The Green Ocean Coffee Project Is Reviving Clew Bay

Watermark Coffee is working with the Clew Bay Oyster Co-Op to restore oysters and reduce coastal erosion by using coffee purchases to fund seabed restoration. 

BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Featured photo courtesy of Watermark Coffee

As the world grapples with environmental issues and climate change, it has become increasingly important for businesses to be more conscious of their ecological impact. One business that stands out in this regard is Watermark Coffee, founded by David Lawlor and his wife, Marguerite. The company takes a unique approach to sustainability by focusing on its Green Ocean Coffee initiative.  

David, the company’s managing director, has chosen the ocean as their primary cause to support, and has partnered with local change-makers to do so. The Green Ocean Coffee project has been focusing its efforts on restoring the oyster population in Clew Bay, located in County Mayo in Ireland. We reached out to David and asked him about Green Ocean Coffee and the importance of businesses taking meaningful environmental action. 

A large oyster shell is held out by human hands. The oyster is large, gray and white mottled, and bumpy in texture.
A keystone species is a vital organism that serves as a defining characteristic of an entire ecosystem. Photo via Unsplash.

Restoring the Ecosystem Through Reviving Oysters 

As a keystone species, oysters are a vital part of the local ecosystem and provide essential services, such as nutrient cycling and water filtration. The team at Watermark Coffee has made it their mission to revive the oyster population in Clew Bay.  

David decided to start the project as a direct response to the climate crisis. “I believe that every effort, no matter how small, makes a difference. … (We) are now at a ‘make or break’ stage where we need to take every opportunity to make better climate decisions. Businesses have an even greater opportunity to make a difference in terms of their available resources and influence. We don’t have time to waste.” 

But how can oysters help exactly? According to David, oysters help filter seawater. This allows sunlight to reach deeper into the ocean and promotes the growth of seagrass and other marine plants. ”Seagrass is a powerful carbon sink; according to the UN, seagrass absorbs atmospheric carbon at a rate of 35 times faster than the rainforest. The established oyster and seagrass/seaweed reef provides a perfect environment for juvenile fish to grow and avoid predation but also (reduces) coastal erosion.”

Alex and David drink coffee on a dock by the sea with a box of oysters and wear blue and yellow rain jackets.
Alex Blackwell, (left) manager and marine biologist with Clew Bay Oyster Co-Op, with David Lawlor. Photo courtesy of Watermark Coffee.

Watermark Coffee, from Bean to Sea 

Together with the Clew Bay Oyster Co-Op, the Green Ocean Coffee project carried out the first phase of restoration in July 2022 to capture the essence of the project. To help oyster larvae settle and attach to the sea floor, they applied a layer of broken shell called culch. Their goal? Create an oyster reef by spreading culch and letting it develop over a period of three to four years. 

Watermark Coffee is not only looking to help the local environment and revive Clew Bay’s oyster population, but they’re also committed to sustainability in their business operations. David explains, ”The link between coffee consumption and the restoration is simple. One square meter of seabed restoration is funded with each 1 kg bag of coffee purchased.”

Three blue bags of Watermark coffee lined up on a rock with oysters in front of them.
Each bag of Green Ocean Coffee results in the restoration of a square meter of the sea floor. Photo courtesy of Watermark Coffee.

The coffee itself is packaged in fully recyclable bags and purchased directly from farmers, giving Watermark a direct link between producers and the final coffee customer.

Local, Simple, Authentic Climate Action 

The Green Ocean Coffee project is a long-term commitment, and Watermark Coffee is dedicated to making it a success. David believes that businesses have an even greater opportunity to make a difference. Their environmental emissions are much higher than the individual, but they also have more available resources and influence.   

“The challenge for businesses is to engage in authentic climate action or carbon-reducing measures rather than being seduced by the allure of greenwashing, which tends to be vague in detail and grandiose in its claims. When it comes to climate action, authenticity trumps everything else,” he says. 

Marguerite holds up a cup and saucer while David looks on with a coffee bag in front of Clew Bay.
Watermark Coffee is a family-owned business established by Marguerite and David Lawlor in 2007. Photo courtesy of Watermark Coffee.

David thinks businesses looking to promote their sustainability initiatives should ensure they demonstrate the worth of their initiative and keep it local and simple. “It is also important that the climate action culture of the business reflects the ethos of the initiative, as this will greatly improve its chances of being noticed in a crowded media landscape,” he says.

The Green Ocean Coffee Project is continuing its restoration work in Clew Bay for the next two to four years. They’re also looking to expand to other locations around the Irish coast, adapting the nature of the restoration to fit geographical requirements. They hope that companies will partner with them by selecting their coffee products as part of a larger effort to fund and spread awareness about this important cause. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vasileia Fanarioti (she/her) is a senior online correspondent for Barista Magazine, and a freelance copywriter and editor with a primary focus on the coffee niche. She has also been a volunteer copywriter for the I’M NOT A BARISTA NPO, providing content to help educate people about baristas and their work. You can follow her adventures at thewanderingbean.net.

The post The Green Ocean Coffee Project Is Reviving Clew Bay appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

This article was first published here.


We uncover more of PDX’s specialty-coffee standouts: Keeper Coffee Co., Proud Mary, and Guilder Café.

BY EMILY JOY MENESES
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Feature photo by Peter Bucks via Unsplash

In part one of our Portland Café Guide, we began our exploration of the city’s ever-expanding specialty-coffee scene with notable cafés Prince Coffee, Deadstock Coffee, Portland Cà Phê, and FUTURA Coffee. However, these four cafés make up just a small fraction of the list of PDX coffeehouses worth visiting—and so we’re continuing our journey through the City of Roses with Keeper Coffee Co., Proud Mary, and Guilder Café.

A hand holds a mug with a latte featuring a rosetta. The countertop underneath is covered in tiny hexagon tiles, spelling out Keeper in tile right above the drink in the photo.
Keeper Coffee Co. is a people-focused café where reigning U.S. Barista Champion Morgan Eckroth works as a barista. Photo courtesy of Brittany Huff.

Keeper Coffee Co.

Located in Southeast Portland’s Woodstock neighborhood, Keeper Coffee is notable for a multitude of reasons. Reigning USBC champ Morgan Eckroth, who currently works at Keeper, shared their thoughts on what makes the café stand out.

“Keeper is a really special café,” Morgan shares. “It’s tucked away within a dense neighborhood and has become such a community hub. On top of a great coffee program, we also have a fantastic baking team and an impressive showcase.”

Outside Keeper there are cafe tables and chairs, a painted all caps sign on the top of the building under a metal lamp, and painted lettering on the windows that read: "single origin coffee, specialty tea, house made pastries" and list the store hours with the word "welcome." The building it white with gray trim around the windows and a green garland hangs from the roof.
“We’re a café that’s people-focused, and we take a lot of pride in our hospitality,” says Keeper Coffee Co.’s Morgan Eckroth. Photo courtesy of Brittany Huff.

“Really, though, we’re a café that’s people-focused, and we take a lot of pride in our hospitality,” Morgan continues. “Whether you’re getting a bite to go or staying awhile, it’s a lovely spot with something for everyone.”

Proud Mary Coffee

Anyone with their toes in the Portland specialty-coffee scene knows that Proud Mary is a must-try. Husband and wife Nolan and Shari Hirte founded Proud Mary in 2009 in Melbourne, Australia, eventually opening locations in Austin, Texas, and Northeast Portland’s Alberta Arts District.

In the foreground, blurred, is a huge green palm. A barista in a ballcap works behind the espresso bar. Industrial lighting hangs from the ceiling, and coffee paraphernalia covers the end of the counter. Customers sit right by the bar to drink. More seating can be seen in the background, as well as square windows.
Nolan and Shari Hirte first founded Proud Mary in 2009 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo courtesy of Lindsay Goodrich.

Aside from their exceptional offerings (many of which are Cup of Excellence coffees), Proud Mary also has a great Aussie-inspired food program. The café offers all-day breakfast, lunch, tea, fresh juice and smoothies, and baked goods, made with fresh and sustainably, ethically, and locally sourced produce.

A customer sips a drink behind a beautiful plate of poached eggs and greens with meat.
Aside from their exceptional coffee, Proud Mary also has a delicious Aussie-inspired food program. Photo courtesy of Lindsay Goodrich.

“We blend the innovative spirit of Melbourne’s coffee culture with Portland’s adventurous taste buds,” reads the café’s mission statement. “The result is a refined yet experimental approach to our food, beverage, and service. We joyfully nerd out on the product, the people, and the process that brings it all together.”

Guilder Café/Junior’s Roasted Coffee

Founded by Caryn and Mike Nelson and partners Tony Roberts and Carrie Lind, Guilder Café gets its name from the movie/book The Princess Bride—a theme that’s present throughout the café’s menu, design, and packaging. The café has two locations: the “East” location in Northeast Portland’s Alameda-Irvington neighborhood and the “West” location inside of Powell’s City of Books. The East location features a micro-roastery—Junior’s Roasted Coffee—with its own café located on NE Prescott Street.

Another notable thing about Guilder/Junior’s: the founders’ dedication to ethically and sustainably sourced coffee. In 2018, Guilder’s founders launched the Cost of Production Covered Project to serve as their guide to green coffee-buying practices.

The inside of Guilder is a large open space with a wall of window, metal stools and chairs, a long metal bar, concrete floor, and staircase leading up to another floor on the right.
Guilder was founded by Caryn and Mike Nelson with partners Tony Roberts and Carrie Lind. Photo courtesy of Caryn Nelson.

Working with importers and exporters that they know and trust, they aim to identify farms that are willing to collaborate on long-term projects and hope that transparent coffee-buying practices will help inform consumers about the hidden costs of other food systems, and will motivate larger coffee companies to buy more sustainably.

“When (we) started Junior’s, (we) wanted to think deeper about what makes a good roasting company,” founder Caryn Nelson shares. They wanted sound environmental and social conditions at the farm level, as well as equitable trade practices between all supply stream partners. That includes how they operate their business in Portland and share their coffee story with consumers. “While quality is about roasting coffee to best suit its terroir, and brewing it to best represent all of the hard work and dedication that poured into that product from seed to cup, (we) wanted specialty coffee to mean more than just excellent taste,” Caryn says.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Joy Meneses (she/they) is a writer and musician based in Los Angeles. Her hobbies include foraging, cortados, vintage synths, and connecting with her Filipino roots through music, art, food, and beverage.

The post The Portland Café Guide: Redux appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

This article was first published here.


Aromatic, floral, and delicately sweet, lychee adds a special touch to any beverage.

BY EMILY JOY MENESES
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Cover photo by Jamie Trinh via Unsplash

Spring is here in the Northern Hemisphere. That means that fresh fruit and floral flavors are once again taking center stage in the food and beverage world. Looking for ingredients to brighten up your at-home beverages or café drinks? There’s a world beyond the typical go-to like citrus or strawberry. In today’s installment of “Know Your Ingredients,“ we’re exploring lychee. This aromatic, floral, and delicately sweet fruit has its roots in southern China. Its cultivation has become an international affair, and now the fruit is making itself known in the specialty-coffee world.  

Chinese Roots

In the modern world, lychee is grown throughout Asia, the Indian subcontinent, South Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, and certain parts of North America. However, we can trace the fruit’s earliest roots specifically to southern China. Documented lychee cultivation dates as far back as the 11th century.  

Lychee fruit on a branch. The leaves are long, deep green and glossy with smooth edges. The fruits hang in small clusters, with a surface similar to a raspberry in color, but with a bumpy skin, almost like leather.
One of the fruits is peeled to show the white flesh inside, which looks shiny.
Light and aromatic, lychee has a slightly floral flavor (most similar to rose), and its taste is akin to that of a pear or grape with a hint of citrus. Photo by Atul Somani via Pixabay.

The small, sweet fruit is often associated with Yang Yuhuan, a consort of Emperor Xuan Zhong from 713 to 756 A.D. Yang Yuhuan was known to love lychee so much that the emperor would have couriers travel for thousands of miles between the capital city and Guangdong, where it was grown, to have the fruit brought to her.

Lychee in the Western World

From China, lychee cultivation would spread over several thousand years to other parts of the world via trade and travel. In the 1850s, gold miners from modern-day Egypt transported trees with them to Australia. There, the trees experienced a wonderfully long season, producing fruit from late October to late March—the longest lychee production season in the world.

A woman in China looks over lychee bundles in a big market stall, holding up a big cluster. To her right is a stack of red plastic hand baskets, and people browsing are visible behind her.
Lychee originated in southern China, where cultivation of the fruit dates as far back as the 11th century. Photo by Chengwei Hu via Unsplash.

Lychee trees first reached the United States in the early 1900s, when a missionary named William Brewster imported them from China to central Florida. It is very much an internationally grown crop today, though its roots in China are still recognized.

Flavor Profile 

Beneath the rough skin of the fruit is sweet, succulent white flesh bursting with juice. Light and aromatic, lychee has a slightly floral flavor (most similar to rose), and its taste is akin to that of a pear or grape with a hint of citrus. Because its flavor is so delicate, the fruit loses a lot of its flavor when cooked—so, when incorporating lychee into recipes, it’s best to use the raw fruit and its juices.

A white paper bag labeled KUMQUAT and two lychee iced tea drinks with rose petal pieces sprinkled on top. The drinks are layered so milk sits at the bottom.
Kumquat Coffee’s Lychee Hongcha: an iced milk tea made with lychee syrup and black tea, all topped with dried rose petals. Photo by Emily Joy Meneses.

Lychee in the Specialty-Coffee World

Lychee has long been a favorite at Asian boba shops and teahouses. It has shown up recently within the specialty-coffee world as well. We love Los Angeles-based Kumquat Coffee’s take on the fruit: their seasonal Lychee Hongcha is an iced milk tea made with lychee syrup and black tea steeped from leaves grown in Korea, all topped with dried rose petals.

Beautifully floral and delicately sweet, lychee serves as a great alternative to your typical fruit flavors, and we hope to see more of it in the specialty-coffee world as time goes on.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Joy Meneses (she/they) is a writer and musician based in Los Angeles. Her hobbies include foraging, cortados, vintage synths, and connecting with her Filipino roots through music, art, food, and beverage.

The post Know Your Ingredients: Lychee appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

This article was first published here.


Dozens of coffee professionals competed at qualifiers this weekend in Colorado for coveted spots at the U.S. Coffee Championships next month.

BY J. MARIE CARLAN
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Cover photo by J. Marie Carlan

For competitive coffee professionals in the USA, the U.S. Coffee Championships are the place to be. Over the weekend, the second USCC Qualifier of the competition season took place at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum in Englewood, Colo. Competitors raced against the clock and each other to grab qualifying spots. Those who qualified will have the privilege of moving on to the USCC national events in April.

Here are the competitors who came out on top in each contest; you can view a full list of competitors moving on to nationals here.

The three finalists pose with their wooden plaques. Kimhak gives a shaka hand or hang ten sign with thumb and pinkie extended, three middle fingers curled against the palm. He wears elbow crutches and a Kodak hoodie. Kiara in the middle wearsa gray sweatshirt and green beanie. Steve wears a beard, flannel shirt and snazzy brown cardigan.
Roaster qualifiers, from left: Mark Kove (who finished in seventh place and also advanced), Kiara, and Steve. Photo by Matthew Temple courtesy of U.S. Coffee Championships.

U.S. Roaster Top-Ranking Qualifiers

  1. Kiara Freysinger of Huckleberry Roasters in Denver
  2. Kimhak Em of Paircupworks in Mesa, Ariz.
  3. Steve Cuevas of Black Oak Roasters in Ukiah, Calif.
Thomas wears a half zip pullover and jeans. Sebastian wears gray and jeans and trucker hat. Mehmet wears white and khaki with a thin gray scarf. All hold wooden plaques.
The top Cup Tasters qualifiers, from left: Thomas, Sebastián, and Mehmet. Photo by Matthew Temple courtesy of U.S. Coffee Championships.

U.S. Cup Tasters Top-Ranking Qualifiers

  1. Thomas Chandler of Black Oak Coffee in Ukiah, Calif.
  2. Sebastián Legner of Coda Coffee in Denver
  3. Mehmet Sogan of Memli Coffee in San Diego
Piyapat is in a blue button up shirt, wenbo wears a side-zip hoodie, and Truc wears and brown turtleneck. They all wear jeans, two are holding up plaques.
Latte Art qualifiers, from left: Benjamin Parham (who finished in fifth place and also advanced), Flook, and Truc. Photo by Matthew Temple courtesy of U.S. Coffee Championships.

U.S. Latte Art Top-Ranking Qualifiers

  1. Wenbo Yang of Artly Coffee
  2. Truc Ngo of IOCoffea
  3. Piyapat ”Flook” Lapteerawaut of Coffee Project NY
A huge group of 18 competitors, many in bright colors, one cowgirl hat, and three wooden plaques held up by winners crouching in front.
Barista qualifiers, with top-three finishers (from left) Anthony, Seidy, and Isaiah up front. Photo by Matthew Temple courtesy of U.S. Coffee Championships.

US Barista Top-Ranking Qualifiers

  1. Seidy Selivanow of Kaflex Roasters in Vancouver, Wash.
  2. Isaiah Sheese of Archetype Coffee in Omaha, Neb.
  3. Anthony Ragler of Black & White Coffee in Zebulon, N.C.
11 competitors, three with wooden plaques crouched in front, all smiling.
Brewers Cup qualifiers, with top-three (from left) Jesus, Danesha, and Korachai up front. Photo by Matthew Temple courtesy of U.S. Coffee Championships.

US Brewers Cup Top-Ranking Qualifiers

  1. Korachai Silpavitanku of Amberson Coffee in Indianapolis
  2. Danesha Toro of Greater Goods Roasting in Austin, Texas
  3. Jesus Iniquez of Archetype Coffee in Omaha, Neb.
Three competitors in all neutral colors holding their wooden plaques.
Garrett, Natasha, and Edwin are the top-three qualifiers for Coffee In Good Spirits. Photo by Matthew Temple courtesy of U.S. Coffee Championships.

U.S. Coffee In Good Spirits Top-Ranking Qualifiers

  1. Garrett VanWambeke, Independent, of Atlanta
  2. Natasha Solowoniuk of Caffe Vita in Seattle
  3. Edwin Gorritz of Barista Squared in Orlando, Fla.

Every competitor brought their A-game, but only some will go on to the U.S. Coffee Championships in Portland, Ore; the championships are a big part of the Specialty Coffee Expo, which will take place April 21-23.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J. Marie Carlan (she/they) is the online editor for Barista Magazine. She’s been a barista for over a decade and writing since she was old enough to hold a pencil. When she’s not behind the espresso bar or toiling over content, you can find her perusing record stores, collecting bric-a-brac, writing poetry, and trying to keep the plants alive in her Denver apartment. She occasionally updates her blog.

The post Congrats to the Top-Ranking Qualifiers at U.S. CoffeeChamps Denver appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

This article was first published here.


The new program connects coffee producers to one another, provides them with educational resources, and more.

BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Photos courtesy of the Cocaerol, Comal & Amprocal cooperatives in Honduras

Since 2021, Digital Coffee Future (DCF) has been working on a digital training program to address the needs of coffee producers. In September and October 2022, the DCF team—together with the Neumann Foundation and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)—guided 20 cooperatives from Central America through a pilot program.

Over the course of six weeks, participants had the opportunity to connect with other professionals. They worked on digital content, learned from their peers, and formed an online community. Today at Barista Magazine, we take a closer look at this innovative project and learn from the experiences of participants.

The exterior of a building at The Cocaerol Cooperative in Honduras. In the concrete patio outside the blue structure, coffee beans have been laid out to dry in the sun in several enormous piles. Another small green builfing and a pickup truck can be seen in the background.
The Cocaerol cooperative in Honduras saw the potential of this program helping to strengthen their business operations.

Equipping Coffee Producers for Digital Transformation

The Digital Origin Education Program (DOEP) is an online course designed by DCF to help coffee producers actors gain the skills they need to implement successful digital projects. Through lectures and hands-on exercises, participants learn how to assess their digital maturity, tailor digital tools to their needs, and develop a comprehensive plan for digital transformation.

The pilot program aims to equip cooperatives from Guatemala and Honduras with the skills to independently develop digital projects. The course offers a deep dive into digitalization and its potential for the sector. There’s an emphasis on understanding how to use existing tools and data to strengthen the cooperatives’ business operations.

A woman in a purple striped shirt and baseball cap works gathering coffee cherries in a basket around her waist and looks over at the camera.
Producers have begun to realize the potential of digitalization in coffee production through the Digital Origin Education Program.

Marisol Velásquez of the Honduran coffee cooperative COCREBISTOL says that the cooperatives have received interesting and innovative training through the program. “I believe that each coffee company will be strengthened in the different processes it carries out,“ she says. “We have learned a lot about digitalization and digitization, which if we apply (these lessons) will allow us to have the necessary information on time and also reduce working hours. Personally, it has helped me to learn many new and handy tools.“

Workers tend to coffee seedlings on a rasied platform. The plants are wrapped in plastic to retain moisture in their soil. One man is on his cell phone while two women are gathering seedlings into a plastic crate.
Streamlining their business operations with the help of this program, coffee cooperatives are now better equipped to tackle challenges such as traceability while increasing efficiency.

A Step-by-Step Approach To Digitalization

Arnold Alvarado from the cooperative Puringla Café, who participated in the program, says, “Digitalization is a process that is very important to be able to have positive results in each process of the companies. DOEP is a program that allows us to carry out these processes through digitalization using methods, programs, and applications with which we can streamline our processes.“

In the coming year, Digital Coffee Future will continue to expand its education process and foster growth as it seeks to assist small producers in over 70 countries. DCF’s aim is for the program to have a positive impact on coffee cooperatives and their journey toward digitalization.

A woman in a wide brimmed hat and plaid shirt gathers coffee cherries into a basket tied to her waist. She has a long braid and earrings.
Digital Coffee Future plans to expand its program in the coming year.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vasileia Fanarioti (she/her) is a senior online correspondent for Barista Magazine, and a freelance copywriter and editor with a primary focus on the coffee niche. She has also been a volunteer copywriter for the I’M NOT A BARISTA NPO, providing content to help educate people about baristas and their work. You can follow her adventures at thewanderingbean.net.

The post A Look at Digital Coffee Future’s Digital Origin Education Program appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

This article was first published here.


The Australian roasting company helps to create opportunities for veteran communities. 

BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Photos courtesy of 3 Elements Coffee 

Brisbane, Australia-based 3 Elements Coffee, founded by Navy veteran Terry McNally in 2016, has a mission to support the transition of ex-military personnel into the commercial workspace. To help achieve their goal and raise awareness of related issues, Terry picked coffee as their product of choice, using funds generated to assist in the transition process. We reached out to Terry to find out how 3 Elements Coffee began, what the company has achieved so far, and much more.

Choosing Coffee to Support Veterans 

Knowing that many veterans face difficulties when trying to adjust to civilian life after service, 3 Elements works to ensure they are supported through this transition. One of their main goals is to raise funds for two charities: PTSD Resurrected and Australian Veterans’ Children Assistance Trust. These organizations provide veterans with job training, interview skills, and education scholarships for their children.  

A veteran in a wheelchair, missing one leg, holds up two bags of coffee near the 3 Elements coffee kiosk at the Invictus Games in Australia. Someone at the kiosk in the background gives a peace sign.
3 Elements Coffee was served during the Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event for wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans. 

Terry, a Navy veteran himself, cares deeply about the post-service transition for veterans. “Often HR companies don’t understand what skill-sets military personnel have and how they translate to commercial speech. This is the same for the veteran during transition; they don’t know how to communicate what they have done to an HR company. (They may find) it hard to get employment and need a transition course to help them integrate into the commercial community.” By providing courses, coaching, and funds for veteran charities, 3 Elements Coffee hopes to make a positive change in the lives of those who have served their country.  

Terry picked coffee as the company’s product of choice because he believes it is a great way to bring people together. “Coffee is a great way to connect people and start conversations; it’s something we all can relate to,” he says. ”For us, it’s also about the taste and sourcing of premium beans from around the world, while ensuring that producers are being paid correctly to support their own families.” 

A gray-haired man in a suit, wearing glasses, shakes hands with a man in uniform. Onlookers smile near an Invictus Games banner.
The 3 Elements team attends various community events, where they serve up delicious coffees and educate people about their mission and how to support veterans. 

How 3 Elements Gives Back to Veteran Communities 

The company does several things to support veterans, such as developing custom roasts for charity organizations by mixing blends that they promote on their respective websites. In addition, a percentage of sales are given back to the charity. The charity can also purchase coffee at a reduced wholesale rate, with 100% of profits going back to them. 3 Elements also donates half-year and full-year supplies of coffee as prizes in auctions.

Coffee Carts

3 Elements will also loan out their coffee carts to veterans looking to start their own businesses. Terry explains that they don’t charge for the loan of the machine and the cart; these tools help veterans to see whether a coffee business is for them. “If it is for them, we then loan the cart ’til they save up enough money to buy/build their own cart so they become self-sufficient, allowing us to then re-loan out the cart to another veteran,“ he says. “If it’s not for them, it still gives the veteran opportunities to talk about themselves to the customer whilst serving coffee. … (They can) show potential business owners/companies who they are and talk about what they did in the military in the hope that person gives them a formal interview/job.” 

Many veterans have found success in 3 Elements Coffee’s transition programs, and Terry is proud of what the company has achieved. He hopes to see more veterans given the opportunity to pick up new skills and find meaningful employment after service in the military. “My advice to them is to think about their passion and how they can turn it into a business. Stick to what they know. Research what they want to do and if there is a market for it. Be prepared to work long hours to start with and go to as many network nights as they can,” he says. 

The line of Jack Reacher collab products. Two bags of coffee, one called Worth Dying For and the other One Shot, an all black travel mug with the words Down Under, a similar water bottle, and logo tote bags.
The collaboration with Lee Child is an example of the company’s commitment to creating meaningful partnerships with shared values. 

Jack Reacher Collab

3 Elements Coffee has also teamed up with Lee Child, the award-winning author of the highly successful Jack Reacher books, to create a special range of limited-edition blends for fans in Australia and New Zealand. The company plans to expand by offering even more veterans the opportunity to own their own coffee carts. Furthermore, they will be actively promoting their businesses in the community as a way of helping other communities, clubs, and organizations raise funds for their own initiatives that benefit the community through the love of great coffee.  

All these activities are aimed at continuing to give back to society while simultaneously growing the reach of the company’s business. If you wish to find out more or get involved with 3 Elements’ initiatives, check out their website

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vasileia Fanarioti (she/her) is a senior online correspondent for Barista Magazine, and a freelance copywriter and editor with a primary focus on the coffee niche. She has also been a volunteer copywriter for the I’M NOT A BARISTA NPO, providing content to help educate people about baristas and their work. You can follow her adventures at thewanderingbean.net.

The post 3 Elements Coffee: Supporting Veterans, One Cup at a Time   appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

This article was first published here.


Called Innovea, the network will aim to secure long-term supplies of coffee and improve climate resilience through breeding.

BY CHRIS RYAN
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Photos courtesy of World Coffee Research

Last month, during the Sintercafe coffee expo in Costa Rica, industry nonprofit World Coffee Research (WCR) made an announcement with much potential to impact coffee’s future for the better.

The news: WCR has launched Innovea, a global breeding network of nine countries that will “transform global coffee breeding and accelerate the pace of genetic improvement,” per a press release from WCR. They chose the Innovea name by combining “innovation” with Coffea, the plant name of the coffee species, so the name loosely translates to “coffee innovation.”

“Coffee faces a crisis of innovation that makes the industry’s sustainability, quality, and supply assurance goals impossible to achieve if we stay on the path we are on,” says WCR CEO Dr. Jennifer (Vern) Long in the press release. “But as we have seen with COVID-19, incredible solutions to urgent, global problems are made possible with scientific collaboration.”

Close up of a man's hands. He holds coffee flowers gently. The petals are small, long and white, on a long skinny green stalk. The flowers grow in small clusters in a circle around the stem at intervals.
Collecting pollen from male flowers to make cross-pollinations to generate new plants. The Innovea network will aim to accelerate the pace of genetic improvements in coffee.

‘Coopetition’ Not Competition

Collaboration is indeed the name of the game for the Innovea network. Dr. George Kotch, WCR’s former research director, has decades of experience managing global breeding programs. He joined WCR in 2020 and knew he faced a challenge in shaping the new network: Coffee-producing countries are competing with one another, and asking them to collaborate on a breeding network is not an easy sell.

The resulting solution is a “coopetition” model—which Dr. Kotch developed using his experience with other commodities—that allows producing countries to collaborate on breeding but remain competitive overall. “We listened really carefully to our partners who communicated this reality that they face, which is that scientific collaboration sounds like a great aspiration, but it’s not always a realistic opportunity for them,” Dr. Long says in an interview with Barista Magazine Online. “And so this model is really designed to drive value for countries but also allow them to be competitive.”

The same man's hands, putting something in a plastic sample vial with a kind of Q-tip implement.
Creating new crosses through hand-pollination at WCR’s Flor Amarilla Research Farm in El Salvador. Innovea will seek to create new and unique genetic combinations that have not been seen before in coffee.

So what will the new network offer participating countries? According to the WCR press release, the network will give them “unrestricted access to new genetic materials, training in modern breeding approaches, and shared tools while also connecting researchers across national boundaries to achieve results that would be impossible for programs working in isolation.”

Fostering Opportunities

The opportunities afforded by the network may be transformative for producing countries. “The network brings together a wide diversity of high-performing varieties from Africa, Asia, and the Americas that have never been bred together before,” says Dr. Senthil Kumar, director of research at the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI), in the press release. “India is enthusiastic about the opportunities this network provides for us to develop varieties that address farmers’ needs and to ensure our success in achieving climate resilience.”

A group of people stand in a semicircle on a hill. There is a WCR banner in the background, trees on the outskirts of the hill, and more hills behind.
Members of WCR’s board of directors, guests, and researchers from the nine invited participating countries at the site of the Innovea breeding factory at CATIE in Costa Rica.

The new network will strengthen not just coffee producers, of course. The whole coffee supply chain stands to benefit from improved varieties—including specialty-coffee roasters, whose businesses depend on reliable supplies of high-quality coffee. James McLaughlin, president and CEO of Chicago-based Intelligentsia Coffee and the current vice chair of WCR’s board, says, “I think that Innovea is the single most exciting thing happening in coffee right now. We as an industry have under-invested in coffee agricultural research, and the threats that our industry is facing with climate change are really grave.” With the new network, James explains, “I believe we’re going to produce varieties that are next level in terms of quality, productivity, and climate resistance.”

Though the network is now in motion, the results will not be immediate, as breeding programs take time. WCR estimates that some countries in the network could release new varieties as early as 2033, though most will take several more years.

You can find more about the new Innovea network here.

The post World Coffee Research Launches Global Coffee Breeding Network appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

This article was first published here.

Welcome to winter in the Nordics, where comfort and coziness are sacred rituals.

BY JOSEPH PHELAN
SPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Featured image courtesy of Joseph Phelan

The people of Northern Europe take Christmas particularly seriously. For those who reside in the Nordics, it is more than just an opportunity to take a few days off work and indulge in some hearty food; it is a time dedicated to embracing tradition, community, and an appreciation of the small things.

It is also a period during which coffee routinely takes center stage. The Nordics are coffee crazy at the best of times—Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark are the four largest consumers of coffee per capita, with Sweden sixth — but at Christmastime, things step up a level. In this part of the world, coffee is as much a part of the festive season as Santa Claus, carol singing, and candy canes.

An outdoor market at night in Sweden. There are umbrellas and strings of electric lights clustered around Tudor style buildings, with greenery and snow on the ground.
A winter market in Malmö, Sweden. Photo by Alex Ghiurau via Unsplash.

A Cultural Experience

“If you’ve been here in the winter months, you’ll know how dark and cold it is,” says Klaus Thomsen, co-founder of Coffee Collective in Frederiksberg, Denmark. “I think we’ve historically needed some kind of warm liquid to heat us up, especially during the winter months when there’s only a few hours of sunlight. We often need that caffeine to keep us awake and alert!“

Klaus continues, “But it has also played a huge social role as a gathering point for people. In the religious parts of the countries, coffee was a more accepted beverage to serve to guests than beer or alcohol, and over time the appreciation of filter coffee, mostly brewed with Melitta paper filters and automatic brewers, also helped to highlight nuances in the coffee. This, in turn, provided the backbone to the Nordic specialty-coffee movement and our style of lighter-roasted coffees.”

A Christmas present, a warm drink in a festive mug, and shortbread cookies shaped liked snowflakes on a white tablecloth with tiny fairy lights on string.
In Nordic countries, coffee and baked goods go hand in hand.
Photo by Becky Fantham via Unsplash.

Over the last century, as coffee has become easier to import in bulk routinely, it has grown in popularity across the Nordics. What’s more, the countries in this region, especially Sweden and Denmark, have had a long association with sweet pastries—klenät, smultring, and tebirkes being three of the most popular—and once the humble coffee bean found its way to their shores, Nordic residents quickly discovered that coffee and sweet treats make for perfect bedfellows.

Today, the drink has become so culturally embedded that rarely will there be a social gathering without coffee being present. “It has taken over as the primary source of the liquid we gather around, at least before 6 p.m.,” says Jonas Gehl of Prolog Coffee Bar in København, Denmark. “This tends to be filter coffee. It has taken some years for the espresso machine to find its way to bars and households, but it is becoming more popular.”

A man smiles behind the counter at a cafe. There is a sugar skull with reindeer antlers on the counter, stickers galore on the back of the espresso machine, and a bouquet of pink flowers beside it.
A look at the holiday spirit inside Next Door Cafe in København, Denmark.
Photo courtesy of Next Door Cafe.

Christmas Coziness

Across the Nordics, coffee and being snug go hand in hand. Hygge, a Danish word that denotes a feeling of coziness, contentment, and warmth, is especially prevalent during the cold winter months, and coffee has a central role in how people attain it.

“Cafés are very popular in our culture largely because of the light and weather conditions,” says Skyler Rowland of Next Door Cafe in København, Denmark. “I suspect people are seeking refuge from the cold and dark. People go out holiday shopping and visit the Christmas markets, and then they warm up with a cozy coffee. It’s affordable entertainment—a coffee with a friend doesn’t cost much, but it’s fun!”

The post Christmas and Coffee in the Nordics: Part One appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.


We continue our in-depth exploration of tea by looking at oolong, black, fermented, and herbal tea.

BY EMILY MENESES
SENIOR ONLINE CONTRIBUTOR

Cover photo by Drew Jemmett via Unsplash

Several weeks ago, we released part one of the ”A Beginner’s Guide to Tea” series, where we explored where tea comes from and two of the main types of tea: white and green. Today, we’re continuing our discussion by delving into the other main types of tea: oolong, black, fermented, and herbal.

A pile of oolong leaves. These leaves were rolled into tiny balls before being dried.
Oolong tea leaves are predominantly grown in China and Taiwan and harvested in the late spring to early summer. Photo by Petr Sidorov via Unsplash.

Oolong Tea

Oolong is a partially oxidized or semi-oxidized tea, which means that enzymes in the tea leaves are allowed to interact with oxygen, darkening the tea leaves and producing a stronger, earthier flavor. Grown mainly in China and Taiwan, the tea leaves for oolong are harvested in late spring and early summer. The leaves are then gently bruised, releasing the enzymes, and spread out in direct sunlight to dry. During the drying process, farmers will turn the leaves regularly to ensure that they’re evenly oxidized. After drying out in the sun, the leaves are pan-fired, bringing oxidation to a halt.

Oolong tea ranges in color from light yellow to dark amber, with flavors ranging from light, sweet, and floral to strong, smoky, and earthy. Light oolong teas have an airy body, while darker oolong teas have a thick mouthfeel.

Brewing Oolong Tea

To brew a 6-8-ounce cup of oolong tea, use about 1 teaspoon of tea leaves and water heated to about 175-200 degrees Fahrenheit. Steep the tea leaves for up to 5 minutes, depending on how strong you prefer your tea.

Two clear glass cups of black tea rest on coasters made of unfinished wood sliced out of the limb of a tree. Bark is still visible around the edges.
Black tea is bold and earthy, and requires more extensive production than the other types of teas. Photo by Akhilesh Sharma via Unsplash.

Black Tea

Out of all of the main types of tea, black tea requires some of the most extensive production. After harvesting, tea leaves are withered in direct sunlight, then processed using either the CTC method (crush, tear, curl) or the orthodox method. With the CTC method, tea leaves are fed through machines that crush, tear, and curl them, resulting in small brown pellets. Because the CTC method typically uses lower-quality leaves, it’s a common choice when producing tea bags.

High-quality black teas are typically produced using the orthodox method, which is more time-consuming and requires more human labor. In orthodox processing, tea leaves are produced in the traditional way—with plucking, withering, rolling, oxidation, and drying. This process can be done with machines or by hand and is carefully overseen by trained tea professionals to ensure that the best flavors are extracted from the leaves.

In terms of flavor, black tea is bold and earthy, sometimes showcasing floral or nutty undertones and a savory, “umami” quality with subtle hints of sweetness.

Brewing Black Tea

More delicate teas are best brewed with water that’s slightly below boiling point. Black tea, however, is best brewed with boiling water—the high temperatures draw out the strong flavors it’s known for. When brewing black tea, use about 1 teaspoon of tea leaves for every 6-8 ounces of water, and steep your tea for about 3-5 minutes.

Some fermented tea leaves spill from a decorative white jar with red interior onto the surface of a table.
Fermented tea is made from tea leaves that have been aged over time.
Photo by Petr Sidorov via Unsplash.

Fermented Tea

Fermented tea is made from aged tea leaves, and the most common form of fermented tea is pu-erh. While other teas undergo oxidation, fermented teas undergo fermentation (a process also used when making beer, yogurt, and kombucha). During fermentation, the tea leaves break down and decompose.

To produce fermented tea, tea leaves are harvested then dry-roasted, lightly bruised through rolling and rubbing, and dried in the sun. To begin the fermentation process, the tea leaves are then placed in a humid environment for months or even years. Some teas are aged over decades and go for up to thousands of dollars a pound. Depending on how long the tea was aged for, fermented tea shows great depth and complexity in flavor.  Fermented tea is typically woodsy and earthy with a full body.

Brewing Fermented Tea

Traditionally, fermented tea leaves are rinsed with hot water before brewing. For every 8 ounces of water, use about 1 teaspoon of tea leaves and water heated to about 195 degrees Fahrenheit. Brew your tea for 2-4 minutes.

A person pours tea from a white teapot into a clear glass cup and saucer placed on a wooden tray.
”Herbal tea” refers to tea that comes from plants outside of the Camellia sinensis plant.
Pictured: Constellation Coffee’s ginger guava tea. Photo courtesy of Kevin Kim.

Herbal Tea

No tea guide would be complete without including herbal tea. “Herbal tea” refers to any water-based infusion made from plants that are not the Camellia sinensis plant. Another common name for herbal tea is “tisane.“ Popular herbal teas are made from flowers like lavender or chamomile, herbs like peppermint or calendula, and spices like cinnamon or cinnamon. Herbal teas tend to be caffeine-free, and each one offers unique flavors and healing benefits.

Brewing Herbal Tea

When brewing herbal tea, about 1 teaspoon of herbs/flowers should be used for every 6-8 ounces of water. Water temperature and steeping time will vary depending on the type of herbs used, but most should be steeped for at least 5 minutes. Do some research to find the best brewing methods for the particular tisane you’re drinking.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Based in Los Angeles, Emily Joy Meneses (she/her) is a writer and musician passionate about culture and collective care. You can regularly find her at Echo Park Lake, drinking a cortado and journaling about astrology, art, Animal Crossing, and her dreams. Explore her poetry, short stories, and soundscapes on her website.

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Tea: Part Two appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

This article was first published here.


We continue our chat with this years U.S. Barista champ about their selected coffees, and how their rewarding experiences will shape both their life ethos and content moving forward.

BY KATRINA YENTCH
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Cover photo by Niki Weegens

Yesterday, we began a conversation with 2022 U.S. Barista champion Morgan Eckroth (she/they), a barista at Keeper Coffee and the content creator of Morgan Drinks Coffee, a successful profile on TikTok and other social media channels. We wrap up our conversation with them by chatting more about working with the team at Onyx Coffee Lab, how they chose their coffees, and what their followers can expect from Morgan Drinks Coffee this year.

Note: This interview has been condensed.

Morgan Eckroth is this years U.S. Barista champ. Photo by Niki Weegens.

Katrina Yentch: There are a lot of coffees to choose from and you picked Eugenioides, a rising star in the competition world. I’m curious how much your coach Lance Hedrick and the team at Onyx Coffee had inspired you to choose this coffee, and how much of your own influence went into the process of selecting your coffee.

Morgan Eckroth: This season there were a lot of constraints that don’t usually exist. Two months is not a lot of time to get coffees brought in internationally. It’s really difficult and time-consuming. In an ideal world we would’ve had time to go to origin and actually work very closely with the farm we’re gonna get coffees from, and we’d have time to taste everything. This year that just literally wasn’t possible, so Onyx came to me with two of the coffees that they thought would perform really well and were excited about and had enough of. Those ones happened to be the Eugenoides and Sudan Rume, which I used for my signature and my espresso.

They were like, “Here you go. Try these out! If you don’t love them we’ll keep exploring. You need to be in love with them, so let’s start from here and figure out what you want.” And so I tried the Eugenioides and I was like, first of all, it’s awesome to be able to talk about and explore a species of coffee that’s gaining more traction and sweeping the competition stages. But also it’s an opportunity to talk about this coffee to my audience, who very few knew about it. 

The Sudan Rume is kind of on the opposite side, whereas the Eugenioides was incredibly sweet—super low caffeine, and high sugar. The Sudan Rume is a much more tropical and high-acidity coffee and it’s wonderful and complex. I just fell in love with it personally, so the two of them coming together just made sense. Even though I had the flexibility if I wanted to try different coffees, it was really lucky. We just nailed these right away.

Morgan incorporated some accessible mixology techniques in their signature drink. Photo by Niki Weegens.

Your signature drink had some strong cocktail mixologist elements to it, like using oleo-saccharum and saline. I was curious how that came together and how much you were experimenting with mixology to influence your drink.

It’s funny because most competitors will say this when you’re developing your signature drink—you just crack open a cocktail book and just start pulling things. So this year a component of creating the signature drink was knowing that we wanted it to be something that people can make at home. Part of the routine was that we had released the recipe and encouraged people to make it alongside watching the livestream. So it’s like you have the same sensory experience as the judges are having; that was kind of a component of it. So that kind of limited a bit of what we could do because it had to be accessible. 

But we knew we wanted it to be chilled, something shaken. It’s a method for drinks that I really like and it’s simple. And then we were like, “Well now we have to put ingredients in!” … A lot of it is looking up cocktail recipes, and learning what those things are, just throwing things at the wall and eventually something tastes good.

What was the most fun part of putting the routine together? And what can we expect from Morgan Drinks Coffee in the future?

I think the most impactful part of this season’s competition was the amount of collaboration that happened. Both with the folks at Onyx, and I know that this is so cliche to say, but it really takes a village to put a competitor on stage, and I think most competitors would say that. There are so many people, so many folks at Onyx and Keeper and my family. Once we got to competition this year, there was a unique sense of camaraderie amongst the competitors. I came out of the competition with a lot of really valuable friendships in a really cool way. Honestly my favorite part this year was collaboration at every single level, from when we started forming the routine to getting to Boston and being with competitors. But we aren’t competing against each other; we’re just doing the best we can in every single way. In that way everyone was supporting each other, which was a very cool experience.

And moving forward, that’s the million-dollar question. Going into this year I just thought that I was gonna do the best that I can do. In a pipe dream, I was like, I’d love to win. You don’t ever really expect it to happen and then it does and you’re like, oh shoot! What do I do now? Do I just go back to normal? 

I can tell you at least that Morgan Drinks Coffee will continue in a lot of ways that it has in the past. I still plan on making my little sketches and plan on doing really silly things with coffee on YouTube. But also my time and my presence online has evolved in the past three years and I anticipate that it will continue to evolve over the next four months. A lot of my life is gonna be taken up by competing for Worlds (taking place Sept. 27-30 in Melbourne, Australia). And so we’re gonna continue sharing the process, which will be incorporated into my content. I am currently figuring out what comes next career-wise in coffee, but for the time being without a doubt there will be shenanigans. We are going back to semi-regular programming after this!

Morgan Drinks Coffee will soon return to “semi-normal programming“ in the months leading up to the World Barista Championship. Photo courtesy of Morgan Eckroth.

What has been one of the most valuable things you’ve learned from this process and your team?

I think the thing I have taken away most from this experience is something that Andrea (Allen) told me when I was working on writing my script. I had tons of ideas and sentences that were too long and very chaotic. I had so many things I was trying to say all at once. And Andrea looked at me and said, “Come into what you’re doing here with a clear message. What is one sentence that you want to communicate with this routine? And then drive that home as hard as you can.”

That was something that was really influential in developing my routine. And honestly I carried it out of competition as well, with defining my mission and sticking to it. …

So what is that message?

That sentence nowadays for me online, my goal is to make specialty coffee as fun and approachable for everyone as possible. That is my goal online at all points. I’ve said many times I don’t make content for coffee people. I make content about coffee for anyone, and I’m really glad when coffee people can enjoy it. But overall my audience is not coffee people and I think that’s something I value a lot and is pretty unique, and so my goal is to make that bridge from me to specialty coffee and add value to the supply chain and make it as seamless as possible, because I care about the industry a lot. And if there’s anything I can do to help it grow, I’m gonna do as much as possible. So that’s kind of my driving force behind everything.

The post A Conversation With 2022 U.S. Barista Champ Morgan Eckroth: Part Two appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

This article was first published here.