Fresh Cup

OCT 2011

Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.

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CONTRIBUTORS CHRIS CASON, co-founder and tea sommelier of New York City's Tavalon Tea, has organized and led hundreds of tea tastings around the world. In "The Whole Leaf" (p. 58), he writes about what an operator should keep in mind dur- ing tasting events to help broaden consumers' palates. Cason is the author of "A Guide to Tea" and has appeared in many media outlets, including the TV show "Cooking with Emeril." He has also worked with the National Archives, researching the history of tea. PATRICK HUGHES and DANIEL SCHWARTZ help lead Unión MicroFinanza, a nonprofit that aims to spur rural development in Honduras through micro-finance, training and market-access projects. The organization is currently work- ing with a small coffee grower named Antonio Ponce Bautista, who hopes to export his output to the specialty market for the first time in spring 2012. His endeavor is the focus of "Small Farmer, Big Plans" (p. 46), a unique Fresh Cup series that continues this month. In researching and reporting the story, Hughes and Schwartz were assisted by fellow Unión MicroFinanza team members Bret Abel, Jose Martir Alvarado, Gilberto Barrientos, Andrew Boyd, Michael De Wit and Charlie Heins. CHRIS LEGLER devotes this issue's "Café Finance" (p. 28) to a question many shop owners have likely grappled with: Could business be better with the help of a consultant? Legler, a 20-year veteran of the industry, worked for Starbucks during its high-growth phase in the 1990s and served as vice president and chief finan- cial officer of Barnie's Coffee and Tea. He teaches classes on financial management at the American Barista & Coffee School in Portland, Ore. 16 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com Chicago-based writer DANIEL P. SMITH investigates barista certifications in his latest Fresh Cup piece, "Training Grounds" (p. 42). The veteran journalist sees certification—whether it's doled out through an in-house system or a national third-party body—as a vehicle lending credibility to the barista's craft and a tangible way for baristas to highlight their unique skill sets. Maya Tea owner MANISH SHAH this month completes "Leafing Through the Health Benefits" (p. 38), his two-part story on tea and wellness. Shah has been per- fecting the art of tea for 14 years, and his Tucson, Ariz.-based compa- ny now provides its signature Maya and Devi Chai concentrates as well as more than 200 varieties of loose-leaf tea to establishments across the nation. Shah also hosts "Steeping Around," a weekly podcast on tea that can be found at steepingaround.com. POUL MARK, who writes about the pros and cons of direct trade in "Roasters Realm" (p. 54), founded Transcend Coffee in 2006 with a passion for great coffee and community. He has been invited to judge several international coffee competitions, including the Best of Panama, Rainforest Alliance Cupping for Quality, the 2009 El Salvador Cup of Excellence and the 2010 Honduras Cup of Excellence. Mark is also a Q Grader, and he invests a significant amount of time traveling to coffee-growing countries to meet coffee farmers face-to-face.

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