What's Brewing in Derby City...

Louisville is for (COFFEE) Lovers!

2010-03-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

What started as twenty-something people gathering in a dining room to geek out over vacuum-pots and 2am shots of espresso has more than tripled into a shop full of hungry-to-learn and eager-to-compete locals who are even quicker to form long lasting bonds over the one thing they all have in common... a sincere interest in this mysterious caffeinated substance!

Chris Deferio (of The Coffee Institute) wowed us with his finesse and left our mouths watering after his barista demonstration. (And I'm sure I'm not the only one who has already looked into buying a smoker- I mean, who ever thought of this?) Kane Holbrook, Matt Galyon, and Kenny Smith peaked our interest with different brewing methods all evening while Quills' own Eric Bray made sure our cups were never empty with endless french-presses of Ethiopian Morde Cafe... and certainly the night never would have been the same without the antics and quirky commentary of Chris Heiniger. (Extra thanks to you all!)

Follow this with one healthy dose of competition (judges including local 'celebaristas Ryan Soeder and Jesse Harriott) and the whole lot of us were left with our cups full and our intellecual appetites satisfied.

So, while I am sad to see that this year John King has retired the "Louisville is for Lovers" soundtrack to the city, I'm thrilled to watch a new generation of enthusiasts unfold. Welcome to the coffee map Louisville, KY! The city doesn't even know what hit 'em!

Thanks again, Quills & Prima-Coffee, for hosting this incredible evening and bringing together so many of us in our love for coffee and one another.

-SBW

See some great photos @: Louisville Wedding Photographer courtesy of the great Juan MacClean

P.S. Java Brewing Co. is putting together an all-star cast for their new store opening- if you're looking for a job, please e-mail: sbwelder@hotmail.com Thx, ya'll!

Prima Coffee Barista Bash 001

2010-02-25T14:41:00.000-08:00

Prima Coffee will be throwing our first quarterly event, Barista Bash 001 next month. We would love to see all the baristas in Louisville come together and have a good time. Here are the details:

Friday, March 26th at 8pm
Hosted by Quills Coffee at 930 Baxter Ave

Featuring:

A barista routine led by Chris Deferio of the Coffee Institute
Brewing demos
Hario equipment
A super awesome La Marzocco paddle group espresso machine
A latte art competition judged by Chris Deferio and Jesse Harriott

For more details check out http://prima-coffee.com/bash001.

Louisville Barista wins at Columbus Jam!

2009-12-08T18:44:00.000-08:00

The coffee community in Columbus, OH is pretty killer. There's several great shops, like Luck Bros. and Cafe Brioso, and recently they've been really consistent about holding monthly Barista Jams complete with latte art throw downs.

Louisville barista Kenny Smith just happened to be in town for December's competition and took first place! Perhaps a new rivalry is in the works?

-MJB

Latte Art Party at the Farmhouse!!!

2009-12-03T12:15:00.001-08:00

Start Time:	Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 6:00pm
End Time:	Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 12:00am
Location:	Farmhouse Family Farm
Address:	1215 Preston St. Louisville, Ky. 40203 Prepare yourselves, this will be a coffee event that goes down in history! Features Include: $100 cash prize latte art contest! ($5 buy in style) 2 espresso machines Fine coffee from across the globe Delicious treats Chris Heiniger's antics and hilarity! Probably alot more cool and unexpected stuff Bring yourselves, whole milk for the pourin' (kroger and walgreens have it cheap), special cups that you like pouring into (plenty will be provided), your favorite steaming pitcher, snacks that may go well with coffee (optional), and anything else that I have forgotten. Don't Do Drugs (caffeine is an exception) Search on Facebook Events for "Latte Art Party at the Farmhouse!!!" to officially RSVP for the event Love, Kenny

The Biggest Latte Art Party Of The Year...

2009-12-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

is going down on December 16th. Request off from work while you still can cause this party is going to be too legit to quit. More info coming soon.

-DB

Shout out...

2009-11-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

From M.J. Butterworth:
Ville Be Jammin

(Re-Posted from November 16th, 2009)

"Louisville Barista Jam is a Success!"

2009-11-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

There were bright, citrus-y Kenyas, berry-like, clean Ethiopias, the most complex & mouth-watering espresso blends I have ever tasted and more!

Walking about the room throughout the night you would encounter various topics about roasting, coffee growing regions, latte art techniques, brewing options, shot times, and on and on... little niches were forming all around the room just bursting with information and an eagerness to expand on coffee knowledge. (Those who could only stop by for a moment noted later that there was a buzz about the room- a palpable excitement among everyone.)

John Letoto kept us in awe with his presentation of vacuum pot brewing. He was met with a sea of questions to which he answered with detailed attention. (And of course, after tasting the results of this eye-catching brewing method, more than a few people in the room vowed to buy their own vaccum pots in the near future. :)

Throughout the rest of the evening, baristas began pulling shots and trying their hand at latte art designs. Kenny Smith showed off the skills that got him to competitions from Chicago to Seattle and offered up some elaborate demonstrations of various latte designs. This of course was followed up by a latte art Throw Down that got wonderfully loud and competitive in the best of ways.

After cups and cups of coffee, shots and shots of espresso, 10 jugs of milk, bottle after bottle of delicious coffee stouts... the die-hards stuck it out until about 2:00 in the morning saving the rarities of roasts for a sort of 'last call'. (Thus ensuring little sleep for all parties involved from both the excitement and extreme caffeine intake.) I can't help but be thankful for sticking it out until the wee hours of the morning just to soak in the last ounce (literally) of coffee joy.

Thank you, everyone, for not only your participation, but for your exuberant enthusiasm and genuine love for coffee and our growing Louisville coffee community. (You should be proud!)

And of course, a special thanks to John and Kenny for sharing their love and knowledge with us all.

I've been so inspired every day since to improve some part of my barista repertoire of skills and slowly, I'm seeing accomplishments... (see you at the next throw- down! :)

-SBW

P.S. See some of the pictures that have been uploaded at:
Louisville Barista Jam!

1st Official Event

2009-11-16T23:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight was... amazing

Thank you to everyone who took time to make it out, there is so much community to be built in our city! I look forward to future events and hope to see people from even more local shops.

-Kenny

Events! Events! 'Tis official!

2009-11-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

COFFEE EXTRAVAGANZA!
(Muhuhahahaha!)

There's been a slight buzz around town that there's actually a 'Louisville Barista' event in the works... it's finally here!

When: Monday, November 16th
Where: 1845 Gresham Road (Louisville, KY)
What Time: 7:00pm

What's going on exactly? Nothing formal... just a reason to get together and geek out about coffee! Latte art extraordinaire, Kenny Smith, has offered up a machine and some demonstrations! Plus, our "Hawaiian import" (thanks, MB-Dubs) John Letoto will be there with vacuum pots in tow to demo brewing techniques and as always- offer up exquisite conversations and discussions. Feel free to bring anyone and everyone. We're encouraging everyone (if you can) to bring a bag of their favorite roast along with a press-pot (or other brewing device) to assist in a sort of 'pot-luck' coffee tasting.

Not to mention, feel free to bring snacks, iPods and anything else you can think of contributing- the more the better.

So, no matter how great or small your coffee knowledge or barista skills may be, just come on out for an awesome night of coffee goodness!

Representing the 502

2009-09-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

Louisville barista Kenny Smith traveled to Seattle to compete in a latte art competition this last weekend. Thankfully, local coffee snob Hermitudinous was on hand to snap some photos of the action.

Now if I could just perfect my rosetta.

-MJB

Coffee Links

2009-09-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

For my first post here at Louisville Barista I thought I would give some shout outs to the coffee blogs that I frequent.

In the coffee world James Hoffmann is a rock star. The fact that he's British only makes this World Champion Barista's video blog entries more interesting (I mean who doesn't think a British accent is cool? Scottish people perhaps?)

Hawaiian transplant John Letoto could know more about coffee than anyone else in Louisville- and he knows it. Don't believe me? Read his blog for a week and get back to me.

For a comprehensive look at coffee news Sprudge Report is your place to go. Just started reading it, but I've already learned a lot.

It may be the fact that I grew up reading Hans Christian Anderson stories, but I've recently been obsessed with the city of Copenhagen. The Coffee Collective is a coffee shop/think tank that is changing the way a lot of people drink coffee on the Continent. You can't taste their blog, but it's really insightful.

Barista Magazine could be the Paste Magazine of the coffee world. It's worth subscribing too.. on your RSS feed if nothing else.

enjoi

-MJB

Coffee Community Comradery (Add as many Cs as you'd like :)

2009-09-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome! Everyone knows Louisville has an abundant amount of spots to get a great cup of coffee and exquisite lattes- So, why not have a place where all who are involved can talk about their experiences and share their findings? From this blog we will be planning events such as cuppings with favorite coffees from around the globe, posting local achievements (did you know some of Louisville's own are starting to make their mark on the world of latte art?), and just have a place to come together over something we all share a passion for- insanely great coffee!

The login/password are being passed around throughout the city, so feel free to invite any Louisville located barista you may meet- and blog away!