The Sprudge Report - BOoC To The Future
The Build-Outs of Coffee summer series is back!
The Thrill of the Build is back!
Calling all cafes that have opened or will be opening any time in 2024, the Build-Outs of Coffee is currently accepting submissions! Entries are welcome from any corner of the earth, big cities and small towns, mobile units and bricks-and-mortars, and all point in-between. From new cafes, remodels, expansive new coffee shops, and those with a tiny footprint. We want to hear from you. Follow the link for more details.
The UC Davis Coffee Center is a go
On Friday, March 3rd, the Coffee Center at the University of California, Davis officially opened, making it the “first academic research and teaching facility in the U.S. entirely dedicated to the study of coffee.” The 7,000-square-foot facility features dedicated locations for pre- and post-harvest coffee sciences, green storage, brewing, sensory, and cupping laboratories, a chemical and analytical lab, and a pilot roastery.
The Sprudge Twenty: the last of 2023
The Sprudge Twenty is our annual series honoring those having an impact in the world of specialty coffee, both on a local and global scale. This week we put the finishing touches on the Class of 2023, with interviews from Cafe Comunion’s Abner Roldan and Goodboybob Coffee Roaster’s Marcus Young.
Black coffee vs. white teeth
Coffee has long been known to cause stains on one’s otherwise pearly white chompers. Hey, you gotta take the good with the bad sometimes. But did you know that different types of coffee are better or worse for your teeth? And I’ve got some bad news for the Scandinavian-style light roast filter drinkers.
C’est l’heure du festival du café
Back for its second year, Café Collectif is coming to Montreal for two days of provincial specialty coffee roasters and community in Quebec’s largest city. Featuring 30+ roasters over two days, Café Collectif seeks to promote specialty coffee and strengthen the local community of enthusiasts and professionals alike.
A nice facelift for Equator Coffees
Having been in specialty coffee for nearly three decades, the Bay Area’s Equator Coffees has developed an iconic brand design. When you see the red and black and the big cat, you know exactly who it is. When you have such a strong identity, you don’t throw it away in favor of something completely new. Instead, you tinker, you make subtle updates. And with their new coffee bags, that’s exactly what Equator has done.
Who’s doing what with coffee now?
Celebrities love starting coffee brands, perhaps nearly as much as they love being celebrities. And this week, a trio of new famous-person-backed coffee brands took flight, each one more bizarre than the last. It’s a madlibs of celeb coffee, from the of-the-moment to the comedic to the downright tragic.
In other news
From our Press Release desk, The Caffè by Mr. Espresso is celebrating its one-year anniversary in Oakland with a week’s worth of festivities and specialty drinks. They’ll be bringing back five fan-favorite celebrity drink collaborations, but each will only be around for a day, so check the schedule to make sure you can grab your favorite.
Any N/A events?
There are so many parties and after-parties and after-after-parties surrounding major coffee events like Expo or the London Coffee Festival or Barista Championships. But most of those events involve alcohol. There are a host of reasons why folks choose not to drink, and those who abstain often can feel not a part of the usual bacchanalia. Sprudge Editor at Large Jenn Chen believes there should be more non-alcoholic gatherings for those looking to be part of the coffee community but do so without the need to drink.
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: Colombia Finca Potosi Pink Bourbon Washed—This washed-process Pink Bourbon variety coffee is one of our two coffees of the season from Finca Potosí, an award-winning farm operated by Café Granja La Esperanza. The coffee team at Café Granja La Esperanza have played a key role in popularizing the export of natural-process coffees from Colombia, now celebrated for the unique and fruit-forward flavors this method can yield. This coffee is vibrant and clean with flavors of white grape, tamarind, and rose hips.
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 Company: Ejo Heza—Independently owned, the Kopakama Cooperative is made up of 1025 members, 400 of them women. In 2011, the board of Kopakama directors agreed to create a women’s group, giving them two plots of land. With only 200 members at the time, they called themselves “Ejo Heza,” which translates to “Bright Tomorrow” in Kinyarwanda, the national language of Rwanda.
We hope you can taste the immense effort their co-op puts into every pound of coffee. This year, enjoy notes of floral hibiscus, juicy plum, and brown sugar.
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: Colombia Carolina Ramirez Brownie—Carolina Ramirez says the word that best describes this coffee is “serendipity.” Brownie was her first foray into experimental processing, and we think she knocked it out of the park. Brownie’s flavors remind us of tropical fruit, like pineapple and citrus, but the cup is truly defined by its rich, dark chocolate body. We’d go even as far as to say it’s thicc.
Portland Coffee Roasters: Anniversary Roast—Dedicated to our customers who’ve supported us since we began in 1996: this Limited Release is a blend of coffees from Colombia and Costa Rica. The Colombia is from Finca Palmichal, and the Costa Rica is from Finca La Hilda. This coffee has a nice acidity and body, with some citrus fruit, plum, and chocolate notes.
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
Minor Figures - Area Sales Representative - Austin, TX/Remote
Stumptown Coffee Roasters - Marketing Coordinator - Portland, OR
Verve Coffee Roasters - Cafe Manager - Santa Cruz, CA
GH Grinding & Brewing Solutions - Technical Support Manager - Durham, NC
Ground Control - Head of Sales - Oakland, CA
Olympia Coffee - Production - Olympia, WA
Olympia Coffee - Production Roaster-Assistant - Olympia, WA
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.
Aventura Coffee - Yakima, WA
Yonder Coffee - Durham, NC
Oslo Coffee Co - Ladera Ranch, CA
Portland Coffee Roasters - Portland, OR
Tasse Coffee Roastery - Tokyo, Japan
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.