There’s probably no more exciting intellectual event series in the world than TED, a sprawling, world-spanning series of lectures, videos, awards and events anchored by two annual conferences in Scotland and the United States.

TED really needs no introduction, but the acronym stands for “Technology, Entertainment, Design”, to which over the last few years you could accurately add “Coffee” as a fourth component (although TEDC is a less snazzy acronym).

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Peter Giuliano at 2012 TED (Photo credit: Brian W. Jones for Coffee Common)

High-end coffee service at TED was pioneered by our friends and partners at Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea, who first participated in the event back in 2010. This model was expanded by the folks at Coffee Common, who provided service at TED events in 2011 and 2012. For this year’s TED Conference (West Coast edition), the Specialty Coffee Association of America has taken over the reigns, sourcing coffees from top roasters and providing a truly impressive roster of professional baristas from the Barista Guild of America, the SCAA’s guild for coffee workers. For more on this, we turn to Lily Kubota, Communications Specialist at the SCAA:

The baristas selected are Barista Guild of America members that were nominated by our TED Coffee Team and were vetted for their ability to not only make great coffee but have a high level of knowledge and exemplary customer service skills. We are so grateful that these baristas have volunteered their time for this week to share the experience of specialty coffee with the TED community. This will be an amazing opportunity for not just presenting specialty coffee to these world leaders, but also to collaborate with our peers from different communities all around the world.

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The upcoming West Coast TED Conference happens in Long Beach, California and Palm Springs, California from February 25th to March 1st. Its theme is “ The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered.

Here’s a complete list of all the baristas who will be serving speakers, attendees, visiting dignitaries, former Presidents of the United States, and who knows who else at TED, brewing coffees in a variety of methods, including espresso service on gear provided by La Marzocco USA. These baristas have volunteered their time away from work and home to be a part of this experience, including transportation to and from the event. It’s a huge commitment, and they should all be recognized – so here they are, your 2013 TED baristas!

Photo credit: Brian W. Jones, for Coffee Common
Photo credit: Brian W. Jones for Coffee Common

Palm Springs:

Alex Negranza, Milstead & Co (Seattle)
Camila Ramos, Panther Coffee (Miami)
Dave Bueherer, Greenway Cofeee (Houston)
Greg Lefcourt, Ozo Coffee (Boulder)
Joe Marrocco, Cafe Imports (Minneapolis)
Miki Suzuki, Maruyama Coffee (Nagano)
Sarah Dooley, La Marzocco USA (Seattle)
Sara Ziniewicz, American Barista and Coffee School (Portland)

Long Beach:

Alexandra Littlejohn, Verve Coffee Roasters (Los Angeles / Santa Cruz)
Anna Green, Filter Coffeehouse (Washington DC)
Candice Madison, Independent (London)
Christopher Schooley, SCAA/Coffee Shrub (Denver)
Cody Kinart, Alterra Coffee Roasters (Milwaukee)
Cole McBride, Visions Espresso (Seattle)
Cora Lambert, Box Kite Coffee (NYC)
Eden Abramowicz, Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea (Los Angeles)
Heather Perry, Klatch Coffee (SoCal)
James Hanna, French Press (Santa Barbara)
Jared Linzmeier, Caffe Ladroย  (Seattle)
Jaymie Lao, Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea (Los Angeles)
Julie Housh, World Coffee Events
Katie Carguilo, Counter Culture Coffee (NYC)
Laila Ghambari, Caffe Ladro (Seattle)
Liz Bishop, Just Us Coffee (Halifax)
Michael Callahan, Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea (Los Angeles)
Miguel Vicuna, Metropolis Coffee (Chicago)
Miranda Johnson, Madcap Coffee Company (Grand Rapids)
Peter Giuliano, Specialty Coffee Association of America (Long Beach)
Richard Sandlin, Fair Trade USA (Oakland)
Ryan Wilbur, La Marzocco USA (Seattle)
Sam Lewontin, Everyman Espresso (NYC)
Sterling Houghton, Candle Light Bakery (Orange County)
Talya Strader, Bowtruss Coffee (Chicago)
Tamara Vigil, Irving Farm Coffee Roasters (NYC)
Teresa Von Fuchs, Irving Farm Coffee Roasters (NYC)
Travis Beckett, Peregrine Espresso (Washington DC)
Trevor Corlett, MADCAP Coffee Company (Washington DC)
Tyler Madden, Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea (Los Angeles)

Stay tuned as we compile dispatches, Instagrams, Twitter chatter, and late-night text messages!

Photos throughout this piece were taken by Brian W. Jones and lifted from the Coffee Common Flickr photostream, which is stunning.

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