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MOVEMBER WRAP UP EVENT @ TRANSCEND COFFEE

Consider this your formal invitation to drop by the shop on Monday evening at 7pm to help us celebrate the end of Movember. Personally I am looking forward to having this caterpillar off my upper lip.  While it's not a huge sacrifice to grow facial hair for one month, it is something I do not enjoy.  So come cheer me on, as I and perhaps some of the rest of team Transcend shave off our Mo's and bring a few bucks to finish off our month of fundraising.  There will be beverages, cheese, etc., and if you need to grab a pound of coffee you can do that too.

I have been down in Arkansas for the week.  It even sounds a bit strange rolling off of my tongue, and honestly, I was very skeptical coming down here.  At the recent Roaster's Guild, Chad bought a certificate for Q School in a silent auction, redeemable at Just Cup Coffee Academy.  If it wasn't for that, I never would have considered taking on the expense and time, especially right before taking possession of our new cafe space.  Nevertheless, we booked flights and made arrangements to come down to the area of Rosebud, Arkansas to take on the certification process.  Marty Curtis and Tracy Allen run the Q School in Rosebud, where there is a certified SCAA cupping lab.  Tracy warned me prior to coming that the course was very difficult, and truth be told, I was fretting about coming all the way down here only to fail and head home empty handed.  Thankfully, my experience has not panned out according to my expectations in any way.  The course has been very difficult, but has been very useful, instructional and has made me a far more knowledgeable and competent cupper (we still have one day of instruction left).  Marty and Tracy along with their expert roaster Stephen (Hollywood) run a professional and top notch outfit.

I can't say it enough or loud enough, this course is very useful, and forces you to take serious the task of cupping and it hones your skills in identifying the flavours and aromas that are so prevalent in our industry.  Further to that, it also reinforces some very basic and essential knowledge in your brain, so it becomes second nature.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my time down here this week.  Too be completely honest, Arkansas is a bit of an adjustment, as the county is dry for the most part and good food is hard to come by.  But thankfully we found a delightful little Inn in Heber Springs (Anderson House) owned by a talented chef from New Jersey named Ira.  Not only does he have a licensed facility, he knows how to cook.  If you have ever doubted the value of Q School, like I did, allow me to sway your uneducated opinion.  The $1200 dollar admission fee is a bargain for the amount of learning you do while at the Just Cup Coffee Academy.  Oh and last but not least, Marty, Tracy and Stephen are all good people!

Poul and Josh taste and discuss the San José El Yalu, an exceptional coffee from the Sumpango region of Guatemala.

Well I gave up on the Baltimore vs Cleveland game, as the Browns just couldn't mount any sort of offence.  It's an hour later in Arkansas, so it is getting into the later part of the evening, where I could possibly start to consider hitting the bed.  The first day of Q School went well.  We got 2 out of 22 exams under our belts, with everyone passing the first two.  It is a small class of four, myself, Chad, Amy and Andrew from Australia.  We have Marty Curtis and Tracy Allen's undivided attention, so it should be a good week.  I am hopeful that after this week, Canada will have two more certified Q Graders to its name, as it currently is a bit anemic with only one, Aaron DeLazzer.  By the end of the week, we should all be a bit better at cupping and understanding the fundamentals of both origin characteristics and defects.  I have to say, that Arkansas is a bit of an adjustment from the little big city life of Edmonton.  Very rural and small town here for sure.  The county in which we are in, is actually a dry county, so you can't get a beer or glass of wine anywhere.  Alas, I am here for coffee, and to learn more about the fine beverage we all love and enjoy.  I will post some pics tomorrow, not that they will be reviting.

The mos are coming in. Some more quickly than others. The Transcend Mo Bros have been trying out different shapes and styles. There is likely a lot Mo experiMOnting to go. OK. I swear there will be no Mo puns in this post.

The money is slowly coming in as well. At the time of writing team Transcend has raised $775, not including cash raised in store from the sale of Chad's amazing cupstashcakes ($5 each, get them before they're gone!).



So, $775 is an OK start. But we're hoping to do much more. Please donate if you can. Every little bit helps. Remember that all donations go to Prostate Canada.

Donate to Team Transcend's Movember page.

In episode 11 of the Transcend Coffee Video Podcast, Poul Mark talks about Cafetín, a small coffee farm in Costa Rica operated by Tim O'Brien. Poul shares some footage and stories from his trip to Costa Rica in the spring of 2009 and talks about the passion and dedication that Tim and his neighbors have for growing exceptional coffee.

Yes, it's that time of year. When the hairs upon the lips of men across the country need not fear the sting of razors, but can rather grow freely, creating moustachios of every kind from the handsome, to the manly, to the endearing, to the astonishing, and to the just plain creepy.

It is indeed, Movember.