Arizona Coffee

Gianni Assam of Open Source Project (OSP) sent over the following information (download PDF) about some upcoming cuppings.

The purpose of the cuppings are to introduce people to the method of traditional cupping and help them become familiar with tasting coffee. We will hold these cuppings every friday starting June 3rd and will run two sessions a day, one at 10am and one at 5pm. It is limited to 6 people per group so that the participants can be more engaged. Its costs 5 dollars to pay for supplies, and if you are new to cupping then we will hold an instructional on how to cup and the purposes of cupping from different perspectives 15 min before we start.

Open Source Project
1415 E University Dr.
#103A
Tempe, AZ 85281
Twitter: @OSPTempe

I just got an email from Greg Janssen, who owns Creative Cappuccino, letting me know about his new barista training company called Best Barista Training. They’re geared more towards the basics.

Greg says they’re for the extreme novice, or the home coffee enthusiast who wants to learn more. Looks like a great resource for someone wanting to break into the coffee industry or learn to operate equipment.

Who: Local baristas and coffee enthusiasts!
What: Latte Art Throwdown
When: Saturday, May 21st at 6 pm
Where: Mama Javas Coffee at 3619 East Indian School Rd. in Phoenix

They are going to “cap the number of competitors at around 25 so anyone who wants to compete are encouraged to register by sending an e-mail to info@petitepour.com and will also only pay $3 at the door.” Full details are available in this blog post.

This is an event you will not want to miss! You can also view the event on Facebook.

My wife and I have recently been visiting new coffee shops and it’s been a recent delight to visit Carmel’s Coffee in Phoenix. The shop opened in late March and serves coffee roasted by Cartel Coffee Lab. It is owned by Patrick Flanigan.

When we stopped in, it was nice to see a familiar face — Brian Clemens was there spending his Sunday afternoon working on his side project (he and Jason are working on a new coffee shop).

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Wow, so this morning I got the word from Steve Kraus, owner and operator of Press Coffee Roasters that they are also opening a shop at Sky Harbor… also in Terminal 4.

Steve writes: “Press [Coffee Roasters] will also be in Terminal 4 — Cartel is on the Southwest side and Press is on the US Airways side.”

Two great coffee choices. That’ll make the extensive TSA pat down worth it.

Good coffee at PHX? You’ve got to be kidding me. Those going out of Terminal 4 will soon be able to grab a cappuccino from Cartel Coffee Lab’s newest extension. Chow Bella reports….

Is anybody going to Coffee Fest San Diego June 3, 4 and 5? If so, Ron Cortez has some additional tickets he is giving away. Contact him by May 15th.

What do you all think about this product idea? The Tiro one-shot espresso machine. Looks interesting, and the video is well done.

Huge props to Brian Clemens for being voted the Southwest Regional Representative for The Barista Guild of America!

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Steve Kraus, of Press Coffee Roasters (Facebook page) wrote to let me know about the upcoming 2nd Annual Southwest Latte Art Throwdown at Phoenix Cooks.

DATE: Saturday, September 3, 2011

TIME: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

LOCATION: JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa

Steve noted that they will likely have 32 or more competitors and said lots of details are in the works. Sounds like a good time! Save the date!

Also, check out these photos from the 1st event last year!

Daniel Suh just emailed me with information about an upcoming latte art throwdown:

Mama Javas Coffee will be hosting a latte throwdown on Saturday, May 21st at 6 pm. The competition will consist of two rounds with the best scores moving on to the next round. In the first round, each competitor will have approximately 3 mins to produce a 10 oz latte. Competitors are allowed to make as many drinks within that time limit but only one will be submitted for evaluation. In the second round, competitors will only have one chance to produce a 6 oz cappuccino for evaluation in a head-to-head playoff format.

Throughout the competition, we will be featuring a coffee education opportunity with a hands-on demonstration of an espresso machine. As we demonstrate the machine, we will offer sample tastings of espresso shots as they develop during the pour. The coffee education, sample tastings, and competitor lattes/cappuccinos will be free to sample for anyone in attendance and the latte art competition will be free to watch.

The competition fee for baristas is $3 for early registration by RSVPing at info@petitepour.com or $5 at the door. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 competitors. Also, we are especially encouraging first time competitors to compete and will have a prize for the highest scoring first time competitor in round 1.

Anyone with any questions should send an e-mail to info@petitepour.com. Special thanks to our sponsors and host: Mama Javas Coffee, Petite Pour, Echo Coffee, Cortez Coffee, Cartel Coffee Lab, Caffe D’Arte, Kaleidoscope Coffee, Passport Coffee & Tea, and Coffee Reserve.