After the difficult second album ‘Sweet as Syrup’, prog-rock legend, coffee raconteur and maestro of all things flavoursome; Sweetbird, is taking to the road to allow his many adoring fans the chance to sample why the little bird from across the pond is such big news.The ‘Born to be Sweet’ tour has already played out to a packed crowd at the Southwest Food Service Expo (Dallas, Texas June 2009) and the next leg of the tour looks to build upon the growing popularity of Sweetbird and his range of free from artificial colors, flavors and preservatives smoothies, syrups and sauces.Tour roadie and Sweetbird spokesperson Amber Boulton commented “We are all excited by the prospect to bringing the Sweetbird experience to venues across the world over the next few months. We are making sure that the world knows about the great range of syrups, smoothies and sauces that are in the Sweetbird range all of which are free from artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and genetically modified ingredients as well as being approved for vegan and vegetarian diets.”The Sweetbird range was launched back in 2006 and has steadily grown to become the must have choice for the stylish barista and coffee shop owner looking to offer their customers an alternative to those products that are artificial and synthetic.The full range of over 50 Sweetbird products will be supported on this tour by the Zuma range of hot chocolates, frappe mixes and chia powders; all of which are approved by the Vegetarian Society UK and are free from artificial colours, flavours, preservatives and genetically modified ingredients. The Zuma range has recently won gold at the world renowned Great Taste Awards beating 3850 other products to win gold.The Sweetbird world tour is as follows:Seattle Coffee Fest - Seattle, Washington- 25th to 27th September 2009SCAA Show 2010 - Anaheim, California- 15th to 18th April 2010NRA Show 2010 - Chicago, Illinois- 22th to 25th May 2010World Barista Championships @ Caffé Culture – London, United Kingdom – 23rd to 25th June 2010NACUFS - San Jose, California - 7th to 10th July 2010Those looking for more information on the Sweetbird range of products should visit www.heysweetbird.com or telephone 866-575-6901 or email info@heysweetbird.com. For more information on Zuma please contact Performance Restaurant Source on 866-575-6901 or email info@heysweetbird.com
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Posted by Mark Overbay on February 27, 2008 at 7:30am
Counter Culture Coffee cordially invites the barista exchange community to join reigning United Kingdom and World Barista Champion James Hoffmann for his 2008 U.S. East Coast Tour, March 2-15!The 8-stop tour will include coffee presentations, skill demonstrations, barista workshops, and more at Counter Culture regional training centers and other locations listed below. Hope to see many of you at the events!www.counterculturecoffee.com/jameshoffmannRegional event details:March 2Ninth Street Espresso - Chelsea MarketNew York, NY3:00 p.m.Live Barista Performance and MixerNinth Street EspressoChelsea MarketMarch 4Hyde Park, NY (Culinary Institute of America)10 - 11:30 a.m.Signature Drink PresentationDanny Kaye Theater2 - 3:30 p.m.Signature Drink PresentationDanny Kaye TheaterMarch 6Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Barista Jam10am - 12pmEspresso Extraction PresentationMarch 7Washington, DC10-11:30amCoffee Cupping7 - 9:30pmFood Pairing PresentationDC Regional Training Center1836 Columbia Road NWSuite 202Washington, DC 20009March 9Durham, NC2 - 5pmThree-Part Presentation:1) James' personal history in coffee2) Single origin espresso tasting3) Preparing for barista competitionsDurham HQ and Regional Training Center4911 South Alston AvenueDurham, NC 27713March 11Asheville, NC7 - 9pmBarista Comp. & Classic Drinks PresentationAsheville Regional Training Center77 Broadway StreetAsheville, NC 28801March 12Charlotte, NC7 - 9pmBarista Competition & Signature Drink PresentationCharlotte Regional Training Center1435 West Morehead StreetCharlotte, NC 28208March 14Atlanta, GA10 - 11:30 amCoffee CuppingAtlanta Regional Training CenterKing Plow Arts Center887 West Marietta Street NWSuite m210Atlanta, GA 303181 - 3:30 pmBarista Competition PresentationAtlanta Regional Training Center8pmParty at Octane!March 15Atlanta, GA2 - 5pmThree-Part Presentation:1) James' personal history in coffee2) Single origin espresso tasting3) Preparing for barista competitionsAtlanta Regional Training Center
James Hoffmann Biography:James Hoffmann started working as a barista back in 2003. He started working for the espresso machine manufacturer Gaggia, and quickly progressed into a training role. From there in 2005 he moved to another espresso machine company - La Spaziale to work as their national training manager. He also began competing in barista competitions that year and in 2006 won the UK Barista Championship and placed 5th in the World Barista Championship in Berne. He competed again in 2007, winning the UK again and this time went on to win in Tokyo, Japan and became the World Barista Champion. In May 2007 James left La Spaziale with the aim of starting a roastery and cafe in London. He continues to train and consult, as well as write for a variety of different publications and has an interest in food science, having worked with the chefs at the world famous Fat Duck restaurant when working on signature coffee drinks for competition.
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