Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/609699
about finding time to study for their certification exams. Going into the second year, then, the BGE wanted to keep the opportunities open for attendees to leave camp with certifications, but still offer opportunities for socializing and networking. By building more dedicated free time into the schedule, Isa hoped attendees had more chances to actually get to know each other. The days began with the baristas divided across five educational tracks named after great Italian Renaissance artists (or actually, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles): Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo, and their master, Splinter. The courses included foundational classes for barista skills and sensory evaluation as well as green coffee. For the first time, camp also offered courses for intermediate-level certification in barista, brewing, and sensory. The foundational tracks all sold out, as did two of the three intermediate- level courses—and it's no wonder why: A BGE camp ticket not only includes all of the courses and certification exams, but shared room accommodation, meals, and airport transfers, all for about $600 USD. In the foundation-level courses, baristas practiced some basic skills in coffee preparation, had a chance to not only learn about sensory evaluation, but also practice cupping and identifying aromas and flavors. In the green-coffee track, campers learned about farming, processing, and their effects on flavor, and how importers and exporters work. One of the coolest things about all of the courses was the amount of time the baristas had to interact with brewing equipment and espresso machines. Since camp had five espresso machine sponsors—La Marzocco, Dalla Corte, Nuova Simonelli, San Remo, and Wega—the baristas had numerous machines from which to choose, and with the free time afforded them in the schedule, they could easily try them all. After a communal lunch, afternoons were spent with all campers gathering as a large group for presentations on a wide variety of coffee-related subjects. Among them was a fascinating discussion of how water affects coffee flavor, by Maxwell Colonna-Dashwell, multi-time U.K. barista champion and author of Water for Coffee; an analysis of how to perform a good experiment by Christopher H. Hendon from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who also worked with Maxwell on his book; insights from Christian Klatt of Mahlkönig on the issue of heat in grinders; a talk on creating a standardized language for flavor by former U.K. Brewers Cup Champ and reigning U.K. Coffee In Good Spirits Champ Sang Ho Park; a lecture on measuring extraction by celebrated coffee-book author Scott Rao, and more. The main hall served as a forum for plenty of other discussions, as well, such as the always-popular panel, "How I Got Here," where a diverse group of coffee professionals shared their stories on how they became involved in coffee initially, and their journey to their present work in the industry, and the audience had a chance to ask them questions about their careers. The campers also learned about what Opposite page: Evenings included plenty of time for socializing and making new friends from all over Europe. This page: Campers, organizers, and volunteers gathered for a group photo as Barista Camp Europe successfully ended its second year. 41 www.baristamagazine.com