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Tuesday, December 7th

7:00 pm doors open/chocolate tasting; 7:30 pm program begins

Chocolate Dividends and World Centric invite you to a screening of the 2010 documentary, The Dark Side of Chocolate. Global Exchange Fair Trade Campaign Director, Adrienne Fitch-Frankel will introduce the film.

The Dark Side of Chocolate, "Is the chocolate we eat produced with the use of child labour and trafficked children? The award winning Danish journalist Miki Mistrati decides to investigate the rumours."

World Centric Community Space Wheelchair Accessible
2121 Staunton Court, Palo Alto, CA 94306

Chocolate Dividends and World Centric invite you to a screening of the 2010 documentary, The Dark Side of Chocolate. Global Exchange Fair Trade Campaign Director, Adrienne Fitch-Frankel will introduce the film.

The Dark Side of Chocolate reveals shocking evidence that child and forced labor continue in the cocoa fields for millions of children, nearly a decade after the major players in the cocoa industry promised to resolve the problem. After the film, we will take five simple actions to end the exploitation of children in the cocoa fields and ensure that cocoa is a source of joy for all children.

Screenings are taking place nationwide, empowering thousands of people to come together to send one clear message to the chocolate industry: “We will not tolerate abusive child labor and trafficking in the cocoa fields.” The screenings are organized by Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Campaign and other organizations that are part of the Raise the Bar Campaign, which is pressing chocolate manufacturers to end exploitative child labor in the cocoa fields. Filmmakers Miki Mistrati and U. Robin Romano have generously made the film available for screenings.
The event will be a benefit for Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Cocoa Campaign.

Date: Tuesday, December 7
Time: 7:00 pm doors open/chocolate tasting; 7:30 pm program begins
Location: World Centric
Address: 2121 Staunton Court; Palo Alto, CA 94306

Tickets (sold at door): $15
RSVP by: December 5
To RSVP please contact Dana Cabico.
Email: fairtrade@globalexchange.org
Phone: 415-575-5557

About World Centric

World Centric products are made with annually renewable resources like corn, sugarcane and wheat straw fiber. Sugar cane and wheat straw fiber are also discarded by-products of the agriculture industry, and it uses this discarded fiber to make sustainable alternatives to plastics and styrofoam.

World Centric is committed to becoming the model of how sustainable enterprises should be run. In 2009, for example, they offset all their carbon emissions and gave 25% of their profits (before taxes) to grass root social and environmental organizations. World Centric hopes to one day give away 100% of their profits. The overall mission, vision and values of World Centric have remained consistent since their founding - to make a difference and create a more just and sustainable world.

WC10529

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What makes Guatemalan Coffee so Special?


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Road to Coffee Plantations. Quiché.
Guatemala is known all over the world for its wonderful scenery, its diverse culture, but above all, for its excellent coffee!
By. Josue Morales

But what exactly is it that makes Guatemala's Coffee so special? To understand Guatemalan Coffee, one must understand Guatemala first. The name "Guatemala" comes from the ancient mayan meaning "land of many trees." Which only helps describe even better the nature of coffee growing in this country where 98% of coffee is shade grown. Using shade is an agricultural practice that provides priceless nurture to coffee plants, it provides the perfect natural setting for coffee to be grown under unique land and climate factors. The main
natural occurring influences in coffee are:

HIGH ALTITUDES: The finest coffee in Guatemala is cultuvated between 4,300 and 6,500 feet above sea level. Which are extremely high altitudes at which coffee production may only be achieved by shade forests and our next factor.
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Burning flame at Coffea Roasters Guatemala.

MORE THAN 300 MICROCLIMATES: In a relatively small geographical area, 108,889 square kilometers, this can only be explained by the many geogrphic influences present in Guatemala such as a large number of Volcanoes, vast Crater Lakes, High Plateaus and Ranges, along with the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. All combine to create significant flavor differences among the different coffee regions in this country.

CONSISTENT RAINFALL PATTERNS: Annual rainfall in Guatemala ranges between 32 and 200, and constitutes our third natural factor in coffee excellence. Rain in Guatemala is not only plentiful, but in many ways predictable. With a heavy rainy that provides perfect development conditions for the coffee plant, with an added value of atleast one heavy rain in summer that allows for the coffee flower to blossom.
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Clouds over Guatemala City.
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Bunn H5E 12500.0020

So what do you do when you run across a Bunn H5E water tower model 12500.0020? You know, one of those strange ones hard set for 115f water temp! (for dough proofing). What good is it in a coffee house! I mean, not even white tea wants water at 115f.

Well, found one on Craigslist some time back, got it for a song, $75.

One hundred fifteen fahrenheit no more! All in less than $300 including labor to have PID, SSR, new temp probe etc. installed. Now have sweet 1f resolution water temp control 5gal tower. FYI not running Auber in PID mode, system response too slow and resulted in 7f over shoot. Not surprising since 5gal 120v model. In PID mode heater wouldn't turn full on until about 10f below SV. But works great running as 1f deadband on/off controller with heater full on as soon as below SV and <1f over shoot.

Have a couple more towers to do. Next time may spend a bit more and get a 0.1f resolution PID with on/off capability for even tighter temp control. Though truth to tell this puppy with 1f deadband works pretty darn sweet!

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new in Montreal Canada coffee shop stepping up !!!

Have you heard ??? LEROSECAFE is the new place in town ?
Try the new cookies and the classic banana bread ( a blend of spices and well ripe bananas. MMMM!!!
Need coffee ? Blend of the year " LE VOYAGEUR " will take your taste buds near perfection .
from our best Roasting factory " Brulerie du vieux Ste Rose " is born " Le ROSE CAFE "
See it at lerosecafe.com
Still located at 252 Rachel est Montreal, Quebec Canada on Plateau Mont Royal
on your way to the mountain or as you start your day to work give them a visit they are so nice

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Great Opportunity for Barista/Coffee Expert

Barnie's Coffee in Orlando FL, is growing and seeks a highly motivated Barista/ Coffee Expert to work with our coffee team taking it to the next level. experience in latte art, brewed to order methods in all extraction attributes is a must. This position is responisble for all related training in our retail cafes and will work closely with our VP of Coffee & Tea on coffee selection roast and in-store roasting methods. Position base in Orlando competive salary, benefit package and dynamic professional development track.
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My cup at Starbucks...

I've never actually gone to Starbucks for just a cup of coffee. Back when I was a huge coffee noob (an even bigger noob than I am now) I used to go in and get the "Specialty Drinks" but this is far from the point.

I went in yesterday, 1 for espionage purposes, and 2 because I met an old friend who says they work there and they'd give me a free drink. She claimed she could put a Rosetta in my latte and I said "Yea, I'll see it when I believe it."

So in I went and decided on a plain cup of coffee. Or what they call the "Pike Place Roast"

It wasn't even as bad as I thought it may be. You could taste the difference in that the beans were roasted longer ago than what I usually drink but the coffee wasn't that bad. I was truly surprised.

Am I the only idiot who things this? Let me know.
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Brew Pub Coffee Stout

Sasquatch Coffee Roasters a subsidiary of http://www.jolindas.com is shaking hands with Walking Man Brew Pub to Unveil a Cold Press Coffee Stout. Watch for it at the Walking Man Pub, Stevenson Washington During Their Anniversary Week starting November 17, 2010
Update I found out just 15 minutes ago that the coffee stout will be tapped on Friday November 19, 2010. at http://www.walkingmanbrewing.com/
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The Guatemalan Experience (Part 1)



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Lake Atitlán, Sololá. Guatemala.

Welcome to paradise, I thought, as I contemplated in awe the remarkable phenomenon
a sunset constitutes while in Lake Atitlán. As I stood amongst coffee trees in
the middle of the plantation I felt the urge to remain a permanent part in that
figure of vanishing history, but the thunder in the distance was a constant
reminder that galloping down the muddy road was the best way of staying alive.
As I ran towards the shore the burst of the smell of fresh flowers was
intoxicating, invading the atmosphere as the winds from Xocomil blew in my face
shouting a call of imminent rain. I splashed my boots on the rocky shore and
tied a rope to my boat as the engine wouldn't start. Way back will have to be
uphill on the slope of the San Pedro, and it had gotten dark. My hike was a
difficult one, as I covered my face with my arms while searching amongst the
darkness.

Tired and hungry my arms reached around me and finally pulled a couple of
cherries from a coffee tree. As the fruity felling entered my tongue I felt assured and a
little less frightened. A splash of sweet and slimy elixir invaded my mouth as
my teeth carved into the cherry and my tongue played around with a couple of
beans wrapped in humid parchment. I was about to place the second cherry in my
mouth when, at some distance a shrine engulfed by trees shone in campfire wood.
I made my way slowly around the rocks and was heartbroken when arriving at the
spot understood it had been recently deserted. Moments later once again I saw a
light amongst the bourbons, and this time ran as well as I could towards it in
the night. Entering a small clearing surrounded by coffee trees I saw the dim
fire. The small circle washed in red tones reflected by coffee cherries was
cool, and as much I longed for heat, there was none coming out of that fire. At
the base of the coffee trees I could see the shapes of dimly lit yellow
rabbits. Alarm shocks ran through my body building up on the knowledge of
ancient legends from this country. I had given a couple of steps back when my
back pushed against a branch. Although that was no branch and this was no
ordinary night. As I turned around, a deer stood with its head between the
branches of the catuai in front of me. It stared with human eyes as the fire
that made an effort to burn in that isolated spot in the plantation, erupted
towards the sky in thousands of splintered fragments of light. The heatless
concentration had been formed by fireflies that now spread through the whole
forest. As the deer and I ran in opposite directions the small glowing bugs
where all around me, on my eyes, on my hands and body making me glow with them.
I was shaking them off and running downhill, if only I could reach the shore
I'd be safe! When at last half my body was inside the lake, I no longer could
see the fireflies. They were now inside the lake, dancing beneath the subtle
waves but completely transformed. No longer bugs but the mimic of the stars
reflected on the water.

To be continued...
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Now accepting registrations:

Title: COFFEE PREPARATION : THEORY AND FUNDAMENTALS (three days)
Dates: December 6-8, 2010 and February 7-9, 2011
Location: Vermont School of Coffee, Waterbury, Vermont
Class size: Limited to 10 students per class

How do you develop your skills and knowledge when you don't have the foundations to build on? From the chemistry of coffee to manual filter brewing to espresso, you will learn the relevant fundamentals as we then explore the variables and discover where real quality lies. At completion, you will understand those foundational concepts, have put them into practice, and know how to evaluate the final product. Instruction will follow a unique and specialized teaching method that builds technique and procedure on core fundamentals not taught by "barista trainers."

Who should attend? Anyone currently or planning to be preparing coffee and espresso beverages as a coffee professional: Baristas, coffee shop owners, roasters, barista trainers. All levels, from beginners to advanced, should attend.

To register or for more information, please go to the Coffee Lab International website.

Also available at Coffee Lab International: SCAA Cupping, Q-Grader, and Roasting classes.Click here for more information.

(NOTE: Dates for the second scheduled class has been changed to December 6-8, 2010 and February 7-9,2011. Thanks)
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Café Típica - Peru

October 15, 2010 Coffee from Peru's coca-growing VRAE region wins national contest

By Mario Sandoval
LivinginPeru.com

VRAE coffee growers
In the VRAE region, the Peruvian government and USAID is promoting coffee as an alternative to growing coca.

Yesterday, Café Típica, a coffee produced by a farmer from the Apurimac river valley, won the first prize in Peru's most prestigious coffee competition.

Alfredo Yuccra, a member of an Apurimac river valley coffee farmers’ co-op was the winner of this year’s VI Concurso Nacional de Cafés de Calidad. The competition is organized by the National Coffee Board, the Ministry of Agriculture, USAID’s Alternative Development Program and the Peruvian Chamber of Coffee and Cacao Bean.

Coffees from 14 coffee-producing regions were entered in the contest. After 347 coffee samples were received and evaluated, 111 were qualified for the national stage. The selection process concluded with a grand finale in which a jury (consisting of five international and five national judges) chose the best Peruvian coffee production of this season, taking into account the acidity, aroma and body of the coffees served in cups.

Last year's winner of this competition, Wilson Sucaticona, went on to win the contest organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), in which his coffee, Café Tunki, was recognized as the world’s best.

Coffee as alternative to coca

The Alto Huallaga, the Ene and Apurimac River Valleys (VRAE region), are the main coca-growing regions in Peru.

According to El Comercio, Alfredo Yuccra’s success proves two things. First, that not everything in the VRAE region is related to the Shining Path, terrorism and drug trafficking. It also shows that alternative crops are a viable option for farmers.

Facts about Peruvian coffe:

* Coffee Tunki went on to cost from US $350 to US $1,000 per quintal in recent months.
* Peru's coffee regions are Jaén, San Ignacio, Rodríguez de Mendoza, Moyobamba, Tarapoto Lamas, Tocache, Tingo María, La Merced, Satipo, Villa Rica, Pichanaki, Apurimac River Valley, Quillabamba and San Juan del Oro.
* Brazil is the largest supplier of coffee in Latin America, with 60 million bags, followed by Colombia and Peru, with 17 million and 4 million bags each.
* Peru cultivates about 1,500 square miles of coffee.
* There are 110 companies and 37 organizations that produce and export coffee in Peru.
* Coffee export earnings in Peru amounted nearly US $600 million in 2009.
* The main destination of Peruvian coffee exports is Germany.
* 3,513 coffee-farming families in the San Martín, Huánuco and Ucayali regions take part of the USAID’s Alternative Development Program
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6' Naked Barista pic!

Now that I have your attention! We see many projects where the specifications are vague and the drawings show little to no details for how to build a Barista Bar. I'll come back and update this in more detail and we will fully disclose our construction. It has taken me 7 years as MillRock CEO to evolve the MILLROCK Barista Construction to something we are proud will exceed all expectations for performance.

Stainless steel is already recycled and at the end of our days the bar will be recycled once again.

All too often we see the undercounter refrigerator supporting a collapsed bartop...or the UCR worse yet, is the Bar top!

We see operators with the espresso machine at eye level straining to apply any force to the tamp on their toes.

We see bars where the espresso machine has NO room in-front of it for a pitcher to be slammed.

Broken granite...stained corian cracking...plastic laminate chipped and peeling...The list goes on.

I promise I will come back and really make this a worth while blog post with relevant photos of our construction and what drives us to support your cafe, literally.

hmmm maybe our first Barista Mag ad campaign will be "Naked Barista" with a shot of you, on your Millrock bar, in your Cafe, NAKED! & Sara can do the Black Bar censoring...I think this crowd might be up for it!

Seriously, We need to communicate our construction and we want you to be successful; whether we build your cafe or shop your cafe.

Our Engineers will answer any construction questions...our Cafe Designers will answer any space planning questions & I'm still looking for a great double espresso 02379!
Ciao,
Shaun

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El Salvador Ayutepeque

El Salvador Ayutepeque

Acid: Medium
Body: Full
Texture: mainly clean, juicy, natural process hints.
Flavor Profile: exceptionally balanced and easy drinking coffee.
The acid profile of juicy plum and hints of lemon stays linked with the
warm brown sugar syrup and tamarind flavors. Subtle cola and root
flavors as well. Simple and straightforward coffee with great consistency.
Grown at elevation of 6000 feet, bourbon and catuai cultivars.


Noteworthy: originally purchased as an experimental blend of 70% washed, 30% natural process
coffees from the same farm. Since then has sprung into a relationship with Emilio Lopez. Much
like our situation with Brazil, we will be involved prior to and during harvest to select our coffees
for years to come.
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I really need to catch up

Ok...So, what's going on in the barista exchange world. It's been a long since I last posted/explored/commented about anything on here.

So what have I been up to you ask? I have moved training centers to the great little place called Area 15 in Charlotte. Google it...it's pretty awesome. I moved here in February and had the build out completed by March. I have been exploring pour over only bars, and digging deeper into no tamping/zero distribution espresso shots (some have been tasty, some not so much). Counter Culture rolled out Apollo, which is pretty phenomenal espresso. I have been silently reviewing equipment and tools such as cafelat and motta, as well as mazzer E series grinders. It has been a busy couple of months. Where summers in the past tend to slow down a little, this was not the case for the 2010 summer. TNT's in both Charlotte and Charleston are happening in a big way. The Charlotte observer wrote an article on Charlotte Coffee Community (google it), and I am testing my skills with blogging (hence no hyper links yet).

So, as I am sure there is more to come, I am out of time for this particular blog post and I have some 21st De Septiembre that is pleading to be drank. mmmmmm....

What are you drinking now a days barista exchange?


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need a shot in the arm!

sometimes the extended hours (12, 13, 14 or more!) gets to me when i'm working in the height of the season...
sometimes the repetition of brewing coffee, pulling shots, cleaning pots, washing blender jars, etc., gets to me...
sometimes the seemingly constant chat chat chat chat chat chat chat chat chat chat chat chatter gets to me...
have you ever, honest please, felt this way? still, i don't know of anything else i'd rather be doing than barista-ing.

sage/the coffee hound
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