Arizona Coffee

I scanned the postcard for the Arizona Barista Jam. Here’s two quick images. The poster is almost identical just everything is on one side.

I’ll link up the sponsors for good measure:

The Coffee Vein — www.coffeevein.com
Rocket Coffee Roasters — www.rocketcoffeeroasters.com
Red Rock Foods — www.redrockfoods.com
ESI Espresso (Espresso Specialists) — www.esiespresso.com
Espresso Parts — www.espressoparts.com
Espresso Wrench — www.espressowrench.com
Barista Magazine — www.baristamagazine.com
Kitchen-Classics — www.kitchen-classics.com
Cirqua Customized Water — www.cirqua.com
Pacific Bay Coffee Co. — www.pacificbaycoffee.com
Pacific Natural Foods — www.pacificfoods.com
Pixie Mate — www.pixiemate.com
TeaWave — www.teawave.net
Vaneli’s Espresso Machines — www.vanelis.com
Artista Gourmet — www.artistagourmet.com
JoeGlo — www.joeglo.com
Espresso Supply, Inc. — www.espressosupply.com
Pallo Coffeetool — www.coffeetool.com
Fresh Cup Magazine — www.freshcup.com

I stopped in at Copper Star Coffee last night and had a mocha and a chocolate chip cookie. Both were delicious. Good consistency in the chocolate mixture.

It was a fairly slow night for them, being the Friday before New Years. Even so, there were a few people enjoying themselves, and more were arriving as I left.

Ever thought it might be nice to advertise on Arizona Coffee? Here is your chance. Please contact Chris Tingom to inquire. Email Me

I saw this article in The Arizona Republic this morning. I haven’t been to Unlimited Coffee yet, despite driving past it dozens of times. It’s a coffee shop on Glendale near the 51 freeway that opened in May 2005.

Inside what used to be a Pizza Hut, there’s a 16-foot-long boardroom table that runs down the center of the old angular pizzeria.

There’s free Wi-Fi, enough electrical booster cables to wire a revolution and café lattes that regulars promise will taste better than any corporately owned coffeehouse.

The article continues:

The camaraderie is exactly the concept that Hans W. Mathiesen intended when he opened Unlimited Coffee in May 2005.

He pulled the boardroom table out of a warehouse to be the focal point of his coffeehouse.

“The whole goal was for people to interact and escape the frenetic pace.”

Unlimited Coffee
741 E Glendale Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85020
(602) 252-1200
www.unlimitedcoffee.com

There’s a tongue twister for ya!

Founds this here, and had to post it on Arizona Coffee.

January

• Two new pages on Arizona Coffee — In the first month of this year, Arizona Coffee really came into its own with the addition of two pages, the list of Arizona Coffee Shops and Arizona Coffee Roasters. This had a big impact on the rest of the site.
• The Coffee Vein opens in Tucson — A little gem of a coffee shop opened this year in Tucson. Next month they’re holding the Arizona Barista Jam. Talk about progress.

February

• 58 — That’s the number of coffee houses that were listed on this site as of February 6th. We now have about 90 at last count.
• It’s a month of Coffee Trivia — I gathered 28 clever coffee trivia and posted a new one every day during February.

March

• I’m at Mama Java’s Coffee House for bluegrass — I discover the entertainment at Mama Java’s Coffee House (minutes from my office).
• Rain — I observe the phenomenon that is rain, and how coffee shops blossom during rainy days.
• Birthday party for Arizona Coffee — Five people showed up at the Arizona Coffee birthday party. It was a great time and we’ll do it again this March.
• Rocket Coffee Roasters — Becomes the first sponsor on Arizona Coffee.
• Quality… Why Bother? — Jason Haeger’s first article for Arizona Coffee about quality.
• My quest for the perfect Americano — Carmen Downer’s quest for a great Americano ends in Prescott.

April

• Market Street Coffee? — One of the fanciest coffee houses in Arizona closes down.
• Let’s Analyze Starbucks — The great community here at Arizona Coffee explains why Starbucks is what it is.
• Coffee Brewing Basics — Larry Jones writes a great article for beginners or experts.

May

• Interview: 20 Questions with Linda Gomez, co-owner of Inza Coffee in Scottsdale — My first interview with a coffee shop owner.
• I visited Copper Star Coffee today — I make my first visit to Copper Star, one of the best joints in town.
• Weather and Coffee — A mini review.

June

• A second Coffee Rush opens in Gilbert, coffee is awesome — Includes my photo of a macchiato.
• Vintage Arizona Coffeehouse Photos — I liked these.
• Industry Jargon and the Coffee Terminology Guide — Jason Haeger fills us in on all of the buzz words in the coffee industry.

July

• Coffee Training: Arizona Needs You — My shout out to people saying that we need more people to train baristas.
• Arizona Coffee Podcast #1 with Larry Jones of Rocket Coffee Roasters — First ever podcast, and it went well. Will do more of these in 2007, as well as video interviews.

August

• 8 Seconds is Too Short Campaign — Continuation of the theme: baristas need better training.
• It’s worth it, if only for the rush — Joey Robert Parks does a great review of Daily Rush.
• Tucson by the Numbers — Recap of my trip to check out the Tucson coffee scene.

September

• Arizona Coffee Podcast #2 with Martha Raymond of The Coffee Vein — A really good interview.
• Arizona Coffee Podcast #3 with Bill Gray of 6th Street Cafe — I understand this coffee shop has since closed, but it was a good interview and I liked my visit.
• Restaurants with Great Coffee in Arizona — Some good discussion.
• Tucson Trip Photos — Lots of fun photos from Tucson.

October

• New Forum — Probably the best thing that happened this year. The Forum has become a thing of its own. Quick stats: 36 members, almost 600 posts in over 100 topics. Thank you Arizona!
• Royal Coffee Bar in Downtown Phoenix — A gem.
• Out of the Darkness and Into the Light: Appreciating Coffee for What it is — Jason Haeger fills us in on what the different roast levels mean.

November

• A Visit to Lux — Still one of my favorites.
• Free Marketing Idea — A very controversial post!

December

• Red Rock Foods Knows Coffee, and a Lot More — An awesome company.
• The Coffee Shop, In Gilbert — Brian Sheahan gives us a glimpse of what’s happening in Gilbert.
• High Marks for Rocket Coffee Roasters — Scored a very respectable 92 points from K. Davids “Coffee Review” site.

Thank you to our contributors! Carmen Downer, Scott Walters, Jason Haeger, Larry Jones, Brian Sheahan, and many others.

“There’s no limit to what a man can achieve, if he doesn’t care who gets the credit.” – Laing Burns, Jr.

Posters for the 2007 Arizona Barista Jam are going up in coffee shops all across Arizona today. It’s the first indication besides rumors that the jam is really going to happen. I’ve got a couple on hand at my office if anybody needs one.

Despite a pronounced lack of information on the event, it appears things are coming together. I understand the organizers are optimistic about attendance and many are already registered.

Rumor also has it that there will be some great prizes and drawings. One being an espresso machine.

Here is an abbreviated schedule of events (times subject to change – but unlikely)

Sunday 1/7

10am — “Making the perfect Mocha”

11am — “From seed to cup” presentation; by Edwin Martinez, Finca Vista Hermosa, Guatemala

12:00 — Lunch Break (free time)

1pm — Pacific Foods “Latte Art Contest”

2:30pm — Latte Art Technique

3:30pm — “Importance of water quality” presentation – David Beeman, Cirqua Water Systems

5pm — Advanced Espresso Extraction

6pm – 9pm — Home Barista Espresso Fest, sponsored by Vaneli’s

Monday 1/8

10am — “Espresso Machine Maintenance” – Bill Brodberg, Espresso Wrench

11am — “Comparative Cupping” – Larry Jones, Rocket Coffee Roasters

12:00 — Lunch Break (free time)

1pm – Artista Signature Drink Competition

2:30pm — Advanced Brewing Methods – Edwin Martinez

3:30pm — “What’s on your drink menu?” Alternative drink options – Red Rock Foods

4:30pm — “Open Jam” time on espresso machines

Overview

The Arizona Barista Jam will be open to professional Baristas, coffee professionals and cafe owners only and focused on professional coffee technique and knowledge.

This two day event provides compelling content and exciting learning and networking opportunites for both professional Baristas and food and restaurant professionals.

Purpose

To provide training, camaraderie and inspiration to Baristas and to raise the quality espresso bar at local cafes. Build a community of committed and passionate Baristas and cafe owners and generate interest and participation in competitions.

Location

The Coffee Vein
1545 N. Stone Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85705

Date

January 7th and 8th, 2007
10:00AM to 6:00 PM both days

Attendance

Any professional practicing Barista, coffee professional or coffee house owner may attend.

Admission

$20.00 per person for both days

Registration is at www.arizonabaristajam.com

I have in my hands a brand new mini digital camera that I have for taking video (a Canon SD630). It’s quite cool because I can take long video clips and they are of high quality. I’m planning to take this with me to the Arizona Barista Jam next month and do a bunch of mini interviews with people I meet. Hopefully I’ll get some neat clips showing the latte art competition, and other good visuals.

In addition, throughout the year I’ll be taking videos at the coffee shops I visit, to give you more than a picture and hopefully a sense of the place.

It’s Ketchup Week! Please help me spread the word.

Merry Christmas from me at Arizona Coffee!

I was in Wickenburg on Saturday and saw The Pony Espresso. I was with family and we had to get to the Desert Caballeros Western Museum before they closed so I couldn’t stop in, but liked the sign.

The Pony Espresso
233 E Wickenburg Way
Wickenburg, AZ 85390

I’m surprised that coffee garland’s aren’t all the rage this Christmas season! It’s such a simple idea… I wonder if it would work? Maybe it requires too much work to drill a small hole through each coffee bean. Nevertheless, I’d like to see someone give it a try. I thought of the idea while looking at some popcorn garland’s.

Caroline Ison from Monarch Coffee emailed me to let me know they are opening “within the next week” and are hiring baristas. The jobs are part time or full time. Monarch Coffee is in Ahwatukee and located on Chandler Blvd. off the I-10 at 4232 W. Chandler Blvd. She says you can just stop in for an interview.