S8: A SPECIAL COFFEE PEOPLE: SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
Guests: Coffee People at the Specialty Coffee Association Expo
From: Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR
Connect: See all the guest links below
What we drank: All the coffees everywhere
Saturday:
8:00 AM - It is Portland-dry, which means wet, damp, and intermittent misting. I’m going to wait this out before hopping on my bike. The internet says dry weather is on the way…
9:00 AM - I’m risking it.
9:30 AM - I pull over at TwentySix Cafe (NE 7th) for a drip coffee. The PDX locals are out despite the ongoing drizzle. I sit outside judging incoming dog owners like an A-hole, but I turn my bad attitude around when I start sipping my coffee. It is the perfect complement to the morning. Time to go. The Expo awaits.
10:11 AM - OMG! Is that the founder of Sprudge? Excuse me while I geek out for a moment.
10:30 AM - My first interview is with Giselle Lara-Aradondo of Roust. Unlike yesterday, I remember to turn on the microphone right away.
11:08 AM - I finally get over to see the new Sivetz Roasters. Michael Barthmus, the CEO of Sivetz, was a guest on the pod last season.
11: 45 AM - I’m drinking coffee, lots of coffee. In addition to the batch brew on my way in, I sample nine different coffees on the vendor floor, along with one full-size cappuccino. The clear standout was a Colombia from Night Swim Coffee. In fact, I think it is the best coffee I’ve had so far.
12:30 PM - The sun is out! I’m walking around the block!
2:00 - 3:45 PM - The Roastar booth is packed! It is non-stop interviews well beyond the time I thought I’d be packing up.
4:30 PM - I really love riding a bicycle around Northeast Portland.
5:30 PM - I’m listening to the Brewers game, drinking a beer, and just sitting on the patio watching a pair of birds flirting. Today was a long day. Even though I covered less ground inside the Expo, I talked myself hoarse.
It was worth it. I made some real connections today. I had the opportunity to talk to coffee people from Kenya, India, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Guatemala, not to mention those from all over this country.
All of me is sore, and life is good. I’m going to bed early.
Sometime later…
I can’t believe Felicity’s husband did that! You’ve got to start watching The Diplomat on Netflix.
SUNDAY
9:05 AM - I get a late start. The weather has flipped upside down again. The rain is coming down. I gear up.
9:21 AM - I write a poem in my head.
Never knowing
damp or dry
Why? Why?
I ask the sky.
10:00 AM - The Convention Center feels different. Hmmm…What has changed? Oh, I see it. The people are gone. It feels almost calm this morning. Either there a lot of late nights for Expo-goers or some people cashed out early.
11:11 AM - I meet Ben Jones, 2016 U.S. AeroPress Champion, at the Aeropress booth. He makes a pretty good coffee, and it turns out that we’re both into typewriters. You can find him on Instagram: @AnnotatedPress.
11:20 AM - I stop by the In Good Spirits Competition. According to the SCA, “This competition promotes innovative beverage recipes that showcase coffee and spirits, and highlights the barista/barkeeper’s mixology skills.”
It’s a totally different vibe over here in the competition room. It’s quieter and much more serious. There is work being done. It’s pretty cool to see how precise the contestants are, how committed, and how much this means to them.
11:55 AM - Is that Coffee Smarter expert Siri Simran Khalsa from Lofty Coffee? It is!
12:31 PM - Things have picked up. It is still slower than Friday or Saturday, but the hum of the Expo has definitely picked up. I explore the Roastar-sponsored Design In Packaging Showcase. There is so much cool artwork in packaging. Speaking of, R!WC now has a monthly Design(er) showcase!
4:11 PM - Context: I’m spending the night in Vancouver, WA with friends. We’re supposed to meet at 5:00 PM.
“Hey, how far are you from the soccer field?”
“Like five minutes, why?”
“I think I just tore my achilles.”
Guests from the following coffee businesses appeared on today's podcast:
Tandeep Bains - Twiga Coffee - https://twigacoffee.com/
Hollie Schmiedeskamp - Tekwani Design - https://www.tekwanidesign.com/coffee-expo
Taylor Smith & Reya Bhara - Portland Coffee Roasters - https://www.portlandcoffeeroasters.com/
Nick Walton - Flag and Wire Coffee Co. - https://www.flagandwire.com/
Sara and Ollie - Zocalo Coffee - https://www.zocalocoffee.com/
Lourdes and Sara - Panama Geisha Coffee Farmers - http://scap-panama.com/
David Kramer - Scolari Engineering - https://www.scolarieng.com/
Matt Chitharanjan - Blue Tokai Coffee - https://bluetokaicoffee.com/https://bluetokaicoffee.com/
Christy Deen - Drip Thru Coffee - https://www.dripthrucoffee.com/
Kelly Shriane - Adda Coffeehouse - https://www.addacoffeehouse.com/
Michael Torres - Red Rooster/Rooster Coffee
R!WC INDUSTRY PARTNERS
A huge, on-going thank you to this show’s industry partners. Click these links!
Roastar • Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Steady State Roasting • Mostra Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company • Ignite Coffee Company • Ascend Coffee Roasters • Marea Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Roasters • Hacea Coffee Source • Crossings Coffee • Acento Coffee Roasters
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Coffee People at SCA Expo 2023: Saturday and Sunday