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At le , Mohammad Khani (le ), Ehsan Khodadad (middle), and the author at one of the popular barista workshops held during the Coffee and Cocoa International Festival in Tehran, Iran. At right, baristas practice hard for the barista championship that took place during the Festival. Thanks to the Iranian Barista Guild, specialty coffee is on the rise in Tehran. hours by plane each way to be part of the classes. Mohammad and the IBG have been encouraging these baristas to deliver a very high standard of coffee, and I was proud to be part of the barista movement. The IBG is doing an amazing job developing the standards and building the profile of baristas. I could tell by the advanced questions attendees asked during the workshops that we would enjoy a serious competition on Saturday. Prior to my visit, more than 20 baristas participated in a preliminary round, the top six from which would compete at this first national competition. It's difficult to communicate the amount of red tape that has been cut to make this dream a reality. On the day of the competition we very nearly ran out of time, and in Iran this means you stop. Regardless of the fact that three of the baristas hadn't yet competed, we were told to stop the event. Fortunately, we somehow managed to convince orga- nizers to let us finish, and all six baristas were able to deliver their presentations. The workshops and competition that took place are serving as an unbelievable springboard for the IBG movement and possibility of Iran having a sanctioned national barista competition in the future. What struck me most about Tehran was the warmth and hospitality of the people. This was evident while I was there, and the friendliness, chatter, laughter, and enthusiasm we shared during the workshops and competition didn't stop when I left. Participants have engaged with each other online, shared information, and continued to discuss plans for future community events. Everyone—myself included—is excited for what's to come. —Alan Andrews ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ6 OCTOBER + Ê "6 , "1 Ê É--1 Ê{ ,Ê³Ê 1,9ÊÓä£{ÊUÊ6"1 , ³ ,Ê³Ê 1,9 Óä£{ÊUÊ6"1 ,9 £{ U 6"1 ÊÉ--1 Êx BEST BAR TOOLS R TOOLS O S CHANGING WITH WITH H CLIMATE CHANGE CHANGE A REPORTS FROM FROM O INDONESIA & ITAL A ITALY T REPORTS FROM STER COFFEE KS THE MULTIROA S UP BRAZIL & RWANDA TV AT A SIGNATURE DRIN CONCEPT GROW PUERTO RICAN FAR CAN FARM N IN THE CAFÉ RENEW TODAY! DON't MISS AN ISSUE! www.baristamagazine.com www.baristamagazine.com 29