Coffee exhibit closes Labor Day

This week, Seattle Times staff artist, Gabriel Campanario posted a very unique and refreshing type of review of Coffee: The World in Your Cup -- in the form of a sketch. See his hand-drawn interpretation of the coffee exhibit at the Seattle Sketcher.

If you haven't yet seen Coffee: The World in Your Cup, get on over to the Burke this weekend, as the exhibit closes on September 7 (yes we are open on Labor Day!).



After leaving Seattle, the exhibit will begin it's national tour:

Oct 17, 2009 – Jan 10, 2010, World Forestry Center, Portland OR

February 13 – May 9, 2010, University of Northern Iowa Museums, Cedar Falls, IA

May 29 – Sept 19, 2010, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven CT

Oct 9, 2010 – Jan 2, 2011, Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center, Buford GA

Jan 22 – April 17, 2011, Museum of the North, University of Alaska, Fairbanks AK

May 14 – August 7, 2011, Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX

Thank you to everyone who has suppported this exhibit in some way: over 35 different partners in the coffee industry, 14 partners from the UW campus, and thousands of visitors who have come to see this great exhibit. The Burke appreciates all of you very much!

The Joy of Coffee in Greek and Turkish Life

If you've been coming to the University District for a while, chances are you've been to the Continental Restaurant and Pastry House, home to delicious Mediterranean food and friendly owners, the Lagos family.

This weekend, the penultimate weekend of free coffee tastings before the exhibit Coffee: The World in Your Cup closes, join the Lagos family in discovering the joy of coffee in Greek and Turkish life. Sample coffee made in the traditional methods of Greece and Turkey and get a personal look into the coffee culture of the Northern Mediterranean seaboard. The Lagos' will be at the Burke on Saturday, (8/22) from 11 am - 2 pm.

And if you can't make it on Saturday, come Sunday to sample organic, fair-trade, single origin coffees from around the world with Pangaea Organica.

Coffee talk

You haven't seen "Coffee: The World in Your Cup?" What are you waiting for? It's a fabulous exhibit that explores the origins of coffee and challenges you to think about the choices you make every day about your daily cup of coffee. Check out this great video from "KCTS 9 Connects" featuring Ruth Pelz, Coffee exhibit coordinator that showcases local coffee roasters committed to promoting responsible coffee consumption.



Still not convinced? Then come this Sunday between 11 am - 2pm, view the exhibit and get some free coffee. Tony's Coffee will offer samples of their fair trade single origin coffees and will share some of their favorite and unique techniques for brewing coffee.

Vote for the Burke!!

It’s no SIFF, but did you know the UW currently has its own film festival? It’s the “Pocket Media” competition and the Burke Museum submitted a 90-second video. You can view our submission and find out how we answered the question “What do YOU do at UW?” here:

http://www.zooppa.com/ads/uw-pocket-media-film-festival/videos/the-burke-museums-top-10

And you can VOTE for the Burke’s video to win the People’s Choice Award!

There are some very creative and talented people here at the UW. To view the other entries, visit http://www.zooppa.com/ads/uw-pocket-media-film-festival .

Limerick of the day!

It's Friday! That means it's time for a limerick to kick start the long weekend. Enjoy!

Moka Joe is sure to please
With samples of coffee to put you at ease
Beans of fair trade and organically grown
Are sure to delight your funny bone
Your taste buds their coffee will tease

Visit the Burke from 11 am - 2 pm this Saturday to sample select coffees from Moka Joe.

Bridging the Gap

Posted by: Karin Hoffman, Communications

I had the pleasure to sit down and speak with Edwin Martinez, third-generation coffee farmer from Guatemala and owner of Onyx Coffee, about the importance of connecting those who produce coffee with those who consume it. Edwins' passion for coffee stems from his experiences working in every aspect of the coffee chain, from picking ripe cherries to exporting green coffee beans. The photos featured in this video are from his families farm, Finca Vista Hermosa. I hope you enjoy.

Coffee Talk

Posted by: Julia Swan, Communications

Coffee, coffee, coffee! Lately it’s on the mind and in my cup. I’m a coffee newbie, so this is actually worth noting. Whereas I used to be satisfied with a nice chai, now I read a coffee blog, make French press coffee in the morning, and read up on local specialty coffee vendors. This week, I’ve been learning more about two vendors in particular that will be at the museum this weekend offering free tastings of their delicious coffee.

Camano Island Coffee Roasters, who will be serving up the goods from 11 am – 2 pm this Saturday (March 21), is a mission-based business that uses its profits to support third-world coffee growing nations. You can join their Coffee Lover’s Club to receive fresh shipments of coffee from around the world knowing that, among other great benefits, $1 of every package you order will be donated to Agros International (they help landless communities achieve land ownership and economic sustainability). Learn more about what Camano Island Coffee Roasters does if you visit on Saturday.

The Vancouver BC based Hines/Origins will be at the museum on Sunday, also from 11 am – 2 pm, to give visitors a chance to taste single origin Ethiopian coffee while focusing on the birthplace and history of the drink. They will also have their coffee available for purchase.

Coffee talk

Posted by: Karin Hoffman, Communications

This weekend the Burke welcomes Pangaea Organica, an employee owned cooperative coffee roaster located right here in Seattle. While sipping on their organic, fair trade, single origin coffees from around the world, you can learn about fair trade and how their cooperative company is committed to their customers, product, suppliers, environment and each other. Stop by Sunday from 11 am to 2 pm to sample their coffee.

In the meantime, check out this video on fair trade produced by EQ.TV, a network of people committed to sustainability. The video features local vendors committed to supporting fair trade as well as the UW’s Fair Trade Coalition and Parnassus Café.

Coffee talk

Posted by: Karin Hoffman, Communications

During opening weekend the Burke was fortunate to have two coffee connoisseur's
from Portland Roasting walk visitors through a formal coffee cupping. Cupping is the practice of observing tastes and aromas of brewed coffee by sniffing the coffee, then loudly slurping so it spreads to the back of the tongue. The cupping journey provides tasters the tools to measuring the coffee's body, sweetness, acidity, flavor and aftertaste. Take a look at Stephanie and Marie in action.



And make sure not to miss this weekend's coffee events. On Saturday from 11 am - 2 pm, Tully's will be conducting coffee tastings in the exhibit gallery.

A whole latte coffee facts (and only one bad pun!)

Posted by: Julia Swan, Communications

Can't get enough of coffee? Maybe you visited Coffee: The World in Your Cup and need a quick refresher on some of the interesting facts you learned about coffee production? Or perhaps you just stumbled upon this blog while you were browsing for more information about how coffee is grown, processed, and consumed?

Take a look at these two slide shows, both created by University of Washington students who participated in an "Exploration Seminar" that took them to Costa Rica and Nicaragua to study coffee first hand. Click on either slide show to view the slides individually.

First up, a look at the growing process by Kimberly Bailor:

Second, a look at shade-grown coffee practices by Scott Swan:

Coffee talk

Posted by Karin Hoffman, Communications

Coffee is grown all over the world and where it is grown affects the character of the bean. Coffee requires mild temperatures, no frost and moderate amounts of rain to flourish. Growing conditions such as elevation, climate, soil and water shape the overall taste of the coffee. There are three main coffee growing regions:

• Central and South America coffees generally have medium to high acidity with well balanced flavor and light body.
• Africa and Arabian peninsula coffees are described as having medium acidity and body with hints of citrus, cocoa and spicy flavors.
• Asia and the Pacific rim coffees are low in acidity with a bold, heavy body and a robust earthy flavor.

This Saturday, January 31st, Victrola Coffee Roasters will be sampling 3-4 varieties of coffee from Guatemala and Colombia and discussing the differences between growing regions and processing methods. Based on the coffees’ acidity, body, aroma and flavor come see if you can identify the “growing region” of the coffee being sample.

What is all this buzz about Coffee?

Posted by: Karin Hoffman, Communications

I am so hyped about the new exhibit that’s opening here at the Burke this weekend! Maybe it has something to do with the amount of coffee I’ve been drinking lately (which is hard to resist when it’s everywhere and it’s free) but I think it has more to do with the amazing job the exhibition design crew (and for that matter everyone else who has had a hand in making this exhibit a reality) has done with creating this remarkable exhibit.

Coffee: The World in Your Cup presents the story of one of the world's most widely- traded commodities and how it has affected cultures, economies, and environments across the globe. As you enter the exhibit, burlap coffee bags tower over you, as you learn about coffee's early controversial reputation as a "revolutionary drink.” Live coffee plants and beautifully composed videos walk you through the biology of the coffee plant and the different stages and techniques of processing. The exhibit leads you through an exploration of the environmental and social impacts of the coffee industry and recommends ways for consumers to make socially and environmentally responsible coffee purchases. There’s even an espresso cart in the exhibit where vendors from around the Northwest will be on-hand throughout the run of the exhibit to provide information on brewing methods, roasting techniques, social and environmental impacts on farms around the world, and much more.

Coffee opens Saturday, January 24th at 10 am. We’ve got a great program planned for this weekend including exhibit tours, talks with Edwin Martinez, a third-generation Guatemalan coffee grower with ONYX Coffee; David Griswold, the founder of Sustainable Harvest; and Max Savishinsky, leader of numerous UW student Exploration Seminar courses to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Oh, and don’t forget the coffee – formal cuppings and informal tastings are happening all weekend long. Check out the full schedule for details.

Field Trip!

Posted by Karin Hoffman, communications

On January 24, 2009 the Burke is opening an in-house designed exhibit titled “Coffee: The World in Your Cup” which explores the influence of coffee on environments, human cultures and economies worldwide. Even though I am a native Washingtonian I am a new convert to the world of coffee consumption, so it couldn’t have been better timing that Julia invited me to tag along on a tour of the Tully’s roasting facility in south Seattle. The reason for the tour was to provide members of the Burke staff that interacts with the press and public an educational opportunity to better understand the roasting process.

Here are some of the fascinating pieces of information I gathered during my tour of Tully’s:

• Tully’s roasters work 24 hours a day, 6 days a week with an output of 27,500 pounds of coffee per day. What is even more amazing is that they do all of the roasting by hand, using two vintage coffee roasters from the 1950’s. No computers, just the skilled eyes and noses of the roasters dedicated to the art of roasting coffee.

This is one of the two vintage 1950’s roasters Tully’s uses to roast their coffee. They just purchased another vintage roaster that is being imported from Germany.

• There are certain beans that don’t play nice together in the roasting process. The combination of certain beans during the roasting process can result in a terrible cup of coffee. In that case the bean that doesn’t play nice (an example of a type of bean is escaping me at the moment) is roasted first and then added to the other beans prior to being packaged-up.

Green beans waiting to begin the roasting process. Some varieties of coffee consist of different types of beans blended together. You can see in this picture two tubs stacked on top of each other – each one contains the right amount of beans necessary to make the perfect blend.

• Beans aren’t the only things that find their way to the roasting facility. Roasters have found hand made nails, jewelry, and paychecks from Mexico mixed in with the green beans. Luckily for us they have installed magnetic devices that remove metal objects as well as objects that do not weigh the same as a coffee bean prior to and after the roasting process.

This metal rod is magnetized to pull out metal objects hiding in the green beans prior to roasting.

• Caffeine consumption in the roasting room is through the roof! There can be upwards of 200 cupping’s per day in the roasting room. “Cupping” is a technique used by the roasters to evaluate the aroma and flavor the coffee in order to ensure consistent production of coffee from batch to batch. Tully’s master roaster and green bean buyer drinks up to 45 cups of coffee each day and noted it has become a very expensive habit, especially if he’s traveling.

The “Bean-evator” transports green beans up to the roasting floor for roasting and back down for packaging and distribution.

And with that, I’m off to get a latté. I’m still not ready for the full strength cup of joe, which I learned, has more caffeine than espresso.