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SQUARE MILE HOSTS AIDA BATLLE SELECTION CUPPING WITH CAFÉ IMPORTS IN LONDON MORE THAN 30 LONDON COFFEE PROFESSIONALS gathered at Square Mile Coffee Roasters headquarters in London's Shoreditch neighborhood on June 23 for a rare cupping of some special El Salvadoran coffees stamped with the Aida Batlle Selection (ABS) seal of approval, imported and up for offer throughout Europe by Café Imports. Aida works with the esteemed El Salvadoran mill J. Hill y Cia to make the selection and the meticulous processing methods required for the coffees work. Aida was on hand to answer questions and offer insights about the different processing methods used at the mill in Santa Ana for these coffees. Also on the table was a selection of spot coffees offered by Café Imports from around the globe. "I couldn't be happier with how this event played out," Aida said after the cupping, when the group was welcomed into Square Mile's shipping bay for an impromptu barbecue complete with local microbrew beer. "It's always fascinating to me to see people's reactions to the ABS processes—we work hard throughout the year to ensure that these processes are carried through meticulously, from picking and sorting, wet milling and drying, and all the way up to shipping." Aida's coffees have been a favorite of baristas competing at the international level; 2012 United States Barista Champion Katie Carguilo used Aida's coffee to win the U.S. competition and carry her through to James Hoffmann (le ) of Square Mile Coffee Roasters chats with coffee producer Aida Batlle at a cupping in London. In conjunction with Café Imports, Square Mile hosted the event in June for U.K. baristas and roasters, which featured coffees from Aida's program Aida Batlle Selection (ABS) operated with J. Hill y Cia mill in Santa Ana, El Salvador. the World Barista Championship in Vienna; as did Greek Barista Champion Stefanos Domatiotis, who earned fifth place in the 2012 WBC with an ABS coffee. "There's no greater compliment than if a barista of that level chooses to use a coffee from either my family farms [as Katie did] or from the Aida Batlle Selection coffees [as Stefanos did]," says Aida. "These are the people leading the industry in trends and innovation." —Sarah Allen RETHINK # BATCHBREW "We thought about the need for an American-style single cup drip brewer, precise enough to craft Golden Cup quality with any brew method. Curtis Gold Cup® with Chemex® Our vision, the Curtis Gold Cup." Brant Curtis, 4th Generation wilburcurtis.com/ LOS ANGELES CA | WILBURCURTIS.COM | @WILBURCURTISCO microsite/goldcupbrewer/ www.baristamagazine.com 23