SCAA Announces its 2010 Award Recipients and Winners

Congratulations to SCAA, the participants, and the winners on job well done!  Anaheim was a success and fun too. See you all in Houston. - Wondwossen

Specialty Coffee Association of America Announces Houston as Host City for 2011 Exposition

SCAA Press Release

May 6, 2010

LONG BEACH, Calif. U.S.A. (May 6, 2010)---The Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) 22nd Annual Exposition & Symposium, held April 15 – 18, 2010, Anaheim, Calif., was a hit with coffee professionals, vendors and industry experts. Dubbed “The Event,” as it’s the premier and largest event for the specialty coffee industry, the Exposition and Symposium drew more than 8,000 international coffee professionals from more than 40 countries at the Anaheim Convention Center. Conference delegates focused on specialty coffee, new products and services and the latest trends and issues in the coffee marketplace. SCAA is the world's coffee authority and largest coffee trade association.

“The Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Exposition continues to grow and exceed expectations,” said Ric Rhinehart, executive director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. “Our presenters shared valuable business intelligence and insights into the coffee industry, and our exhibitors brought together the most thrilling coffee products and services – all at the must-attend event of the year. We couldn’t have done it without our sponsors, partners and volunteers, so thank you. Now we look ahead to 2011, and invite the coffee industry to the 23rd Annual SCAA Exposition in Houston, April 29 – May 1.”

With 730 booths at this year’s Event, SCAA’s show floor was a colorful and pulsating district of coffee products, services and wares. The Event featured every imaginable specialty coffee and tea product or service, including: green and roasted specialty coffee, espresso machines and grinders, roasting equipment, commercial and home brewing machines, coffee drinks and mixes, flavorings and syrups, chocolate and cocoa products, baked goods, confections and more.

SCAA 2010 Product Award Recipients

Direct from the Expo floor, SCAA judges selected this year’s stand-out products and services for its 2010 Product of the Year Awards. The winners are:

Coffee or Tea Preparation & Serving Equipment (Commercial)
Company: Diedrich Manufacturing, Inc.
Product: IR – 1 Profile Lab Roaster

Coffee or Tea Preparation & Serving Equipment (Consumer)
Company: Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea
Product: Fashion Cups

Food
Company: Otis Spunkmeyer, Inc.
Product: Ultimate Thaw and Serve Muffins

Sustainability
Company: Everpure
Product: MRS-600HE-11 System

Packaging
Company: Fres-co
Product: Premium Flexible Packaging for Van Houtte 450 g Vanilla Hazelnut Coffee

Educational/Training Products
Company: VST Inc.
Product: Mo Jo To Go

Specialty Beverage
Company: Torani /R. Torre & Co.
Product: Real Fruit Smoothie Mix

Open Class
Company: Roast Log
Product: Digital notebook for Coffee Roasters

Winners of the Roasters Guild Roasters’ Choice Tasting Competition

1st Place: Andy Sprenger of Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery, who submitted Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Koke District.
2nd Place: Steve Souphanthong of Social Coffee & Tea Company, who submitted El Salvador Finca Alaska.
Tie for 3rd Place: Justin Freeman of Tony’s Coffees & Teas, who submitted Indonesia, Sulawesi Toraja Peaberry; and Keith Gehrke of Coava Coffee Roasters, who submitted Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Koke District.

The 2010 Roasters’ Choice Tasting Competition featured some of the country’s finest specialty coffee roasters, and it provided the opportunity to taste exceptionally roasted coffees. All 19 coffees submitted were pre-vetted by Q-Graders, who are professionally accredited coffee graders and cuppers. Selected in advance of the Exposition, the top 10 coffees were showcased at the annual event, and were submitted by (in alpha order): Berres Brothers; Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery; Coava Coffee Roasters; Conservatory for Coffee, Tea & Cocoa; Dillanos Coffee Roasters; Equator Estate Coffees & Teas; Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea; Rowster Coffee; Social Coffee & Tea Company; and Tony’s Coffees & Teas.

The Roasters Guild is a trade guild of the Specialty Coffee Association of America that consists of specialty roasters dedicated to the craft of roasting quality coffee. The Roasters Guild is just one of two trade guilds within the Specialty Coffee Association of America. One guild is for coffee roasters and the other is for baristas. Through collaboration, professional certification and training opportunities, the members of the Roasters Guild and the Barista Guild of America are able to hone their skills and gain a deeper understanding of their professions.

Winners of SCAA’s 2nd Annual U.S. Cup Tasters Championship

Champion: Ben Kaminsky, Ritual Coffee Roasters, with eight correct and a time of 8:00 minutes
Second Place: Jennifer Howell, George Howell Coffee Company, with seven correct and a time of 3:01 minutes.
Third Place: Andy Sprenger, Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery, with seven correct and a time of 8:00 minutes

At the U.S. Cup Tasters Championship, 18 competitors from across the country kicked off Round One, all in hopes of being crowned the national champion, and to represent the United States at the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe’s World Cuptasters Championship, June 23 – 25 in London. Event organizers said they expect up to 40 cup tasters from both consuming and producing countries to compete in the World Championship.

Recognizing that different taste preferences are found in coffee cultures around the world, the U.S. Cup Tasters Championship did not ask contestants to judge or identify coffee. Instead, participants in the competition tested their skills to discriminate between tastes in a “triangulation” format. Tasters received eight sets of three-cups, or triangles, where two cups were identical and one was different. Competitors identified the one cup that was different, testing their ability to smell, taste, recall and concentrate on the task at hand against the clock. The competitor with the most correct answers in the shortest amount of time was the champion.

The competition began with three-person qualifying heats. Scoring was kept in real time and displayed immediately for participants and spectators. The top six competitors moved on to the semi-finals, where triangles increased in difficulty. The three high scorers became finalists. The overall winner took the title of 2010 U.S. Cup Tasters Champion and automatically qualified for the World Cuptasters Championship.

SCAA 2010 Canadian Cup Tasters Championship

First Place: Barrett Jones, 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, with eight correct and a time of 5:48 minutes.
Second Place: Geoffrey Polci, Crema Coffee Company, with a seven correct and a time of 5:03 minutes.
Third Place: Josh Del Sol, Level Ground Trading Ltd., with a six correct and a time of 4:52.