First Roaster Guild of Europe Camp is happening in Pärnu, Estonia right now
More than 200 coffee professionals from around the world ”primarily Europe ”are gathered in the coastal hamlet of Pärnu, Estonia, this week for the inaugural Roaster Guild of Europe Camp. The event began on Thursday, October 6, and concludes on Saturday, October 8. Much like the Roasters Guild of America’s annual retreat events, this coming together is an intensely packed few days of hands-on workshops, lectures, panel discussions, and cuppings, cuppings, cuppings.
I arrived yesterday evening to a warmed-up group ”the proverbial ice had been broken throughout the first day as the attendees were divided into teams which had been and are continuing to work together throughout camp in a host of activities, some serious and some purely for fun and community building.
After a day’s worth of classes on such topics as “Developing Flavor,” “How to Create a Blend,” “Green Coffee Buying Essentials,” and “Mapping Machine and Curve,” attendees gathered for an open discussion about what the new guild means to European roasters, and what the future of the guild is, particularly considering the recent member-driven decision to consolidate the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) into what scuttlebutt reports will be called the Association of Specialty Coffee (ASC) moving forward.
As with any good coffee retreat, this camp gives attendees plenty of time to play on a variety of roasting machines from Loring, Giesen, and Diedrich, and espresso and brewing machines from Nuova Simonelli and Marco. Further, cupping sessions with such esteemed green coffee importers as Cafe Imports, Falcon, Panama Varietals, Nordic Approach, and others, are being offered for hours on end each day and on such specific themes as Central American microlots, and Fresh Crop Ethiopia (Cafe Imports).
And things are so fun here! The camp is being held at the lovely Estonia Resort and Spa, where I’m told we have the choice between a bevy of hot springs and saunas, as well as pools of varying temperatures.
Look for an in-depth article about this event ”as well as the Barista Guild of Europe Camp, which will take over the resort from the roasters on Monday ”in the December+January issue of Barista Magazine.