Two Flat Black baristas, Sydnie Loboda and Claire Cheney competed in this year’s Northeast Regional Barista Competition, one of 10 US regional barista competitions whose winners go on to compete in the National or US Barista Competition this coming April. These competitions are organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, and sponsored by local industry.

Roastmaster David House and Tim Ryan (Ashmont) competed in the cupping competition, which involves tasting and distinguishing coffees as fast as you can.

This was co-founder Jennifer House’s second time serving as a sensory judge for a regional competition, having judged the Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competition earlier in the season. It was Erick Vlassidis’s (Lower Mills) first time serving as a technical judge in a regional competition.

With 37 competitors from all over the Northeast competing, this year’s competition showed a dazzling array of espresso, skill and personality.

Jennifer House and Jeff Chatlos of Flat Black, 3rd place winner Sydnie Loboda, 2nd place winner Cheena Marie Lo

BOSTON, MA (October, 27 2009) – The region’s best baristas representing 6 independent café’s converged in Dorchester, MA on October 24, 2009 to compete in front of a live and online audience of spectators for the coveted title of Boston’s 2009 ‘White Chrome’ Barista Champion. In the highly anticipated four hour, two round competition held at Flat Black Coffee Company in Ashmont Hill, Dorchester, each of the 11 competitors prepared espresso, latte/cappuccino art and original signature drinks to exacting standards in a 5-minute performance set to music. Three local celebrity judges, Annie Copps, Food Editor for Yankee magazine; Allison Arnett, former Food and Restaurant Critic at The Boston Globe for over 15 years and Gerra Harrigan, Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Certified Judge evaluated each performance, including barista knowledge, the taste of beverages served, cleanliness, creativity, technical skill and overall presentation demonstrated by the competitors.

Alison Novak of Simon’s Coffee Shop in Cambridge took the First Prize of a Rancillio Espresso machine and coffee grinder valued at $2000; Cheena Marie Lo of Ula Café in Jamaica Plain took the Second Place cash prize of $200 and Sydnie Loboda of Flat Black came in Third Place and also received a cash prize of $100.

During the daylong event, the public enjoyed complimentary beverages prepared by the competitors during the practice rounds as well as a cupping hosted by Flat Black’s master roaster and co-founder, David House. The public also attended informational discussions on Fair Trade, organic certification and espresso machine/brewer maintenance. Special guest, Billy Costa of NECN’s, TV Diner, filmed a segment for the show to be aired in the near future. The day concluded with the winner announcement and celebration at neighboring Tavolo Restaurant. Over $2000 in donations were collected through T-Shirt and raffle ticket sales to directly benefit The Greater Boston Food Bank.

Judge Annie Copps stated “Twenty-seven shots of espresso was a lot, but to watch these earnest, thoughtful, and well-prepared young baristas at work was worth any sleep deprivation that ensued. I am happy to see coffee culture being taken so seriously, while still having fun.”

Sponsors and partners include: The Greater Boston Food Bank, Wainwright Bank, Vargas & Vargas Insurance, Tavolo Restaurant, Trinity Financial, Cedar Grove Gardens, FETCO Brew Machines, Rancilio Espresso Machines, Reg Barber Enterprises, and Baystate Organic Certifiers.

Our interview with German Humberto Javier Chavez, VP of the Las Lajas cooperative, gave us insights into the sustainable agriculture movement in El Salvador as well as Central America as a whole. German explained to us some of the goals of Las Lajas, such as obtaining 100% organic certification in the upcoming years. Already granted with the Rainforest Alliance certification, they have recently improved their wet processing facility by installing a new water processor that not only reduces overall water usage but also treats the waste water. The cooperative has also invested in various education initiatives in their community, from organic farming methodology for the farmers to early education, guardia, for cooperative members’ families.

Las Lajas hopes to open a tourism center in the coming years to encourage the ever-growing crowd of eco-conscious visitors, particularly those of us who fall into the category of specialty coffee lovers.

We visited the farm through the help of an organization called SalvaNatura. SalvaNatura is a member of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) who certifies coffee (as well as many other products) for the US based Rainforest Alliance. Representatives from SalvaNatura were not only crucial in executing our plan to visit Las Lajas, but were hugely helpful in explaining the intricacies of the sustainable coffee industry in El Salvador.

Though our coffee farm visits only made up a small portion of our vacation to this fascinating country, learning about where coffee comes from and how it is produced is something both of us will never forget.

Claire Cheney

COMING SOON! A short video about sustainable coffee in El Salvador…featuring an interview with German Chavez from Las Lajas

“Our involvement in seminars and discussion groups at the Event reaffirmed for us that Flat Black remains at the leading edge of the specialty coffee industry. We are proud to continuously offer some of the world’s finest coffees for sale in our stores and on-line.”

Jeff Chatlos, Co-founder
Flat Black Coffee Co.

Jeff Chatlos (co-founder), and Claire Cheney (manager, Downtown location) attended both the conference and the barista championship, bringing home sacks full of info and enthusiasm! Here are some highlights from this year’s event:

Farm Connections & Social Justice
Jeff and Claire firmed-up many personal relationships with growers and importers from Australia to Costa Rica, as well as with social justice advocates working to improve the lives of coffee farmers and workers around the world. Coffee Kids was present, offering guidance on how to aid growers in the global economy as well as consumers on the impact of their purchasing power. Other business leaders helped illuminate new ways to make the coffee industry at all levels more sustainable. Look for upcoming Flat Black News on what we’re doing to help advance this kind of social justice.

Cupping
The cupping seminars were a particular focus for Jeff and Claire. The seminars involved sampling new coffee varietals as well as honing technical skills to improve the overall quality of Flat Black coffee. This highly involved process of tasting and evaluating coffee will help make our consumer coffee education even more vibrant and in-depth. Flat Black is holding more and more cupping events at our stores – please come and join us!

“ The exhilarating detail
and professionalism that these world barista competitors brought to Atlanta was inspiring and humbling. I realized that making and drinking coffee is not only a fine art but also a sensory experience that connects you to the world like no other food or beverage can.”

Claire Cheney
Flat Black Barista & Manager

Improving Business
They also attended discussion groups on writing and marketing to help Flat Black gain an even greater presence in the industry. With over two-thousand people in attendance, they also put their heads together with retailers and wholesalers from across the country to help improve Flat Black’s commitment to customer service of the highest quality.

It all began when a dear and loyal customer, Mary Green, gave us a book called God in a Cup by Michaele Weissman. The title of the book comes from when Vermont coffee buyer Don Holly tasted Geisha coffee from Panama and said the coffee was so transporting he could see “the face of God in a cup.”

Geisha is a rare and exotic coffee cultivar which has developed huge excitement in the specialty coffee industry. Geisha coffee comes from Boquete, one of the main coffee growing regions of Panama. Flat Black currently offers coffee from Panama from a farm called Casa Ruiz, run by Maria Ruiz. Excited that we had a connection in Panama, we decided to pack up our bags and head to the farm to meet Maria see for ourselves what the Geisha buzz was all about…

After an eight hour drive through the scorching, barren low lands of Panama, the mountains of Boquete rose before us lush and emerald green. The climate, terrain and ecosystem of this coffee growing region are noticeably different from coastal Panama. Nestled in a valley in the shadow of Volcan Baru, Boquete’s unique microclimate creates a near-perfect environment for world-class specialty coffee.

Hacienda Casa Ruiz was founded in 1920 and has become a leader in the Panamanian specialty coffee industry. Casa Ruiz has several farms in Boquete, four of which are certified organic. Many of the coffees, such as the Panamaria, Berlina, and Panamonte have received awards and acknowledgements such as the “Best of Panama,” SCAA-US Cupping Pavilion and an international award from the Paris Gourmet food show.

Upon arrival at Casa Ruiz, we met owner Maria Ruiz, who upholds nearly three generations of tradition at Hacienda Casa Ruiz. Maria Ruiz has several degrees, including a PhD, and has delved into an exciting project that involves educating the Indigenous Nogbe Bukle people in the use and implementation of sustainable farming methods. Additionally, she is developing a literacy program in their native language as well as in Spanish.

We toured the entire farm of Hacienda Café Ruiz, starting with the new plantings then moving on to the de-pulping tanks, dryers, sun-drying patios, huskers, sorters, and finally to the roasting and processing division of the plant. A gracious host, Maria then invited us into her home for a private cupping to sample some of the farm’s specialty coffees. Though not yet harvesting it themselves (the trees are still young) Maria did have some of the famed Geisha on hand to let us try.

From an e-mail Dave sent to the company: “Just tasted Geisha. It blew my whole mind away and took my mouth and mind to another level….like nothing you have ever tasted.”

It certainly was a transporting experience. The Geisha beans produced the most astonishing cup of coffee we have ever experienced. Geisha produces an abundance of notes ranging from floral, apricot, honey to bergamot tea. Up front it has a bursting lemon acidity perfectly integrated with the intense flavors and aromas. The light honey and caramel wrapped around our cheeks as the incredibly smooth medium body slipped down our throats. Yet the real beauty of this coffee is the way these various qualities dance about on your tongue. There was a perfect tango happening in our mouths that left us with a craving for more.

Like joining in an irresistible dance, we joined the craze surrounding Geisha. One sip was not enough! We packed up a load of green beans and are now proud to say that you too can taste one of the most amazing coffees in the world, roasted to perfection at Flat Black.

David and Jennifer House, Co-founders, Flat Black Coffee Company

This Wednesday, April 1st at 9:30 pm, tune to WBZ Channel 38 to learn about how socially conscious Wainwright Bank and globally responsible Flat Black Coffee company have joined together to foster growth in green business. Thanks to a sleek new space in the newly completed LEED certified Carruth building at Ashmont, coffee and banking have never been the same.
Thanks for tuning in and staying connected!

The segment will be aired again on Sunday, April 5th at 11 am on WBZ 4.

Flat Black Coffee Company is proud to have volunteered on March 4, 2009, alongside Spare Change Newspaper and the passionate Suffolk college students who founded Brewing For Blankets, a group dedicated to raising awareness around issues of homelessness in Boston. Sarah Mackin, manager at the Flat Black Ashmont store, gave
out free coffee and educational pamphlets on the rising problem of homelessness while Nick Hays, barista extraordinaire, helped bring in the crowds with the energetic Suffolk volunteers.

The donations, given by passing coffee lovers, will go towards buying blankets for Rosie’s Place, a local women’s shelter and social service agency.

Check back soon for ongoing ways in which Flat Black gives back!

…Ever wanted to go on a coffee odyssey?
Flat Black is proud to announce their Winter Coffee Tasting Event!

March 15th 2009
2 - 4 pm

Flat Black Ashmont
right next to the Red Line Ashmont T stop!
1906 Dorchester Ave., The Carruth Building, Dorchester MA

Come and experience the nuances of single-origin coffee from the Americas, Africa and Asia. Learn more about Fair Trade, Organic and Shade Grown coffee and how Flat Black is doing their part to please coffee lovers everywhere, AND make the world a better place!

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at any Flat Black location.
Included: Coffee tasting, Seminar, a sampling of fresh French pastries from Sel de la Terre & a take away beverage of your choice. Come get your tickets soon as space is filling up!

Check back in soon to find out about other upcoming events!