The Sprudge Report - A New World Barista Champion
Looking back on a wild week in Busan, South Korea
And the 2024 World Barista Champion is…
What a week it was in Busan, South Korea for the inaugural World of Coffee Asia event and the 2024 World Barista Championship. (If you have no idea what a barista championship is, check out this primer from Liz Clayton.) It started with 53 national barista champions, then down to 16—well, technically 17—then down to seven, then to just one: Mikael Jasin of So So Good Coffee Company in Indonesia.
Sightglass founders stepping down
Sightglass Coffee stared in 2009 in San Francisco by brothers Jerad and Justin Morrison. In 2018, the Morrisons accepted outside funding from GingerBread Capital, a venture capital firm that “[invests] in women leading high-growth-potential businesses,” per their website. Now, the Morrison brothers are out at Sightglass, with the board appointing a new CEO, former Starbucks corporate exec Sharon Healy.
The Coffee Rose, a new way to cup coffee
The specialty coffee industry has experienced explosive, unprecedented growth in the 21st century. But despite this fact, there hasn’t been much in the way of concurrent innovation surrounding the process of cupping and scoring coffees. You taste a coffee, jot down notes on a cupping form, and then you come up with the score based on those notes and sensory experiences. It’s all very analog. Enter The Coffee Rose by Cafe Imports. This brand-new digital cupping tool combines the familiarity of the coffee flavor wheel with an easy-to-use, dynamic interface allowing cuppers to quickly and easily categories flavor experiences.
An AI coffee blend?
Of all the many things you could do with technology, this is how we are choosing to use it? This?! A Finnish roastery has teamed up with an AI consultancy to use artificial intelligence to design a coffee blend, called AI-conic. Shouldn’t we make the robots do the boring work and let the humans do the creative stuff?
22,000 pounds of liner bags
Last August, Neumann Gruppe USA and GrainPro teamed up to launch a new program that would collect and recycle green coffee liner bags, which have historically not been recyclable with traditional methods. And just eight months later, the two brands have revealed they have successfully collected 11 tons of liner bags to be recycled and kept out of landfills. And they are only getting started.
It came from the press release
Lots of news this week from the Sprudge Press Release hub. First up is DiFluid, who is here with us in Busan demoing their geekworthy new coffee tech. Also in Busan is Frank La. The USBC champion and WBC Semi-Finalist was announced as a collaborator with Created Co and will be using their drinkware in all his WBC routines. And Finally, Savor Brands announced their new COMPOST+ line of packaging, made completely of plant-based materials.
Can’t stop thinking about the Finals
It took a year to get to this point and then it was over in an instant. The 2024 World Barista Championship was a whirlwind of cutting edge routines and wild coffees. It may be over, but there’s still time to look back at the Finals round with our in-depth play-by-play coverage of each and every routine from the final day.
Roaster’s Village
We’re highlighting outstanding coffees from some of our favorite roasting partners each week here in the newsletter. This week’s selection of tasty coffees are…
Amavida Coffee Roasters: Honey Comsa —This medium roast Honduran coffee from COMSA Cooperative has a mild, berry-like acidity and a full body. It features pronounced dried fruit notes in the aroma followed by prominent flavors of raisin, fig, and molasses. Certified Organic & Fair Trade Coffee.
Cxffeeblack: Fatherland—Kenya, Lions Hill Farm, Tinderet Nandi County, Solai Coffee Junt, Washed Peaberry. When my dad went to Africa while in college, Kenya changed his life. Years later, he introduced Kenyan coffee to our household. I didn’t know it then, but this was the first clue that coffee, like me, was black. This cxffee is our latest from the all black supply chain, sourced by the Kuria family. We met the Kuria family at the second inaugural Color of Coffee Collective, and we’re so excited to be able to share the the first of our collaborative offerings with you.
Equator Coffees: Super Bloom Blend—If you haven’t tried it yet, don’t miss out on our springtime seasonal blend! Super Bloom combines the unique qualities of sustainable coffees from Burundi, Colombia, and Ethiopia to create a celebratory and diverse flavor profile. 5% of every bag sold directly supports the women of the Turihamwe Washing Station via JNP Coffee, funding training for alternative income streams to boost their earnings during the coffee off-season.
Greater Goods Roasting: Santa Gema—Last year, we had the privilege of visiting some incredible farms in Nicaragua, including Santa Gema. At Santa Gema, Mario Vilchez produces a remarkable maracaturra coffee with flavor notes of cherry cordial, tea rose, and tamarind. We’re proud to say that this coffee qualified for Nationals at the US Brewer’s Cup competition, a testament to its exceptional quality.
Joe Coffee: The Village—Currently, The Village comes from the Rubí sisters’ farm Finca Ruland 2, in Las Vegas, Honduras. Andrea and her sisters’ skill and diligence shine through this lot of washed and natural coffees. Expect a complex balance of layered acidity and structured sweetness. Beginning with notes of deep citrus and stone fruit, flavors arc towards ripe cherry as the coffee cools, leaving us with a final, soft note of spice and caramel.
Madcap Coffee: Miguel Ortiz—Miguel Ortiz is a native of Santa Barbara and a lifetime coffee farmer operating his farm, La Guinellera, alongside his wife and children. Miguel is viewed as the patriarch of Las Flores and drives the quality in the area. His coffee showcases what makes this region so unique. In this year’s harvest, expect a balanced body with notes of clementine, cherry, and cinnamon.
Monogram Coffee: Elida Estate Catuai—Panama is now world famous for the gesha variety, producing some of the most delicious (and expensive) geshas in the world. Elida Estate is world famous for their gesha coffees, but they have not rested on their success and they are trying to improve every coffee they offer—including coffees that are not gesha. They grow a large amount of Catuai on the farm and they have developed a process that brings the best out of the variety, revealing the power and structure of Catuai, with big aromas, intense fruit, and a heavy body.
Night Swim Coffee: Kaku – Washed—The first container of specialty coffee left Yunnan, China for Australia in late 2015. Over the last nine years, Yunnan’s specialty coffee production has increased in leaps and bounds in both quantity and quality. We’re typically not familiar with specialty grade Asian coffees, but the truth is that these coffees can pass quality tests with flying colors and display an enormous amount of sweetness, consistency, and complexity. Tasting notes include Meyer Lemon, Mandarin, Almond, and Nutmeg.
Olympia Coffee: Amparo Pajoy Good Food Award Winner—Farmer Amparo Pajoy is a shining star of a person who’s dedicated to her community of San Sebastian de La Plata, Colombia. She’s also the producer of this Good Food Award-winning single-origin coffee! The Good Food Awards celebrate flavor and sustainability, recognizing products that are leading the way in quality and social responsibility.
Onyx Coffee Lab : Doyenne—One 10oz Box of the World’s Best Female-Produced Coffee Once a Month + Roasted and shipped the first Wednesday of every month. Doyenne seeks to identify and amplify the stories of woman achieving incredible marks in coffee. The selections are curated by Andrea Allen, co-founder of Onyx Coffee Lab and 2020 US Barista Champion. The heart is for women to collaborate and to boost each other’s work and achievement through stories.
Partners Coffee: Ethiopia – Naga Singage—Our first Ethiopian coffee of the season comes from the Aricha Adorsi Washing Station in Yirgachefe. This fully washed selection comes from a few dozen farmers on Naga Singage, “the mountain of reconciliation,” named for a ceremony traditionally held there in which disputes are presented and communally resolved. In their coffee we taste stone fruit, citrus, and flowers: think apricot, tangerine, honey, and orange blossom.
PERC: El Salvador Delagua Pacamara—We knew we had to bring it in as soon as we tasted this coffee. It reminds us of freshly picked strawberries, oranges, and maple syrup. Pacamaras are giant beans that yield big, juicy flavors with lots of sweetness, and Delagua delivers on that reputation in spades. Now, we can fit these beans in the dang bag.
Portland Coffee Roasters: Bridge Blend—This Limited Release is a blend of coffees from Guatemala and Peru. The Guatemala is from Maya Ixil, and the Peru is from the Pueblo Libre and Mamahuaca communities. When we cup this coffee it is floral and herbal, with hints of sugar cane and chocolate.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Ecuador Rancho Carmen—This coffee is a combination of small lots from a group of 35 producers in Ecuador’s southernmost province. Rancho Carmen has a lush ganache body elevating notes of raspberry jam and brown sugar in a vibrant cup.
Verve Coffee Roasters : ASTER— Formerly known as The 1950, Aster’s components highlight the best of what Ethiopian coffee has to offer. A key lime sweetness and brown sugar complexity come together to inspire adventure in your morning. As our only blend sourced from one origin roasted two different ways, Aster is our star on the map that marks the birthplace of coffee – Ethiopia.
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
Atlantic Specialty Coffee - QC, Analyst Green Coffee, Sample Roaster - San Leandro, CA
Upper Left Roasters - Director of Coffee - Portland, OR
Coffee Support - Cold Brew Production Manager - Phoenix, AZ
Barrie House Coffee Roasters - Director of Coffee - Elsmford, NY
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.
Saint Drogo’s Coffee and Bake House - Lowville, NY
Treetop Coffee Shop - Knoxville, TN
Black by Demand Specialty Coffee - South Norwalk, CT
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.