CUPPING Tasting method used by coffee professionals.
A number of coffee professionals travel with a version of this setup.
This weekend, many of the world's leading coffee professionals are in Australia, for the Melbourne International Coffee Expo, where McCarthy is the U.S. contestant at the World Brewers Cup.
In 1999, a cohort of coffee professionals created the Cup of Excellence, a series of national competitions designed to identify and reward exceptional farmers.
There's no such thing as a foolproof process though: even coffee professionals are forever tweaking and rethinking their brew methods, as they get better at identifying, in each cup, what went wrong and what went right.
Mr. Giuliano sees a clear link between his work with direct trade and new role with the Specialty Coffee Association of America's Symposium, a series of lectures and discussions that is attended by coffee professionals from around the world.
The Bay Area's role in this growth represents the maturation of a scene that once lagged behind Seattle and Portland, Ore . San Francisco has attracted coffee professionals from all over the country," Ms. Hassi said.
A year later, he took a two-day course, in London, with Gwilym Davies, who had recently won the World Barista Championship; he also began to consult with other coffee professionals about creating his own espresso blend.
PORTLAND, Ore .— One might think there is little more that can be said about coffee in this city, which is, after all, home to four of the leading coffee magazines in the country, a school that draws baristas from across the world, a social-networking site for coffee professionals, and the two-time Northwest regional barista champion.
He is like many in this new generation of coffee professionals, baristas whose mastery of the craft — and curiosity about their own field — has taken them around the globe to visit farms and check in with roasters, hold master classes and lecture in front of paying audiences.
While they won't be roasting locally, they hope to increase their presence by hosting events for coffee professionals and the general public.
