I rode up to Skamania Lodge yesterday to drop in on the 10th Annual Roasters Guild Retreat. As always, there were numerous activities underway. A weekend-long competition pitted randomly assigned teams against each other in the “You Guatta Love It” challenge. In the contest, teams are to develop a blend from a variety of submitted Guatemalan coffees representing six of the most famous coffee growing regions in the country. Teams are required to use no fewer than two regions’ coffees and they can’t use less than 20 percent from any one region.
Of course, course work is part of the weekend activities too. Classes are offered on cupping, green coffee grading, grinding and particle size and more.
And no one attends the Roasters Retreat without a healthy appetite for socializing after the day’s events are over.
The attendees all seemed quite interested in the event’s activities and sessions, and they were obviously enjoying the chance to meet new coffee folks and work on teams with them.
But I have to admit, for me, the most exciting part of the day was talking to the SCAA’s Marcus Boni about the Barista Guild of America’s upcoming Camp Pull-A-Shot. The event will be held just outside of Santa Barbara, Calif. from Oct. 18-21, and it too will feature team competitions, social activities and tons of learning opportunities. It’s going to be a blast!
And stay tuned to Barista Magazine‘s blog and Facebook page, we’re going to have some exciting news to announce regarding the camp in the coming days…
