The Sprudge Report - Gear!
Plus two new Sprudge Twenty interviews
What a week for gear
There was so much new coffee gear on offer this week, including not one but two new hand grinders. But the most buzzworthy piece of equipment comes from Philippines Barista Champion Michael Harris, who took the highest marks for espresso at this year’s World Barista Championship thanks to The Better Vessel. Created with his son Liam and his coach Federico Bolanos, The Better Vessel removes the crema from a shot, promoting greater sweetness and less bitterness. In the hand grinder world, AeroPress just came out with a travelworthy new option, that fits neatly inside the plunger of an AeroPress brewer. Taking a different approach, the Momentum is a dual-conical burr grinder that gives users even more control over the output.
Coffee in Chiang Rai
In this week’s installment of Sprudge’s globe-spanning city guides, contributor Benjamin Sand takes us to Chiang Rai. Situated between Chiang Mai and Laos’s Luang Prabang, The northern Thai city draws influence from the established coffee scenes of its neighbors, but Chiang Rai has come into its own over the years and has an identity unique unto itself.
Driving under the influence of coffee?
Coffee is regularly used as a pick-me-up on overnight hauls, but a new study finds a correlation between high coffee consumption and dangerous driving. And in fact, according to the study, those in the high consumption group actually had more car accidents than the low consumption group.
Sprudge Twenty interviews
We had two new Sprudge Twenty interviews publish this week. First up was Nicole Good of Cafe Imports, a 15-year coffee veteran whose career has landed her in Minneapolis, where her focus in on training. Next was fellow northerner Amélie Boulanger, whose work includes sale and training for Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters as well as spearheading the Detroit Coffee Week.
Project III, a new tasting box set
Canada’s Phil & Sebastian have teamed up with Arkansas’s Onyx Coffee Lab and Denmark’s La Cabra for an exciting new box set, Project III. Each of the roasters selects a lot of coffee from a single producer, this time Mauricio Shattah at Finca La Negrita in Tolima, Colombia, that they then apply their own personal roasting style to. It’s a unique way to taste different expressions of the work of a single producer. They are on pre-order now but the box sets are moving fast.
A new generation of refugee coffee programs
Jobs in hospitality have always been accessible to refugees and asylum seekers looking to start a new life in a new country. And there are many cafes around the world whose mission is to provide even greater access. This week, editor at large Jenn Chen looks at four coffee companies and how they are providing meaningful employment to refugees.
On this episode of the Coffee Sprudgecast, hosts Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen dish on the condiment bar. Once a fixture at coffee shops, the condiment bar has lost favor but is making a comeback, sometimes in weird ways. The duo also discusses Michelman’s time in Milan for Host and La Marzocco’s Out of the Box event.
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…
PERC – Holiday Recruitment Lot
Blueprint Coffee – Ethiopia Raro Nansebo
Caffe Umbria – Stella di Natale Holiday Blend
Onyx Coffee Lab – Ethiopia Hambela Alaka Natural
Portland Coffee Roasters – Holiday Roast
Partners Coffee – Honduras San Francisco Natural Bourbon
Equator Coffees – Ethiopia Gerse White Honey
La Barba – Colombia Diego Bermudez Castillo Y-05
Mr. Espresso – Kenya Rung’eto Kii, Washed Process
Madcap Coffee – Ethiopia Tamrat Alemayew
Stumptown Coffee Roasters – Founders Blend
Heartwood Coffee – Ethiopia Yabitu Koba
Night Swim Coffee – Costa Rica La Hacienda F1
Klatch Coffee – Espresso Lover Trio Gift Set
Presta Coffee Roasters – Colombia Juicy Strawberry Co-ferment
Olympia Coffee – El Salvador Las Tres Estaciones – 1st Place Competition Lot
Verve Coffee Roasters – Morning Brew Blend
Coffee Gear!
A bi-weekly selection of coffee gear from some of the best manufacturers in the industry, both big and small. This week’s selection is…
Ceado Hoop Brewer — Coffee Brewer
Slow Pour Supply Apax Lab — Water Minerals
TIMEMORE x Millab M01 Grinder Black Edition — Manual Grinder
Flair Espresso Flair 58 Plus 2 — Manual Espresso Machine
DiFluid OmniFlux — Roast Tracker
MiiR Pourigami — Coffee Brewer
Acaia Umbra Lunar – Digital Scale
Dwell Dripper by Verve Coffee — Coffee Brewer
La Marzocco Home Linea Micra — Home Espresso Machine
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
La Marzocco - Technical Account Representative - Atlanta, GA
Above Ground Coffee - General Manager (Owner/Operator) - Brooklyn, NY
Linea Caffe - Retail/Wholesale Trainer + Barista, Part-Time - San Francisco, CA
Anodyne Coffee Roasting - Market Education Manager - Milwaukee, WI
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.