Cuvee Coffee

When I decided to compete at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s South Central Regional Barista Competition, most people were curious, some in disbelief, but all in all everyone was supportive. I am very fortunate because I have been actively involved in the SCAA for several years. In that time I have formed professional and personal relationships with some very smart, talented and accomplished coffee professionals. I also have the privilege of working next to some of them. The week leading up to SCRBC was a non stop buzz. People were coming and going all hours of the day and night. They were using my training center to practice their performances. Another huge benefit for me. I got to watch and learn from some of the best barista competitors in the South Central Region. Mainly Clancy Rose and Lorenzo Perkins. Watching these guys, learning from them and listening to them was like a masters course in competing at SCRBC.

A brief history of the SCRBC…3 years ago we had about 8 competitors. This was the first SCRBC. 2008 was our second competition and we had about 16 give or take a couple. Last weekend was 26 in all and I must say that this was easily the most skilled group of baristas yet.

Now, back to the point. As I prepared (and I use that term loosely) I worked on my speech, presentation, making drinks, etc. Dan Streetman is a very accomplished judge and he gave me some guidance and suggestions. As did Clancy. I talked on the phone with Ellie Matuszak and got her input. You would think that this alone would ensure a solid performance…assuming a reasonable amount of practice, right? I mean, I make espresso every morning at work. At least 3 a day. I even pour a cappuccino about once a week. The reality is that I am not, nor have I ever been a professional barista. This is a very big disadvantage and one I took for granted. The other huge mistake was in all my practice runs, I never practiced my set up time. I mean, for real? Can it take 15 minutes to put on a table cloth and set up some glasses? The answer is yes, if you don’t have a plan and have not practiced. The end result was no time to pour shots and I ended up serving ¼ ounce espressos…uuugggghhh! The judges kept it real and scored my performance very accurately…not pretty. So other than the horrid drinks, everything went well. All the stuff I practiced worked out so in the end. If I would have practiced the whole package, I might have eked my way into the finals, but all in all, I am not at all unhappy with my 7th place finish. The only thing that really bothers me still is that I did not present this amazing coffee properly. Fortunatley for me, there were plenty of other competitors, using Cuvee, who did a much better job. Including finalist Clancy Rose and the champion Lorenzo Perkins. This leads me to the thing that I am most proud of. Out of the 9 winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd each of the 3 competitions) 6 were using Cuvee Coffee and all 3 first place finishers used our coffee. So what I learned is that it was not the tool, it was the carpenter. If I do this again, I will absolutely practice the whole routine, start to finish and make sure that I represent the coffee as it deserves to be represented.

We all hear the buzz words…green, sustainable, organic, etc, over and over. These terms were created to describe a new idea. A new way of doing something, different, better. A word with a mission and a meaning. It seems to me that these words have been used so much and have now turned into a marketing tactic and lost their original intention.

In the world of coffee roasting, I am observing the same thing. Words like “direct” and “relationship” were created to describe the purchasing of some pioneering, specialty coffee roasters (Counter Culture Coffee, Intelligentsia Coffee, and Stumptown Coffee). These companies supported a new way of sourcing coffee. One with a mission and a meaning. Now it seems that these words start to ring hollow as many coffee roasters are using them as nothing more than a marketing tactic. My observation is that some roasters are using the term with no understanding what it means; while others are shamelessly trying to mislead the consumer into thinking they are something they are not. Justifying (in sketchy ways) words like “direct” or “relationship” to describe sourcing coffee is now minimizing the terms original intent. One example is the SCAA Roasters Guild Origin Trip. This trip (and I have been on a few as part of the Roasters Guild Executive Council) is by all means an incredible way to experience coffee origins in an organized and controlled environment. The trip is full of learning and interacting with farmers and other roasters. This by itself is wonderful, but here is how it gets warped. Joe Roaster goes on an RG origin trip and visits a farm. He learns about the farm, the processing, and the farmer and snaps some photos. Maybe even one with him and the farmer together. Now he goes home and asks Jane Importer if he can buy a couple bags of coffee from that farm. Voila, the marketing machine is in place and that coffee is now a “direct trade, farm direct or direct relationship.” Total (insert expletive)! That is not at all what those words were created to describe. It is sad to see a new breed of dishonest coffee roasters popping up all over the place. And it is quite disrespectful to the people that blazed a trail for the next generation of specialty coffee roasters.

In all fairness, there are a handful of specialty coffee roasters that are following the lead of the 3 pioneers, and I am not referring to them. The rest know who they are. Here at Cuvee Coffee Roasting Company, these terms and words mean something. It takes a substantial investment of time and money to build a business based on working directly with farmers. It also takes an infrastructure to allow someone to be out of the office a total of several months over the course of the year. I know from my own experience that until I had a few people working for me, I would have never been able to spend 4 out of 6 weeks in Peru and Brazil, like I did this past summer.

One of our stronger, and constantly developing relationships, is with Jose Antonio Salaverria in El Salvador. We have been buying his coffee for the past 3 years, and he was kind enough to visit us 2 weeks ago, here at our Austin, Texas coffee roasting and training facility. We are currently working on a couple of processing and lot sorting projects with him. As I write this, I am preparing to book my flight to El Salvador. I will be spending several days with Jose Antonio between Thanksgiving and Christmas in order to plan for the upcoming harvest.

Cameron, from Caffe Medici, was kind enough to put together a short video montage of Jose Antonio’s recent trip. Once again, just more proof that when we say direct and/or relationship, we mean it!