Penning the Perfect Cup at SCAA 2009

Margaret Swallow, longtime advocate in the global coffee community and former executive director for the Coffee Quality Institute, moderated "Penning the Perfect Cup" at SCAA 2009.

What happens when you combine three talented authors with a group of coffee aficionados, some of whom share the dream of one day being published? If you were one of the SCAA attendees that were in the room on Sunday, April 18 for the “Penning the Perfect Cup: Writing about Coffee” panel discussion you know that the answer is an invigorating discussion with lots of helpful hints for aspiring writers.

The panel consisted of Susan Zimmer, author of I Love Coffee! Over 100 Easy and Delicious Coffee Drinks; Mark Pendergrast, author of Uncommon Grounds: the History of Coffee and How it Transformed our World; and Timothy Castle, author of The Perfect Cup: A Coffee Lover’s Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Tasting.

Each of the authors shared helpful hints based on their experiences, which were quite varied. Susan encouraged the audience to explore cross merchandising opportunities and shared several examples where a manufacturer has used her book as a gift premium.

Mark encouraged the aspiring writers in the audience to read as much as possible on the topic before they begin writing. He said that his background as a research librarian was great preparation for the massive amounts of historical reading he did in order to understand the coffee industry and its history.

Timothy talked about the challenges an author has to keep his or her book in the news since publishers have a short-term focus on sales and promotions efforts. He also warned the audience to be aware of the long-term consequences of their actions because a number of people have told him that they are in the coffee business because they read his book.

After the presentations and a Q&A session, the authors were available at the booth on the SCAA show floor, where they were able to speak one-on-one with people and provide more advice based on their experiences. They also autographed books for their fans, many of whom asked to have their pictures taken with the author.

To my knowledge, this is the first panel discussion of this kind and based on the very positive response I hope that the SCAA will consider having a similar discussion in 2010

Take a closer look at these books.

SCAA exposition 2009, part 2

Shawn Steiman, author of The Hawai‘i Coffee Book: A Gourmet’s Guide from Kona to Kaua‘i is a coffee scientist and consultant based in Honolulu. His company, Coffea Consulting, aims to improve coffee quality and sustainability around the world.

This will be my third SCAA exposition and I expect it to be more interesting and more exciting than the others. As time progresses and I crave all-things-coffee more and more, I find the SCAA exposition affords me many opportunities to think outside my box. Like many people, I occasionally grow complacent in my own thoughts. At the exposition, the labs and lectures offer me new tools and ideas. More importantly, around every corner is a different coffee fanatic able to test my limits and challenge what I thought I knew about coffee.

This is especially important as I currently hail from our topical state of Hawai‘i. We’re a small place and we don’t have the magnitude of coffee geeks that many places on the mainland have. In fact, even our understanding of the specialty coffee industry on the mainland is incomplete. After all, with more than 2600 miles between us and the rest of the country, we’re bound to miss out on a few things.

Still, we have our own coffee fanaticism and expertise. Out here, we tend to think of coffee differently than most other people. We have the unique vantage point of being one of the rare coffee hotspots on Earth that is both an origin and a serious consumer. It is one thing to have a direct relationship with coffee farms halfway around the world. It is quite another when your friends and neighbors are those farmers!

Attending the exposition is a benefit for everyone. I (and other attendees from Hawai‘i) have the chance to catch up on the latest news and information from the mainland and schmooze with a myriad of coffee lovers. Concurrently, we get to bring our knowledge and experience of Hawaiian coffee to everyone else. As the only U.S. state that grows coffee, we have something special to bring to the exposition.

Our industry is quite diverse. We have over 800 coffee farms ranging in size from 10 trees to over 3000 acres! This coffee is grown in 10 regions on 5 islands at elevations near sea level to 3000 feet. There is more to coffee in Hawai‘i than Kona! With farms and cafes all over the state, we work with coffee from seed to cup.

The specialty coffee movement is as alive in Hawai‘i as anywhere. With numerous Arabica varieties, a multitude of climatic conditions and a diversity of processing methods, we have plenty of flavor nuances and descriptors in our brews. Without question, we have some remarkable coffees. We’re an under-noticed origin but hopefully that is changing.

I can go on telling you about the Hawai‘i coffee industry for a long time. However, I’ll spare you. Instead, I’ll plug my book, The Hawai‘i Coffee Book: A Gourmet’s Guide from Kona to Kaua‘i. Published by Watermark Publishing in June 2008, this is the first book to explore the whole scope of the Hawai‘i industry, from seed to cup. Not a single area of our industry is left out. In addition, it has some fun extras like a list of farms that give tours, cafes that roast their own coffee, coffee events that occur in the Islands, and recipes using Hawaiian coffee.

Actually, the book is much, much more than just telling the tale of Hawai‘i coffee. It is a comprehensive guide to coffee in general. While it covers the basics that other coffee books discuss, it has quite a bit of new and unique material. It provides a look at coffee farming and management, cupping, coffee quality on both a theoretical and practical level, and ethical coffees. Honestly, even though I’m the biased author, this book really is a worthy addition to all libraries.

I look forward to seeing you Atlanta this week. Of course, if you need a bit more time to play with coffee, perhaps you should make your way to Hawai‘i. Get in touch with me and I’ll make sure you have a fantastic coffee-infused trip!

Contact Shawn at coffeaconsulting@gmail.com

Coffee for the Cure

Melissa Pugash is a strategic marketing communications consultant based in Los Angeles. She has over 20 years experience in the specialty coffee industry and has worked with BUNN to expand its US and international public relations and marketing.

It was an overcast and dreary morning in Pasadena on Sunday, March 15, 2009. There was a light mist in the chilly air as thousands of women and men gathered around the Rose Bowl for the 13th Annual Susan G. Komen, Race for the Cure®. It was the kind of weather that made you want to stay under the comforter and hit the “snooze button” on the alarm clock. But the opportunity to be part of this extraordinary fundraiser along with the promise of a hot cup of Joe to warm the heart and soul, were great incentives for volunteers from throughout Southern California to “rise and shine” before 7:00 am.

The brewing experts, including Hugo Flores and his crew from Gaviña Gourmet Coffee awoke several hours earlier to make sure there was plenty of steaming hot coffee for the race volunteers, event coordinators and other sponsors. As soon as the signs were on the booth, coffee-lovers formed a line for complimentary cups of Don Francisco’s blend. An estimated total of 12,000 walkers and runners including 162 registered volunteers from Gaviña’s “Team Don Francsico’s” gathered in front of the stadium to honor breast cancer survivors, give encouragement to those under treatment and remember loved-ones who lost the battle.

Breast cancer strikes 1 in 8 women (and approximately 2000 American men each year). But thanks to annual Races for the Cure held in communities throughout the United States, as well as the Susan G. Komen foundation’s other fundraising efforts, new diagnostic tools, early detection and new treatments are saving more and more lives. To date, the nonprofit organization has dedicated 1.3 billion dollars to the fight for the cure, and is responsible for funding medical breakthroughs as well as providing much needed educational and support services to patients throughout the U.S. and around the world.

There were tears of joy and sadness as the “Celebration of Life Survivor Ceremony” began. Fueled by a strong dedication to the cause and delicious hot coffee, the crowd started to chant “End Breast Cancer Now” in a show of solidarity. The sea of bright pink hats and tee-shirts was an awesome and inspiring sight. After songs by Taylor Hicks and Melissa Manchester the 5k run began and a procession of walkers followed them to the finish line. Despite the clouds, it was a glorious day.

I’d like to extend special thanks to Leonor-Gaviña-Valls and Anna Valls for inviting me to be a member of “Team Don Francisco’s,” Wendy Martinez and Leonor Matos for coordinating all of the paperwork and registration details and to my friends and family for contributing to the 2009 Race for the Cure.

For information about Races for the Cure in your community or to find out more about the many valuable resources provided by the Komen foundation, please visit http://ww5.komen.org/.

SCAA exposition 2009, part 1

Shawn Steiman, author of The Hawai‘i Coffee Book: A Gourmet’s Guide from Kona to Kaua‘i is a coffee scientist and consultant based in Honolulu. His company, Coffea Consulting, aims to improve coffee quality and sustainability around the world.



For every passion, there’s a gathering of the most intense, most geeky, most obsessed, people. For coffee fiends, it is the annual exposition of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). The greatest minds and players in the global coffee industry converge at this event to share, experience, and explore coffee in all its glory. Nowhere on earth can coffee addicts and laypeople see, do, learn, and taste more coffee related things in just a few days. There is something for everyone at this well-caffeinated event.


The 2009 SCAA exposition occurs in Atlanta, GA in just a couple of weeks- April 16-19. Classes, lectures, and labs offer a dizzying array of educational opportunities. Want to learn about roaster repair and maintenance? Espresso brewing? Cupping? Operating a café? Coffee farm happenings and operations? Almost no topic is left uncovered. In one weekend, a person can learn about coffee from seed to cup.

It doesn’t stop there, though. The exposition also hosts an enormous trade show. If it can be related to coffee or a café, it’s there: roasters, equipment manufacturers, bakers, authors, farmers, green bean importers, trade journals, milk vendors, gelato makers, consultants, café gear…

The newest toys and gadgets can be poked, prodded and tested. Coffees from around the world, brewed on the spot, are available for tasting. The fun is never-ending; being a coffee geek has never been better.

This year’s event will be preceded by a 2 day symposium that will explore a variety of topics relevant to today’s industry. Each session will be hosted by experts in the field. Breakout sessions and time for novel thought and discussion has been allocated for participants to engage one another. As many great ideas are often born from group effort, the symposium creates a chance for folk to get together and expand the depths of their coffee minds.