Tag Archives: roasting

Carpe-ing the java @CoffeeCON2013 style

Yesterday, was CoffeeCON 2013 (@coffeecon2013) and it was amazing!

Before going to CoffeeCON, I was finally able to meet up with Ruthann (@RAWiesner) for breakfast. She took me to a place where they bring donuts to the table like they bring rolls or chips and salsa at other places.

donuts

How can you not love a place like that? I had an amazing frittata with spinach, bacon and tomatoes. Yum!

Then it was off to the event du jour: CoffeeCON!

Just opening the door you know was fabulous because you could smell all of the different coffee offerings.

coffeec

When we got to CoffeeCON, we found my twitter friend, Debra (@debramariem).

girls

Debra is terrific, too, and we had fun hanging out together, visiting the vendor booths, the classes and our other twitter friends,

Coffee NateCoffee Nate (@CoffeeNate) and Robert Caruso (@fondalo) who were bloggers at the conference.

Lauri Rottmayer, Robert Caruso, Ruthann Wiesner

One of the things I was most looking forward to was talking to the roasters. There were several different options there including a woman who was roasting beans with a heat gun (yes, like the one from Lowe’s) and a guy who had repurposed his hot air popcorn popper to roast coffee. He was very excited with his roaster and was cute to listen to.

There were two roasters, though, that had machines that seem like what I would use to roast coffee which I believe is the next frontier for me.

We watched coffee demos and attended a couple of classes.

demo

I was really taken with the siphon coffee maker and think I’m going to have to have one of those. I was sad that we didn’t get to see the Turkish Coffee demo. She had some kind of a water issue but I did get the instructions for making the coffee so will be trying that at home soon. 🙂

Right before I left, I thanked the show producer, Kevin Sinnot (@coffeekevin), for his fabulous event. He wanted to interview me because I had come from Oklahoma for the show. I did that and said my goodbyes.

interview

It was such a great time. Great coffee, great people. I can’t wait to return next year and bring/meet more friends. Will you join me? 🙂

I’m going to @CoffeeCON2013!

And I’m so excited!

I first learned of CoffeeCON last year after my friend Robert Caruso (@fondalo) returned. I checked out the website and made my mind up right then and there that I was going to be there this year. I mean, really, as a coffee achiever, is there a more perfect place for me? 🙂

One of the reasons I’m excited about going is for the coffee, of course. After my trip to Eight O’Clock Coffee, I fulfilled one dream: to learn how to cup coffee.

Cupping Coffee

While I was at Eight O’Clock Coffee, I talked to Glenn quite a bit about roasting coffee beans. It sparked a new dream: to learn how to roast my own coffee. There will be coffee roasters at CoffeeCON that I can talk to and learn more about this. Exciting! 🙂

Coffee Roasters

Although I asked if I really have to go to class, I’m super excited about learning more about different coffee topics. After living in the Middle East, I grew extra fond of Turkish Coffee. I’m very much looking forward to the Turkish Coffee demo I see on the schedule. I have a ton of cardamom pods that are just waiting for something in my cupboard. 🙂

CoffeeCON 2013 Schedule

I will try (really hard) not to be the class clown so we can all learn something.

An absolutely awesome side benefit of attending CoffeeCON is that I get to meet some of my favorite twitter friends in real life! I’m so looking forward to meeting @fondalo, @coffeenate@RAWiesner and @thatsalrighty.

If you’re going to @Coffeecon2013, be sure to look me up and say hi!

Look out Chicago, I’m coming home! 🙂