Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Barista of the Year!!!


So this year it was Guatemala's turn!!! Raul Rodas, known as "El Tigre" is the new 2012 World Barista Champion!! Congratulations to this young lad who proved himself in Vienna, Austria, in a very tough competition. Raul is the second competitor from a producing country to win the World Barista Championship, making his victory the second consecutive such win, following Alejandro Mendez’ title in 2011.

Mr. Rodas competed with pulp natural processed coffee from where else – Guatemala – hailing from Finca Soledad, in the Acatenango region, a farm I had the opportunity to visit earlier this year. Coffee was experimentally dry fermented for 14 hours, then dried for 15 days on raised African-style processing beds.

Read the full article here.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Single Origin Cocoa?

Single Origin Cocoa? I came across a great article in the March issue of Fresh Cup magazine. It talked about how important it is becoming for coffee shops to also know where their chocolate is from. Customers are increasingly interested in knowing more about chocolate, and what better place to tell them about it than their favorite specialty coffee shop. I discovered a little of this growing trend on my visit to Jamaica, where some of the finest cocoa in the Caribbean is grown.

Small coffee farmers in Brazil

On a recent trip to Brazil, I met some amazing small coffee farmers. There appears to be a growing trend to source coffee from small producer associations, who can provide quality coffee for the specialty market. Many of these have amazing farms like the one I visited in Southern Minas Gerais. Look out for these origins. Check with importers and coffee roasters and ask if they carry coffee from Brazilian small coffee farmers.