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I'M WRITING THIS LETTER on Halloween, October 31, the day when American children cruise neighborhoods for candy, and coffee - houses are in the thick of pumpkin-latte season. Already, though, I'm thinking about how we're going to supply you with the information and education you'll need to have a successful sum - mer-drink program in 2015—such is the life of a magazine editor. Though it's not really all that differ - ent from the life of a café owner, when you think about it. Chances are, the drink specials you're selling today were planned months ago. I'm betting those of you who roast coffee determined the blend for your holiday offer - ing back in the warm-weather days. Keeping on top of plans for what's to come, however, sometimes restricts us from enjoying the here and now, at least that's how I feel. My editor's mind might be in March 2015 right now, but my body is here in the holiday season, and it's important to remember that. Small-business owners, and those who ded - icate their lives to making these kind of busi- nesses run smoothly, are prone to letting work get in the way of life. Don't get me wrong—this is what we signed on for. The long hours are an easy trade for the opportunity to work in this amazing industry. Still, I'm writing this to remind you to make time to stop what you're doing, take a look around, and feel good about what you've accomplished. This issue of Barista Magazine is dedicated to making your life a little easier. As we draw nearer to the close of 2014, it can be easy to stress about all you need to accomplish before December 31. Our awesome business colum - nist, Tracy Allen, comes to your rescue with his step-by-step tutorial on page 80 about getting your business in good stead for the end of the year, from taxes to inventory to managerial duties and staff. I'm always excited to put together the annual "Best Bar Tools" story for our December+January issue: I think of this as the ultimate gift guide. We don't decide what gifts you should consider getting for your cof - fee friends—we let baristas and café owners do the choosing. They come up with such cool and creative ideas—you just might find your holiday shopping a lot less daunting by reviewing this roundup first. The other stories in this issue should inspire you: I think you'll be energized by publisher Kenneth R. Olson's report from the first Barista Guild of Europe Camp, which took place in Greece in October. Ken just loved the energy of the European campers, the feeling that any - thing—any dream for the future—was possible. While Ken was in Athens, I traveled to Panama City to attend Let's Talk Coffee (LTC), the annual gathering of coffee people organized and hosted by Sustainable Harvest. I had been to LTC once before, back in 2008, and I have nothing but fond memories of that experience. This LTC, however, proved to be one of the best events I've attended this year—or ever. The lecture topics and workshops were timely and super interesting, but it was the abundance of opportunities outside of the classroom to con - nect with industry leaders that was the most rewarding for me. Contributor Erin Meister traveled to Colombia around this same time to cover the myriad coffee events taking place in conjunc - tion with ExpoEspeciales, the annual event hosted by the National Federation of Coffee Growers (Federación Nacional de Cafeteros, or FNC). Meister's is one of my favorite sto - ries in this issue. Written in her usual clever, droll, and insightful voice, her article sweeps the reader up in the moment: We're there with her as she rides in a truck on a coffee farm, when she meets Juan Valdez, and as she learns about the encouraging effort by the FNC to motivate and energize young people—1,000 of them—to further develop and strengthen Colombia's coffee industry through a program called Nueva Generación Cafetera. This is truly being in the moment. I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we loved putting it together. I hope it inspires you, and I hope it makes your job a little easier, and your joy at making a life for yourself in coffee go a little bit deeper. Publisher Kenneth R. Olson Editor Sarah Allen Art Direction Demitri Fregosi Powers Copy Editor Erin Meister Photographer Ryan Chris Business Manager Cheryl Lueder Advertising Sales Sarah Allen 800.296.9108 Contributors Tracy Allen Holly Bastin Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood Kyle Freund Stephanie Frommlet Gabriel Caballeros Garcia Dan Gentile Erin Meister 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 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 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 in the moment 14 barista magazine