Slow Coffee

Today I spent a little time on the barista side of the counter at Kaldi's in Downtown Clayton. I was reminded how fascinated customers are with a manual brew when you put it in front of them. This led to a good conversation with the store's manager, Aaron, who shares a passion for good brewing.

Is there a demand in St. Louis for a more manual-brew setting? Is a slow bar something we could support?These are questions that can have obvious answers when you work in the coffee industry and have passionate opinions in either direction, but I'm curious if there is a consumer desire. Anyone else noticing these options missing from most St. Louis area coffee establishments? Let me know.

Espresso Elevation: reflections from the left coast

Please join me this Friday, April 3 as I present a few key reflections from my recent trip to the west coast. While in Portland, I competed in the United States Barista Championship and placed 6th in the nation. This was an overwhelming and exciting result after years of hard work.

In addition to telling you a bit about why competition is important to the success of espresso bars and cafes, I'll also share with you some trends from the west coast.

To finish, I'll be pulling shots of the Competition Espresso 700 Blend for everyone to enjoy. We'll be featuring this coffee in our cafes, on our website, and to our wholesale customers throughout April.

Hope to see you Friday!

Kaldi's is excited to announce the 2008 Fall Barista Jam. The event will take place at our roastery on November 7 and 8 and will focus on raising quality at the retail level and preparing for barista competitions. We have some very special guests who will be presenting along with our talented staff of baristas. Check back here, at our homesite or on our events calendar for more details in the week to come regarding registration and schedule.

The jam will include the following:

• "Love Your Brewer and It Will Love You" presentation
• "Understanding Co-ops, Microlots, Cultivation, and Quality" presentation
• "Barista Competition for Dummies" workshop
• "Cupping Challenge" workshop
• "Competition Demonstration"
• "Quality, passion, and service at retail" presentation
• Latte Art Competition
• Brewing Methods demonstration and instruction
• Open espresso machine time and coaching
  
• and more to be announced soon

Contact Mike with questions or comments about the jam.