"Welcome to Five Senses Coffee"

Some of you may be aware that each year, coffee tragics from around the globe gather somewhere in the US for the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s annual expo. This is the biggest event on the specialty coffee calendar and this year, the expo was even bigger, as it was combined with the World Barista Championship. The host city this year was Atlanta, Georgia.

Two of our young guns are in the States, making sure that we keep up with the hottest trends in the world coffee scene. Our favourite Canadian, Jenny Murray, and our resident coffee freak, Ben Bicknell, started the trip by attending the demanding Cupping and Q Graders Course at Coffee Lab in Vermont, with the legendary Mané Alves.

Coffee Lab is considered the top roasting and sensory facility in the world. Word is the kids did very well and we look forward to a more formal announcement very soon. Could Australia have its first certified Q grader?!

From there, Ben and Jen jetted down to Atlanta, where Ben judged at WBC. There’s no doubt that this would have been an amazing experience, and we look forward to Ben passing on some tips to our local competitors on his return.

If that wasn’t enough, they’ve now headed to Guatemala for an origin trip. Anyone feeling a little jealous?

Never mind, you can do the next best thing and follow their travels here, as they explore the world of specialty coffee.