The Sprudge Report - 4 New World Coffee Champions
Plus more Build-Outs, a new-look feature series, and a big ole AeroPress.
Brazil!
Last weekend, World of Coffee Athens took place and with it, four World Coffee Championships. There was a lot of intrigue from the weekend, but perhaps none greater than that of the World Barista Championship, where Boram Um became the first WBC champion from Brazil. The world’s largest coffee producer had, shockingly, never produced a WBC champion. Until now.
A coffee well-considered
The 2023 Build-Outs of Coffee continues this week with what may be the best mobile cafe of the season. It’s still early we know, but the converted 1965 VW Bus by Considered in Santa Barbara, California has set the bar pretty high. The coffee beach vibes are very real.
Pride strikes at Starbucks
After allegations that Starbucks has banned Pride decorations during Pride month, Starbucks Workers United have been staging protests nationwide. The weeklong demonstration will take place at over 150 locations, involving over 3,500 workers, per the SWU. Starbucks denies any such policy changes, but publication Fast Company found evidence to the contrary.
The return of the Roaster Spotlight series
We are living in the golden age of the microroaster. Never before has it been more cost effective, more achievable, and more attractive for coffee companies to roast their own coffee. In tandem with the rise of high quality green coffee microlots, this has led to a boom time for new, independent roasters—some built from the ground up with roasting in mind, and others jumping into the game after years working as a successful cafe. And we at Sprudge are happy to once again be telling their stories with out revamped Roaster Spotlight series. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks and months as we roll out the exciting new look of this feature series!
La Marzocco goes on a Summer Tour
La Marzocco is hitting the road. Over the course of the summer, the espresso machine manufacturer is making stops across the United States for a series of throwdown, challenges, and community building. They have already made stops in Brooklyn and most recently Spokane, but there are still more dates left on the calendar.
The SCA’s Coffee Value Assessment
Cupping has long been the tool of the specialty coffee industry to determine the quality of a coffee. But after 20 or so years, the form has been in need of a bit of an update. That’s why the Specialty Coffee Association has rolled out their all new Coffee Value Assessment. Still in beta, the CVA brings changes to the traditional cupping form and better aligns with where specialty coffee is in 2023.
It takes two to Taika
Taika, the ready-to-drink adaptogenic coffee brand, has made a big splash with the announcement of their first Chief Creative Officer, Taika Thee Waititi. It’s a match made in Taika heaven, and the pair has put out their first video together for your viewing pleasure.
Partnerships abound
We love a good collaborative effort, and a few came our way this week. First up is Savor Brands, who announced they were working with ByFusion to use their ByBlock, a literal brick of non-recyclable plastic waste, to create packaging as part of their R+R Program. Meanwhile, renowned coffee roasters Black & White has become the first US company to buy coffee on the CropConex marketplace, a new digital end-to-end platform.
Mister Pop
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and so is coffee. When you put them together, you’ve got a delicious summer treat. The team at Cultivar Coffee in Dallas have created a loving homage to the Dr. Pepper, the soda pop created just down I-35 in Waco, Texas. A blend of coffee concentrate, spices, and bubbly water creates an unmistakably Dr. Pepper-like signature drink known as the Mister Pop.
The new AeroPress is XL-ent
After much rumor and speculation, AeroPress has at long last released their latest and greatest brewer, the AeroPress XL. What is basically a scaled-up version of the traditional AeroPress, the new XL allows the user to make twice as much coffee in a single serving, 20 whole ounces. It’s large and in charge and it’s available for purchase now.
A Better Table With Umeko Motoyoshi And Guest Julien Langevin
On this episode of A Better Table, host Umeko Motoyoshi interviews Julien Langevin of Tomato Coffee Class, who also happens to be their fiancee. It is a deeply personal and vulnerable episode touching on the stigma of psychosis and mental health. It’s a must listen.
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
Ab Initio - Barista - Lexington, MA
Creature Coffee Co - Head Roaster - Austin, TX
Black Fox Coffee - Senior Head Barista - New York, NY
Parlor Coffee - Account Manager - Brooklyn, NY
Coffee Quality Institute - Chief Executive Officer - USA Remote
Cropster - Team Lead Marketing (f/m/d) - Innsbruck/Vienna, Austria or Sacramento, CA
Counter Culture Coffee - Regional Manager - Somerville, MA
Counter Culture Coffee - Regional Educator - Durham, NC
Keffa Coffee - Coffee Trader/Sales - Baltimore, MD
New cafes on Sprudge Maps
Here are new cafes discoverable on our global cafe portal Sprudge Maps. Register your cafe for free—thanks to the support of La Marzocco and Pacific Barista Series.
Plata Coffee - Albuquerque, NM
Dalston Coffee - Barcelona, Spain
American Grammar - Philadelphia, PA
Do you have a news tip? Feedback? A funny joke? Send us an e-mail, use the contact form on Sprudge, leave a message at 1-888-55-SPRUDGE, or send us a letter at P.O. Box 3943 Portland, OR 97218.