One of the best things to happen at the the Specialty Coffee Association of America expo in Atlanta this year was meeting coffee people I had only corresponded with up to that time. Surely one of the highlights was getting to meet and talk to Steve Leighton of Has Bean Coffee in the U.K. I’ve been a secret fan of Steve’s for a long time. In addition to sourcing great coffees, he has excellent descriptions on his web site, travels frequently to origin and blogs about his experiences and other coffee news, and through his strong online presence really conveys his passion for coffee. Every roaster should aspire to communicate to consumers about coffee the way Steve does.
One of Steve’s gigs is In My Mug, a weekly video in which he describes a particular coffee he offers. Somewhere along the line people started sending him mugs to use in the videos. When I got home from Atlanta the first thing I did was send Steve a mug. Since Coffee & Conservation doesn’t have a mug, I sent him the simple but stylish Rouge River Bird Observatory mug from my real job.
This week Steve used the mug to review his Guatemala San Rafael Pacun, a 2008 Cup of Excellence winner. I should say that the second thing I did, once I packed the mug and sent it overseas, was place an order from Steve. Shipping is a bit pricey from the U.K. to the U.S., but I got my coffee just five days after ordering/roasting. Although I didn’t order the Guatemala, the coffees I got were excellent — especially the Bolivia Machacamarca, which Irish barista champion Colin Harmon served us in a cappuccino while he was practicing for the WBC finals.
Have a look at the video; Steve offers a discount code for the coffee at the end. Thanks, Steve, for the C&C shout out, and for your fantastic coffee!
Revised on January 7, 2022
Bless you Julie thank you so much for the mug and your REALLY kind post, it was me who was humbled to meet you and far more of a highlight for me.
Aw..I wish I was there at the Specialty Coffee Association of America expo..:-( That mug is really very cute. Wish I had it too.
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