The 2023 SCA Expo was an utter bacchanal of coffee culture, new brewing tech, hot coffee gear, incredible experiences, and unforgettable memories. It was our pleasure to attempt to capture it all across three days, working with an incredible team of reporters at both the Expo show floor and at the 2023 US Coffee Championships.
Sprudge’s official Instagram served as a roving eye throughout the weekend, and today we thought we’d take a quick look back at some of our favorite moments captured by the team. We’ve created an Instagram Highlight at @sprudge to archive this coverage—go ahead and give us a follow so you never miss a story.
Here are a few of our favorite moments from Sprudge’s social media at the SCA Expo!
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As an exclusive feature for the 2023 SCA Expo, we collaborated with our partners at La Marzocco for a limited edition Sprudge Special Projects newsprint magazine. Sprawling across a dozen pages, this work featured original journalism from Juliana Ganan, Mike Ferguson, Jordan Michelman, Daniel Muraga, Shariar Muraga, and more. It was a thrill to see so many folks reading and enjoying the magazine at Expo, exclusive to the always-busy La Marzocco immersive multi-booth lounge experience.
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We’re always looking for something *different* at Expo, and the team at Onyx Coffee Lab delivered in the form of a unique crane game at the Roasters Village. Between crane game prizes (including t-shirts and brewing gear) and the chance to drink coffee made by storied US Barista Champion Andrea Allen, the Onyx booth sported an impressive line all weekend.
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A staff consensus highlight of the weekend actually comes form the world of tea. Cuzen Matcha of Japan made its SCA debut, displaying a unique matcha machine capable of milling fresh tencha on demand, then auto-whisking it into delicious ready to drink matcha. Both a single-group home unit and two-group commercial unit were on display at the show.
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Speaking of new tech, the buzz around xBloom continues to grow. We tinkered with this particular machine on the most recent episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, and saw it showing out on the Expo floor.
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Hemro Group made a huge impression with its unique live painting of a Mahlkönig EK43 (by artist @softvelvetboy) and complimentary “coffee motif” tattoos (from artist @breenapasawan). Now your memories of Expo can live in your heart forever, or at least on your forearm.
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The La Marzocco booth offered an immersive experience, transporting Expo attendees to the La Marzocco’s Officine Fratelli Bambi in Florence by way of wall-mounted viewfinders. There was also the opportunity to check out machines produced at OFB, as well as a limited edition Linea Mini “Nordic” and much more.
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The US Barista Championship offered riveting competition all weekend long, which we covered in a series of Live Blog features (Semi-Finals and Finals) with words by Zac Cadwalader and photos by Liz Chai.
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Ultimately, Archetype Coffee of Omaha’s Isaiah Sheese earned top honors at the 2023 US Barista Championship. You can check out a complete rundown of US Coffee Championships winners right here.
Something special happens at Expo, where world-class coffee talent gathers, and you get to absorb their knowledge and passion—and also drink their delicious coffee. Where else can one enjoy a cortado made with Pacific Barista Series soy by Onyx Coffee Lab’s Andrea Allen…
…then sip a perfect latte from Deadstock Coffee founder Ian Williams? It’s back-to-back moments like these that will stick with us for years to come; perhaps not as long as a permanent coffee tattoo, but you get the picture.
Expect much more coverage from SCA Expo on Sprudge in the days and weeks to come, and a huge thank you to everyone on this year’s team, including Seiji Nanbu, Gio Fillari, Zac Cadwalader, Robyn Brems, Jenn Chen, and Liz Chai.
Follow @Sprudge on Instagram for much more coverage.
