Friday, February 17, 2006


amazing coffee events

"Well, now you've done it, Fortune. Your food blogging slam led me to Food & Wine, which led me to THIS at Deep End Dining!

Interestingly, the Van Nuys German Deli is in Michael Teahan 's neighborhood, where Ken Fox and I have promised to bring lunch on Monday. I'm wondering if Michael, Angelo and Ken would be up for German Blood Tongue sandwiches?"

i thought i was gonna fall outta my chair when i got this email. not just because it's funny.

in short, several long-time bccy pals -- scaa pro and consumer members -- are having lunch next week to talk about espresso machines. yeah, you're thinking: who cares?

because before the invention of the scaa consumer member program, who would have thought that an important distributor and source of commercial espresso machines would ever dialogue with consumer espresso lovers? who ever thought "the italians" -- so famously remote -- would talk directly to home baristi about machines and machine design?

but teahan is such a distributor. and this little note is to my mind clear proof of the sea-changes that the consumer member program has had in the specialty coffee world.

but i said events. and the second event i'm holding in my hands right now.

it's the debut of the gmcr's new "special reserve" line, a rawanda karaba bourbon. would skeptics ever have thought that a company as large as gmcr would roast date their coffee?

the label also includes tasting notes, a taste and roast profile, info on the farmers and co-op, as well as a nice statement from long-time bccy pal and cupping goddess lindsay bolger. long time readers may recall that one of the highlights of my life was when she lent me her cupping spoon.

absolutely can't wait to brew this tomorrow. . .it's a bright coffee, i think i'll brew it in the cafetiére. i like this label, partially because i helped design it myself.

yes, this line is another example of pro and consumer collaboration in specialty coffee. gmcr reached out to work with quite a few scaa consumers to create a coffee label that would meet our needs by providing the info we wanted to see when deciding on a coffee.

it was a challenge to come up with something that spoke to those with a broad coffee knowledge as well as those who are newer to fine coffee. i think gmcr did a good job listening.

let's hope the line's a success!

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