Tag Archive 'krups'

USBC 2008: The great barista battle is brewing, and how the big boys avoid embarrassment

Posted by TheShot on 01 May 2008 | Tagged as: Barista, Quality Issues, Starbucks

While I’ll be checking out Barista Coffee in India, Minneapolis will be hosting this year’s U.S. Barista Championship during the SCAA conference this weekend.
Yesterday, the host city’s hometown paper, the Star Tribune, published a rather lengthy article on the event: The great barista battle is brewing. It’s a story that’s been covered dozens, if not [...]

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Seeking Toronto’s best espresso by limousine

Posted by TheShot on 18 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: Foreign Brew

Imagine a sort of twisted, parallel universe where CoffeeRatings.com was born of a chauffeured limousine driving about the city, shuttling me from café to café on an itemized list in search of SF’s finest espresso. Now imagine this endeavor sponsored by a leading purveyor of cheap plastic and metal, responsible for more kitchen appliances in [...]

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Upscale Coffee Makers Drive Segment But Overall It’s Flat

Posted by TheShot on 19 Mar 2007 | Tagged as: Beans, Consumer Trends, Home Brew, Machine

Coffee pods are a fad that is on life support at the value end (i.e., for machines under $100). However, home sales of high-end coffee pod makers are up significantly: MediaPost Publications - Upscale Coffee Makers Drive Segment But Overall It’s Flat - 03/19/2007. As I discovered in Lisbon’s fashionable Chiado district last year, an [...]

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The season is upon us: Barista Gymnastics 2007

Posted by TheShot on 08 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: Barista, Quality Issues

Speaking of Nick Cho recently…
Last Fall, Nick won the Southeast Regional Barista Competition (the press always wants to say “Championship”, but it’s “Competition” at the regionals). Congratulations, Nick. (No, seriously!) This means that Nick is headed down to Long Beach, CA to compete for the national title at the SCAA’s 19th Annual Conference & Exhibition [...]

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Home Equipment: Getting Serious About Coffee

Posted by TheShot on 03 Jan 2007 | Tagged as: Beans, Home Brew, Machine, Roasting

Today’s Edmonton Journal published a primer on the more sophisticated home espresso setup: Getting Serious About Coffee. In other words, what do you do when your $100 home Krups machine isn’t cutting it — because the espresso it produces belongs in the same landfill where your machine will deservedly rot its final days?
There’s an avalanche [...]

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Charlotte, NC: Coffee convention buzzes uptown

Posted by TheShot on 09 Apr 2006 | Tagged as: Barista, Quality Issues

Local Charlotte, NC news TV station, News 14 Carolina, ran a story today about the ongoing annual SCAA convention being hosted in town: News 14 Carolina | 24 Hour Local News | TOP STORIES | Coffee convention buzzes uptown. (Includes TV news video clip.)
Conference attendance includes over 8,000 people from around the globe. The article [...]

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Make a great cup of joe with the latest makers

Posted by TheShot on 07 Mar 2006 | Tagged as: Home Brew, Machine

Since everything I learned about coffee I learned by watching NBC’s Today show, I had to share an article that came across my desk today highlighting some of their top picks for home coffee and espresso machines: Make a great cup of joe with the latest makers - Today: Food - MSNBC.com.
The article was written [...]

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SCAA 2006 U.S. Barista Championship

Posted by TheShot on 01 Mar 2006 | Tagged as: Barista, Machine

Is your barista worthy?
The Specialty Coffee Association of America is holding their annual convention in Charlotte, NC beginning April 7. One of the main events coinciding with the conference is the 2006 United States Barista Championship. From Business Wire: Barista Champion to Be Revealed from Among Nationwide Competitors; The Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 2006 [...]

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Krups Orchestro Espresso Makers Recalled

Posted by TheShot on 15 Feb 2006 | Tagged as: Home Brew, Machine

Today Krups issued a recall for a not inexpensive line of espresso makers: Krups Orchestro Espresso Makers Recalled.
The reason for the recall? Apparently, these machines run the risk of spontaneously bursting into flames. However, the company has not issued a recall on the basis of these machines spontaneously producing good espresso. Probably because there is [...]

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