CoffeeFest 2007

Been back a few days from Seattle where Emily (my wife) and I and two of our baristas caught the last day of Coffee Fest. One of the largest coffee trade shows every year, CF is attended by thousands of coffee junkies and business folk alike. We started the day by watching Billy Wilson of Albina Press in Portland compete in the final round of the Northwest Regional Barista Championship, a performance that would earn him the title for the second year in a row. After the doors opened we headed right for the Visions Espresso booth to introduce our baristas to my former employer. It was great to see Dawn and chat with Klif, Christy, and Celeste. The booth looked great with a brand spankin new LM GS3 and a GB5 hot so I had to tinker for a bit. (Celeste roasted for Hines Public Market for a long while before the Vashon Coffee gig.) After that Emily and i set out to see if there was any espresso that could match the Artisano we’ve been devouring from Vashon.

We made a few stops to see some familiar faces and eventually dropped by Zoka for a taste, then to 49th Parrallel for a delicious double. Right next door we tasted some of the best milk alternative made from hemp of all things! Should be getting a sample from them soon. After that we dropped by the Batdorf & Bronson booth for a shot of their outstanding Omar’s organic blend. (I don’t think there is a blend out there with quite as much fruit and berry sweetness! Like Candy!!) From there we cruised over to the Espresso Parts booth where I finally obtained that Espresso Craft tamper I’ve wanted since SCAA 2005! After that we eventually made it all the way through the show floor – and were sufficiently stimulated for the long journey back home. (Not of course without a stop at Racha Thai cuisine on Queen Anne.) I don’t know if you need to know this but a two and a half hour car ride after consuming multiple straight shots of espresso is not a two and a half hour car ride.

Prairie Flyer!!

One of the best regional bluegrass acts stopped on their way through to play a one night engagement at the shop. Check out the clip for something a little different. Prairie Flyer features Jim Faddis on lead vox and guitar, Andre Vachon on mando/dobro and vox, Jason Stewart on banjo and vox, Dave Hackwith on bass, and Steve Blanchard on guitar.

We all had a hootin good time with our first bluegrass act. The entire night was recorded but this was the only tune that I have video for (from my Canon digital camera no less!) We look forward to having them back when they are in our neck of the woods!

Public Cupping, Where’s The Public?

This is a shot of the immaculate set-up for our very first public coffee cupping. Origins cupped included East Timor, Ethiopians Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Harrar, Costa Rica (home-roasted by mi Mama), Brazil, and others. The only problem with this fine and dandy public cupping is that there was no public who chose to participate! The event was part of a line-up of events for the downtown Cancer Awareness weekend ( which the public was unfortunately unaware of). It worked out that no one but my Mother, our baristi, and I took tastes of the glorious grounds because since it was the first time that I had ever prepared a cupping, we all had to wait a while for everything to be ready. Next time perhaps we’ll have better attendance and some other folks will have an extra-caffeinated late morning!