In the Grinder - Our Daily Coffee Weblog
June 2011 Archives
World Barista Championship 2011, Bogota Colombia
June 8, 2011
This year's 2011 World Barista Championship was held for the first time in a coffee producing country, Colombia. The event was really unique and memorable in my opinion for that reason. 53 competitors from around the world came to Bogota to compete for the title.
The accompanying trade show also was different than others because in addition to the typical trade show booths one would see at coffee fest or SCAA, there were also booths for hand pulpers, chain saws, farm equipment, and growing additives. This was the first time I had ever seen a trade show geared both toward a coffee drinking audience and a coffee producing audience. It was very cool.
Our friends at Sprudge.com and Barista Magazine kept us all up to date on the latest happenings at the WBC both in and behind the scenes. Thank you guys for all of your hard work this weekend!
The attendees ranged from coffee producers like COE Colombia winning farmer Arnulfo Leguizamo to global competitors like Miki Suzuki from Japan to US roasters like the Handsome Coffee guys above.
The atmosphere was electric near the competition area, especially when a barista from a coffee producing country would take the stage. Lena Zea, the Colombian barista champion nearly took the roof off the center when she took the stage. Lena ended up making it to the semi final rounds, but just missed entering the finals by going over time by 14 seconds, resulting in a 14 point deduction. We were told from someone behind the scenes that if she didn't go over, she would have made it into the finals.
Outside of the convention center, we were able to take in a bit of the culture of Bogota by visiting the many churches around our area and also taking the gondola up to the top of Monserate, a famous religious sanctuary that sits high above Bogota. It was a very cool experience once our lungs got adjusted to being at nearly 4000 meters.
The top 6 finalists announced saturday night were:
United States: Pete Licata
United Kingdom: John Gordon
Spain: Javier Garcia
El Salvador: Alejandro Mendez
Japan: Miki Suzuki
Australia: Matt Perger
Sunday these competitors took one final crack at their routines. Everyone looked stellar and I am sure it was a tough call behind the scenes but Alejandro Mendez from Viva Espresso in El Salavador took the #1 spot. It was the first time someone from a coffee producing country has won the title of World Barista Champion, and by being on the floor during the announcement, it was clear that this moment was very special. Tears started flowing around the stadium once Alejandro's name was announced, and his team looked so incredibly proud of him. What a moment.
Alejandro will be accompanying us on our barista origin trip next month in Brazil. Cafe Imports was the official Origin Trip Sponsor for the WBC, a category we helped the SCAA develop for this year's competition cycle. We cannot wait to have him along with us!
So this may be a new age for the WBC. This is the first time all 6 finalists were 1st timers and the first time a coffee producing country wins the crown. This was an experience of a lifetime. Next year 2012 this competition will be held in Vienna Austria, and I can't wait to see who is back to compete.
-Noah
El Salvador Microlots 2011
June 14, 2011
El Salvador coffee moving forward full speed! If it’s not broke do not fix it!
Café Imports is excited to be bringing in good amount of really great El Salvador micro lots this year and proud to have booked many coffees that were also later selected to be COE winners! We had 25 bags of pacamara from La Roxanita farm before it won #1 COE this year. This is a stunning coffee that deserved the 93 points it earned.
When other producers in other countries may have let their quality slip a bit due to the already high prices, top producers in El Salvador did not deviate from their quality protocols and many even had to increase their costs due to security issues from threat of increased coffee theft. What we found this year was our same old friends with consistent top coffees and an abundance of new great coffees. Including new pacamara’s that, if you either love them or hate them, these will redefine what you think a pacamara can taste like.
El Salvador coffee is hitting on all cylinders this year and its forward progress in quality will not be stopped, much like this classic “MAN DIESEL” truck used by Don Ruben Magaña from the El Cashal farm in the Santa Ana region. Great name for an Espresso! Don Ruben has found what works for him and sticks to it, including this ancient truck that looks like it should not work at all but in fact will out haul any new truck with a heavy load of coffee on the seriously steep roads to his farm.
The El Cashal farm is a very special delicious single estate coffee we are happy to carry. He uses a penagos ecological wet pulper and produces about 250 bags per harvest. He has a mix of Caturra, bourbon and some original 80+ year old Arabica trees. His farm is located at 1600 meters in the Santa Ana region inside an extinct volcanic crater that has a distinct micro climate and still has very hot stream vents used by some locals to cook picnic lunches on.
Take a look at what El Salvador micro lots we have coming in and take your pick as all are very good and great as single drip or single origin espressos.
-Tim Obrien
VIDEO: Guatemala Origin Trip 2011
June 24, 2011
Tim and Sally took a group of clients down to Guatemala in February 2011.
This is footage from their trip! To view this video on a mobile device, CLICK HERE
Our Warehouse is Moving...
June 27, 2011
Our Warehouse is Moving...
PLEASE BE ADVISED:
--The last day for shipping orders out of our current location will be Thursday July 28th. Anything received after 1pm on Thursday, July 28th will ship out of the new location on Monday, August 1st. We will be closed for shipping/deliveries on Friday, July 29th all day.
--We will have an 11am cutoff for new orders on that Monday to account for the overflow from the previous week. Tuesday, August 2nd, we will resume the 1pm cutoff for same day shipments.
Beginning August 1st, all pickups will be made at:
600 Hoover Street NE, Suite 100, Minneapolis MN 55413
(Dock Entrance is on Kennedy St NE)
Phone: Raymundo Navarro: 651-808-0209
If you are prepaying for coffee to be picked up, we encourage you to use a credit card or mail in a check, so you will not need to stop by our existing location first to prepay in person, then go to the warehouse to pick up your coffee.
Recap: 2011 CoE Guatemala Origin Trip
June 30, 2011
Attending a Cup of Excellence competition has been on my wish list since my first few months at Café Imports. CoE Guatemala was my chance to learn about CoE from a new perspective, to watch as cuppers get excited about a table full of amazing coffees, and to celebrate the producers who deserve the recognition of a national and international jury.
CoE Guatemala could not have been more perfect. The Anacafe staff worked incredibly hard to organize a week that allowed a dedicated group of international coffee geeks to slurp an array of coffees. We started with 47 samples and narrowed them down to 29 throughout the week. Three calibration sessions on Monday, three more cuppings on Tuesday and Wednesday, four rounds on Thursday, and the exciting top ten on Friday. Definitely a week of great coffees that showed all that Guatemala has to offer!
Somehow between all those cuppings we fit in time for great meals, a visit to Antigua for an afternoon, and a lovely tour of the SERBEN dry mill. Antigua was absolutely beautiful, and we were able to briefly explore the historic city by foot and horse drawn cart. I savored a very tasty cup of lavender raspberry ice cream, visited the most beautiful candy shop I’ve ever seen, and gathered a few keepsakes to take home. The SERBEN dry mill, which will export the CoE lots, was really clean and organized. It had an amazing optical sorter and the tour was incredibly educational. I am confident the CoE lots will be in good hands at SERBEN.
The highlight of the trip for me was the awards ceremony. It was very gratifying to meet the people behind the coffees I cupped all week and to watch as their hard work was recognized by a packed room of coffee lovers. It was truly inspiring to watch the pride on the producers’ faces and to hear the cheers of their family and friends. All in all, the CoE Guatemala competition met and exceeded all of my expectations!
Please note we are holding a public cupping ofCoE Guatemala coffees on Friday, July 1. If you are interested in cupping these coffees or purchasing any of the CoE Guatemala lots during the auction on July 7th, please contact a member of our sales staff.
-Anne Costello
Anne traveled down to judge in the 2011 Cup of Excellence competition in Guatemala. Here is a video of the announcement of the finalists
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