Antalya, Turkey is famous worldwide for its beautiful Mediterranean beaches and picturesque mountains, which line the coast in dramatic fashion. The water stays warm late into Autumn, making it a popular vacation destination for European tourists seeking nicer weather. But while most visitors see almost nothing of the city on the way to their all-inclusive resort, coffee lovers have a good reason to make a detour before jumping in the sea: The Sudd Coffee in Antalya’s Konyaltı neighborhood….
Archives for October 2018
Kronotrop’s Newest Location Opens in Nişantaşı
How many specialty coffee shops can one neighborhood support? In the case of Istanbul’s Nişantaşı neighborhood, the answer is at least one more. As we’ve written elsewhere, the neighborhood has perhaps Istanbul’s densest number of specialty coffee shops. The latest addition is a new location from Turkish coffee pioneer Kronotrop Coffee Bar & Roastery. …
Five Common Mistakes First Time Barista Competitors Make
With representatives from over fifty different countries, the World Barista Championship is something like the World Cup for coffee professionals. Along with Brewers Cup, Latte Art, and Coffee in Good Spirits, these competitions can help launch a barista’s career, landing them lucrative jobs offers, endorsements, or funding for their own businesses. Competitions also help push the industry forward, highlighting new processing methods, obscure varieties, and new brewing techniques.
Many baristas aspire to compete, but the learning curve is steep for first time competitors. As a barista competitor, coach, and judge, there are several mistakes I often see first time competitors make— many of which I made myself. These mistakes can result in a bad score that is discouraging even demoralizing for an aspiring barista, but thankfully can be avoided with good coaching and feedback.
Conflating the taste Balance and Flavor Descriptors
It’s pretty common to hear competitors describe their coffee as having “a lime-like acidity, a chocolate sweetness,” etc. The problem with this mistake— which is one I made myself— is that it conflates the taste balance and flavor categories on the score sheet. For taste balance, the competitor only needs to describe the intensity and quality of the acidity, …
