Carguilo brought her USBC signature drink realness back for cycle two. Carguilo and Asheville CCC rep Scott busted out over forty signature beverages that took top prize last year. Soda Streams were pumpin’, Katie was slangin’ drinks left and right. “The night made me really excited about the coffee community in Asheville,” Katie tells us, “so many baristas and coffee enthusiasts digging on coffee.” When we ask if people liked the sig drink Katie replies, “Everyone loved it.” Work!

Same as in Cycle One, the folks at La Marzocco have kicked in a GS/3 giveaway to the Fruit Bombs cavalcade, and there’s also a handful of prizes being raffled off at each event. 60 raffle tickets were sold at five bucks a pop, all the proceeds going to the YCFCU – the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union. Three lucky tickets were drawn from the gilded caged wind-up roaster and attendees were given prizes like a customized tamper, some Counter Culture Esemeralda Geisha, and coffee subscriptions.

See you at the Boiler Room later!

Notes on Asheville:

* All the kids had these cute bottle covers for their Miller High Lifes. These bottle covers are all the rage here in this rustic mountain hamlet and while I’d never be caught dead with one, after a couple of $5 double fisters I was singing their praises with the rest of ‘em.

* The real action is at Rankin Vault, where their hot dog is the prized pig of the menu and the pan-fried chicken sandwich was passed around and gobbled up with heads tilted back, thanking God for this miracle glazed in cumin, slapping our backs with delicious glee. Someone ordered up a huge plate of sliders for the table and Scott provided an endless baskets of chips and queso. Conversations broke out – half the group debated the merits of Lost while the rest of us made Breaking Bad predictions.

* Everyman Espresso’s Samuel Lewontin has a long lost older brother, and his name is John, and he works at a brand new cocktail bar called MG Road. Served me up a negroni something fierce. Rumor has it the staff at the neighboring candle shop and yarn emporium get tanked here on the regular. Frothy!

* The Southern is where people go after they’ve attempted to knock a parking meter over using a Street Fighter II Chun Li flying air kick (this was unsuccessful, the parking meters aren’t going anywhere in this town). Get the whiskey. Bartenders pour ‘em long. They ain’t shy.

Overheard throughout the evening:

“Butter on anything make ‘em better.”

“If you’re heaping, heap less.”

“Why did the skeleton compete in the barista competition again? Because he had the hindsight to do better.”

“What does hunty mean?”

Places we went for coffee:

Dripolator Coffee Bar served me up a memorable espresso (Toscano) and an easy like Sunday morning cup of batch brewed Counter Culture drip.

Izzy’s Coffee Den is full of heart. It reminded me of San Francisco’s Trouble Coffee. Free condoms near the register, inappropriate stickers adorn the refrigerator.

A sincere and special thanks to the Asheville Counter Culture crew Lindsay, Peaches, and Scott for opening up their training center, throwing a killer party, cleaning it all up, and taking us out and showing us around your rad town. You’re all a bunch of sweethearts. We’ll see you at the Olive or Twist next time around.

The post Fruit Bombs & Fermentation Cycle Two: Ashvegas, Baby appeared first on Sprudge.com.

A few weeks back, Sprudge.com had the distinct pleasure of joining our partners Counter Culture Coffee and La Marzocco on their inaugural “Works In Progress” road show, visiting Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Durham, and points in between. We’re excited to announce that this week we’ll be hopping back in the Cortado Minivan and heading out to the second Fruit Bombs & Fermentation tour. We’ll be reporting from Asheville, Atlanta, and Chicago, and eating as much BBQ as possible along the way.

Everyone’s invited and expect dazzling presentations from CCC green buyer Tim Hill and USBC champion Katie Carguilo (who was recently profiled here in Slate) along with  once-in-a-lifetime cuppings (in the last tour, folks tasted some out of control naturally processed Rwandan coffees) as well as some USBC championship worthy signature drink realness. Carguilo and Hill are a dream team of info, and they’ll be taking all your stupid questions and answering them to the best of their ability.

Tim Hill leads a presentation at Fruit Bombs & Fermentation: Boston

Did we mention someone has a chance of winning a brand new La Marzocco GS/3? In the last tour, a lucky Bostonian named Sam took home a custom Fruit Bombs & Fermentation GS/3 and this time, another one is totes up for grabs again. Buy raffles tickets on site at the events in exchange for coffee/swag. Proceeds will go “to a sustainable project in one of the coffee farms featured in the tour.”

More information from Counter Culture Coffee:

“Tim is doing incredible work with farmers from El Salvador to Burundi that challenges what we know about how processing affects flavor,” observed 2012 USBC champ Katie. “And, I’m psyched to have the chance to present my USBC fermentation-inspired signature drink and take my deepening interest in and knowledge about the fermentation process to the coffee communities served by our training centers.”

Join us! RSVP on Facebook:

• November 14, Asheville Training Center
• November 15, Atlanta Training Center
• November 17, Chicago Training Center

Follow us on Twitter @sprudge hash tag #fruitbombs!

The post Counter Culture’s Fruit Bombs & Fermentation Part Deux appeared first on Sprudge.com.

New York City is buzzing with events this weekend! NYC – where the “C” stand for coffee! There are two really cool coffee events happening on Saturday, November 10th – and to the untrained eye they seem to be clashing – but if you play your cards right you can make it to both and still have enough time for Le Bingo with Linda Simpson at Le Poisson Rouge.

Bloomingdale’s Flagship. 59th and Lex, girl.

Eight words: Bloomingdale’s Breville Latte Art Throwdown, Housewares On Six! Joe Coffee, Breville, and World Barista Champion Michael Phillips have teamed up to share drinks, skills, and the thrills of a latte art challenge. Breville’s Facebook has all the details, including the full schedule:

Join us on Saturday as we host an espresso event with Joe Coffee and Bloomingdale’s. Sign up for a master class with World Barista Champion Michael Phillips, or watch New York City baristas face off in a friendly espresso competition. Feel free to drop by any time during the afternoon to get a hands-on demo, chat with the baristas, and get some coffee.

Sounds great, right? And then, in Brooklyn:

Smith Canteen realness. (Photo via Project Latte)

Carroll Garden’s Smith Canteen will host Katie Carguilo and Oliver Strand for an evening of signature espresso drinks and pairing pastries from their in house pastry chef Stephanie Alexander. Mini pain au chocolat with jasmine infused chocolate? Lemon shaker tart? Yes, please. Canteen says:

Carguilo will be our guest barista from 3 to 5 p.m.  She will be crafting expertly pulled espresso drinks and two specialty drinks of her own creation.

At 5 p.m., Carguilo will sit down with coffee journalist and author Oliver Strand to talk about her championship win, how to make the perfect cup, East Coast versus West Coast coffee and more. The Q&A and reception that follows will be open to the public.

And then! Le Bingo with Linda Simpson! If you’ve never been, this is certifiably the most fabulous bingo night in the world.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

We asked Brooklyn local and United States Barista Champion Katie Carguilo to help us get to all three events via public transportation. Save that cab fare for bingo cards!

12:00PM: Start your day at Bloomingdales. Housewares on six. Grab a drink and talk to World Barista Champion Michael Phillips from Handsome Coffee Roasters. Stick around for the master class (RSVP! Call 212-705-2400) and then watch the barista throwdown.

2:15PM: Walk to Lexington Ave & 63rd St F train station. Take the F to Carroll St. Smith Canteen is just around the corner on Smith Street.

3:00PM: Spend the early evening with me, grab my USBC winning signature drink or this new concoction I’ve been working out – then watch me and Oliver Strand dish.

6:30PM: Hop back on that F to Broadway/Lafeyette, walk five blocks down Bleecker street to Le Poisson Rouge. Get a drink and buy a least four bingo cards. Show starts at 7:30PM!

Any questions?

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It takes around three hours to travel between Philadelphia and DC. It’s takes around four to five hours if you stop for John’s Roast Pork sandwiches, a tiny hole-in-the-wall that is littered with James Beard awards and “Best Sandwich” placards. You might also lose a little extra time if you stop at the gas station for Jalapeno Ranch Blast Ruffles, “real cheese” Toasted Sandwich crackers, and Sour Patch Kids. Oh, and do take an extra half hour to pay your respects to the late Divine at her grave in Towsen, Maryland (don’t forget to “leave makeup, food, and graffiti“).

So all-in-all, it takes around 6  hours to travel between Philadelphia and DC.

IMHO, the Counter Culture Coffee DC Training Center is perhaps the most refined of the bunch, located as it is on the second floor of a beautiful building in the middle of Adams Morgan. The view from the roof is just stunning, and the space itself is just so darn charming. Fermentation & Fruit Bombs continued its tour here in this space, bringing together around 45 DC residents, including newcomer Faith Ortiz, formally of Spruce St. Espresso in Philadelphia.

So how was my evening? Well, Tim Hill busted out his cupping (profiled in Philly here and Boston here), then Katie Carguilo busted out her fermentation presentation (profiled here and here). How was yours?

We threw together a little video of Katie’s signature beverage presentation, which BTW is caps lock DELICIOUS. Check it out:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Stray Observations:

• Julia’s Empanadas are great. But if you’re going to go across the street from the Training Center to the Jack Rose Dining Saloon, it’s best to eat at least ten or fifteen of those empanadas first, especially if you’re going there for an endless whisky/scotch tasting flight. Oy. 
• A cafe called Tryst in Adams Morgan is chockablock with DC power bloggers. Most were sipping a beverage called the Chaipuccino, which is like a frozen dirty chai. It’s absolutely the most perfect hang over treat.
• You absolutely have to check out the new Peregrine Espresso at Union Market, which is like the Ponce City Market, which is like the Chelsea Market, which is like the Ferry Building.
• When I get back home, I’m going to start hanging all of my brewing equipment up like this.

The post Fermentation & Fruit Bombs: Washington, DC appeared first on Sprudge.com.

Sprudge.com co-founder Zachary Carlsen is embedded all week long in the traveling caravan that *is* Counter Culture Coffee’s Fermentation & Fruit Bombs road show.

The Counter Culture Coffee Boston Training center opened its doors for the first stop of the four-city Fermentation & Fruit Bombs tour. We cupped, we slurped, we made friends – it was a great kick-off to the F&FB East Coast tour, currently making its way through Tornadoland en route to Philadelphia.

Counter Culture green buyer Tim Hill will be leading cuppings all week long, so let’s delve in to what’s on our mobile table. I’ll be using a lot of coffee processing terminology in the next few paragraphs, so it’s a good thing I’m in the car with Tim and Co. right now to double-check my notes.

First up to cup: Two washed coffees from Dulce Nombre de Jesus, a farm in Honduras owned by the Caballeros family, whose coffees from Finca El Puente put them on the map. We tried one lot that was mechanically dried and one lot that was dried on raised African beds. Raised African beds are fairly new for the Caballeros, and this year marks their first harvest of full scale production using this drying style.

Next we tried two lots from Aida Battle’s Finca Mauritania, one dried on patios and the other dried on raised beds under shade. Patio drying is traditional in El Salvador, but the raised beds are something new. Aida and her crew have been testing out the raised beds for the last few harvests, but now they’re banging out some truly delicious coffees using this method.

Also on the table, three coffees from Ethiopia, or more specifically, from the Haru region of the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union. The YCFCU incorporates several well-known washing stations, Adado, Idido, Biloya, Aramo, Hafursa, and Worka – if you’ve had an identifiable washed Yirg since the ECX came into place, it’s probably from the YCFCU. The first Haru we tried was processed using a 48 hour underwater fermentation process, which is the norm in this part of Ethiopia – this was the same lot of coffee used by Katie Carguilo in her winning NERBC and USBC performances. The next Haru we tried was processed using what Tim Hill called an “old school Kenyan-esque” fermentation: water is drawn from fermentation tanks, then left to wilder in a big gooey pile of depulped coffee for 2 whole days. The third lot was a natural processed coffee – “sun dried”, as it were, a style that is common in other parts of Ethiopia but totally foreign to the Haru washing station.

In the past, YCFCU coffee was essentially “one lot of coffee” from each washing station. By doing experiments like natural and Kenya-esque processing, it requires the producers to separate lots of coffee, helping create more of a small-lot system. This is most definitely a good thing as far as quality is concerned.

The last coffee on the table was the fruit bomb – a natural processed coffee from Rwanda’s Buf Cafe. Sprudge.com recently visited Rwanda’s famed Buf Cafe alongside Tim Hill and Fair Trade USA, and on that very trip, Tim negotiated the purchase of 50 bags of natural processed coffee with Sam Muhirwa, Buf Cafe’s owner and operations manager. This is the first natural processed coffee Buf Cafe has ever exported. The coffee has mild-citric tones up front, then goes into gummy bear/jammy raspberry territory. “One of the cleaner, lighter naturals I’ve tasted,” Tim told the crowd. “For me, the more I go out and try natural coffees from around the world, the more I realize that the terroir is there. There’s no mistaking a natural from Central America with a natural from Rwanda. There’s no mistaking a Rwandan natural with anything else.”

Our cupping concluded, and our minds suitably blown, it was now time for reigning USBC champ Katie Carguilo to do her thing. Katie gave us a presentation on the genesis of her signature drink, one that featured the very same traditional Haru we’d cupped moments before. “Using coffee as an ingredient in a signature drink is a fun way to tell the story about the coffee,” quoth Miss Carguilo, and then she prepared for us an updated version of the sig drink that helped make her United States Barista Champion: Nectarine and lemon mash (lightly fermented overnight), simple syrup, jasmine green tea, few drops of white vinegar, soda water, and washed Haru espresso. She made over 50 in total!

As the night wound down and we got towards the bottom of a keg of Baby Tree beer, folks in the crowd munched on cheese (blue, stilton, and stinky roquefort), sourdought bread, and delicious kimchi. Close to a hundred raffle tickets were sold for a La Marzocco “Fermentation and Fruit Bombs” edition GS3, before finally the night came to a close, after which the crew cleaned up and we all headed to Bergamot for cocktails and lobster sandwiches. Boston is really super fun, and Somerville is particularly cool and beautiful, so big ups to CCC for putting their Training Center smack dab in the middle of it.

Some assorted travel notes from the road:

• Bagels are a very big deal in Boston, and most high end cafes have them, and they are delicious.
• Are Boston Terriers simply terriers in Boston? In any case, I saw three.
• Boston’s landmark microroaster Barismo celebrated their fourth anniversary yesterday by giving away free shots of espresso. Silas and Tim from Barismo pulled shots all day then came out to the event that night.
• Formaggio Kitchen has ample cheese samples, delicious sandwiches, and an enormous meat case.
• When you’re next in Boston, go drink coffee and eat sandwiches in a bank vault at Bloc 11. Inside the vault, your coffee table is made out of a repurposed bullet proof bank teller window. They carry coffee from Intelli/Stumptown/CCC, and there’s a video art installation in the back, inside yet-another vault.
• When you’re at the CCC Boston Training Center, walk a block to Capone Foods and pick up house made lemon pasta and pesto, a cannoli, some proscuit’, some salam’, and maybe have an espresso made from a 40-year-old home espresso machine in the back. The proprietor’s name is Al Capone and he’s awesome.
• One of the attendees at last evening’s festivities was a Latin Grammy award winner.
• While in Boston, I also had some espresso at Pavement Coffeehouse, and it was delightful. They carry CCC and Four Barrel Coffee out of San Francisco.

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