Graham brings home a trophy
Earlier this month Graham represented us at the Western Canadian Barista Championships and came in a very (11 points,) close second place to former Canadian champ Kyle Straw. Graham wrote a very thoughtful and insightful presentation on customer service and it’s relevance in regards to guests who were new to specialty coffee. Keeping with that theme his sig drink was simple and accessible while still being elegant and interesting. He prepared a raspberry and cardamum infused espresso.
We are extremely proud of Mr. Bouvier’s accomplishment and are excited to have him represent us at Canadians.
Coffee newcomer Liam Quinn also deserves a nod for the time, energy, and culinary knowledge he tirelessly devoted to Graham’s training and comp.
Morgan Allen is the New Western Region Barista Champion
Our very own Morgan Allen, (aka @baristaMo13,) has brought home the title of Western Canadian Regional Barista Champion. Morgan’s win is the second consecutive regional victory for Fernwood and is the first step in the road to the Canadian Championship.
Morgan beat out the rest of the field by a huge margin, (80 points over second place,) with an innovative performance that focused on pure barista skills. He opted to leave out any extra ingredients in his signature beverage and instead focus on how variations in grind can manipulate the flavour and body of espresso. The judges had a hard time wrapping their head around this one but also recognized the skill level required to pull it off.
We’re very proud of Morgan’s win and the effort he put forth to get there. On October 2nd he will attempt to follow up his win at the Canadian Barista Championships. If he is successful there it will mean back to back National titles for Fernwood Coffee Company.
Here is a story with a video link that was posted on Sprudge.com after Morgan’s win. http://sprudge.com/fernwood-you-believe-it-morgan-allen-wins-western-canadian-regionals.html
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Whoops… I think we let this get a little stale….
I think it’s time for an update. Where to start?
I’ll summarize the last few months events and fill in some details in the near future.
I guess the 2 big things to mention are our appearance at the world Barista Championship and the complete renovation of our cafe.
Our very own Rob Kettner represented Canada in Bogota, Colombia a few months ago and placed 16th out of 54 countries. We’re very proud of all his hard work and pretty hopeful that we will get to represent Canada again in the coming years.
As for the reno, it was pretty much a complete reboot of our cafe space. The layout is very similar but with all new decor and equipment. We are going to coincide our grand re-opening party with the Western Regional Barista Championships this August.
Detailed posts to follow soon…. promise..
Ben
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Just in Time for Christmas
Have you been wondering what to get for the true coffee lover on your Christmas list this season? Well thanks to Fernwood Coffee, you need not look any further. We’ve recently recieved shipments of Hario hand grinders, pourovers, kettles, decanters, and serving pitchers, Bee House ceramic pourovers, and Chemex pourover pitchers and filters. Along with those products came some great reading material from 2004 World Barista Champion Tim Wendelboe and a couple of excellent titles from renowned coffee pro Scott Rao. We will also be recieveing the exciting new Kone metal filter from Coava Coffee in Portland very soon. This filter works perfectly with both the Chemex and Hario V60 pourover. So now we know what you’re thinking, all these products sound great, but how the heck do they work? Well, for the afternoon tasting tomorrow 2010 Canadian Barista Champion Rob Kettner will be doing a demo of these products. He’ll be using Hario’s Buono kettle and Skirton hand grinder to dial in some delicious brews using the various pourover designs we’ve got for sale. It starts at 4p.m. and will take place in Fernwood Coffee Company’s Parsonage Cafe.
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More Brazil Photos
The new 3 barrel at the Center for Excellence.
Even in Brazil Rob finds an FB80 to pull shots.
Good coffee does exist on airplanes.
Ever wonder who roasts the samples for Cup of Excellence? This is the man.
Here is the International Jury.
The 20 winning farmers at the award ceremony.
My buddy Thiago.
The view from Thiago's family fields down to the lake in Boa Esperanza.
This was the view as we walked out of a farm house in Oro Fino.
Ripe coffee cherries.
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