Congrats to Kyle Straw (winner), Spencer and Derek on their performances at the Western Regional Barista Championship. We look forward to seeing all three at Nationals in October. Congrats also to Reg Barber and all the other folk out in Victoria for putting on an amazing competition, as reported directly from Logan Gray of Discovery Coffee over the phone.

For those of you who will be in Calgary in two weeks, make sure to drop by and take in the Prairies Regional Barista Championship which wil be hosted by Fratello Coffee.

If you're interested in coffee at a competitive level, or if you're just a fan of Transcend, you'll want to follow what's going on at the PRBC. And if you happen to live near Calgary, or are looking for a good excuse for a road trip, by all means come out to Fratello Coffee Roasters on Saturday September 12 and be part of the geeky coffee goodness.

Today we finalized and are in the process of uploading our fifth episode of the transcend coffee video blog.  In all honesty, I sometimes wonder why we are doing these videos, as I assess them in a very self-conscious manner.  The focus is on providing interested viewers with more information about the world of specialty coffee.  Yet as we record them, I have this lingering feeling that I will look back on these in five years and cringe with embarrassment.  Nonetheless, we will continue with them, and all the while, as I second guess my delivery and the veracity of the information provided, I will trust that those who watch actually find some benefit from them.

Yesterday we announced officially that Transcend will be opening a second coffee bar in Edmonton, sometime in January (2010) hopefully - schedule and construction permitting.  The location is prime, and is a part of a historical redevelopment of a building in Edmonton, which is a landmark in the city.  It is close to the university and on a busy road through the center of Edmonton.  At the end of the day, we are really excited about being part of such a historic building project in the city, as Edmonton, is very short on history and character in terms of its remaining buildings.  Now you know what my next year is going to be consumed with.  Tonight we were featured in a small bit on CBC Edmonton, dealing with the preservation of the Garneau community.  On a side note, I can't believe how archaic the CBC's technology is, as it took me an hour to show my family the bit online, and that was after dealing with the loss of live streaming over 25 times, in addition to being required to download a Microsoft media player; seriously, it is time for CBC to get with the times in terms of web technology.

On a lighter note, I have serious travel envy as both Josh and Mel are working their way through Europe right now.  Why is it that my staff all get 3 and 4 week holidays in Europe, and I get to spend 3 days on a house boat on the Shuswap?  Josh will be in London next week hanging with the good folk at Square Mile Coffee Roasters, which is another reason for me to be jealous.  I trust that they are both having a grande time, and we look forward to their return.

Needless to say, we're all ecstatic. Here's the official news release:

Transcend Coffee to Open New Coffee Bar
in Garneau Theatre Building

Edmonton, AB – Tuesday, August 18, 2009 – Transcend Coffee Corp.—an Edmonton based coffee importer, roaster, retailer, wholesaler and educator—today announced plans to open a new coffee bar in the historic Garneau Theatre building, slated to open in January 2010.

“We’re delighted to have secured space for our second coffee bar in such a historic location,” says Poul Mark, owner and founder of Transcend Coffee, “the Garneau Theatre is an important Edmonton landmark and we’re honored to be a part of the next phase of the building’s life.” The new coffee bar will occupy the former Pharo’s Pizza space, which closed in June. Before Pharoh’s, the space was home to two different coffee bars, Joan’s Coffee Bar—the original tenant—followed by the Garneau Theatre Coffee Shop. “We’re happy to continue the tradition of serving coffee in the Garneau Theatre Block,” says Mark. The Garneau Theatre is currently undergoing structural upgrades and will be restored to more closely resemble its appearance when it opened in 1940. The building’s owner and developer, John Day, has applied to have the building designated as a historic resource when upgrades are complete.

Planned to open in late January, 2010, Transcend Coffee’s new coffee bar will faithfully reproduce the coffee experience that has made the Edmonton company a success. The focus will be squarely on the coffee: exceptional espresso drinks that highlight the natural sweetness and complexity of the coffee, instead of artificial syrups and  flavourings; and unparalleled fresh-roasted single-origin coffee, brewed one cup at a time. All coffee served at Transcend Garneau will be artisan roasted and professionally cupped (evaluated for quality) at Transcend’s original roastery & coffee bar location in Edmonton at 99 street and 62 avenue. Baked goods, desserts and and other light fare such as panini sandwiches will also be offered.

The new coffee bar will provide greatly expanded access and exposure to truly fresh roasted, high quality coffee—something to which Transcend is fanatically dedicated, and something that’s currently very limited in the Edmonton market. It’s a small, but growing trend in the world of specialty coffee, coined as the ‘third wave’ of coffee. The first wave is described as the industrialization and wide distribution of coffee, the second wave being the introduction of espresso to North America and the Starbucks phenomenon. Third wave coffee involves a strict dedication to sourcing high-quality green coffee, developing fair- and direct-trade relationships with coffee producers—something that Transcend founder Poul Mark is doing more and more of as he travels to coffee producing countries—carefully roasting each coffee differently to bring out its unique characteristics, and preparing coffee with best tools, method, and care. Transcend considers itself part of this movement and hopes to act as a leader in bringing greater awareness, understanding and appreciation for high quality coffee to Canadians. Transcend’s new coffee bar in the Garneau Theatre building is an important step on that journey.

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Poul Mark is available for interviews concerning the new Garneau coffee bar as well as coffee importing, roasting, fair and direct-trade coffee, and the new wave of specialty coffee.

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