Sip, Spit, Grade: Coffee Experts Crown Colombia's Best Beans
16.06.11
It’s springtime in Colombia, and coffee experts from every part of the globe have convened in Santa Marta, a small city on the Caribbean coast. It is time to reward the coffee industry’s most prestigious prize. The taste mavens make ready: Alberto Trujillo is deep into his pre-sip calisthenics, which consist of knee bends and alternating leg shakes. The Tijuanan has to prime his body, nose, and mouth for the so-called cupping that’s about to commence. As any java snob can tell you, to cup is to scrutinize the tastes and aromas of freshly brewed coffee. But Trujillo is no ordinary java snob, and what he’s girding for is no ordinary cupping. He has been certified by the Coffee Quality Institute as a licensed Q Grader, a person who can boast experience in everything from roast identification to sensory triangulation. And he’s about to serve as a judge in the annual Cup of Excellence competition.
Alongside Trujillo stands Geoff Watts, vice president of coffee and an unroasted-bean buyer for the Chicago gourmet retailer Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea (winner of (farms) from across this coffee-obsessed nation submitted samples of their finest unroasted beans. Now, after marathon tasting sessions with Colombian judges, the contestants have been whittled down to the chosen few displayed on the white tablecloths of this convention center. In the three hour-long cupping trials that will soon commence, a panel of internationally renowned tasters will reject half of the remaining lots. Tomorrow Trujillo, Watts, and their cohorts will rank Colombia’s top coffees and name the champion.
Source: Wired News
Men of a Certain Age Review: A League of Their Owen
18.06.11
. Once Joe gave her the afternoon off in order to play, Maria excitedly agreed, especially since she played on her high school’s varsity team and also facetiously admitted she was a lesbian.
On the way to Thoreau, Owen passed by Scarpulla and held up traffic at a red light as he stared at Marcus who was making another sale. Back at Thoreau, Owen bribed the service men to play by agreeing to pay them time and a half if they all played. However, the caveat was not to tell the guys in sales.
Freshly turned down by Erin, Terry arrived at Stella’s apartment unannounced and caring while she was entertaining her parents. Playing the helping-boyfriend role, Terry went to the kitchen for more orange juice when he gazed at pictures of Stella and her friends on her refrigerator. After agreeing to also bring out more bagels, he quietly slipped out the back door without anyone noticing.
At the pre-game warm-ups, Lawrence (Matt Price) and the other salesmen were joined by the service team. Terry went to Marcus and tried to beg. Owen and Scarpulla made small get-in-the-other-team’s-head small talk. Joe set up the bounce-houses for the families, and he set up his phone to watch the score on the MLB game. Down 4-3, Maria hit a home run and put Thoreau on the scoreboard. Back in the dugout, Maria learned from Jesse (Patrick Gallagher) that the service men were getting paid. While asking Owen about it, Lawrence and the other service men overheard, and service and sales started arguing. With Owen up to bat and Marcus pitching, Owen was tagged out and cursed himself while laying face down on the field while Marcus mockingly encouraged him to keep his head up. After seeing a dejected Owen hanging his head low, Lawrence cheered on Jesse who was next up to bat, then he and the other salesmen started trash-talking to Marcus in an effort to get in his head.
Source: Poptimal.com
