Nelson Melo and Liliana Pabon

Guess what?

Tomorrow (Wednesday) night, at Counter Culture’s DC training center, there is a rare opportunity to meet Colombian coffee producers Nelson Melo and Liliana Pabon.  Come meet the owners of Finca Las Acacias–one of the pioneering organic farms behind CCC’s La Golondrina project.  La Golondrina is currently our on-tap coffee and we are super excited to have the opportunity to meet some of the folks behind it.

There will be a special presentation about their farm, sustainable coffee production, and the La Golondrina project.  This event is free and open to the public.

6:30-8 PM

Wednesday, February 25

CCC DC Training Center

1836 Columbia Rd NW Suite 202 (look for the callbox near 1840)

Be there.

Fridays at Four- Cuppings at Hill’s Kitchen

Join us this–and every–Friday at 4 pm across the way at Hill’s Kitchen for a delicious and educational coffee tasting.

Each week we will explore the fragrance, aroma, brightness, flavor, body and aftertaste of three coffees, diving into a world of coffee nuance and learning the stories behind these coffees and what makes them so dynamic.  Please join us promptly at 4 pm and refrain from wearing strong fragrance or eating spicy foods (one is bad for your experience, one is bad for others).

Cupping is the method by which professional coffee buyers assess and evaluate coffees and is also the way roasters determine how to roast a particular coffee to accentuate the best it has to offer.  We think that cupping is an amazing way to encounter a coffee and learn its deepest secrets.

Hill’s Kitchen is located at 713 D St SE on the south side of the Eastern Market metro plaza.  We will be upstairs in the demonstration kitchen.  This event is free of charge and RSVP is not required.  Also, it will take approximately an hour and a half.

Team Peregrine at the MARBC

After an exciting weekend of competition, our team placed well at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competition.  David Flynn took home third, Jeremy Sterner was fourth and Randy Kindle was seventh out of over 25 competitors.

It turned to be a DC sweep of the top four spots with Katie Duris and Allyson Turner of murky coffee taking the top two spots.  Allie Caran of Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore (one of our favorite restaurants around) placed fifth with a performance including a signature drink with pop rocks and applewood-smoked honey.

If you see these guys at the shop, be sure to congratulate them for an awesome job.

MARBC finalists

Hey, all.

The finalists were just announced and we are super happy that two of our baristas made it on to the final round tomorrow!!

David Flynn and Jeremy Sterner will join four others in competition tomorrow morning to decide the regional champ.  The other four baristas are Katie Duris and Allyson Turner from murky coffee, Allie Caran from Woodberry Kitchen and Dana Waelde from Crazy Mocha.  Five of six finalists are using Counter Culture Coffee as well as two of the finalists for the Northeast Regional finals also being held tomorrow.

Join us in the shop at 10:30 AM tomorrow morning as we project the feed on our wall and watch the top baristas in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.  David Flynn will compete second (around 11AM) and Jeremy will be sixth (around 12PM).  The winners will be announced around 3 PM.

Also, watch the live feed at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/marbc09

Take care and see you soon.

MARBC live stream

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/marbc09

The MARBC Schedule

We are getting all our gear together to leave around lunchtime today.

Currently the schedule says the following:

Randy Kindle-competitor 7:  Friday, 12:27 PM

David Flynn- competitor 17:  Friday, 3:37 PM

Jeremy Sterner- competitor 34:  Saturday, 1:35 PM

These times are very approximate, so be flexible.  Here is the link to the competition blog and another link to the schedule and we’ll post a link to the live video feed as soon as we have it.  Please watch online to catch all the action and we are currently planning to project the feed onto our wall here in the shop on Saturday and Sunday.  During the finals on Sunday (1-3:30 PM), we’ll hook up the sound and watch some of the best baristas in our region battle for the crown.

I am very proud of our team and excited at this group that will represent Peregrine in our first regional competition.

Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competition

We are getting prepared for a big trip to Cranberry, Pennsylvania, this coming weekend for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competition (MARBC).  We have three competitors–Jeremy Sterner, David Flynn and Randy Kindle–among a field of near 30 vyeing for the title of regional champ.  The winner will get to travel to Portland, OR, to compete in the semifinal round of the USBC next month.

We are making arrangements for a projector to use over the weekend to show our competitors performances as well as the regional finals on Sunday from 1-3:30 PM.  As soon as we know the schedule, I will post (approximately) when each competitor will be performing so that no one misses the action.

Randy and Jeremy

David

Wish us luck.