The Sprudge Report - Roses Are Red & AeroPresses Are Pink?
Plus one last chance to vote for the Sprudgie Awards
Last chance to vote!
This is your final weekend to vote for the 15th Annual Sprudgie Awards, presented by Pacific Barista Series. Nearly 100 Finalists across 12 categories, and we need your help deciding the winners. Cast your vote here! Voting closes on Monday, January 29th at 11:59 PM PST.
Heading back to Ho Chi Minh City
It’s been five years since we took a coffee tour of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and with a coffee scene as bustling as theirs, that’s five years too long. And so we are back to check out some of the most exciting coffee shops in Ho Chi Minh City here in 2024.
I, Sprobot
Robots making coffee isn’t exactly new, but a robot learning to make coffee solely by watching hours and hours of videos, well that’s new and terrifying. A new general-purpose humanoid robot has used artificial intelligence to figure out how to brew coffee simply by watching videos, presumably of James Hoffmann. I’m sure this in no way spells the end of humanity as we know it.
2024 Qualifying Event #1 is in the books
The first Qualifying Event of the 2024 US Coffee Championships season took place in Houston, Texas last week, and we now know the field for three of the competitions. The Barista Championship, Roasters Championship, and Cup Tasters all went down and the 64 individuals moving on to the national round of competition have been decided. Find out who is moving on!
Devorah Freudiger: The Sprudge Twenty Interview
An industry veteran of two decades, Equator Coffees’ Devorah Freudiger is our latest Sprudge Twenty inductee to interview. She talks relationships, sustainability, and inspiration that has carried her through these past 20 years in coffee.
Let them eat snow
It snowed wherever it is that actor Reese Witherspoon lives, and so she decided to make a fun little concoction of snow, flavored syrup, and Slingshot cold brew. She called it a Chococinno. It was silly and light-hearted, so of course the internet hated it. Apparently eating snow will be the end of you. But so will being a stick in the mud.
Building a better genome sequence
The future of coffee may be at the molecular level. Sequencing the coffee genome helps us better understand what gives it its characteristics—flavors, resilience, caffeine levels, etc—and now, Italian researchers have used next-generation sequencing technology for “the most complete sequencing yet of the genome of Coffea arabica.”
Is that a pink AeroPress in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
Love is in the air, and it appears to be in your coffee brewer as well. AeroPress has announced the release of an all-new version of their Clear brewer, and it’s an amorous pink. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the AeroPress Clear Pink is here to share with friends, lovers, or even yourself.
America runs on coffee
You probably don't need market research to now that Americans love coffee. But it's fun to look at anyway. A recent study by Drive Research found that a vasty majority of Americans are coffee obsessed, and the main reason for it may surprise you.
Regenerative agriculture in coffee
New to Sprudge Special Projects desk, contributor Juliana Ganan talks to coffee farmers across Brazil who are using regenerative farming practices to ensure sustainability for their land and the coffee it produces.
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.
Camber Coffee: Struttura—Struttura (meaning “structure”) is a sweet, weighty, and structured blend with notes of dark chocolate, molasses, and plum. It was carefully crafted to produce syrupy, dimensional, full-bodied espresso shots, while also brewing a vibrant, balanced cup of drip. We can’t wait for you to try this truly luxurious blend.
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: Honduras Liquidambar Parainema—Just featured on Fellow Drops, our newest coffee comes from Liquidambar in Honduras. Established only seven years ago, Liquidambar has already experienced great success. A washed Parainema lot from Liquidambar was one of the winners in last season’s Cup of Excellence competition. This light-roasted coffee is complex and concentrated, with flavors of starfruit, toffee, and licorice.
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: Java Frinsa Estate—This is our second time sourcing this beauty from Java. If you tasted it last year, you’ll know why! It’s an intensely sweet and funky coffee. The anaerobic fermentation done at the farm contributes to its big fruity flavors, and the cup finishes with a deep, fudgy note that’ll keep you coming back for more. It’s truly a unique coffee that delivers all the wild vibes.
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
Sipp Coffee House - Barista - Los Angeles, 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.
Tectonic Coffee - Los Angeles, CA
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