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OK, just for the record, this post was done from my iPad. First time, and I must say it was a bit frustrating. Not at all as easy as my computer. It worked, but it took an hour, compared to, well... you know how long it should have taken. The jury is still out as to whether this nifty item will replace my laptop when traveling....
It is my second day in London, and after a pretty decent night's sleep, I am feeling quite rested. Even got up early to volunteer at the WBC bar, busing and washing dishes - what do they say about men with dish pan hands? As usual it is great to reconnect with the ever growing coffee community that I find myself apart of.
Today was fun as I had the opportunity to introduce my family to a number of people that, up until now they have only heard about. A truly fun event that was debuted this year was the aeropress championship. It was a fun and low key event which was very well received by the specialty coffee community. Another thing which was a pleasant surprise for me was the number of outlier countries making it into the final 12 in the WBC. Included in this group are Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, and Greece (congrats to Yannis and the crew at Taf Coffee).
Joining this excited group are some of the usual countries which typically rise to the top; including Canada, the US, Ireland, Australia, Denmark and Germany. It's tough to see those who don't make it, as so much work and effort are expended on the journey to the WBC. Perhaps all of the Americas in the top 12 are a foreshadow of what could happen in Bogota next year. Exciting that the WBC is moving to a coffee producing country next year.
As always, these events are mostly about people, both in terms of old friends and new. Today for example, a fellow - Greg Costello who owns Workhouse Coffee in Reading, came up and introduced himself to me. While we didn't get a lot of time to chat, it was very nice to meet him. Turns out that he watches our video podcasts and just wanted to say hi. This is the very real and meaningful part of small world of specialty coffee that I truly enjoy.
Take for example the conversation that I had with Peter Giuliano - current SCAA President - which happened while washing dishes for the WBC bar. We got chatting about the recent SCAA Symposium, and some of the comments that were provided as feedback on this event. Namely, the disconnect that many felt who attended, and specifically when it came to the panel discussion on single serve trends which blended the CEO of Starbucks, Green Mountain's K Cup and James Hoffman. I too have publicly voiced my confusion over that session. Regardless of that, we started to chat about the potential need for a second category of specialty coffee, perhaps an 85+ category. I indicated to him that there seems to be a growing divide in the specialty coffee industry which is too large to encompass all of the players in the current model. It is opportunities like these which come along as you wash dishes with folk who are ultimately committed to growing the profile of specialty coffee in the global market place.
All in all, I must confess my enjoyment in attending these events. Tomorrow, among other things, I need to track down the folk at Giesen to see if they might be able to crank out a Probat G45 for us in short order. On that side note, if anyone out there in the inter lands knows of someone selling a G45 at a reasonable rate, please let us know. OK, for now, this is Poul signing out. Check back later as Mr. Hasbean coffee and I have chatted about doing a joint Transcend and In My Mug video.
