POLAND 8th March 2011

The ExpoSweet trade fair in Warsaw was the venue for the SCAE Polish chapter's coffee workshop in late February, National Coordinator Konrad Oleksak reports.

Over three days, in a 100-square-metre area,12 instructors, six volunteers, two espresso machines, lots of different brewing devices and an even larger number of coffees came together, as we were sold only one thing: EDUCATION.

The event was purely about coffee education, both for the public and for those in the Polish coffee industry. The people that came to our stand had to make coffee themselves, and they were taught about coffee, how to brew it and taste it, using different  methods. Some of the best people in Polish industry, along with Barista, Latte Art, Cup Tasting, and Coffee in Good Spirits Champions shared their skills and knowledge.

Our Team (in alphabetical order, with their subjects) were:

• “Speciality coffee in Guatemala” by Filip Bartelak, an importer of green coffee from Guatemala, Q Grader, SCAA Certified Cupping Judge
   
• “Home barista-different brewing methods” and “ Single origin coffees and filter coffee in gastronomy” by Łukasz Jura, Polish Barista Champion 2007, Latte Art Champion, Norway 2009, World Champion AeroPress 2009
   
• “Coffee in Good Spirits--how to combine coffee with alcohol” and “Creativity in coffee--different beverages based on espresso” by Marcin Michalik, Polish Latte Art  Champion 2010
   
• "Latte Art techniques” by Marcin Moczydłowski, Polish Latte Art Champion 2008
   
• “World coffee market” by Tomasz Obracaj, SCAE President 2004-2005 and SCAE Ambassador
   
• "Polish coffee market” by Michael Ovadenko, Coffeeheaven founder and owner of The Barista Espresso Bar & Bakery
   
• "Producing countries and their coffee characteristics” by Izabela Popiołek, Polish Barista Champion 2009, 2010
   
• "Presentation of the SCAE trip to Panama and Costa Rica” by Marek Robacha, certified cup taster, national and WBC judge
   
• "Cup Tasting--sensory evaluation” by Sławomir Saran, Polish Barista Champion 2008
   
• “Home barista--different brewing methods at home” by Błażej Stempin, Polish Cup Tasting Champion 2011
   
• "Coffee--cooperative farms in Africa” by Paweł Trzciński, Polish AeroPress Champion 2011

A BIG thank you to ALL !!!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank EZIG, organiser of the ExpoSweet trade fair, for making this event happen, and especially Janusz Profus, chocolate maestro, for all his support and strong coffee spirit.