We’re winding down to the end of a wonderful year in coffee here ”can’t believe 2013 has gone by so quickly! We love updating our blog with original news every single day of the year, and we’re glad so many of you come by to read it!
This was a great week we just wrapped up, full of a lot of fun and interesting stories, as well as some sad news. If you missed any of it, we welcome you to curl up on the sofa with your laptop and a cup of great coffee, and use the direct links below to read up on all the coffee news of the last week.
On Monday, we were incredibly excited to present the December+January issue of Barista Magazine! We’re closing in on our nine-year anniversary, but we feel there’s still heaps more to cover in the coffee world, and we’re constantly stimulated in putting together each issue. Here’s a look at all the stories featured in this new issue.
We kicked off Tuesday with a wonderful installment of our regular blog column, The Rialta Coffee Tour, in which we join the Niemyer family as they travel the country exploring top quality cafes and roasteries. For the journey, they’re living in their Rialta RV. In this installment, we learn about signature drinks featured on cafe menus.
It was whaa-hooo-Wednesday all of a sudden, which meant it was time for our weekly blog contest Humpday Giveaway! Each Wednesday, we present this super fun and easy trivia contest open to anyone to play for the chance to win awesome prizes! This week, Costas of Sweden kindly provided two Intelligent Dosing Rings for our two contest winners!
Also on Wednesday, we shared stories and photos from the amazing latte art throw down that recently took place in Seoul, Korea, at the brand-new Klatch Coffee shop! That’s right: the SoCal family coffee company has put down roots in Seoul, where the barista and coffee culture is off the hook! And it’s continuing to grow! Check out some of the talented baristas who showed up for this awesome event!
On Thursday morning, we did the drawing to determine our two winners of this week’s Humpday Giveaway. Baristas from the UK and the USA were the ones to win an Intelligent Dosing Ring from Costas of Sweden. Check it out!
But Thursday was a sad day, as well, as we learned that the world had lost one of the great humanitarians and human beings of all time, Nelson Mandela. At the age of 95, Mandela died in his home in Johannesburg, South Africa. We offered up a eulogy to this man who has done so much not only for his home country and continent, but for the world and mankind at large.
On Friday we excitedly shared the news that the new book, Coffee: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Beverage, and the Industry, had been named the national winner in a very well respected book awards contest. Barista Magazine‘s editor Sarah Allen is among the industry experts to contribute a chapter to this seminal tome.
Our friends in the LA Coffee Club and the pop-up cafe and art exhibition they’re hosting in Southern California was the topic of our blog on Friday, as well. Work from celebrated expressionist Avi Roth is on display at Think Tank Gallery in LA, where the LA Coffee Club has erected a temporary cafe featuring some of the region’s best roasters. Activities surrounding coffee are taking place through December 21.
Inspired by the ever-increasing number of times we’re hearing about Berlin’s blossoming specialty-coffee culture, we featured a piece on Saturday about the Berlin Coffee Society and its work in conjunction with the SCAE Germany chapter to promote cafe culture and specialty-coffee in Berlin. From a Barista Camp to coffee championships to an annual event that is swelling to attract thousands of attendees, Berlin is on the rise.
