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I am flying back to Edmonton, after a week of hanging in Atlanta. The trip started with the SCAA first (annual?) Symposium, which was a great event in my opinion. The conversations were serious, and the topics were of significance to both me and most other attendees. For me, one of the highlights (among many) was the lectures by Dr. Acree on human sensory abilities. As any of you who know me already know, I am a bit taken with my tongue. Dr. Acree helped me understand in even greater detail the science (neurology and biology) going on in my mouth and brain.
Then there was the talk on Rwanda, and the amazing research that is ongoing in that country by SPREAD and Tim Schilling and those who participate with that program. I learned an amazing amount about the wet-hulling processing method in Sumatra, from Tony Marsh, which helped to elucidate for me the dynamics going on in terms of quality and flavours. All the while that I was learning and growing, I was also meeting a ton of new and amazing people who graciously allowed me to throw questions and comments at them. I was also fortunate to have had the opportunity to re-connect with some great friends in my growing coffee world, The Peterson's, the crew form Exclusive Coffee, Ryan and Eileen from Ritual, the Elysian boys, Brewed Behavior, Square Mile Coffee Roasters, and so many many more. One of my favorite things about doing coffee traveling, is meeting and reconnecting with all of the amazing folks involved in the world of Specialty Coffee. On the meeting side of things, it was great to finally meet Edwin Martinez from Finca Vista Hermosa, Kayd Neill, Leah Warren, Doug Zell, Steven Leighton, and so many other folks, that the list would go on and on.
After the Symposium, the SCAA show started, and the World Barista Championship got under way. The competition and performance of the baristas during the WBC was awe inspiring. Another fun aspect was that Chad and Josh got to rock the WBC bar on Saturday showcasing the Daterra Blend espresso that we crafted especially for the event. We all three also gave a go at Cup Tasting, as the first ever Canadian Cup Tasting Championship was thrown together in an ad hoc fashion. We all had a blast doing the cup tasting, which is huge event in Europe, and now a growing event in North America. I surprising did fairly well with that event, and actually missed being the first Canadian champion by 22 seconds (congrats to Barrett Jones from 49th on winning).
Finally the WBC Championship yesterday was an amazing experience, and I won’t go into great detail, as I blogged about this last night. Today, before jumping on another airplane, we were treated to a bus ride and a subsequent lake ride by Elan Organic Coffees. Kayd Neill was our gracious host and we toured around a lake in Reynolds Atlanta and ate great food, drank a little wine and connected with more amazing people.
All in all it was a crazy busy trip, and I am both exhausted and over-stimulated. It was all so much to process at one time, and in truth, it will take me months to get it all sorted out in my head. We come home with a new sample roaster on the way, designed by Marty Curtis, and a much better understanding of competition and coffee. I am looking forward to seeing my family, and soaking them up for a couple of days before I jump back on a plane and head to El Salvador on Saturday to participate in the Cup of Excellence Jury. Some days I have to pinch myself to make sure this new world of coffee isn’t just some wild dream.
4 comments
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By
Poul Mark
|
Saturday, April 25, 2009 10:08 PM
Ian, thanks for all your hard work at the WBC, it is great to have you representing Canada along with Mike, now we just need to get you guys to share your experience with a bunch more of us Canucks.
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By Poul |
Friday, April 24, 2009 04:13 PM
Jody, you should talk to Josh as he pulled shots on the Slayer for over 90 minutes on day, with our WBC espresso. There was a cool new French press grinder out of Denmark called the Melykke. And of course the Uber Boiler. Both units are pricey.
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By Ian Clark |
Friday, April 24, 2009 07:43 AM
Hey Poul,
Thanks for the great blog! It's inspiring to see you folks at Transcend so active and successful. Great Canadian representation in the industry!
Did you recall what you wanted to ask me about in Atlanta?
Ian
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By Jody Carlson |
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:54 AM
Did you guys get a chance to taste some shots from the slayer, if so what did you think? What was the most amazing espresso you tried there,anything worthy of a "God Shot" title. Were there any other new machines or coffee gadgets of interest? Sounds like it was an excellent event.
Jody
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