The Book Brew Brothers recently had the pleasure of attending the 2010 SCAA tradeshow in Anaheim CA. Though we were able attend the 2008 conference, our busy schedules only permitted us to visit Coffee Fest Seattle last year. Yet as we walked the 2010 showroom, discussing new products with our partners, participating in lectures and courses, we discovered our brief lapse from the SCAA rendered us somewhat out of touch with a few minor but interesting developments.

Let me first say the show went well as tradeshows go these days. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and attendance was more than adequate for a successful exposition. As we talked with competition champions, CEO's and sales representatives, it struck us just how young the specialty coffee industry still is, and I mean that in a good way. Having spent the past decade immersed in the book industry, perceptively a very old trade, it was refreshing to see coffee professionals innovating and honing their business models and skills to keep in touch with their consumers.

Perhaps one respectively comical development was the recent exclusion of the portafilter tap in basic espresso preparation training courses. When previously students were taught to slightly tap the side of the espresso portafilter to remove coffee grounds from the filter walls, this step has now been completely removed from the text books. Seasoned baristas are still going through withdrawals trying desperately to break the habit. The reason for the change is quite valid. Non-tapping avoids puck fractures and eliminates a needless step. Tapping was just sooo 2009.

I’ve never witnessed an industry so open to change as that of the specialty coffee industry. As coffee professionals search for new ways to stay ahead of their competition and develop their own unique skills, the industry continues to grow in leaps and bounds. From simple coffee preparation techniques to completely new technology innovations, the specialty coffee industry is still vibrantly young and loving it.