JAVA AWAKENING
Coffee lovers, hold on to your cups. It’s the fourth year for Specialty Coffee Week Sacramento, a curated series of public events geared toward education, tasting, and the celebration of coffee from farm to cup. During the week (Oct. 15 – 21), events will be held at individual cafés, coffee roasters, restaurants, and businesses throughout the Greater Sacramento area. The aim is to spread knowledge and passion for specialty coffee. Last year saw more than 40 events registered on the SCWS website and record-breaking crowds at all of them. This year should be the same, with new and exciting activities to captivate area coffee enthusiasts.
Specialty coffee is truly a farm-to-cup process. Every batch of coffee must be delicately handled during each phase of the process, from growing to harvesting, roasting, grinding, and brewing. Sponsors and participants work tirelessly to bring coffee to Sacramento that is sourced from worldwide small businesses and experts. Sacramento’s coffee scene has flourished in the past decade to become what Barista magazine calls one of the most highly regarded in the country. SCWS was developed to celebrate the uniqueness of specialty coffee and the coffee community in Sacramento, and to answer the consumer demand for more knowledge.
GREAT IDEA BREWING
It started in 2013 with one idea from Sean Kohmescher, owner of Temple Coffee Roasters, and a call to the owners of Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters, and together they put in motion a plan to bring it to fruition. The goal was to create a series of free events organized by coffee professionals across the region. The hope also was that all proceeds would go to charities supporting communities in coffee-producing countries.
Events may include classes on coffee preparation, tastings, production, the roaster/farmer relationship, green bean purchasing, coffee-centric dinners, coffee beers and cocktails, or women in coffee, as well as coffee Olympics contests and an opportunity to talk with coffee producers from Central and South America.
For the first time, the week will culminate at The Vintage Monkey (a motorcycle repair shop) in Sacramento for a full day of events (on Oct. 21). This is your chance to participate in classes from all of your favorite coffee roasters at one location. Enjoy a free espresso bar and an evening party highlighting the final round of SPLAT, the Sacramento Public Latte Art Tournament, where one barista will be awarded bragging rights as Sacramento’s top barista. Classes will be offered every hour, and the espresso bar will rotate local roasters. You can learn what makes specialty coffee so special, sip espresso drinks, and take home prizes while celebrating our local specialty coffee scene this fall.
Businesses interested in participating in or becoming sponsors of Specialty Coffee Week Sacramento are encouraged to submit an event via the online form on the website. All events will be listed on the events page once finalized, so keep checking for a complete schedule. For details, visit Specialtycoffeeweek.com.
