The environment craze is far from over. At the rate things are going, more and more people are going to join this movement. If I had it my way, everyone should be more environment-conscious FOR REAL. You know what I mean, not mere lip service kind.

Anyhow, Starbucks is making a move that leans towards saving the environment. As for whether it is the real deal or the lip service type – you be the judge. Last month, they announced a contest which aims to help them find a solution to the disposable cup problem. Here’s the official announcement:

On April 1 we are officially launching an online contest to engage creative thinkers in solving the disposable cup waste problem through open collaboration.

We are especially excited to announce that Starbucks Coffee Company is sponsoring the contest as part of its aim to serve 100 percent of its hand-crafted beverages in reusable or recyclable cups by 2015.

Starbucks has provided $20,000 in cash prizes to be awarded for the most innovative ideas. The participant who submits the best idea, determined by an expert panel, will receive a $10,000 cash prize. In addition, participants whose ideas are among the top five selected by the community of collaborators will each be awarded a $2,000 cash prize.

I have to say that the intention is good, no doubt about that. I am a bit surprised, though, that the effort has to be this massive. Can’t they come up with a solution like, say, stop using disposable cups? Or am I being too simplistic here? Tell me!

From April 15 to April 18 of this year, Anaheim is set to host the 22nd Annual Exposition & Symposium of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). Fondly called “The Event,” the symposium will welcome coffee professionals from over 40 countries. The Event will focus on everything specialty coffee including trends, products, technology, and coffee farmers’ livelihoods. There will also be a special focus on sustainable farming.

There are two other special reasons to look forward to The Event. These are the United States Barista Championship (USBC) and the Roasters Guild Coffees of the Year Competition. These two contests are traditionally held during the annual symposium and draw a lot of attention. The first contest, USBC, will feature the best baristas from all over the United States. They will be preparing and serving 12 orders. More than having the distinction of being the best of the best, the winner of the contest will be representing the country in the 2010 World Barista Championship which will be held in London this June. The second contest focuses on various coffee products hailing from all over the world. Judges will be sampling and tasting the coffee based on their fragrance, aroma, taste, flavor, aftertaste, and body. Naturally, the winner will hold a prestigious position in the world of coffee.

There will also be seminars, workshops, trainings, and exhibits at The Event. For those who want to learn to become baristas, this is the place to be in April. For more information, visit the web site of The Event.

Uh, I don’t know about that. I mean, my second favorite drink in the whole wide world is coffee (first is water – yeah I am boring) and I can’t get enough of various types of cheese (check my last grocery bill and you’ll see LOTS of different cheese in there). I have not really thought of mixing the two together, have you?

This girl in Canada, Laura Perry, thinks otherwise and judges of the Eastern Regional Barista Championship in Montreal agree with her! The story featured in Ottawa Citizen narrates her victory:

Mascarpone cheese is not the first ingredient the average coffee drinker would put into an espresso. But Kanata’s Laura Perry is no ordinary coffee aficionado, using the unusual concoction to win the Eastern Regional Barista Championship this week in Montreal.

The 22-year-old’s victory will make her the only Ottawa resident to compete in October at the Canadian National Barista Championships, the Grey Cup of competitive coffee-making in Canada.

The drink, named Mascarpone Macchiato, is a shot of espresso marked with a bit of steam milk. It is blended with a variety of ingredients, including whipped mascarpone cheese, sugar cane and cinnamon bark.

For those who wince at cheese and coffee, Perry says she uses mascarpone for its light cream qualities. “It doesn’t really taste like cheese.”

For someone who likes cheese, I am pretty ignorant about a lot of types and I have not heard of mascarpone before. I found this at Wikipedia:

Mascarpone is a triple-cream cheese (though more accurately a lightly-whipped cream) made from crème fraîche, denatured with tartaric acid. Mascarpone is milky-white in color and is easily spread. When fresh, it smells like milk and cream. It is used in various dishes of the Lombardy region of Italy, where it is a specialty. It is a main ingredient of tiramisu.

I feel a bit stupid as I love tiramisu but now I understand how mascarpone can go well with coffee. I wonder if we’ll ever get to taste the likes of this coffee?

Coffee lovers and suckers for freebies – this one is for you! I was looking at blogs that could help me save some money and guess what I found? Someone giving away a free coffee maker! Catherine at Frugal Homemaker Plus posted this entry saying that she did a review on the Senseo Coffee Maker. However, since she and her husband do not really drink coffee that much, she’s giving away hers. Here are the details from her post:

The winner is to be announced on the 28th of February so if I were you, I’d head on to her blog now and try to get this coffee maker.

Here’s a piece of news for (professional) coffee lovers out there. I discovered this through Chris O’Brien’s blog, Bean Activist.

From February 15 to February 17, the Washington DC Coffee Fest will be held in the Convention Center. Mind you, before you get too excited, Chris was quick to point out that the event is targeted towards “coffee professionals and not just casual coffee drinkers.” Hmm, I don’t think I can qualify. 

Still, there are quite a lot of free informational classes that I think would be interesting – at least from a professional’s point of view. You never know, you just might want to open a coffee shop of your own! Tickets come at $30 a piece and will entitle you to enter the trade show premises wherein you will find a hundred exhibits featuring all sorts of tea and coffee – even hot chocolate! Of course, as it’s a trade show, you’ll find a lot of commercial machinery and supplies as well as trade magazines.

From the Coffee Fest web site itself:

Coffee Fest is dedicated to the growth and proliferation of the specialty coffee, gourmet tea and alternative beverage industries. With a strong emphasis on independent retail, Coffee Fest features a complete industry wide trade show, invaluable educational programming, Free-Pour Latte Art Competition, New Product Showcase, Opening Night Reception, incredible Special Attractions and tremendous Networking Opportunities.

I think the competition alone would be worth a visit. Shall we go?

This year’s crop promises to be a good one according to cupping judge John King of Harold King and Co. He said that 80 percent of the entries make for great Kona coffee. That is definitely great news for those who choose Kona coffee for their daily cup.

Technorati Tags: coffee, Hawaii, coffee fest, cupping, competition

A lot of people enjoy coffee. In fact a lot of us say that they wouldn’t make it through a day without cup of joe. Of course, not everyone is good at making coffee. It is rather like many people cook but are by no means good at it.

Luckily for us there are many coffeeshops now. We can now hop on over to our favorite cafe andask the barista to whip up our favorite brew.

Wouldn’t it be cool if your favorite barista became the world champion? They hold the World Barista Champion every year and 45 countries currently compete. The current champion is Claus Thomsen of Denmark. You never know, your favorite maker of coffee may just be the next champion.

Anyone interested to compete will have to really know how to make their espresso. They will be required to make a total of 12 drinks – 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos and 4 cups of their signature beverage. They are judged not only on the taste of their brew, they are also rated on their presentation and latte art.

If you are a barista and interested to participate in the competition why not check if your country has its own national or regional competitions. If there aren’t any being held in your country yet, you may want to organize your own competitions and take part in the next championships. The 2007 World Barista Championship is scheduled to take place in Antwerp, Belgium from May 18 to May 20. For more information visit the WBC homepage here.

Technorati Tags: coffee, barista, competition, world barista championship, espresso, cappuccino

Welcome to The Brewed Coffee Blog!

Alexander King said it well enough: “Actually, this seems to be the basic need of the human heart in nearly every great crisis – a good hot cup of coffee“.