The Sprudge Report - The Fundraising, The Fresh & The Funky
We saw some things this week. Some of them, we can't unsee.
Cxffeeblack’s Barista Exchange Program
Memphis, Tennessee’s Cxffeeblack is ramping up their most ambitious project to date, The Barista Exchange Program, which will send four Black American baristas on an origin trip to Africa as well as bring four African coffee professionals to train with the Anti-Gentrification Coffee Club here in America. But to do this, they need funds. That’s why they have started raising money with a GoFundMe and a host of cool collabs. Read all about them here.
Balti-more coffee please
We first visited Charm City back in 2021 for a look at some of the best and brightest coffee spots the city had to offer. Well a lot has changed in the two years since (and some have remained the same). That’s why we headed back to look at what is new and noteworthy in the Balitmore coffee scene. Consider this an update, an addendum to our previous guide for where to drink coffee in Bmore.
A touch of coffee science
This week in the study of very, very small coffee particles, we learned that espresso makes no actual sense. A new study finds that, counterintuitively, the finer you grind espresso the lower the extraction, and it may have something to do with uneven extraction. Elsewhere, World Coffee Research released their expansive Robusta Variety Catalog, an interactive directory of 47 different varieties of robusta, that they help will aid robusta farmers in higher and better yields.
More robusta
What’s the use of growing robusta if you aren’t also going to drink it? One option for the fruits of the labor is Sang Coffee’s Vietnamese Coffee cans. We took a look at the ready-to-drink brand as well as the playful design of their new cans.
Midwest consolidation
Kansas City, Missouri’s FairWave Specialty Coffee Collective continues to gobble up coffee brands across the midwest. This week it was announced that they acquired Minneapolis brands Folly Coffee Roasters and sister company Philtera Cold Brewed Coffees. This brings the number of coffee brands under the FairWave umbrella to nine.
A brand refresh for Saint Frank
Saint Frank has been a big name in San Francisco coffee and the competition circuit for a decade now. 10 years on, they decided it was time for a bit of a facelift for the company. They worked with the same designer from their old branding to freshen it up a bit and bring it into 2023.
Maybe don’t use that hotel coffee maker
Maybe it’s an urban legend or maybe people in the airline industry are just gross. But this week we learned of a story of a flight attendant using a hotel coffee maker to wash their unmentionables. And I just… there are no words.
A Better Table Podcast with Slothee Coffee founder Jessica Lui
On this episode of A Better Table, host Umeko Motoyoshi talks with Jessica Lui, founder of Vancouver, BC’s Slothee Coffee. Lui talks about her time as a barista as well as her art-based coffee brand.
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
Moccamaster USA - Brand Content Manager - Portland, OR
Progeny Coffee - Part-Time Production Associate - Berkeley, CA
Olympia Coffee - Production Assistant - Olympia, WA
Sweet Maria’s - Online Store Manager/Content Creator - Oakland, CA
Intelligentsia Coffee - Barista - Boston, MA
Intelligentsia Coffee - Shift Lead - Boston, MA
Intelligentsia Coffee - Shift Lead - Boston, MA
Intelligentsia Coffee - People & Culture Coordinator - Chicago, IL
Intelligentsia Coffee - Green Coffee Specialist - Chicago, IL
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.
Snowy Owl Espresso Bar - Chatham, MA
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.