Coming out of Hope’s exam week and Tulip Time and reflecting on the past few months, it’s been a busy time…

In March and April, I competed in the North Central Regional Barista Championship in Chicago, IL and the US Barista Championship in Portland, OR.  I also finished my Level 2 Barista Certification with the Barista Guild and yesterday was invited to serve manually brewed coffee all day at TEDx Grand Rapids along with 25 of the best baristas in Michigan (super fun time that I hope we do again). This week Mike Greene, recently promoted to being our evening manager, is testing for his Level 1 Certification at the Michigan Coffee Conference. In a few weeks, Lindsey (my wife) will be representing us at the Barista Guild’s “Camp-Pull-a-shot” and will be taking classes to get her Level 1 Certification and start her Level 2 coursework.  June 8, our morning barista Samantha Kadzban will be representing us in the Coffee Fest Latte Art Championship in Chicago!  So we’re doing all these things, but what does it mean?

1. We want to be known as being among the best shops in Michigan. Part of that means getting involved in the larger barista community by attending events.

2. So if we’re attending these events to volunteer, learn, and network, it makes sense to showcase our skills (competitions) and prove our skills (certification tests).

3. By having our management at the shop have these certifications, we can confidently tell you as the customer that we’re working our hardest to keep up with current coffee trends, methods, and education. This helps us better train our baristas and deliver you coffee in the best way possible. Coffee goes through a lot to get to us and is cared for by a lot of hands in the process. To do anything but brew it by the highest standards would be an atrocity.

That’s all happening outside the shop. Inside the shop you’ll see some cool things coming up.

Several longterm staff members will be leaving over the summer. We will be refocusing and trying to tighten our ship to better handle the growth that’s happening. Please be patient with the new folks as we’re getting them up to speed.

We have an exciting coffee to announce: BUR NI TELONG from Sumatra is back for a while. We had a coffee from this region a couple of years ago and it’s even more delicious this time around. The tasting notes include dry fig, cherry, & pipe tobacco. It’s a full city roast. We’ll be brewing it on the pour over bar only ($2.50 a cup, $2 if you bring a travel mug). By the pound, it will be $13. I know it’s a touch more than usual, but it’s worth it! Here’s the volcano it’s grown by:

Our coffee of the month we’re calling African Iced Coffee. Starting on May 14, we’ll be offering it via a brew method called an AeroPress. This by-the-cup manual brew method makes a concentrated form of the coffee that we immediately un-concentrate with ice. It’s tasting rad, so stop in and try one next week ($2 a cup, 16 oz. only). Click here for more info.

I’m looking forward to a great summer and some wonderful coffees to share with you the second half of this year!

matt

This weekend is The Big Central Regional Barista Competition. It’s the qualifying round for the U.S. Barista Championship in Portland later this spring.  It’s exciting and it’s been an adventure for me.

I’ve been a barista for 14 years now. For years I never thought much beyond the walls of the shop, beyond getting folks to come in the doors and try out what I was serving. A couple of years ago, I started realizing how much the national barista community had grown. I started attending events and volunteering at competitions. I met other baristas, joined the Barista Guild of America, & got my Specialty Coffee Association of America “Level 1 Barista” certification (and am almost done with level 2).

In the process of testing my skills and meeting others, I realized that I had the skills for competition and a roaster/team of folks that were ready to stand behind me and help me prepare. So I have.  My staff and the folks at Equal Exchange have been incredibly helpful and supportive.

So here we go… first time for me and first time for Equal Exchange to send their coffee to this competition. I’ll be using the Tupac Amaru that we’ve been serving this month in the shop. I’ll be serving 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos, and 4 of my signature beverage to 4 sensory judges. I’ll also be judged by technical judges. This takes place in a 15 minute time period.

I’m nervous but excited. I’ve spent several months prepping, even before I had decided I was for sure going to do this. I’d love for you to support me in this journey. I compete just after 4pm (Chicago time, so 5pm in Michigan) this Friday, March 23. We’ll be streaming it live at Lemonjello’s if you want to watch it with folks. Or you can check it out at http://justin.tv/usbcscaa.

Go team Lemonjello’s/Equal Exchange!

matt.

I love the Mind, Body, & Soul. That’s why it’s our house blend. Maybe the Love Buzz outsells it, but my absolute favorite first cup of the day is always the MBS. Sure, there are single origins I’m really into (Las Colinas, El Salvador is one of my all time favorites right now), but a house blend that has stayed true and tasty for 9 years deserves a shout out.

At Lemonjello’s, we all drink a lot of coffee (and other beverages, if you prefer). Despite that, we (your baristas) don’t have enough time to engage every one of you in a conversation about the coffee you’re drinking. We’ve been super fortunate to have Equal Exchange as our partner. Most of you know about their dedication to fairly traded coffee, tea, & chocolate purchased from small farmers. But beyond that is so much more that they are a part of in an effort to change the world’s food system by paying attention to every detail from the farm to the consumer and ensuring it’s fair and good.

We won’t keep you from taking your next sip while telling you about all of these projects, but I will take up your time here for a minute to share one of them: Climate Change & the Mexican Biosphere.

Here’s a descriptor. The link is below. If you want a postcard with one of the photos, stop in the store!

-matt

[reposted from Equal Exchange]:

Lemonjello’s has grown up a lot in the last couple of years. And as we’ve grown, we’ve talked about what changes needed to be made to compete with the coffee industry and make the beverages and experiences here the best they can be. Through the ongoing conversations among staff and customers, some changes have become evident. We took our time to put these changes together and really want you to experience a better Lemonjello’s as a result.

We present to you today a new version of the logo that refocuses on what we do best– Coffee. For several years, the word coffee wasn’t a main part of the logo and we want to reclaim it.

Along with that, we’ve refocused our menu to showcase the beverages that really define the quality we want to be known for. This will allow us to serve more consistent beverages whether or not there’s a line of folks waiting.

Also, this new website gives us better control over keeping you in the loop. Whether it’s upcoming events, specials, or info on our new coffee of the month, when you show up here, the content will be current.

We’re super excited to bring you an all-new-but-still-the-same Lemonjello’s for 2012!