Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/659497
Publisher Kenneth R. Olson Editor Sarah Allen Art Direction Demitri Fregosi Powers Copy Editors Erin Meister, Chris Ryan Photographer Hannibal Buress Business Manager Cheryl Lueder Advertising Sales Sarah Allen 800.296.9108 Contributors Tracy Allen Andrew Bettis Darrin Daniel Phil Markel Erin Meister Harris Nash Hanna Neuschwander Devin Pedde Jack Pollock Ashley Rodriguez Greta Romelfanger Wes Russell Akaash Saini Jan Shadel Joshua Vasko Kelsey Viscount Editorial Advisory Board Nora Burkey, The Chain Collaborative Anna Gutierrez, Barista 22 Hidenori Izaki, Maruyama Coffee Heather Kelley, Stumptown Coffee Roasters Sam Low, Code Black Coffee Todd Mackey, Bolt Coffee Co. Mike Marquard, Blueprint Coffee Noah Namowicz, Café Imports Lorenzo Perkins, Fleet Coffee Sarah Richmond, Mountain Air Roasting Craig Simon, Think Tank Coffee Jess Steffy, Square One Coffee Teresa von Fuchs, Irving Farm Coffee Roasters Laila Willbur, Cherry Street Coffee House Barista Magazine 4345 NE 72nd Ave. Portland, OR 97218 phone: 800.296.9108 fax: 971.223.3659 email: info@baristamagazine.com www.baristamagazine.com Barista Magazine is published bimonthly by Ollen Media, LLC. Subscriptions are $30 in the United States, $45 USD in Canada, and $60 USD for the rest of the world. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Postmaster please send address corrections to: Barista Magazine, 4345 NE 72nd Ave., Portland, OR 97218. ISSN: 1944-3544 Copyright 2016 Barista Magazine. All rights reserved. BARIST A M A G A Z I N E E D I T O R L E T T E R evolution THIS ISSUE MARKS the 11 th anniversary of Barista Magazine's debut issue—I'm still in disbelief about that. I remember when we told our families and (non-coffee) friends about our idea to start this publication, they said, "But how much, really, can you write about coffee?" An unending amount, apparently, is the answer. We love the specialty-coffee industry because there's always new information on the horizon, and innovations—as well as innovators—are discussed on the daily. Cold-brew coffee, for example, existed in 2005, but it was a decade from being its own beverage category. Now there's so much going on with cold brew that Barista Magazine has a whole regular column about it, "New Adventures in Cold Brew," in which we've addressed nitro, signature drinks, bottling, cocktails, and, in this issue, beer collaborations (p. 90). I'm beyond stoked to have an interview with the inestimable Dr. Tim Schilling as this issue's "Master Q+A" feature (p. 112). Tim was knee-deep in his work establishing a market for specialty coffee in Rwanda when Barista Mag first started, and since then, under Tim's leadership, Rwandan coffee—which sold for around $0.50 per pound when he first started—is annually one of the most sought- after specialty coffees by top roasters around the world. Further, Tim now heads World Coffee Research (WCR): a study and development program dedicated to growing, safeguarding, and increasing quality coffee that was founded in 2010. I'm thrilled to have the article, "Coffee Genetics" in this issue (p. 82), written by WCR's communications director, Hanna Neuschwander, which explores the need to employ genetic resources to alleviate strains on the current supply of Arabica coffees, and provide for Arabica's proliferation in the future. Another story we couldn't have planned for when we started Barista Magazine? The enormous importance of social media to small businesses, particularly retailers. Back then, social media was fringe and on the cusp. Now your grandma has Facebook, and your mom uses Instagram. With the online audience suddenly colossal, we offer "Secrets to Social Media Success" (p. 102) to help coffee retailers utilize social media as beneficially and intelligently as possible. Those two guys shooting hoops on the cover, though—they were around back when we first started publishing, right? You'd better believe it. The Charles Babinski and Kyle Glanville you know today however— U.S. Barista Champions both of them, and co-owners of the uberpopular G&B; Coffee and Go Get Em Tiger in L.A., among their many accolades—were a lot younger and had a lot more to learn in 2005. (They're the first to tell you that.) Kyle and Charles are outstanding examples of the people Barista Magazine seeks to serve: dedicated coffee professionals with big dreams and the nerve and gumption to bring them to life. What's more, in their effort to realize their own goals, Kyle and Charles have set a lot of preconceived ideas about coffee on their ear. They didn't set out to rewrite the rules; they implemented a practice of pre-grinding coffee each morning for the espresso-drink rush, for example, simply to better serve their hurried customers. At G&B;, signs saying "order anywhere" are, well, everywhere—their philosophy is built on a desire to make being a café customer and a coffee drinker enjoyable and easy. The specialty-coffee industry's increased focus on customer service isn't entirely thanks to Charles and Kyle, but the example they've set has gone a long way toward legitimizing it. These two are innovators, and some of the most respected and forward-thinking we know. I love that they really don't care if industry people are paying attention or not; Kyle and Charles are running their business this way because it just makes sense to them. It's what they would want if they were the customers. Simple. So have we run out of things to write about having to do with coffee, baristas, and independent cafés? Not by a long shot. Our hope is that you're happy with what we're offering up on coffee trends, training, business, and people more than ever, because we're not stopping anytime soon. 14 barista magazine