Tuesday, April 19, 2005


the unstoppable

congrats to troels overdal poulsen, the danish barista who captured the world barista championship! once again, the scandinavians dominate the event, with 3 of the top 6 places going to them.

and australasia also shows well, as always, with carl sara (i've written about carl before) of new zealand coming in 4th. then we have to discuss the special case of canadian sammy piccolo of caffe artigiano.

altho' machine problems forced him into a nerve-wracking do-over, he excelled and gave a brilliant second performance. i suggest that in the future the w.b.c. just have the usual final 6 places, and the special category of "platinum portafiler" for sammy, which they should just give him every year for life.

however i'm encouraged that the u.s.a. champion phuong tran (thanks for the heads up, mary beth!) did take 7th place, a move up for the u.s.a. from last year.

the barista competition is like, well, hockey and soccer. it's just one of those situations where the u.s.a. is an underdog.

over time we can work to victory, by creating a more supportive training, working, and consumer coffee culture nationally to boost our baristi to the top. no doubt phuong is a real american champ -- her "crimson sage" specialty drink with its blend of elegant asian (immigrant) and american western (sage) flavors speaks to our contemporary identity.

in short, i want to say that i'm proud of phuong and it was a privilege to have her represent our country at championship. she has great skills and a pure heart.

i encourage everyone reading this to take a moment to find a way to personally begin to show increased support for our u.s.a. baristi, even if this means just going to get your daily brew from your local independent coffee shop where pro baristi work every day. and we need to encourage more local baristi to improve their skills and join the bga, to start jammin' and competing.

also, because i'm getting email on this, i do want to make clear that i will soon post the pix of my own espressocraft tamper and tamping base. the pix on the espressocraft website just don't do these "can't live without 'em" items justice.

they are completely beautiful, in some of the most sensual forms you've ever seen in espresso equipment. and the material -- just gorgeous polished steel of the best quality -- is rugged, suitable for a busy shop, but at the same time luxurious and indulgent.

it's a just a fabulous design in an amazing metal. it's not an industrial or cold feel, but rather a high-end auto-type feel, like a lamborghini or something.

yeah, it looks like it should be the stick shift on your scissor-doored car. sexy.

plus, since it's heavy -- heavier than my rosewood reg barber -- it tamps great.

even mr. right, who shudders at the thought of yet more espresso equipment, was really impressed by this. the car element means no one of the guy persuasion can walk by it without picking it up!

finally, tomorrow i will write more about the great people i saw at conference and also then officially thank all the sponsors and speakers for our track.

i just need another day to catch up, ok?

posted by fortune | 8:23 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments