It’s starting again, and in sunny Puerto Rico!

Less than a month after the conclusion of the World Barista Championship in London, the Puerto Rico Barista Championship is ready and raring to go! The contest, which is celebrating its 7th year, will take place July 16 and 17 as part of CoffeeCast, Puerto Rico’s first coffee convention.

Barista Magazine’s Publisher, Ken Olson, will attend this event, along with a host of specialty coffee community luminaries, including Sonja Grant of Iceland, Jose Arreola of Mexico, Roukiat Delrue of Guatemala and Belgium, Heather Perry of Klatch Koffee in Southern California, Scott Lucey of Alterra Coffee in Wisconsin, Christopher “Nicely” Alameda of Intelligentsia Coffee in Los Angeles, Trish Rothgeb of CQI, and Marcus Boni of the SCAA.

Why have the CoffeeCast planners assembled such an outstanding team of coffee experts? Because of the bevy of Skill Building Workshops and Barista Guild of America training that will take place during CoffeeCast!

œLocal instructors working together with the SCAA will help expose Puerto Rico’s coffee industry to the global coffee movement since the SCAA will help promote the event to every member on more than 40 countries around the world,  said Enid Guerra, Event Director of CoffeeCast.

In addition to the Puerto Rica Barista Championship, which will determine the barista who will represent Puerto Rico at the World Barista Championship in Bogota, Colombia, in 2011, Puerto Rico’s very first Coffee In Good Spirits Championship will take place during CoffeeCast, as well. Both are being organized by the Puerto Rico Barista Association.