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I'M INCESSANTLY CURIOUS about how today's industry leaders were first introduced to coffee. It's one of the standard questions I ask the subjects of our popular feature, "Master Q+A," which has celebrated coffee greats such as Lauro Fioretti, David Schomer, George Howell, Kent Bakke, and Sonja Grant, over the nine years we've been publishing Barista Magazine. (We're delighted to feature the Cup of Excellence's Susie Spindler in this issue; see her profile on page 82.) It's usually a funny story—I know mine is. I remember eat - ing a spoonful of Folgers crystals because it smelled so good (but tasted so bad). Incoming SCAA president and Barista Magazine business columnist Tracy Allen recalls how, on grocery shopping trips with his mom, he was left in the care of Diane, a cashier who would watch Tracy while on her coffee break, and let him have sips from her sugary, creamy cup of instant. These stories, however, are changing. People I met when they were novice baristas 10 years ago have developed into some of our industry's best minds. While a lot of them still remember coffee being subpar in their childhood homes, they themselves are raising coffee experts. (I love that Madcap Coffee owner Trevor Corlett's young daughters play "barista competition" instead of the usual "house.") In 10 more years, many of our industry leaders will, I predict, be unable to recall a time when they weren't drinking good coffee. That's how fast specialty is washing over our world. The student baristas who staff the coffee bar at Granite Falls High School in Washington State attend a three-day "coffee camp" before they're allowed to make espresso on the La Marzocco in the school store. (See the article about their inspiring school coffee program on page 18.) Colleges and universities, too, are introducing on-campus roasting and retailing curriculum to give students real-world job skills in everything from hospitality to accounting. (Check out Jeremy Martin's article about the success of these programs on page 72.) My alma mater, the University of California at Davis, even introduced a class called "The Design of Coffee" in the Department of Engineering & Materials Science. Why so much scholastic focus on coffee of late? I think there are a few reasons for it. Coffee has played a role in millions of people's daily lives for hundreds of years, but it's only been in the past few decades that we've taken it seriously. Now that the concept of espresso is fairly universal, we're reexamining what it can be. In coffee—in specialty coffee—we talk about education all the time. Insofar as an academic pursuit, however, it's still fairly new. Edification the old-fashioned way—behind the bar, in peer exchanges, at conferences, and online—can and should continue to take place, as well. Seven years, Francesco Sanapo of Italy became relentless in his pursuit of knowledge when he realized he didn't know much of any - thing about quality coffee. The fact that he had run two financially successful cafés meant nothing to him when he deduced that he had no real understanding of espresso. He longed for instruction, so he set out to find it. Now, years later, he's gone from placing last in Italy's 2008 national barista championship (his first competition experience) to earning a rank of sixth in the world at the 2013 World Barista Championship. Francesco just opened a truly craft roastery and café in the heart of Florence, and he's insistent in his quest to reeducate the Italian masses on how good espresso can be. You can read Francesco's fascinating story on page 60. This is all to say that education in our indus - try is taking more forms than ever before: from wisdom passed on by coffee gurus, to online conversations and classes (both the American Barista & Coffee School and Boot Coffee offer classes on the Web), to formal classroom teach - ings on coffee agronomy and production, and espresso bar hospitality. And don't forget this magazine you're holding. One thing's the same about all of them though: They'll need to continuously morph and advance—there will always be more to learn about coffee. Hallelujah for that. Publisher Kenneth R. Olson Editor Sarah Allen Art Direction Demitri Fregosi Powers Copy Editor Erin Meister Photographer Giles Knight Business Manager Cheryl Lueder Advertising Sales Sarah Allen 800.296.9108 Contributors Guglielmo de'Micheli Paul Katzeff Jeremy Martin Erin Meister Terika Raak Ashley Rodriguez Greta Romelfanger Editorial Advisory Board Christopher Nicely Abel Alameda, Menotti's Coffee Shop Joshua Boyt, Metronome Coffee Lemuel Butler, Counter Culture Coffee Trevor Corlett, Madcap Coffee Company Roukiat Delrue, World Coffee Events Sonja Grant, World Coffee Events Gerra Harrigan, InterAmerican Coffee Heath Henley, Dose Coffee & Tea Jannicke M. Johansen, 3FE Rita Kaminsky, Linea Caffe Troels Poulsen, Kontra Coffee Daniel Streetman, Irving Farm Coffee Colin Whitcomb, Madcap Coffee Company Barista Magazine 4345 NE 72nd Ave. Portland, OR 97218 phone: 800.296.9108 fax: 971.223.3659 e-mail: info@baristamagazine.com www.baristamagazine.com Barista Magazine is published bimonthly by the Barista Magazine Company, LLP. 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 2014 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 your coffee degree 14 barista magazine B o o k 1 - 4 6 . i n d d 1 4 Book 1-46.indd 14 5 / 1 5 / 1 4 1 0 : 2 7 P M 5/15/14 10:27 PM