Not your Dad's coffee

Your cup of caffeine carries a tonier pedigree these days. Never before have there been more choices for the picky.

By KIM ODE, Star Tribune

The conversations seem out of place. People talk about floral notes, about hints of blueberry and juniper, about finishes and single origins. They're talking about fermentation and terroir. It's as if a wine tasting went awry and sent the tipsy wandering into the wrong convention.

But no, the conversations are decidedly, soberly -- boy, are they sober -- about coffee.

When the Specialty Coffee Association of America's international convention met in Minneapolis this month, more than 7,000 growers, roasters, exporters, baristas and coffeehouse owners from 40 countries were talking big business. Global consumption of coffee is approaching 120 million bags annually -- bags that weigh 132 pounds, more than 5 billion pounds of beans.

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SCAA Awards Innovative Sustainability Projects

SCAA Awards Innovative Sustainability Projects in the Specialty Coffee Industry

The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), the world s largest coffee trade association, today announced the international recipients of its annual Sustainability Award.

This award honors individuals, businesses and organizations in the specialty coffee industry that have created innovative projects to expand and promote sustainability.
This year s winners represent organizations from Brazil, Honduras, The Netherlands and Nicaragua.

The 2008 Sustainability Award winners will be recognized before thousands of coffee professionals at SCAA s 20th Annual Conference & Exhibition on May 3 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

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First Mountain Regional Barista Competition

Jon Lewis delivers peak performance at SCAA's First Mountain Regional Barista Competition

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Barista Earns Title as Region’s Best Barista, but Runner-Up Nolan Dutton will Compete in 2008 United States Barista Championship

Jon Lewis from Long Story Short Coffee dazzled judges on his way to an award-winning performance at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) Mountain Regional Barista Competition (MRBC) – hosted by Allegro Coffee Company – last Sunday in the Denver suburb of Thornton, Colo. In a hotly contested event, the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho barista outperformed 26 of the top baristas from throughout Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming to earn the title of the region’s best barista.

However, while he qualifies for the 2008 United States Barista Championship (USBC), May 2-5 in Minneapolis, Lewis will forgo entering the event because of the impending birth of his child around that same time. Instead, event runner-up, Nolan Dutton – of Conscious Coffees in nearby Boulder, Colo. – will enter the nation’s premier barista competition, which coincides with SCAA’s 20th Annual & Exhibition. Dutton’s USBC travel and lodging expenses will be covered by event host, Allegro Coffee Company. Heidi Bickelhaudt from nearby Trident Café in Boulder was the MRBC’s third-place finisher.


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