I am now on a plane traveling back to Portland from Phoenix / Scottsdale. After doing some coffee business down in the Valley of the Sun, I attended an advanced course in formula racing at the Bob Bondurant School of Racing, the premier driving school in the country, located in Chandler, Arizona.

Instead of being a teacher I was a student once again, and this time the subject was "racing." Bob’s school was the first of its kind when it opened in 1968, but now there are more than 40 similar schools. I actually had a chance to talk to Bob, and it was interesting to hear him talk about how his competition copied everything he did over the years. He said the key to success is to be the best, and to smile and take as a compliment the fact that those who can’t come up with their own idea are copying yours. While he told me the history of Bondurant, I didn’t tell him I also operated a school.

Now it’s back to reality and time to think about the other part of my life that involves a rush — coffee. I leave for the SCAA Conference and Exhibition in Minneapolis on Thursday. Tune in next week for conference highlights.

The Bellissimo staff is preparing to head off to the North Country. As many of you know, the 20th Annual SCAA Conference and Exhibition will be held May 3-5 this year in Minneapolis. We are hoping for a good show and are looking forward to seeing many friends and a lot of companies — many international — that we see only once a year. The entire Bellissimo staff will attend, except for Whitney, who will hold down the office in our absence.

In addition to being exhibitors, many of us will be involved in the conference portion of SCAA show. Matt is an integral part of the SCAA Training Committee, and will be involved in the espresso workshops offered at the show as well as the United States Barista Championship (USBC) held in conjunction with the event. Jared is heading to Minneapolis early to take the USBC judges’ training. I will be speaking at the show twice, giving talks titled: “The 10 Essentials of a Successful Specialty Coffee Operation” and “The Ambiance of Your Café: Creating the Right Mood.” Stacie and Kris will give the Italian women a run for their money on the fashion front.

Tomorrow I am off to Arizona to work with a chain and a coffee company located in the Valley of the Sun. After that, I will take a few days to do something I have always wanted to do… check out my next blog to find out what that is...

We had a great ABC’s class last week and another great one is now in progress…our students are always some of the nicest people... I think Matt and I say that at the end of almost every class.

I went to a new coffee bar/gelateria this morning and had a great cappuccino. Even better, I received the best service I have had in a coffee bar setting in a long time. Over the last few days the weather in Portland has really turned — the city has maybe the nicest spring, summer and fall of any place in the U.S. There are no bugs, and there is often perfect weather to sit outside and take advantage of the great outdoor seating areas that can be found in most of the coffee bars I frequent.

Last weekend, I attended a concert by one of my favorite singers, Tift Merritt. I tried to catch her in Austin the last time I was in the hill country (one of my favorite places on earth), but she was actually playing in San Antonio, and I didn’t have a car, so I missed her. Tift played the Doug Fir, a cozy little spot that is the perfect venue for the type of show she puts on —great alt.country. In about two weeks, another favorite, Shelby Lynne, will be in Portland and the week following the SCAA show, KT Tunstall comes to town. Rock on!

I blogged a while ago about a short film we were producing for Roberto Pregel, the marketing director of Sistema Espresso Italiano in Pomezia, Italy.

After a number of revisions back and forth to Italy, we finally completed a nice little piece that the company that will play at trade shows and in their kiosks in major Italian airports.

The promo is pretty simple (what they wanted), with not a lot of bells and whistles. However, it is a fun three-minute film that shows off their brand while taking the viewer to origin — there’s also some fancy latte art thrown in.

Click on the "Buscaglione Video Montage" in the right-hand column just under my photo to view the film. Enjoy!

Last Thursday, Bellissimo finally got back in the sound studio and knocked out another podcast. For a while we were on a roll and produced one every three weeks or so, but we made a conscious decision to slow down the pace and only produce a podcast when a coffee professional was in town or there something really special happening in the industry. Most likely we will produce a new show every six to eight weeks.

Well, something really special has happened in the industry. In our latest podcast, I interview Matt Milletto about BaristaExchange.com, the website he developed that is the number one networking website for working baristas, coffee enthusiasts, coffee roasters, farmers and coffee shop owners worldwide. Matt is Bellissimo’s consulting director and the director of the American Barista & Coffee School, so his workday is full, but he loves the industry so much that he even spends his time away from the office on coffee-related projects like Barista Exchange.

In the podcast, Matt gives an overview of how the site came to fruition and what he has planned for it in the near future. The site is growing at a phenomenal pace, and today there are almost 2000 members from over 100 countries. Click here for more information and to join.

To listen to the podcast and to subscribe to future podcasts, click here.

Also, we had a great Consumer Education and Home Barista Class last Friday, with coffee lovers from Bellingham, Washington, San Francisco as well as Portland in attendance. It is really rewarding to see the enthusiasm these students show and how eager they are to learn everything they can to increase their knowledge and enjoyment of coffee.

Click here for more information and upcoming dates for all ABC’s classes.

I have been following the sale of Clover Coffee Equipment to Starbucks for a couple of days now with great interest. I could write a few thousand words about what I think this means to our industry, though none of us really know, do we?

But, what happened when the first espresso machine was improved upon? No longer was there one espresso machine manufacturer in Italy, but soon there were dozens. Now that this sale has put Clover on the map outside the industry, other entrepreneurs will see the opportunity to develop an even better, and possibly less expensive, mousetrap.

The fact that they take this wonderful invention out of the hands of independents — no matter how anyone spins it — is NOT necessarily good news today. But, if you own a Clover, you will have a fair amount of time to take advantage of the groundswell of interest and allow your customers to experience a coffee made on a Clover today, before almost every Starbucks has one on the counter.

The time it will take to ramp up and saturate their operations with these machines (once they buy a Boeing Hanger and produce thousands a year, not the dozens produced now) is yet another unknown... but it will not happen tomorrow or next year.

So what is the REAL bottom line here? It is what it has always been: How does the heart of this industry, the independent coffee bar, compete?

We compete like we always have, by being different and producing the best damn cup of coffee in our markets, with excellent customer care and service, and by providing a different experience from the chains — one they cannot and will never be able to provide — an experience based on the passion of the independent retailer! On this fact alone, the playing field is not equal, and you have the ball.

So, yesterday, one component was taken away — one that would allow you to stand out and produce a really great cup of coffee, using a new and different brewing process.

Remember the glass is still half full. There are dozens of other components that indie coffee can compete with and win — head to head with Starbucks.

We live in a country that provides us with great opportunity. The downside is that often it becomes an ocean where big fish survive by eating small ones.

This sale is a great wake up call to all of us. WE are their competition, not McDonald’s. We are the threat to their business model. We are the small fish that they want for lunch. Remember...YOU know your part of the ocean better than they do — you’re a small shark and Starbucks is a whale... so swim fast and focus on what you can do to outsmart this lumbering giant of the Oceania Caffeine.

I received a personal letter today from Bill Fishbein, the founder of Coffee Kids, an organization whose mission it is to help coffee-farming families improve the quality of their lives. In the letter, Bill announced he is leaving Coffee Kids and talked about his 18 years with the non-profit foundation.

Over the years, we have always tried to support this very worthy organization in every way possible, and without a doubt, the success of this wonderful endeavor has been a direct result of Bill’s vision and compassion.

Coffee Kids is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year at the SCAA show in Minneapolis, on Saturday, May 3, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Festivities include a party with entertainment provided by Putumayo World Music, a cocktail reception, sit-down dinner and presentations from their longtime supporters.

Companies in our industry can show their support to Coffee Kids by purchasing a Dinner Sponsorship Package for $250. These packages are designed to give companies the benefit of visibility among members of the specialty coffee community, in addition to one or more dinner reservations. Contact Melissa Pugash at 310.275.3498 for more information. The deadline for sponsorship is March 28.

Individual reservations can also be purchased. Contact Heather Ferraro at 505.820.1443 to make yours. Seating is limited, so call early.

Thanks, Bill, for all the work you have done over the years. You have made a significant impact on the lives of many, and your work been a shining light in the our industry.

I will be out of the office for a few days. I’m going to watch "and" play a little tennis — long overdue.

Yesterday I got the sweetest mail from Myra Fiori from illy North America. A few weeks ago while she was preparing for Dr. Illy’s memorial service in Trieste she ran across a number of pictures of him and I together. I told her I didn’t have one and would love for her to send me one. Well. she sent two, one of which is posted here.

Yes, this picture shows a bit of a time warp in dress and hairstyles, but it’s a fond memory nonetheless. This, in addition to her handwritten letter to me in this age of email, meant very much to me. I hope everyone that reads this can smile a little. I sent the image off to a few dear friends last night and one them in Australia made me laugh with his response, saying my hair style has changed, yet Dr. Illy's hadn’t! I heard back from many friends in Italy, and Chuck Jones sent a pic of him and the good doctor, in which Chuck looks like he was in high school! Fun stuff and great memories. Ciao.

I am now on a plane on my way back from Aventura, Florida.

I have been in “the sunshine state” this past week, primarily to attend the 2008 National Coffee Association Annual Convention.

I have been to this meeting the last three years, and this year’s turnout was the best I have seen. Once again, Robert Nelson, the CEO and Director of the NCA, made sure every aspect of the event ran like clockwork.

I spoke at the conference for the third time, which is always an honor as well as a humbling experience. This particular audience includes the CEOs of very large corporations, and the challenge to bring “new” information to industry giants like Hi Bunn, Ted Lingle and David Boyd is difficult. The talk went well, as did the entire stay.

First of all, Turnberry Isle Resort and Club is one of the most beautiful resorts in America. But, it was not the setting, but the substance, that made this the most successful NCA convention ever.

I had meetings and dinners with people I rarely see… or may only see at this particular event. It was also nice to break bread with some old friends from the specialty side. I found myself at a small fish joint not far from the resort with Connie Blumhardt, publisher of Roast Magazine, Paul Leighton of Cape Horn Coffee, Ric Rinehart of the SCAA and Jane McCabe of Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, to name a few.

Now I’m heading back to Portland… a city I love to return to. The weather may not be like Florida’s, but the town makes up for it in a hundred other ways. The coffee soul of this city is something no other place has – not even Seattle.

I travel again at the end of the week, and looking at my calendar I see I have taken five trips in five weeks! It will be nice not to see an airport for a while and concentrate on some major projects we have brewing at Bellissimo.

Kudos to Robert for a fine meeting in Florida!

Matt and I just got back from Las Vegas — just in time for me to unpack and re-pack for my next trip. For the first time ever, the Las Vegas Bar and Restaurant show featured a coffee section. Jan Weigel at Fresh Cup Magazine put this together, and as a result of exhibiting, we got some great leads and did some good business. And, I was honored to be the only coffee speaker at the show. It is always wonderful to go to Vegas and even more wonderful to get on a plane three days later and leave the intensity of the city behind. I had a little time to be a tourist, and I attended Cirque de Soleil’s Beattle’s-inspired "Love." It was awesome! We also had some nice dinners, but what follows was the real highlight.

About six months ago we had an exceptional student attend ABC’s — Jason Calhoon from Tucson. I vividly remember his passion for coffee and how he paid attention to detail in every area of the class. So, I am proud to announce ABC’s has produced yet another barista champion — Jason won the Southwest Regional Barista Competition (held in conjunction with the show), which qualifies him to compete as a semi-finalist in the United States Barista Championship this May in Minneapolis. In November of last year, Lily de Bolaños, another former ABC’s student from El Salvador, won her country’s first ever barista championship. In the same competition, yet another former ABC’s student, Federico Bolaños, placed fourth.

Congratulations Jason! See you in Minnesota in the USBC!

Coffee Fest Washington, DC is now history. Congratulations to David, Marni and Tamara for pulling off show number 50! I believe Bellissimo is the only company to have exhibited at every one of them! At the Coffee Fest reception on Friday night, we were very surprised to be inducted (along with six other companies) into the Coffee Fest Exhibitor Hall of Fame. Our gold plaque will hang in our conference room with the other awards we have garnered over the years. Tradeshows are very taxing and hard, and the best part about them is reuniting with dear friends we see only a few times a year.

I’m looking forward to Friday night at the American Barista & Coffee School when we celebrate the life of the dear Dr. Illy. I hope we have a great turn out of young baristas who never had the chance to experience the wisdom of this fine gentleman. We will be screening the 75-minute interview we did with him in Milan at 6:00 p.m. The address of the school is: 1028 SE Water Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97214. Hope to see you there.

At Bellissimo’s January 2008 staff retreat, Jared asked if it was possible to re-release the complete Dr. Illy Milan Interview, which we originally released on video a few years ago. I told him it was a great idea, and that I had also thought of taking the program from video to DVD. I agreed with him that the time was right for the latest generation of coffee people to see this 75-minute interview and be exposed to the insight and amazing perspective offered by Dr. Illy.

Last week as we got the sad news of Dr. Illy's passing, and at the end of the week the DVDs arrived in our office. Re-releasing this interview is not about making money — the thousands of people in the coffee industry who should buy it, will probably never find it on our site. This release is only about making it available, and those who purchase it will not be sorry. I just watched the interview again, after not having seen it for a number of years, and I was blown away at the information that it contains.

By the way, a generous percentage of the proceeds will be donated to Coffee Kids.

Watch this blog and Matt's site, Barista Exchange, for more information about a showing of the film, scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Friday, February 22 at the American Barista & Coffee School, 1028 SE Water Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97214. This event will be a celebration of the life of the good doctor. We hope you can attend.

Click here to order the Dr. Illy Milan Interview.

I write this blog with profound sadness combined with some tears. When I walked into the office on Monday, Matthew told me about Dr. Illy’s passing. The shock had not set in when I began writing — I had only minutes to process the news.

My association (and Bellissimo’s) with Dr. Illy goes back many, many, years. When I entered this industry, I used his philosophy and his benchmarks for coffee quality as the Bible of what was right and wrong. He was my ultimate teacher and mentor.

I was so lucky that I had the chance to actually spend quality time with him over the years. What he did for me personally — for both my growth and passion — cannot be summed up in a simple blog. There is no way I can even try to explain why I would never be where I am today without the encouragement of this kind man and the standards he set.

Many years ago in Seattle, I was asked to introduce him at a special dinner of about a hundred invitees… an honor I am humbled by. Before this, when the first edition of “Espresso101” was ready for release, I sent him a copy and he told me he had watched it three times and said he appreciated what this film would do to further proper espresso education around the world. It was a conversation I will never forget.

He came by my trade show booth on numerous occasions and asked if we could sit down and discusses espresso in America. He once brought a contingency into my booth at a SCAA show and proceeded to wax poetic about what we (Bellissimo) had done for the industry. I was so humbled. The pride I felt after this experience and the respect he showed me over the years are truly two of the reasons I forged on. I cannot tell you how many times I would ask myself… “What would Dr. Illy do in this situation?”

I looked at him as a man who possessed many amazing attributes… someone I wanted to learn from and somehow capture just a fraction of his essence, which would allow me to be a better human being and a greater servant to specialty coffee.

One time he flew to Milan on a few days notice for an interview with Bellissimo. I believe what we captured on film is the definitive conversation with Dr. Illy. I remember vividly having breakfast with him at the Four Seasons Hotel before the shoot and asking him, so respectfully, to try and answer the questions as though he was speaking to a high school student who had not taken chemistry and physics. He smiled and understood. The interview, which we are set to re-release (this process was in progress before the news of Dr. Illy’s death), turned out to be amazing and insightful — Ernesto truly got it! He understood every aspect of coffee and retail… but most of all life. He is that rare individual, and no one person can ever fill the void he now leaves.

Over the past couple of years I have thought many times how I wish I could have just one more hour in the presence of this man… and I worried that news such as today’s would come before that could happen. So, I am thankful and appreciative that I did have the honor to have the time that I did have with him. I count that as a blessing.

The last time we were together was when we were both speaking in Boca Raton at the NCA convention. On the final evening, waiting together in the large lobby outside the room where the gala dinner was to take place, he asked me if we could sit together. Each time something like this happened, I would be so humbled and almost shocked that someone I held in the highest esteem in some small way considered me his friend.

None of us know what the afterlife brings, but I pray somewhere, someday he and I can have a great espresso together. Dr Illy — I will miss you so.

Today, I am saying good-bye to a dear friend. My large screen iMac has been sitting on my desk for the last five months, powered down, just staring at me with a blank face. It’s time to let go.

I have always had both a laptop and a desk machine, but since I bought my 4th MacBook, I have almost totally ignored my iMac. So, Whitney, our front office manager, will soon bond with the old gal. The move will be good for Ms. iMac — she will no longer seethe with jealousy as she stares at me day after day, watching the love affair blossom between me and the little black beauty that is now like a third arm to me.

I never thought I could use "only" a laptop, but I have to tell you, it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made — now I have all my information with me wherever I am. Our office is populated with Mac heads. We love our iPhones. We love our iPods. And, how cool is the new MacBook Air... as I write, my current laptop love knows her days are limited, too. Don't you just love/hate technology?

And you thought this blog would be about the super bowl… yawn!

I wrote this entire blog and then my computer crashed while I was attaching the photo, so I will start over (sigh).

But, I’m still excited to announce Bellissimo is in the process of putting together a small film for a dynamic new Italian roaster, Sistema Espresso Italiano. Sistema kiosks can be found in major airports in Italy, and the film, showing the ambiance of Italy and Rome mixed with beautiful coffee imagery, will be shown on plasma TVs inside the kiosks.

This relatively new company is making waves in the Italian coffee industry, and with my dear friend, Roberto Pregel, at the marketing helm, these waves may turn into a tsunami. Roberto was the marketing genius behind Brasilia SpA for many years prior to joining Sistema, a young company with century old roots in Rome.

Sistema is taking a different approach from most European roasters, in particular Italian roasters, whose business models haven’t changed in hundreds of years. Sistema is a smart company that has studied what is happening around the coffee world and has closely watched U.S. roasters. Sistema is producing coffee steeped in Italian tradition, but it is also tweaking its selections and offerings to be in line with what is happening in the world of specialty coffee, 2008.

Once the film is produced, I will do my best to include a YouTube version on this blog — so watch for that soon.

Ciao Italia, Bravo Sistema!

Yesterday two well known Australian coffee people stopped by our offices. Instaurator, who has been in the industry for more than 25 years, and Christopher Short from Cafetto, a specialist manufacturer of cleaning and sanitation products for coffee brewing and dispensing equipment. What I expected to be an hour-long meeting lasted an entire afternoon. The two had just come from Vancouver, where big World Barista Championship decisions were being made, i.e. what machine the competitors will use at the next WBC event. According to the many reports I received, it was quite the gathering.

Instaurator showed us a pdf of his new book, “Espresso Quest,” which will soon go to press. The book is fascinating and in many ways unlike anything now on the market. I think the book will appeal to coffee geeks as well as to consumers who just want to learn more about coffee. The photography is stunning and it looks like we will be distributing the book when it is launched in time for the Specialty Coffee Association of America show this spring.

When Instaurator and Christopher were leaving, they were lamenting the fact that they had scheduled only one day in Portland. Even though they were here only a short time, the coffee scene amazed them. In addition to visiting some of Portland’s “hot” coffee bars and watching a few award-winning baristas in action, they met with Fresh Cup, Roast, and, Barista magazines.

Watch the site for the release of this new book — I know we are anxious to read it.

Today, Darcy Simonis, vice president of Cimbali USA, and Guy Pasquini, of Pasquini Espresso Co., visited Bellissimo and ABC's, traveling from their home bases in Chicago and Los Angeles, respectively.

As a result of the meeting, we are proud to announce a new addition to the ABC’s equipment list for students to use in our February class — a Cimbali espresso machine. This brings the total number of "different" machines students can use to TEN! Last month we were thrilled to install the newest Synesso machine, and students loved it. Students also love having the opportunity to try out so many different machines, in different price ranges, before deciding which espresso machine is right for them. We are very proud to have long standing alliances with Astoria, Brasilia, La Marzocco, La Spaziale, Nuova Simonelli, Schaerer, Victoria Arduino and Wega. What an all-star line up!

We are also one of the few spots students can learn the huge benefits of having a Clover single-brew machine in their store.

ABC’s is all about presenting the best the industry has to offer to our students. We don’t recommend one machine over another, nor do we share our personal favorites with our students. Bottom line: I have my favorite, Jared has his, Matt likes yet another, and the two NWRBC baristas who help teach the class, also have their own. Choosing an espresso machine is a very individual process, and trying to decide which one to buy on a trade show floor is almost impossible. Each dealer will tell you why their machine is the best, so how do you sort through all this information and make your decision? Only after working on different machines for a week, can you really hone-in on which machine fits you and the personality of your business.

Oh! I forgot to mention the half dozen home machines we have in our cupping room!

The new year is upon us… Last Friday we had a one-day staff retreat at the Ace Hotel in downtown Portland. Getting out of the office and into a neutral setting resulted in a very productive meeting. We are always trying to improve what we do at Bellissimo and ABC's and expand the services we offer to the specialty coffee industry. Look for some of our brainstorms to become reality in the coming months, so stay tuned. Happy New Year from all of us at Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup!