Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
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RICCIONE, ITALY IN LATE SEPTEMBER, the Barista Guild of Europe (BGE) held its second annual Barista Camp. While most of the numerous seaside hotels that run parallel to the long, sandy beach in Riccione, Italy, were already shuttered for the off-season, the bright and bustling Hotel Corallo swarmed with excited baristas and coffee professionals who came from across the continent to participate in Barista Camp. Following last autumn's inaugural event in Athens, Greece, the BGE reviewed the attendees' feedback and set out to make this year's edition even better than the previous one, with a greater diversity of educational tracks, more hands-on time with the equipment, and a schedule with more built-in free time to study, relax, or hit the beach. Though the forecast called for sun, the weather was less than cooperative for the prognosticators and the campers. The week's early blue skies flipped to gray as rain showers drifted in off the white-capped Adriatic Sea every day of camp, but the community's spirit never dampened. In fact, a few people mentioned that they were happy the weather was dreary outside, as it made them less likely to skip out on any of the classes; they admitted had the sun been shining and with the beach only a few meters away, it might have been more of a challenge to stay focused and pass their certifications. They were quick to add they truly enjoyed the educational aspect of camp and had learned quite a bit. This year, camp offered five educational tracks, up from three the year before, including intermediate-level courses. The previous year, all of the levels had been introductory, so this year, attendees not only had more options, they also had choices that more accurately reflected the diversity of their skill sets and experience. Camp followed the same basic three-day schedule as it did in Athens, with campers arriving on a Wednesday afternoon (September 23), having full days of classes, workshops, and lectures on Thursday and Friday, and then taking certification exams on Saturday morning. Of course, evenings were reserved for socializing over seafood and pasta buffet dinners, followed by team challenges, parties, and general fraternization. With so many countries represented at camp, one of the great joys for attendees is meeting coffee peers from across Europe, and seeing friends in person with whom they usually only interact with online. European Barista Guild Coordinator and point person for camp planning and operations, Isa Verschraegen, says that feedback from the first year of camp revealed that attendees felt somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information presented, and stressed Opposite page, at top: The Hotel Corallo hosted the second Barista Camp Europe in September in Riccione, Italy. Below: Forecasts of sunny skies failed to materialize as rain swept in from the Adriatic Sea every day of camp. This page: The blindfolded la e art competition was a hilarious part of the team challenges on the fi rst night of camp. 39 www.baristamagazine.com