Let’s Play Humpday Giveaway ”June 5 Edition

June 5, 2013 Sarah Barista Magazine's Humpday Giveaway 59
I love the thick, hand wrought paper of these books.

Happy Humpday everyone! Who’s excited that it’s Wednesday? This lady right here, that’s who! And I am so excited for you guys that you get to play for this prize today ”it’s pretty special. I mean, well, all of the prizes we give away here for Humpday Giveaway are special, but this one is handmade and crafted just for one lucky Humpday Giveaway participant.

humpday logo jpg

See, in late April, I was at an event at the American Barista & Coffee School, when who do I see but Ben Jones, a coffee friend who has been around our industry for years. Born and raised in Portland (and if you know Portland, you know how rare it is to find someone actually from here), Ben now works as an educator at Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters in Olympia, Washington. Besides making a mean Beehouse, Ben is pretty crafty with his hands: I knew from having him in our annual “Best Bar Tools” series that he crafted a heck of a handmade book. But until I saw him at the Barista School event and he actually showed me one, I didn’t realize how amazing a special they truly are.

Ben's handcrafted wood and paper journals.
Ben’s handcrafted wood and paper journals.

Ben, who sells the books on Etsy under the name Annotated Press, told me he wanted to have one of his amazing books given away as a Humpday Giveaway prize, and I was all, “hells to the yes, Ben!” So we made plans to meet up in Portland and use the passing off of the book as an excuse to have coffee and catch up. That was Monday ”we had a rad time at Barista on Northeast Alberta. Ben sampled the Slate and Coava on rotation as espresso, while I cooled off with a Stumptown cold brew. We talked coffee and books, and it was great.

Ben shows his own journal, which he uses to take notes on cafes he visits and coffee he tries.
Ben shows his own journal, which he uses to take notes on cafes he visits and coffee he tries.

I’m sad to give up this book because it’s not only beautiful sitting here on my desk, and not only does it feel really good ”the covers are hand-rubbed Poplar wood ”but it even smells awesome: that’s because Ben polishes the wood with lavender-infused beeswax polish. Say what??

I love the thick, hand wrought paper of these books.
I love the thick, hand crafted paper of these books.

The books is filled with thick, handmade paper, each blank and begging for ink from a fountain pen (no ballpoints allowed!). Ben uses his to chronicle his coffee adventures; he placed second in the 2012 Northwest Brewers Cup, and he showed me the pages in his current journal with all his notes on method and brewing. He even uses a swish of espresso to mark the pages as he goes. It’s really beautiful.

Normally Ben sells these journals on Etsy for $85 ”they’re easily worth that or more. But one of these stunning books is going up as a prize this week for one lucky Humpday Giveaway player. So are you guys ready to get down to it?

Here’s the question:

How many times did Stefanos Domatiotis ”who appears on the cover of the June + July 2013 issue of Barista Magazine ”win the Greek Barista Championship?

Think you know the answer? Then for the love of Pete (Licata), type it into the comments section below! Be sure to include your first and last names so we can contact you if you’re the winner! Answers will be accepted through 6:59 a.m. (Pacific time) Thursday, June 6. Everyone who has the correct answer will be entered into a drawing, and one lucky person will win this gorgeous book, made by hand by Ben Jones.

About Sarah 938 Articles
Sarah Allen (she/her) is co-founder and editor of Barista Magazine, the international trade magazine for coffee professionals. A passionate advocate for baristas, quality, and the coffee community, Sarah has traveled widely to research stories, interact with readers, and present on a variety of topics affecting specialty coffee. She also loves animals, swimming, ice cream, and living in Portland, Oregon.
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59 Comments

  7. Six times 🙂 Thank you SO much for the chance to win this gorgeous piece of work. I am fountain pen crazed! .. And notebook crazed.

  16. 6 times! I’d love a good luck gift for my upcoming CP190 test… 🙂

  26. Same as how many great grandchildren I have. Six is a great number for both of us.

  30. Verbatim from his website:

    National Awards

    2004: 1st Hellenic barista champion in Thessaloniki
    2005: 1st Hellenic barista champion in Athens
    2006: 1st Hellenic barista champion in Thessaloniki
    2007: 1st Hellenic latte Art champion in Thessalonik
    2007: 1st Hellenic Coffee in Good Spirit champion in Thessaloniki
    2009: 2th Hellenic barista champion in Athens
    2010: 1st Hellenic barista champion in Athens
    2011: 1st Hellenic barista champion in Athens
    2012: 1st Hellenic barista champion in Athens

    2007, 2007, & 2009 are other awards – it was a “break” for him

    2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012 = barista champ x 6

    Dare I say it – this is how he was recorded in the books 🙂

  42. Correction Haiku:

    The paper is not hand made.

    It is, however,
    folded and torn by my hands,
    one sheet at a time.

  54. Stefanos Dimatiotis won National Greek Barista Championship 6 times:

    2004 first place in Thessaloniki
    2005 first place in Athens
    2006 first place in Thessaloniki
    2010 first place in Athens
    2011 first place in Athens
    2012 first place in Athens

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