http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/2006/03/usbc-2006/ Rants and Raves on Espresso Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:45:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/2006/03/usbc-2006/#comment-993 Espresso News and Reviews - TheShot.coffeeratings.com » All the King’s Horses, and All the King’s Marketing Consultants… Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:52:45 +0000 http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/?p=93#comment-993 [...] Some of the branding recommendations even include showcasing some of Starbucks’ best baristas (”Starbucks must give permission to store partners to showcase their flair and personality while on the bar”). Really — only a few of us coffee geeks, an unprofitable minority, even care about these things. To the rest of the world, a “barista” is hardly an elevated profession. Due to the likes of Starbucks, the barista has become a modern symbol of downscale jobs, skills, and wages. Coffee’s version of the minimum wage McDonald’s fry cook. [...] [...] Some of the branding recommendations even include showcasing some of Starbucks’ best baristas (”Starbucks must give permission to store partners to showcase their flair and personality while on the bar”). Really — only a few of us coffee geeks, an unprofitable minority, even care about these things. To the rest of the world, a “barista” is hardly an elevated profession. Due to the likes of Starbucks, the barista has become a modern symbol of downscale jobs, skills, and wages. Coffee’s version of the minimum wage McDonald’s fry cook. [...]

]]> http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/2006/03/usbc-2006/#comment-57 TheShot.coffeeratings.com » Charlotte, NC: Coffee convention buzzes uptown Mon, 10 Apr 2006 01:09:44 +0000 http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/?p=93#comment-57 [...] Conference attendance includes over 8,000 people from around the globe. The article makes mention of the 2006 U.S. Barista Championship, which will crown a winner tomorrow. Hopefully, none of the winners have to go home with a Krups machine (the event’s main sponsor). [...] [...] Conference attendance includes over 8,000 people from around the globe. The article makes mention of the 2006 U.S. Barista Championship, which will crown a winner tomorrow. Hopefully, none of the winners have to go home with a Krups machine (the event’s main sponsor). [...]

]]> http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/2006/03/usbc-2006/#comment-35 TheShot.coffeeratings.com » 2006 Western Regional Barista Competition: Part 1, The Event Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:35:32 +0000 http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/?p=93#comment-35 [...] Yesterday (Saturday, March 4) I attended my first SCAA barista competition. Held at the Sheraton Sonoma County in Petaluma, the Western Regionals are a competitive prelude to next month’s U.S. Barista Championship. (Petaluma: it’s not just world arm wrestling championships anymore.) [...] [...] Yesterday (Saturday, March 4) I attended my first SCAA barista competition. Held at the Sheraton Sonoma County in Petaluma, the Western Regionals are a competitive prelude to next month’s U.S. Barista Championship. (Petaluma: it’s not just world arm wrestling championships anymore.) [...]

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