Trieste Coffee Seminar:
Balancing the Global Coffee Market’s Supply with Increasing Demand
Café Double Tall: Seattle Style in Shibuya
iberry: Bringing the Local to the International
A Conversation with
Italian Master Barista
Luigi Lupi
bimonthly magazine • vol. 9 • march-april, 2009
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EDITOR•TALK
CT&I•sOCIETy
COvER•sTORy
A Conversation with Italian Master Barista
Luigi Lupi
spECIAL•REpORT
Balancing the Global Coffee Market’s Supply
with Increasing Demand
INDy•vOICE
Café Double Tall: Seattle Style in Shibuya
NANATAssANA
Bean Scene
HOT•BEv
Cinnamon Roasted Latte
Cherry Berry Milk Shake
Coconut-Kahlua Latte
Rose Lemonade Soda
Rum & Coconut Frappé
Mango Smoothie Soda
ICED•AID
iberry: Bringing the Local to the International
TEA•TIME
Rose House
CAFé•DEsIgN
Sweet Maesalong = Coffee Paradise
COFFEE•TECHNIquEs
V60 Paper Filter Drip Coffee
TRADE•sHOW•pREvIEW
HOSFAIR Guangzhou
SCAA Expo 2009
Thaifex – World of Food Asia
VietHotel ‘09
TRADE•sHOW•TOuR
4th International TriestEspresso Expo
FHC China 2008
Thai Coffee, Tea & Drinks 2009
7th Seoul International Café Show & Fancy Food
Festival 2008
BARIsTA•CHALLENgE
National Thailand Barista Championship 2009
Singapore National Barista Championship 2009
The 6th Korea Barista Championship
The 3rd SCAE European Team Coffee Challenge
2008
Ultimate Barista Challenge China
BARIsTAs•AROuND•THE•WORLD
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Quality coffee for Barista &
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EDITOR•TALK
Sam Tanadej Kamonchan
sam@blueskybooks.net
I was first introduced to that small cup of coffee called ‘espresso’ in
a French coffeehouse more than 20 years ago. A few years later, the
sales manager of the coffee machine company I represented taught me
how to pull espresso. From what I learned, making a cup of espresso
coffee seemed very simple. I got excited and started thinking of mar-
keting ideas, dreaming of how to sell this idea so that all restaurants
in Thailand offered espresso like those in Europe.
My opinions about espresso coffee dramatically evolved while
I worked in Taipei. Spending my free time watching my friend make
coffee, we talked about the theories and importance of each step in
the technique. It brought me a new appreciation for coffee and inter-
est in learning more.
Later, I found that the way of making espresso coffee in Italy
was standardized and adjusted slightly to fit the new, Seattle style.
Although many aspects of this method are contested, Seattle-style
espresso has become popular because each and every step can be rea-
sonably explained. In addition, this style has been adopted as the stan-
dard for judging performance at international barista competitions.
In my most recent experience of going back to Italy, the origin
of espresso coffee, I found most of the coffee bars I visited prepared
coffee in a way that was far from the style for making espresso coffee
in Seattle; but that doesn’t mean the Italian baristas are less experi-
enced than others. On the contrary, several Italian baristas, such as
Luigi Lupi, enjoy respect from many renowned baristas around the
world. Our interview in this issue will reveal what is so unique about
Italian baristas.
6 •
CT&I•sOCIETy
3 6
52
8 • • 9
COvER•sTORy
A Conversation with
Italian Master Barista
Luigi Lupi
Last December, Italian Master Barista Luigi Lupi
came to Thailand to instruct Thai baristas about latte
art and Italian-style espresso at a seminar hosted by the
Barista Association of Thailand. coffee t&i sat down with
Mr. Lupi to ask about how Italian baristas, espresso,
and coffeehouses compare with the rest of the world’s.
With over thirty years of experience, Mr. Lupi shares
his opinions and reveals what is so special about Italian-
style coffee.
coffee t&i: When did you start to be a barista?
Luigi Lupi: I started to be a barista 30 years ago. I
owned my first bar. In Italy, 80% of baristas are owners
because big coffee chains don’t exist. There are many
bars, but every bar is independently owned.
ct&i: Where did you train to be a barista? Who was
your teacher?
LL: I learned about coffee from the Musetti family, but I
learned about latte art from my friend in Verona about
20 years ago. We exchanged experience: I taught him
how to bartend and he taught me about latte art. I went
to a wine expo in Verona and saw that at seven in the
morning his bar was crowded. I went inside and saw
he was doing something special, so I introduced myself
and then we started to teach each other.
ct&i: What was the first latte design you learned?
LL: A rosetta. It is easier than others. But you know, this
name is from the USA. In Italian, rosetta means “a little
rose.” A rose is a flower, but the design looks like a leaf.
A rosetta latte is a leaf, not a flower.
ct&i: So, that means this name is actually wrong.
LL: Wrong. Yes.
ct&i: It should be called “a leaf,” right?
LL: Yes, a tropical leaf.
ct&i: Do you know where this name came from?
LL: Seattle. You can find Italian names everywhere for
coffee, but they are wrong - the meanings are wrong.
ct&i: Was this design popular in Italy at that time?
LL: At the time, latte art was not that popular. I was for-
tunate to have that friend in Verona to teach me.
ct&i: When did you start to compete and teach inter-
nationally?
LL: I won my first competition at the Italian National
Barista Championship (INBC) in 2002. I was just a
normal barista in my little city when a member of the
SCAE recommended I participate in the first INBC. Two
weeks later I went to Oslo to compete at the WBC, but
had no knowledge of the competition’s rules before go-
ing. When the competition started, they told us we had
to make four espressos, four cappuccinos, and four drinks without alcohol. I spent
the first 30 minutes adjusting the grinder because I had never seen the grinder I
was using before.
ct&i: What place did you get?
LL: 4th place.
ct&i: What was your signature drink?
LL: It had something to do with mint and almond syrup, but it was a little sweet
because I didn’t know the signature drink was supposed to retain the coffee taste.
In Italy, when we make coffee, sometimes we add other products – it doesn’t have
to taste exactly like coffee.
LL: In the USA, they use too much coffee. In Italy, we use
7.5 grams to make espresso. In America, they use twice as
much; they use their fingers to push off the extra coffee.
ct&i: In the USA, they have something called Specialty
Coffee. Do they have this term in Italy?
LL: No. American baristas have more theoretical knowl-
edge about coffee. They know all about the beans, the taste.
But the Italians have more coffee making experience; they
pull more shots.
ct&i: Are coffeehouses in Europe different than in America?
LL: In Europe, you can see chains. Not in Italy, but in other
European countries, you can see businesses copying the
American style of large coffee chains.
ct&i: Why not in Italy?
LL: It is very difficult to find a company who wants to open
a chain. Every barista wants to be the owner. Yes, there are
a few chains, but very little in quantity.
ct&i: What about the differences in baristas from different
countries?
LL: There is no such thing as the best barista. It does not
exist. I am not a perfect Barista. For me, the Japanese baris-
fee. You may be a good barista, but I would not know if
you make a good cup of coffee.
ct&i: What do you think about the fully automatic cof-
fee machines?
LL: I think it is a good idea for everywhere outside Italy
because business is business. It is not so easy to find
baristas like Italian baristas, baristas who make coffee
all the time. Fully automatic coffee machines help com-
panies who cannot hire experienced baristas.
ct&i: Do you think fully automatic machines will re-
place traditional machines one day?
LL: No. Impossible. I am a typical, traditional barista
who likes to work with a manual machine. As long as
baristas own their own shops, they will chose to work
with manual over automatic.
ct&i: In America, they call that old school. What is
your advice for someone who wants to be a barista?
LL: My advice is to work hard and study. Baristas must
have knowledge about how coffee is grown, about coffee
machines, and about espresso. Practice all the time. The
more you practice, the better you will master your craft.
ct&i: Where have you been invited to teach?
LL: I have been to Moscow, Israel, almost all of Europe, Chile, Guatemala, and Ec-
uador. In Asia, I’ve been to Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and now, Thailand.
ct&i: Who manages your bar when you travel?
LL: Actually, I rent my coffee bar and am teaching at the Musetti coffee school
now.
ct&i: When was the first time you went to the USA?
LL: My first time was in 2004. I went to Seattle for the SCAA because I was the
trainer for Italian champion baristas coming to America to compete.
ct&i: How do you think the espresso in Italy and Seattle is different?
LL: The difference is in the blend and the roasting. We roast lighter compared to
roasts in the USA. Espresso is a complex taste. The blends in America are with high
acidity; American baristas look for the best 6 or 7 best arabicas in the world and
then blend them. But this is not our Italian espresso culture. If you make espresso
like this, it will have high acidity. But in Italy, we do not make it like this.
ct&i: You need a good robusta in the blend.
LL: Yes. In my personal opinion, a nice blend of coffee needs to have a little bit of
good robusta. You know, you can buy robusta more expensively than several arabi-
cas; it is not true that arabica is the angel and robusta is the devil.
ct&i: How do American baristas prepare coffee drinks differently than they do in
Italy?
tas are the most precise, but too serious. American baristas,
are the opposite: very friendly and welcoming, but messy.
In Thailand, I see that baristas are something between the
Japanese and Italian: consistent, but with a more Western
mentality. Italian baristas are very sunny, friendly, always
talking with customers, wearing a smile. Thai baristas are
like this, but also have the precision of the Japanese. The
baristas in Asia work with patience, but do not work with
the Italian style. They waste coffee working with the doser
– Seattle style. This is not how we do it in Italy.
ct&i: How do prices differ at Italian coffee bars?
LL: If you stand at a bar it is maybe twice as cheap than at a
place where you sit down. Also, from 6 or 7 pm to midnight
or 1 am, the prices go up. A customer can get coffee at a
restaurant, but it is impossible to find coffee at restaurants
after 10 pm because they all close. If you want coffee, you
have to go to a bar.
ct&i: What do you think of the WBC competition?
LL: The WBC is very important for spreading espresso
throughout the world, but it is my opinion that the rules are
not right. It is a championship for baristas, not coffee. The
judges measure the performance of the barista, not the cof-
10 • • 11
COvER•sTORy
12 •
COvER•sTORy
14 •
spECIAL•REpORT
Trieste Coffee Seminar:
Balancing the Global Coffee Market’s Supply
with Increasing Demand
Trieste: Coffee Capital of the World
Trieste, Italy, known to coffee lovers as the Cof-
fee Capital of the World, hosted its 4th edition of the
TriestEspresso Expo, November 12-15, 2008. Trieste
was once a key trading port in Italy for coffee and now
is one of the main coffee roasting centers in Italy, not
to mention the home of the famed international coffee
company, illycaffè. With 54 coffee businesses, 700 cof-
fee professionals, and 50 ways to order coffee, Trieste is
home to a rich coffee history, a vibrant coffee culture,
and a culture of high coffee consumption. The annual
turnover generated by the coffee industry in Trieste is
approximately 500 million Euros. In an effort to invite
the rest of the world to enjoy Trieste, businesses and the
local government are working together to advance Tri-
este’s coffee culture and promote its reputation abroad.
The TriestEspresso Expo has played an integral role in
bringing Trieste to the world and the world to Trieste.
As a paragon of coffee culture, Trieste appro-
priately kicked off last year’s expo with a seminar fo-
cusing on the trends in consumption and production
in the world: “The Rise in World Consumption and
the Future of Coffee Production: A Critical Balance.”
Chairman of the seminar and president of the Trieste
Coffee Association, Mr. Vincenzo Sandalj, introduced
the distinguished speakers from government and non-
government organizations around the world: Dr. Nestor
Osorio, Executive Director of the International Coffee
Organization (ICO); Mr. Luiz Araripe from CECAFE,
Brazil; Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy, expert of plantation
department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development of Vietnam; Dr. Surip Mawardi from the
Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute, Indo-
nesia; Mr. Max Quirin from Anacafé, Guatemala; and
Mr. Shri Krishna Rau, chairman of the Coffee Board of
India.
The speakers explored how production and con-
sumption of coffee worldwide has evolved over the past
decade and how it is predicted to transform over the
next. Here, coffee t&i will provide a summary of the
seminar, market overviews for Brazil, Guatemala, and
India, and the speakers’ recommendations for a healthi-
er, more sustainable coffee industry in years to come.
The Second Coffee Crisis of the 21st Century?
Although coffee consumption has grown and is projected to continue grow-
ing steadily in the future, fluctuating levels of production have shown no significant
growth over time and suggest only increasing volatility as consumption rises. There
is a reciprocal relationship between the instability of coffee prices and production;
volatility in production from year to year is responsible for the unstable price of
coffee just as the changing price encourages farmers to either begin or discontinue
coffee cultivation. Erratic coffee prices make it difficult for coffee growers to plan
their production cycles. Small coffee growers do not have the capital or time to take
the risks that cultivating coffee entails. Consequently, coffee production stagnates
over the long term, but fluctuates considerably from year to year.
Meanwhile, coffee producing countries have witnessed an increase in con-
sumption at an average of 3.35% per year and at 2.3% for importing countries – a
global yearly average increase of 2.57%. The asymmetry between consumption and
production trends in the global coffee market poses a considerable threat to the
coffee industry: the steadily increasing global demand for coffee will soon over-
shadow the global supply caused by the acutely turbulent yet lethargic production
levels. Since the last coffee crisis put millions out of business, Dr. Osorio from the
ICO concluded that it is essential we ask two key questions: “How will production
and consumption evolve? How we can make this industry a sound and sustainable
one?”
Brazil: The World’s Coffee Basket
The most important factor in the global coffee market is how much Brazil
produces. Coffee production is predicted to fluctuate more drastically from year to
year more than it has in the past - an average of 9.2% each year over the next 10
years. For the year 2009–10, Brazil is anticipated to supply 2.2 M bags less than the
expected international demand with as much as a 10 M bag deficit every other year
thereafter for a 30.9 M bag cumulative deficit over the course of the next 10 years.
This means that the supply of Brazilian arabica may not be enough to attend to
current and increasing global demand, exacerbating the ongoing problem of price
instability. A few drivers are responsible for farmer insecurity in Brazil that has cre-
ated the less than desirable production outlook.
The uncertain economic viability of growing coffee deters Brazilian coffee
farmers from coffee cultivation. A 2.5% decrease in land dedicated to coffee produc-
tion from 2002–08 suggests that growing coffee is not that lucrative for Brazilian
coffee farmers. The growing demand for biofuels in the global economy has been a
significant driver for farmers to convert their coffee farms to grow corn, eucalyptus,
and sugar cane. In general, crops on mechanized areas bring much better returns to
farmers, especially due to the increase of labor costs in hilly areas. Moreover, shifts
in rainfall patterns due to climate change add to farmer insecurity, whereas more
mechanized, industrial farming operations seem more secure. Despite a reasonable
world price for coffee set by the ICO, the price received by farmers is reduced by
deflation. Assuming world prices do not change, the amount of land dedicated to
coffee cultivation is predicted to remain relatively unchanged - between 2.2 and 2.4
hectares - in the coming years. When coupled with the rising consumption of cof-
fee in Brazil, the instability and general stagnancy in production will create supply
problems for the global coffee market.
Every year, the world consumes approximately 2 million, 60 kg bags of cof-
fee more than it did the previous year – 800,000 bags of which were consumed in
Brazil alone last year. Brazil in particular is showing rapid growth in consumption.
The ICO estimates that in 2007–08 global consumption of coffee was 124.6 M bags
and increased to 128 M bags in 2008–09. Already the largest producer of coffee
and second largest consumer of coffee, at current rates of consumption, Brazil may
become the leading country in coffee consumption by 2017. Brazil has the highest
consumption per capita of any coffee producing country in the world (5.34 kg per
capita). Although good for Brazil’s coffee industry, the growth in domestic con-
sumption will in most likelihood create a deficit in the amount of coffee available for
export. Without commensurate growth in production, Brazil’s domestic consump-
tion may create considerable volatility in the global coffee market; Brazil will not be
able to attend to the rest of the world’s demand.
Guatemala’s Need for Coffee Farming Incentives
In addition to Brazil, Guatemala, the leading producer of coffee in Central
America, has been experiencing inert production growth with rising domestic con-
sumption. Since the 1960s, the production and export of high-altitude, high-quality
coffee beans has been increasing significantly as production of other kinds of coffee
have been decreasing. The increase in domestic consumption is due to the in