What could be better than half a million square feet devoted to coffee, coffee people, and coffee products? (And none of them Starbucks.) ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Independent coffee shop owners and roasters like us flocked to Boston this year for the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 2019 Expo. We went to sip, slurp, and trade with international farmers/growers, brokers, and equipment makers and to see and sample everything new and innovative.

We hadn’t attended the Expo for a couple of years, so we were blown away by how much bigger and more exciting it had become. We went with Christine, our resident coffee/caffeine expert who is the operating force behind Satellite Coffee. Our goals included connecting with many of our trusted partners and drinking as much espresso as humanly possible.

We were especially interested in finding different ways to craft larger batches of our popular and delicious homemade Cold Brew, which is time and labor intensive. Alas, we found that our time-tested commercial Toddy tanks are still best for now – you just can’t hurry nature. We also found our new nitro partners who will help us bring nitro coffee to all of the Satellite cafes!

We did a cupping with Cafe La Minita, our coffee growers on the ground in Costa Rica. Those guys run world class farms with hospitals and schools, plus they broker for farmers in nine other countries.

We stopped by to talk with Organic Traders and Café Feminino but they were swamped! Rishi Tea, our organic, fair trade tea supplier, was there, too – they were brewing up some fascinating new tea blends. Imagine, just 7 or so years ago the owner was manning the booth himself – now he has a whole team of tea experts.

By far, the funniest, craziest innovators at the Expo were the South Korean and Japanese exhibitors. They have gone mad for coffee, but their aesthetic is enchanting – so different than ours. Delicate, almost tea like, actually.

Pictured is a “new to the market,” Willie Wonka style, one-cup-at-a-time brewer from Japan.

The machine took about five minutes of mechanical grinding, stirring, brewing and tossing to produce one, yes ONE, cup of the most delicious coffee I have ever experienced, a perfectly roasted Panama Geisha. It was then served graciously by an impeccably dressed Japanese woman who bowed while serving!

That’s what we love about the coffee and tea biz – the power of small entrepreneurs and innovative people reinventing an entire industry over and over again through craft and creativity. Coffee shares the same spirit and passion for excellence with beer, wine, pastry, and food. It is in a culinary category all its own!