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T R I N I D A D The island is dark when she lands, her perception hazy from jet lag. Still, Laila Ghambari is giddy with anticipation as she files off the airplane and takes her first steps on Trinidad. It's been a long flight from her soggy home in Seattle, and she has one immediate goal: Get out of the airport, luggage intact, and fall face-first into overstuffed pillows in some waterfront hotel. She's landed in the Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, a twin island republic off the northern edge of South America. Rituals Coffee House, the nation's only specialty-coffee chain, has invited her to conduct training sessions with their baris- tas and help build local excitement for specialty coffee. But this is also a learning experience for Laila, who, in case you hadn't heard, is the reigning United States Barista Champion. A few months ago, she wouldn't have been able to pinpoint the island on a map. "Until I Googled 'what to wear in Trinidad,' I didn't even know what to pack," she admits. "Before this trip, I really knew little of the region or its coffee culture." Several representatives from the company greet her at the airport. A man named Chris Mitchell immediately flips on his video camera. The red light indicating the camera is recording blinks in her face— and will for the entirety of her trip—as Chris aims to capture every second on film. Laila pays little attention. She is eager to explore the country's coffee scene and meet Rituals' baristas, beginning a trip of constant exposure and new experiences in a country quickly develop- ing a love for specialty coffee. When Laila wakes up the next day, she gets her first glimpse of the tropical surroundings. The night before, thick darkness shrouded the city, but now, from her hotel window, daylight reveals a port for cruise ships, and calm ocean waters lapping the shore. Unsure of the day's agenda, but certain Rituals has filled each minute with coffee experi- ences and cultural excursions, she dresses and heads out. It's Monday, and local Trinidadians are making their way about the city on errands. "You notice the island-life mentality the moment you step out of the hotel," she says. The city, while bustling with the busi- ness of the working week, moves at a slower pace than many North Americans would be accustomed to. For Laila, the change of pace from busy Seattle is refreshing. Back home, Laila works as the director of coffee at Cherry Street Opposite page, top: Fishing boats rest on the beach in Maracas, Trinidad. This beach is quiet, but in the summer months, and most especially during the country's festive Carnival, these beaches are packed with locals lounging in the sun and eating "bake and shark," a local staple consisting of baked shark meat on a bun with different types of toppings like cabbage, tomato, cilantro sauce, and the local hot sauce called pepper sauce. Below: A stunning view of Trinidad, a country whose passion for specialty coffee is quickly growing. This page: Laila shows Rituals founder and owner Mario Sabga-Aboud her lae art skills before conducting training sessions with the company's baristas. 37 www.baristamagazine.com