GoodBean Hosts Best Coffee in Oregon Championships
In late June, Jacksonville’s GoodBean Coffee was the center of the coffee universe when it hosted the preliminary round of the 2013 Best Coffee in Oregon Championships. The preliminary round included 30 coffee roasters, all vying for 15 finalist spots in the Championship round being held at the State Fair later this summer in Salem. GoodBean was asked by the State of Oregon’s Fair Division to sponsor and direct the event this year and so will not be competing after taking home the top award two years running. “It’s a crazy-big honor for us to put on this tournament and even greater promotional opportunity,” said Michael and Mary Kell, founders of GoodBean. Michael Kell has gathered the biggest names in Specialty Coffee to co-sponsor with him, including Rancilio North America, Coffee Talk Magazine, Mahlkonig Grinders and EspressoSupply.com.
GoodBean owner Michael Kell
This year’s 30 preliminary round entrants included six nationally-recognized brands like Stumptown Coffee, Boyds and Portland Roasting. Coffee in the Pacific Northwest is big business and winning in Oregon carries national significance. Underscoring the seriousness of the competition, Kell retained the services of nationally-acclaimed Barista Champions to handle the professional cuppings. The tasting competition included three categories, Signature Blend, Single Varietal, and Espresso.
During the six-hour event, twelve judges comprised of local restauranteurs, specialty coffee retailers and executive chefs employed traditional tasting and cupping methods to determine the finalists out of a field of 90 coffees.
At the State Fair, Medford’s own Dahlin Accounting will oversee the double-blind tasting competition using sealed envelopes with the identities of the roasters to maintain the integrity of the judging. At the Oregon State Fair in Salem, Jacksonville’s GoodBean will be serving its award-winning coffees to crowds of a half-million attendees over the 11 day event.
For more information, see tournament website at BestCoffeeinOregon.com.
Photos: © 2013 David Gibb Photography, www.dgibbphoto.com.
Posted June 24, 2013