The Sprudge Report - Little Bear, Buns, and Barista Championships
And other news from the wide world of coffee
Baking with coffee
You love coffee, and you may even love coffee-flavored goods, but have you ever wondered how to make them for yourself? Do you use coffee, grounds, instant powder? There are many options and a host of considerations when supplementing a recipe with coffee. Editor at large Jenn Chen talks to experts and gives it a go.
Kona coffee, now with more Kona coffee!
A lot of the Kona coffee you find in stores has very little actual Kona in it. Under current regulations, a coffee must be at least 10% Kona in order to be labeled as such. But now, Kona lawmakers are introducing legislation requiring bags marked as “Kona” to have at least 51%—or perhaps even 100%—Kona.
Robert Downey Jr’s Happy Coffee is sad
Robert Downey Jr has started a coffee company. Along with serial entrepreneur Craig Dubitsky, RDJ has created Happy Coffee, and would you be at all surprised to learn that two multi-hundred millionaires are completely out of touch?
Watch the 8 Sprudgie Finalists for Best Coffee video
While voting has now closed, winners for the 15th Annual Sprudgie Awards will be announced in the coming days. In the meantime, what better way to pass the time than watch the eight videos nominated for Best Coffee Video/Film category? This year’s selection of top videos feature a balanced blend of thoughtful explainers, documentary-style videos, and artfully shot and edited short-form videos.
In other news
Coming from the Sprudge Press Release desk, our curated selection of international coffee press releases, Covoya, a specialty coffee importer, announced the hire of Mark Inman. The 30-year industry vet joins the team as Director and Senior Trader. Erstwhile, Barista Bot, a new phone-based ordering system, unveiled their latest updates at Bridge2. Interested in submitting a press release? Get in touch!
Cafes north and south
This week, we took a look at coffee shops on both side of the US/Canada border. First up, we went on a jaunt around Vancouver, BC to see what is new and exciting here in 2024 in one of Canada’s great coffee cities. Then, as part of our Sprudge Maps Spotlight series, we spoke with the folks at Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Little Bear Coffee, who have just opened their third location.
The US Coffee Championships are heading to Rancho Cucamonga
While the eyes of the US coffee community is on the greater Washington DC area for the final two Qualifying Events—and amid Starbucks announcement that they will be hosting their own North American Barista Championship—the US chapter of the SCA announced the host location for three of the national events. Next month, the US Barista Championship, Brewers Cup, and Cup Tasters competitions are all heading to the Klatch Coffee lab and roasting space in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
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: Rosendo Domingo—This limited release reserve series Guatemala comes to us from Rosendo Domingo and his farm, Palanch’en. We found this premium lot to be very approachable with notes of red grape, molasses and raisin in the cup.
Cxffeeblack : Congo Free—Guji Mane Diaspora Collection // CONGO FREE: CONGO WASHED PROCESS /// a mighty peace junt- A portion of the proceeds goes to support Congolese liberation and the farmers who produce this African fruit.
Equator Coffees: Decaf Kenya Thiriku—The delicious single origin decaf coffee offers a deep, vibrant acidity and was decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process of caffeine extraction, without the use of chemical solvents. The Nyeri region in Central Kenya is famed for its bright, fruity, and dynamic coffees, and this decaf has juicy acidity accompanied by complex flavors of persimmon, brown butter, and Mandarin orange.
Greater Goods Roasting: Rung’eto PB—Rarely has a coffee release synced up with the start of a season quite like this one. Hailing from Kirinyaga County in central Kenya, this peaberry lot is the warm, comforting, hot cocoa in front of the fire – the spirit of winter in coffee form. Peaberry makes up about 10% of Kenya’s coffee export and is highly sought out for its depth of sweetness and a thick, syrupy body. You can enjoy your winter days with notes of golden apple, black treacle, and red currant jam.
Joe Coffee: Colombia La Familia Guarnizo—This coffee comes to us through a strong relationship between Joe Coffee and the El Paraiso growers’ association in Huila, Colombia. This bright and light-bodied selection was grown by a special group of El Paraiso’s member farmers: the Guarnizo family. Featuring notes of stone fruit and almonds with a medium acidity, this coffee is a customer favorite.
Madcap Coffee Company: Finca de Dios—Husband and wife duo Ellen and Stuart Prentice oversee a 19-hectare farm, encompassing a multitude of microclimates. Ellen inherited the farm from her father in the early ’70s, falling in love with the coffee growing process and planting more and more on the land. Together with their daughter Ashley, they’ve established state-of-the-art processing equipment for their farm, Finca de Dios (Farm of the Gods). In this year’s harvest, expect notes of cacao, orange, and agave.
Monogram Coffee: Trifle —Four different coffees have been layered (like a trifle!) to create a unique brewing experience where the flavours will mingle and change as you brew through the bag. As you enjoy Trifle, you’ll work your way through: a spicy anaerobic marsellesa natural from Costa Rica, a fermented honey processed castillo from Colombia, a delicious chiroso caturra natural, and a fermented honey processed castillo from Colombia.
Night Swim Coffee: Blue Orchid – Sumatra—This is a semi-washed or “wet-hulled” coffee from Sumatra, Indonesia. It’s fruity-sweet, tropical, and finishes like one of our favorite candy bars. We’re thrilled to offer this first installment in our initiative to highlight underrepresented coffee growing regions!
Olympia Coffee: Jose Landaverde Gesha Natural—One of the world’s most sought-after varietals, grown in one of Central America’s finest regions. Jose Landaverde Gesha Natural underwent a 60-hour anaerobic fermentation before drying in the natural method, yielding coffee deeply imbued with tropical-fruit sweetness and balanced with smooth, full-bodied flavor.
Onyx Coffee Lab : Framily—We are excited to release our seventh edition of this heartwarming Holiday coffee that embodies the joy of spending time with friends and family. This washed coffee from Banko Gotiti is a developed medium roast creating complex cocoa notes mixed with sweet berry cobbler-like flavors. Designed to accommodate the coffee nerd or the heavy-handed cream and sugar in-laws… you’re welcome, my friends.
Partners Coffee: Ethiopia – Meselech Tube—Meselech Tube tends a three hectare farm in Sidama where she focuses her attention on high quality naturals. She is among a growing cohort of coffee farmers in Ethiopia whose production is available in isolation, traceable all the way to the farm itself. This lot is a classic representation of Sidama’s naturals—we taste syrupy strawberry, blueberry, banana, and black tea.
PERC: Guatemala Gerson Martinez Gesha—This Gesha from our old friend Gerson Martinez blew us away on the tasting table. It was sweet, fruity, and a layered complexity that revealed itself in waves. If you’re a fan of exciting coffees that expand your mind, you should get your hands on some of this sweet nectar. We only sourced a limited amount of this coffee, so snag some while you can!
Stumptown Coffee: Bella Vista—Bella Vista has been gracing our menu for nearly two decades, and every year, when we think there’s no way it can get any better, it does. This exceptional single origin coffee represents one of our oldest direct trade relationships, and every sip reflects the meticulous care that goes into producing it. This year’s lot is supremely balanced with notes of candied citrus and milk chocolate with a soft, honeyed finish.
Verve Coffee Roasters: Colombia Gabriel Castaño Pink Bourbon Single Origin Espresso—Decadent notes of fudge and molasses melt throughout Gabriel Castaño’s anaerobic-washed Colombia Pink Bourbon, rounded out by hints of strawberry as a sweet treat.
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
Dona - NYC Sales Manager - New York City, NY
Irving Farm New York Coffee - Sales Manager - New York City, NY
Driftaway Coffee - Coffee Educator and Social Media Sprecialist - New York City, NY
La Colombe Coffee - Sales Representative, Emerging Market - Detroit, MI
La Colombe Coffee - Sales Representative, Emerging Market - Dallas, TX
La Colombe Coffee - Sales Representative, Emerging Market - Atlanta, GA
Baratza - Support Specialist, Specialty Coffee - Seattle, WA
Go Get Em Tiger - Head Roaster - Vernon, CA
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.
Tmrw.coffee - Oklahoma City, OK
New Jersey Coffee School - Hoboken, NJ
Kainos Coffee - Portland, OR
The Doma Coffee Lab - Post Falls, ID
Cafe Regina - San Juan, Puerto Rico
Original Coffee - Copenhagen, Denmark
Sierra Coffee Group - Lyndhurst, NJ
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.