Yes, welcome! Oslo, Norway, couldn’t be more beautiful—plenty of sunshne, and leafy trees all turning colors as fall approaches.
But as lovely as it is, we’re not here to look at the scenery—we’re here to learn about coffee! Today, Wednesday, September 15, is the first day of what is a four day event. All day today will be the Nordic Roaster event, taking place here at Robert Thoresen’s Kaffa Roastery as well as nearby Solberg & Hansen. (Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be the Nordic Barista Cup, in other locations in Oslo.
Colombia, which is the focus country of the Nordic Barista Cup this year, is well represented: Luis, left, of Amor Perfecto, and Jaime, of Agrado, are here to participate, along with four Colombian baristas and others.
Today is all about roasting, and you’d better believe there are some heavy hitters on board t deliver what promise to be thought provoking lectures and lead participants in cuppings—to give you an idea what we have in store, George Howell is up first, with a lecture on quality control at origin, to be followed by a cupping, to be followed by Paul Songer’s lecture on roast chemistry.
And that’s all happening before lunch!
Heili from Estonia and Sonja from Iceland enjoy some coffee as people begin to arrive at Kaffa.
The lecture set up here at Kaffa.
As I type this, Zachary Carlsen, my reporting/video-ing partner in Nordic Press crime, and I are getting our equipment situated and prepping for a full day of blogging, video posting, and what we hope is the most comprehensive Nordic Roaster/Nordic Barista Cup coverage the annual event has ever seen—please let us know what you think as you tune in.
Zachary's and my "work station." Getting situated.
From left: David, Imma, Bjørg, and Jay greet participants as they arrive (and snack on som awesome croissants).