VIVE LA REVOLUCION!

About the WBC 2007 results:

First, big, big congratulations to Heather Perry. Your silver medal at the Worlds is a remarkable accomplishment. You should be very proud, and I hope your dad has stopped crying. :-)

In addition, Heather, I bought some of your Coffee Klatch USBC blend last month, and I thought it was simply great, one of the most delicious espresso coffees I tasted all year. You guys did a terrific job with it.

And now...James Hoffmann!

You really rocked the house, man. What a poised, natural, killer performance (thanks Katie and Zachary for the chance to see it)! And what truly blows my mind is how you WON THE WBC using Single Origin Coffees for your espressos and cappas.

At the 2003 SCAA Boston show I remember hearing a couple of bigwig SCAA lecturers stridently complain that the new-found popularity of espresso, with its emphasis on proprietary, unidentified blends, was RUINING the market for good estate coffees. Their point was not without merit, but it remained mostly unanswered at the time.

Soon after, some barista competitors (Billy Wilson and others) valiantly took up the challenge and did battle with various SO coffees.

But damn, you and your crew (Anette, Stephen, Jenny, and others I don't know) are obviously brilliant in selecting, roasting, and brewing your SO coffees. To win the World Championship with two SO espresso coffees is revolutionary, and my hat is off to you folks.

Vive la revolucion!

[edit] Peter Lynaugh (Terroir) reminds me that Troels won the 2005 WBC with their single origin espresso from Daterra. Apologies for my ignorance, and no slight intended towards any of the parties involved.