But back to the show. We attended a few different lectures, talked with many of our vendors on the trade show floor, watched Midwest Barista Champ Mike Marquard compete in the USBC semi-finals and even headed to a little partay that Intelligentsia, La Marzocco and Espressi (makers of the MyPressi TWIST) were throwing at Intelligentsia’s roastery in L.A. Yes, Grammy got her groove on.

In this video, Gail talks to us about what she learned from the lectures we attended, discusses some new products we saw  and even shares with us her new love for TWIST-inspired cocktails.

We’ll be heading down to the SCAA event this afternoon and will be there for the next couple of days. Very excited to meet new folks, put faces to names and learn from the variety of lectures and labs we’re attending. We’ll post updates!

Who has the best taste buds? Only the strong survive? OK, not so much. But it was fun learning about it from Edwin.

In addition to the competition itself, they usually have other great events that coffee lovers in general will enjoy. This year, they’re holding an ‘Origin to Art: Coffee Expo and Art Exhibit’ during all three days of the competition that will feature tastings, demonstrations and interaction.

Hoping to catch one of the competitions in your region? There’s a few more left to go and you can find out more from the main US Barista Championship website.

Get yours now — available through 1/15/10, or until supplies last.

We’re participating as sponsors this year and so will be offering three different levels of prizes:

• Gift: 1 free Baratza Vario burr grinder
• Delight: 10 coupons for 10% off any Rocket espresso machine
• Surprise+: 50 coupons for a free bag of Velton’s Bonsai Blend for espresso

Have fun while increasing your espresso knowledge and maybe winning a little somethin’ somethin’!

It’s a unique and groundbreaking attempt to open up the interaction between artists and their audiences, including how their work is shown. Each participant must secure their own viewing venue somewhere in the city of Grand Rapids — after they’ve been accepted by ArtPrize, they need to connect with and secure their slot in one of the volunteer venue locations.

One such venue is MadCap Coffee Company, the source of the email we received, who is looking for artists within the coffee community:

“madcap will be offering its space as an artists venue. we have an amazing site with lots of visibility. our first option is to offer this site to an artist within the coffee community, that can highlight and draw attention to the world of coffee. maybe you are a farmer that is also an artist, or an artist and barista that has traveled to origin and can showcase coffee in all of its attributes. if so, we would like to talk with you.”

Interested? Contact MadCap directly at chad@madcapcoffee.com

The best way to beat those mid-winter blues (and also give yourself something fabulous to look forward to)? Start planning an adventure to one of the world’s most celebrated coffee regions, of course! Infuse your winter with a little tropical sunshine while also engaging in one of our favorite festivals: the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, located on the Big Island from November 6 – 15, 2009. Featuring workshops, parades, the Miss Kona Coffee pageant, several contests and cuppings, this diverse and delicious festival has something for everyone. The official site also has a PDF driving tour for visitors to poke around the Kona coffee region on their own.

These machines take all of the excellent performance and functionality of the Giotto Premium Plus and accent it with several specialized touches that make this limited edition stand apart — and since we’re the only US importer bringing these machines in stateside, these unique collector’s items are incredibly rare as well. But while your friends will be coveting the gorgeous stainless steel design or perhaps the Maglia Rosa-inspired pink manometer, the bragging rights will really be about all the money you donated to Coffee Kids, giving you a direct hand in helping to support tons of community projects for coffee growing families throughout Central America.

Check out the full details on the machine and our auction!

And what better way to do that then to auction them off and donate all the proceeds to the non-profit organization Coffee Kids? We love their mission and we love Rocket, so for us they go hand in hand.

Beginning on 6/19/09 and continuing through 7/24/09, we’ll be auctioning off one Giro D’Italia Giotto each week, 5 of the 100 total espresso machines available in this limited edition run. If you or someone you love digs cycling, owning this little piece of history will give you something to brag about — not only because these machines are so unique, but you’ll be giving to a really great cause, too!

Interested in learning more about the race, the machine or the auction? Check this out.