El Salvador COE and 2009 Prairie Regional Barista Championship

A couple of quick announcements.  This year's Prairies Regional Barista Championship will be held in Calgary at the House of Fratello (same venue as last year), on the weekend of September 12th.  We will be looking for quality sponsors, judges and competitors to make this one of the best barista competitions in Canada yet.  Stay tuned to the ongoing updates at www.2009prbc.com.

On another note, I am on my way, back to El Salvador at the end of April to participate in the Cup of Excellence Jury for 2009.  It is an honour to be asked and I will be joining some legends in the world of specialty coffee, so I look forward to learning and growing in my understanding and ability to cup some of the best coffees in the world.  On the El Salvador note, they just had an election, and voted in a leftist government, so some big changes are on the way in that nation.  I just heard back from Luis who works for the Consejo in El Salvador, who remains hopeful for the specialty coffee market and industry in El Salvador.  I will learn more first hand as we spend a week tasting the best that El Salvador has to offer.