Tonight was my first session at UW "From the Grounds Up" series.
Guest speaker: Mark Pendergrast, author of Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World
http://www.nasw.org/users/markp/grounds.html
Full house! It was exciting to hear from a researchers perspective about the coffee industry - general culture, social & environmental impact...Mark was witty and charismatic. I wish we had more time to listen, learn and engage on a personal level. I already have my trip to Oaxaca on my "list" but tonight's lecture definitely moved it up on my priorities.
We're all aware of the market value of the black gold but it was fascinating to hear some hard facts that prove how easily this thing I love can be too much to handle.
I vow to be a smart and compassionate coffee connoisseur - enjoy and not destroy.
I can't wait for the next session.
Self-proclaimed coffee geek,
Gustavo
U.S. Barista Championship -
Just amazed by the talent of the baristas...and the creativity! Their knowledge and their passion was inspiring. Great to see how many folks in the community were out to support - made for a fun event. The energy in the room was contagious - could that have been the caffeine buzz? Maybe. It was sad to get to the finals and have no PNW representation, but now I have to visit Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea next time we're in Los Angeles, CA or Chicago, IL - they rocked it out! Congratulations to the 2009 US Barista Champion - Mike Phillips, heading to Atlanta, GA to represent the United States.
Barista Prom at Bossanova -
The event definitely proved to be a great way to end a very long day for the semi-finalists - and fans. Gustavo represented CP well...he got down with a blues tune by The Doors. He had several groupies by the night's end. It proved to be the BEST Prom ever!!!
Visit w/our Portland family & friends -
As always, thank you all for the hospitality. We always have a blast in P-town. Good biz, good talks & good memories to fill a blog ;) Seriously, we love you all. See you soon!
Grab a cup, pour the coffee and let caffeine jump start your week!
Gustavo
Coffee Physics Team
To All of our friends at The Bucks,
We wish you the best of luck getting through another tough day.
Please keep us posted on your work status - and let us know if there is anything we can do help.
Warm wishes,
Gus and Maria
Many of our friends and family keep checking in with us to make sure CP is resisting the economic downturn...Out of fear that there is not enough wood in the world to knock on, we often respond with "we're hanging in there, we're okay, everything is great".
The truth is, we ARE fine but we ARE cautiously optimistic that services will continue to be in demand as customers hold on to their coffee equipment longer than they had in the past. It is no longer the gilded age! Not everyone is in the position to purchase and replace equipment every 12 months and that's alright, that's better than alright. It's great! No excessive cost and unnecessary waste.
We are very excited to be of service and effectively assist our customers in saving money. What a concept - a service & repair company that wants customers to have less repair calls...Quality vs Quantity? We say YES, we can ;)
The absolute fundamental aim is to make money out of satisfying customers. - Sir John Egan
As for all of our friends & family...how are you? We wish you all much love, patience and luck as we all move forward in 2009 and beyond.
Keeping in touch,
Coffee Physics Team
