The 2018 US Coffee Championships Prelims: Weekend Three

Over one action-packed weekend in Greenville, Denver, and Washington, DC, brewers and baristas preliminarily competed in competitions, the third such weekend this season. These competitors are on the journey to the much-anticipated US Coffee Championship Qualifiers rounds, happening either this year or early next. From there, the national competition, where only two will be crowned US Brewers Cup and US Barista Champion. We had folks on the ground taking glorious photos of the three events and here they are in full color.

Washington, DC
Photographer: Farrah Skeiky

Participants in Washington, DC crowded Dolcezza Gelato. Absolutely *crowded* it—with over 2,400 tickets registered on EventBrite, this was by far the most attended preliminary in its short history. The coffee community in DC and surrounding areas poured in to witness this spectacle, made possible by the folks at Coffee District. Alexander Gable of Coffee District told Sprudge “[they] just to love to host people and throw parties. When Victor [Vasquez] and I first discovered that the SCA was taking applications from members to host the preliminaries, we signed up immediately because we knew it was going to be rad getting to do this in our hometown. D.C. often gets stigmatized by its obvious political conundrum, gentrification, and downtown tourist attractions, but this place can be magical if you stay out of the way of all that sour milk.”

Sponsors of the event also included Stumptown, Dolcezza, Small Planes, Vigilante, La Marzocco, Modbar, Five Acres Farms, Swiss Water Decaf, Pacific Foods, Curtis Wilbur, and Dim Sum DC Media (who took photos for us during the event!) The preliminary took place during Coffee District’s Coffee Fest, with events across the city. A post-competition feast was provided by Madeline Lewsen of The Dabney and the folks at Tail Up Goat, providing BBQ for the participants, with a case of Susucaru natural wine to wash it all down.

When we asked what made this event special, Alexander Gable said, “I think the space and the people involved made it special. We made a ton of amazing new friends, and all comments about how the event went were geared towards everyone having an exceptionally good time and it being very inclusive, and I think that’s all we could have asked for.”

Cara Nakagawa of Toby’s Estate competes in the Barista Competition.

Jenna Gothelf of Everyman Espresso, the top ranking barista reacts to the announcement in Washington, DC.

Washington, DC Preliminary Barista Competition Results:

Washington, DC Preliminary Brewers Cup Results:

Greenville, South Carolina
Photographer: Lem Butler

Ally Coffee hosted the Greenville “Southern” Preliminaries. A wedding venue was converted into a full-fledged competition arena. Nearly 140 people showed up with over seventy participants. “We chose to host this event because we believe in the power of competitions to advance the coffee industry,” said Ally Coffee US Sales Manager James Tooill. Ally’s support of the competitions goes further than hosting, as they sponsor origin travel prizes at the US Nationals and World level, sponsor green coffee for the US Roasters Competition and World Cup Tasters. When the opportunity to organize a preliminary event presented itself, “it made perfect sense for us to host because we have already been doing so much to support competitions globally that we also wanted to support locally!”

“We had originally planned to host this event as a grand opening party for our new office which is going to be 7,000 sq ft of coffee lab awesomeness,” Tooill explained, “Unfortunately, permitting delays prevented this. It was a lot of work for our team to host this offsite and I’m very proud of Team Ally for pulling it off. Of course, what really made it special was every single person that took the time and energy to build coffee community!”

You can’t host a preliminary on your own, and sponsors Ancap, Mahlkonig, Nuova Simonelli, Due South Coffee, Counter Culture Coffee, 1000 Faces, and Spirit Tea all helped make this event an action-packed, coffee/tea-fueled professional development rager.

Here are the Southern Prelim rankings:

Greenville Preliminary Barista Competition Results:

Greenville Preliminary Brewers Cup Results:

Denver, Colorado
Photographer: Daniel Mendoza

Participants from California, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas took part in the preliminary programming in Denver, Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Craft Coffee Alliance threw the shindig, with the support of Novo Coffee and about twenty coffee companies across the country.

When asked why the RMCCA decided to host, Josh Taves (RMCCA Vice Chair and Quality Control and Business Development Manager at Novo Coffee) told us, “The Rocky Mountain Craft Coffee Alliance’s mission statement is that we are a group focused on developing community among coffee enthusiasts, both consumer and professional, through education, collaboration events, and networking all along the Rocky Mountain region. We felt like we had the ideal vision and reach to be able to host a great event through collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Craft Coffee community and that the USCC Preliminaries would be a great way to showcase the hard work and community spirit of our members.

It wasn’t just competitions—oh, no—beverages were flowing for all with a pour-over booth from Spur Coffee, Nitro Cold Brew from Novo Coffee, and a tea service from Spirit Tea. “Fleet Coffee sponsored a cool party also at a board game bar,” Taves added.

Hosts teamed up with Toddy, Novo Coffee, Huckleberry Coffee Roasters, and Sweetbloom Coffee, Logan House Coffee, Moru Coffee, Loyal Coffee, Morning Fresh Farms. Prizes were furnished by Synesso, Rhino Coffee Gear, AeroPress, Amethyst Coffee, Cherry Roast, Middlestate Coffee, La Marzocco, and Corvus Coffee. Rocky Mountain Craft Coffee Alliance.

For Josh Taves, “the comradery and teamwork spirit of the event brought together a huge array of people, companies, and ideas under one roof for a united purpose and it was so cool to be a part of that.”

Denver Preliminary Barista Competition Results:

Denver Preliminary Brewers Cup Results:

The fourth and last weekend of preliminary events take place this weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Louisville, Kentucky. Follow us on Instagram for the latest from these events!

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Will She or Won't She?

Freeze that is. Only the One who controls it all knows for sure. 

Thus decisions must be made. Many of the tender house plants have been brought indoors already. Most of the heirlooms, many of the prettier geraniums, especially Grandma Peggy's old doubles and the ones I've grown from seed over the years. The big jade has been sacrificed, beheaded, uprooted, all in and all done. I was sick of it tipping over its pot and taking up half the living room. I can get a new one going in case I feel like I need a plant with fifty pounds of greenery.

Maybe we skate by at 33 as we already have a couple of times. Hard to say, but there is a frost advisory for tonight, then a stretch of nicer weather to come. Guess I will be hauling plants in and covering the big tomato and the sprawling little purple ones, and whatever else can't come indoors.

I sure hope we don't lose the Heavenly Blue morning glories. No way to protect them and there were EIGHTEEN blossoms yesterday. 18! So pretty.

By way of our little almanac, I spotted the first two winter sparrow species yesterday. In the morning a White-throated Sparrow was hanging out with a bunch of Song Sparrows over behind the barn. Late in the afternoon, a White-crowned Sparrow bopped into the bushes with another little flock of same right in front of the house.

Seems as if Song Sparrows form nuclei, around which less common sparrows gather. All through late summer a single Field Sparrow hung around with the same little SOSP flock behind the barn. Before they left, the very loud chirping Indigo Buntings seemed to serve in same manner, particularly attracting migrating warblers to the good eating spots. 

It is quite a thing to be outdoors these days, what with the colors changing, fall flowers blooming, insects racing to be ready for the silence, and the magical flux of passing migratory birds. I love it. 

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Sunday: Women-Owned Coffee Only At Equator Benefitting The IWCA

There are so many great events going on in the coffee world this weekend: Night of 1000 Pours happening all across the nation, spotlighting the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, ACLU, Houston Food Bank, and American Red Cross; #CoffeeAyudo in Chicago, benefitting those affected by natural disasters in Puerto Rico and Mexico; and now an event at Equator Coffee on Sunday, benefitting the International Women’s Coffee Alliance.

On Sunday, International Coffee Day, all Equator’s Bay Area cafes will only be serving coffee from Honduras Comucap and Sumatra Queen Ketriara, both women-owned projects. Equator will then donate to the IWCA 75 cents for ever cup of coffee sold as well as $2 for ever bag of these coffees sold in-store or online.

The IWCA is a charity very near and dear to Equator. In fact, Maureen McHugh, Equator’s Vice President, has been working with the charity for over a decade and has on the board for the last three years. The non-profit has 22 chapters worldwide that seek to tell the story of women in coffee. Each chapter is set up and run by local women to address needs specific to their community. Projects have included: changing outdated laws preventing women from registering coffee in their own names (instead of a male relative), applying for grants for education and health screenings, developing trainings to improve coffee quality and increasing per-pound price, and promoting eco-tourism.

So get involved everyone! If you live in the Bay Area, stop into an Equator on Sunday and grab a cup of coffee. If you live anywhere else in the world, buy a bag of Honduras Comucap or Sumatra Queen Ketriara online. Either way, you’re helping make a difference and getting coffee. Pretty sweet deal.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network.

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Tonight Is The Night Of 1000 Pours

So we’re pretty much blown away with the outpouring of support from folx all over the country today, uniting to help activate coffee and the wider beverage community as a source of charitable giving. It’s the inaugural Night of 1000 Pours tonight—search for an event in a community near you—and we just want to take a moment today to say thank you to everyone participating, and to highlight some of the leaders who have stepped up big in their communities.

First and foremost, our colleagues in New York City have been working over the last few days to raise funds for disaster relief, with a special focus on Puerto Rico. More than 30 cafes around the city have been serving signature drinks over the last few days to help raise funds, and there is a huge event happening tonight in Manhattan at the Counter Culture Coffee Training Center (376 Broome St). A huge thank you to all the participating cafes—Joe NYC, Everyman Espresso, Chalait, Underline Coffee, Toby’s Estate, Variety, Gimme!, and Gregory’s—and to the event organizers Sam Penix, Eric Grimm, and Dandy Anderson. Thanks also to Lin Manuel Miranda and Debra Messing for retweeting info about these events (no, really, it happened).

Speaking of Counter Culture, we have been just astonished by their organizing work and donation of time and resources to support 1000 Pours over the last few weeks. CCC are hosting or sponsoring events across the USA tonight, including events in Asheville, Atlanta, Boston, the Bay Area, Charleston, Chicago, Durham, Los Angeles, the aforementioned NYC event, Miami, Philly, Seattle, and Washington DC. Thank you to all of the folks hosting events nationwide, and to the team at Counter Culture HQ in Durham (especially Jennifer Hoverstad and Brian Ludviksen) for helping support these events.

We also want to shout out some of the folks helping raise funds today in the form of donating a portion of their sales proceeds, or hosting online specials. Onyx Coffee is donating 100% of online profits today to the Houston Food Bank. That’s rad, and if you were uh, you know, in the mood to buy some coffee (who isn’t?) make your first click Onyx to support the Night of 1000 Pours. La Marzocco‘s truly great La Marzocco Cafe in Seattle are donating all of their proceeds today to Direct Relief, and Portland’s Either/Or cafe will donate a portion of sales proceeds today to the Transgender Legal Defense Education Fund.

Speaking of Portland and Seattle, these are pretty good places to help support the Night of 1000 Pours throughout the day. In Seattle? You can support by drinking delicious Olympia Coffee Roasting Company coffee at the La Marzocco Cafe, then check out a party at Sound & Fog in West Seattle (raising funds for TLDEF). Cap off your evening with a very special menu of Mezcal cocktails at Liberty Bar, with funds going to support Mezcal Union‘s relief work in Oaxaca. Or perhaps you live in Portland? Either/Or is the spot for day drinks today, and then tonight please join us tonight at 6pm at Foxy Coffee for a charity natural wine bar pop-up hosted by our sister site Sprudge Wine, along with a rowdy throwdown, funky DJ’s, and surprises galore.

There’s more stuff—the wonderful Fleet Coffee x Department of Brewology collab happening in Austin, the excellent multi-charity fundraiser from Colorado’s Ozo Coffee—but you can read about all of this, and much more, at the official Night of 1000 Pours website. As a last shout out let us thank the team at Oatly USA (especially Bryan Hasho and Sadie Renee), who contacted us when the first round of 1000 Pours events were announced and have generously stepped up to support events tonight in New York and Portland.

Thank you all. Let’s make tonight one to remember, and then heck, move right on to support the incredible #CoffeeAyudo fundraisers in Chicago for Puerto Rico and Mexico relief and Equator Coffee‘s IWCA fundraisers this Sunday. If this is what coffee looks like in 2017—charitable, involved, partying for a cause—we are so here for it.

THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US AT SPRUDGE MEDIA NETWORK!

nightof1000pours.com

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Coffee Beer: White Mountain Porter By Big Island Brewhaus

We’ve all heard of Kona coffee; real coffee nerds know the quality Hawaiian-grown coffee action is happening closer to Kau, home to folks like Rusty’s Hawaiian. But on the Big Island of Hawaii, there’s another local product that’s got island residents and visitors excited, and that’s beer. Big brands like Kona Brewing Company have an international following, but there’s killer little indie breweries all over Hawaii, and on a recent trip to Hilo—on the rainy side of Big Island—I helped myself to a tasty beer or three from Big Island Brewhaus, just up the road in Waimea.

That’s where founder and brewmaster Thomas Kerns is brewing up a bevy of different beers, some you might expect—there’s a coconut cream ale, and an easy-drinking session beer perfect for the beach—and some you can only find here on the Island, like the “Jabba Da Sour,” a sour beer brewed with local jaboticaba fruit (it tastes like sweet grape juice), or the “Big Mac Nut Brown,” a brown ale brewed using local macadamia nuts, then aged in Maker’s Mark whiskey barrels.

But happily enough—and crucial for our purposes here—I was able to score a nice 22-ounce bottle of Big Island Brewhaus’ White Mountain Coffee Porter, a collaboration with White Mountain Coffee on the Hamakua Coast. It’s a cool, smooth take on the coffee porter style, with creamy notes of coconut and a long, complex finish. Perfect for a rainy Hilo sunset.

To learn more, I chatted with Thomas Kerns of Big Island Brewhaus, who spoke with me digitally from the Big Island.

Hey Thomas! Thanks for talking with Sprudge. For starters, why go the porter route for your take on coffee beer?

Our porter comes alive with coffee and toasted coconut. When I make coffee, it’s Hawaii’s best coffee with honey and coconut milk instead of cream or milk. The combination of coffee and coconut play off each other and add layers of complexity to the White Mountain Porter.

Have you ever brewed any other takes on coffee beer for Big Island Brewhaus? 

We do several coffee beers throughout the year: Irish Breakfast Beer (Irish Stout with coffee), Coffee Cream Ale (cream ale with coffee), and our White Mountain Porter you tried.

How did you find this particular roaster to work with? 

White Mountain Coffee is a multiple award winner, and one of our favorite choices for coffee. It’s grown and roasted on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island by David Steiner, and so we decided to name our beer in line with the coffee for mutual recognition.

In what form did you add the coffee? Was it brewed and added to the beer after brewing, or did you condition using whole beans, or…? 

We use a few techniques of cold press coffee and steeping fresh grounds in the beer itself. We always use a coarse grind.

How about the coconut—what form of coconut did you use for brewing this?

We use coconut chips. We toast them in the oven to a golden brown which releases light delicate oils and flavonoids.  Then we steep the toasted coconut in chilled nearly finished beer.

Describe the town where you brew, Waimea, for folks who might be unfamiliar with the Big Island.

Waimea is an upcountry community with a history heavy of Hawaiian cowboys and the Parker Ranch. We are around 2,500 feet above sea level, which makes for nice, cool evenings to encourage imbibing in delicious beers.

Can folks find your beers outside Hawaii? 

We only distribute and sell in Hawaii, in draft kegs and 22-ounce bottles. You may find us at a festival now and then on the mainland. We love to share the aloha, and we regularly attend festivals like the Great American Beer Festival and the Shelton Brothers Beer Festival. We were recently poured at an event in Kentucky and the year before in Tuscany, Italy.

Thank you, Tom! Big fan of the beers.

Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge. 

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Reside by Marcon at Cambie Village

RESIDE is an exclusive collection of one, two and three bedroom homes with a coveted Westside Vancouver address. With some of Vancouver’s best parks and amenities close by, this is a well-established neighbourhood. RESIDE will be home to 33 concrete homes and 2 floors of parking. RESIDE is situated near shopping, parks, top-ranked schools, entertainment and dining. Langara Golf Course and Winona Park are within walking distance for you to enjoy Vancouver’s great outdoors. Vancouver International Airport is less than 10 minutes away when you board the Canada Line at Marine Drive Station.

Marcon Developments began as a construction company and gave them the experience to deliver homes not only of high standards, but also of high value. Since inception, they have given the keys to homeowners to more than 10,000 new homes and helped dreams become reality. Marcon has developed some notable residences over the years, such as the first high-rise in Canada to achieve LEED certification. Building to these standards helps to future-proof your home, as well as allowing you to breathe easy from the first day you move in.

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Glitz – Availability, Prices, Plans

At a Glance

• located across from Richmond City Hall
• 9-storey mixed use: residential, commercial, retail
• 77 condos from 1-3 bedrooms
• Richmond Centre shopping
• close to Canada Line rapid transit
• countless dining options nearby
• walking distance to Minoru Park

Live Brilliantly
iFortune presents Glitz, a mixed use project across the street from Richmond City Hall that includes 77 condominiums, 100,000 sq ft of office space, and 12,000 sq ft of retail space. Home owners will enjoy the convenience of finding their daily necessities nearby at Richmond Centre or shopping at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet just ten minutes away. A world of dining choices lay at your footstep, as does a variety of recreational activities at Minoru Park. At Glitz, live, work, and play in the heart of Richmond!

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Pricing for Glitz
Final pricing for Glitz has not yet been made public. To ensure timely updates for this attractive purchase opportunity, sign up to our VIP list above.

Floor Plans for Glitz
Contact me today to discuss availability and plans.

Amenities at Glitz
Residents will enjoy use of a 1,453 sq ft shared amenity space, a 12,000 sq ft outdoor common area, and a 2,422 sq ft childrens play area.

Parking and Storage
Glitz will provide off-street parking for 237 vehicles, consisting of 155 commercial, 82 residential, 15 visitor, and five handicapped spaces. Resident bicycle parking will be available in 94 Class 1 and 15 Class 2 stalls. There will also be two large and three medium loading bays.

Maintenance Fees at Glitz
To be included with finalized pricing information.

Developer Team for Glitz
iFortune is a developer, builder, general contractor, and project manager for a variety of types of projects of all sizes and complexity. The principals have over 100 years of combined local experience and a proven track record in the development and construction industry. iFortune Homes has significant development experience throughout the Metro Vancouver region. They are involved in every step of the development process, from sourcing the right team to acquisition of lands, arranging financing, obtaining approvals, designing solutions, managing construction, to marketing and sales.

GBL Architects is a progressive Vancouver-based firm of 38 architects, project managers and technicians with a 25-year reputation of providing a full range of architectural services to the private and public sector. GBL design with the belief that form plays a vital role in defining experience through an ever-changing dynamic between sculptural artistry and social responsibility. To that end, they regularly practice green design through the LEED Canada Program.

Expected Completion for Glitz
Sales start Fall 2017.

Are you interested in learning more about other homes in Richmond, South Vancouver, or the Cambie Corridor?

Check out these great Richmond Presales!

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#CoffeeAyudo: Chicago Cafes Are Raising Funds For Mexico & Puerto Rico

Mexico and Puerto Rico are both currently dealing with massive devastation caused by natural disasters. Mexico was rocked by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake south of Mexico City that has taken the lives of over 200 individuals and Puerto Rico is in a state of emergency after Hurricane Maria has left 42% of the population without potable water and the entire island without power.

Chicago’s New Gotham Coffee Community—a non-profit aiming to connect the city’s coffee professionals—have stepped up to help. Called #CoffeeAyudo, eight of Chicago’s cafes are banding together to raise funds to help with relief efforts, and it all starts this Saturday, September 30^th, International Coffee Day.

Translating to “Coffee Help,” #CoffeeAyudo features specialty coffee shops like Metric, Wormhole, Ipsento, and others. Each shop decides how they want to participate; some may be doing tip matching, some may donate a portion of sales, and others may do something else entirely. Some cafes will even continue the fundraising efforts throughout the weekend and beyond, but the goal for all participating shops is the same: raise money and awareness for the citizens of Mexico and Puerto Rico who were affected by these natural disasters.

If you don’t live in the Chicago area but want to help, the New Gotham Coffee Community suggests giving directly to Topos Mexico and Unidos Por Puerto Rico, both of whom are accepting donations via Paypal. And #CoffeeAyudo is looking for more cafes to join. If your coffee shops wants to be part of the efforts email New Gotham Coffee Community at Hey@NewGothamCoffee.com.

Here are all the cafes currently participating:

Metric Coffee, 2021 W Fulton

Wormhole Coffee, 1462 N Milwaukee

Loba Coffee + Pastry, 3422 N Lincoln

Passion House Coffee Roasters & Cafe, 2631 N Kedzie

Jackalope Coffee, 755 W 32nd

Build Coffee, 6100 S Blackstone

Ipsento 606, 1813 N Milwaukee

Ipsento, 2035 N Western

For more information, visit #CoffeeAyudo’s official website.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network.

*top image via New Gotham Coffee Community

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Somewhere out There

It has been hot over the past week or so....felt like the summer we never had. It made it hard to drag myself out on the hills, but I walked as much as I could every day.

Today we awoke to cooling temperatures and as the morning advanced a cool breeze sprang up and it became almost cold.

And just like that Fall arrived.

You can see it. The sky is so bright you can barely look up. Leaves are just beginning to change down here in the valley, but the Virginia Creeper and Staghorn Sumac are waving flags as red as Rudolph's famous nose.

You can hear it. Swish as leaves fly by. The flap, flap, flap, of the hay wagon canvas, whipping in the breeze. And overhead wild and wonderful beagle barking as the geese pass east and west and out of sight.

And you can smell it. Ice cold air, soft, warm ponies, drying leaves, a faint tinge of ripening apples, and under it all, the tiniest hint of wood smoke....that is autumn right there.

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Bending Tradition At Faro – Luminari Del Caffè In Rome

The wifi password at Faro – Luminari del Caffè in Rome is senzazucchero, or, in English, “sugarless.” Despite being a seemingly minor detail, it’s meant to tease Italians for their habit of drinking strong ristrettos, usually made on an old lever machine, full of sugar in order to balance the bitterness. But Dario Fociani, who founded Faro along with two partners, Arturo Felicetta and Dafne Spadavecchia, says that they don’t want to break the sweet tradition. After all, it’s as Italian as an Alfa Romeo.

“Our challenge is simply sharing what we love to do and applying a scientific approach to the brewing of good coffee,” says Fociani, who’s had a long-term international career as a barista, starting in Melbourne and doing stints in several European specialty cafes such as The Barn in Berlin and All Press Espresso UK and Exmouth Coffee in London. His business partner, Felicetta, has years of experience as a bartender, and Spadavecchia is responsible for the communication strategy and the administration of the cafe’s day-to-day operations.

Felicetta, Spadavecchia, and Fociani 

They opened last December in a space with a large shared table that does nothing to remind one of the old cafes of Via Veneto, the fancy Avenue portrayed in Italian films like La Dolce Vita in which the story revolves around a decadent Roman society at the end of the ‘50s. Faro is a little bit far from the main buzzing spots in town, but it is still in a central location and is in the natural path of pedestrians. “We loved this area. It’s not as vibrant as other streets but it has a good balance among tourists, residents, and workers since it’s surrounded by many offices. Besides that, we are open on the weekends, where everything else is closed and this has made us a reference point for many people,” says Fociani. When I visited, down-to-earth customers and baristas greeted one another like old friends, with whole families—kids included—coming for breakfast. 

On that bright summer Sunday at Faro, I tried two brewed coffees—one from Ethiopia roasted by Gardelli Specialty Coffees and another from Brazil by Five Elephant—and a sweet, acidic espresso from Fazenda Agua Limpa in Minas Gerais, Brazil, which was roasted with a profile only served during weekends. During the week, Fociani tries to adjust the espressos to something as close as possible to Italian tastes. He said that Gardelli has created a blend called Cigno Bianco that ties specialty coffee and the classic Italian tradition of stronger, fuller-bodied, and more bitter drinks. It is composed of the harvests from two farms, one Brazilian and another Panamanian, in an attempt to offer a sort of passport to the specialty coffee world. To accompany this Roman experience, Faro offers a range of sourdough bread, cakes, and pies that remind customers over and over that they’re in Italy.

Third wave coffee in Italy is in its infancy, and while most consumers and the media still ignore it, the work of Fociani and others to bring the country fully into the specialty scene is getting attention. An Italian collective media project called Romedia Studio recently released an online documentary, Coffees : Italians Do It Better(?), introducing audiences to the specialty coffee world. And Faro is already buzzing with ideas to take its next step forward, which could include roasting. For now, though, the cafe is focused on the present, working hard to become a reference point for high-quality coffee in the heart of the eternal city.

Faro – Luminari del Caffè is located at Via Piave, 55, 00187 Rome. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Paulo Pedroso is a regular contributor to Brazilian newspapers Folha de São Paulo and Valor Econômico, as well as Revista Espresso, a Brazilian specialty coffee magazine. Read more Paulo Pedroso on Sprudge.

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