The Annual Mid Atlantic Northeast Coffee Conference

7 years running!!
It is time once again for all the coffee fans at every stage in the coffee community spectrum to join at New Harvest Coffee Roasters for a weekend of COFFEE and all coffee related things.

Need perfect your latte art?  Want to see what green coffee grading is all about?  Want to know more about the coffee trade? Have you never stood behind an espresso machine before but would like to know a little more about the inner workings of it?

This is a conference for everyone, and we are very proud of what it has become to our local Northeast community!

This year, the conference will take place on September 27th and 28th, with a short send off breakfast event on Sunday the 29th.  We are still working out the last minute details, but as of right now, THIS is what you have to look forward to:

• Keynote address and cocktail party with keynote speaker GEORGE HOWELL!!!!

                                             (http://www.georgehowellcoffee.com/about/george/)

• Coffee Tasters Flavor Wheel class and a Sensory Analysis class taught by Beth Ann Casperson and Mike Mowry of Equal Exchange Coffee.
• A coffee varieties and cultivars lecture and cupping presented by Cafe Imports
• A round table discussion of origin, through the eyes of farmer, exporter, importer, and roaster, all involved with the Royal Coffee NY Microlots program
• A Green Coffee Grading lecture and cupping presented by Rob Stephen of InterAmerican Coffee.
• A latte art throwdown and karoake PARTY on Saturday night, with awesome prizes and free beer! . 
• Labs on latte art, espresso extraction, and espresso machines and grinders. 
• Discussions on the coffee trade and local coffee communities.

And more to come!

We have incredible presenters and also wonderful sponsors:

La Marzocco USA, Marco, Barista Magazine, Aeropress, Urnex, Curtis, Chemex, WholeFoods, Barista Pro Shop, Irving Farm Coffee, One Village Coffee, Square One Coffee, Dallis Coffee, Toddy, and again, more to come!

We are almost set to launch the official website and registration information.  Please stay tuned to the New Harvest Coffee Roasters facebook page, or the official MANE Coffee Conference facebook page (www.facebook.com/maneconference) for more information as it comes along.

ALSO, we are looking for volunteers !  Volunteering for a few hours during the conference = FREE entry!

Please contact ana@newharvestcoffee.com if you are interested!!

Customer Feature: The Coffee Depot in Warren, RI

For our next customer feature, I (Ana) went to the lovely town of Warren Rhode Island to visit The Coffee Depot, New Harvest customer since 2002. The Coffee Depot can be described as "the hub" of downtown Warren.  This was apparent immediately.  The first thing manager Mary Jackson did was lead me to "the round table" in the center of the sitting room, occupied by a handful of people.

This group comes to Coffee Depot everyday and sit at the table, talking about politics and current events as well as doing the crossword together and reading horoscopes.  One woman called it "group therapy."  Some are Rhode Island natives, others moved here years ago, some knew each other before hand and others just became familar faces from frequenting the shop everyday. Eventually, this group all became friends, and this action seems to sum up what the Coffee Depot means to the locals.  It is a really tight knit, regular customers driven shop. One of the people I was talking to said The Coffee Depot is like an initiation if you are new: it's a good indication that someone wants to be friends with you if they take you here!

Mary pointed out a man working away in the corner and said that he had basically written his college dissertation at the Coffee Depot.  Portraits wrap around the wall, painted by an employee, featuring regular customers - a few of the round table members were up there! Even as I sat there, having my horoscope read, a friend of mine walked in! I'd only been there 10 minutes and I already had this wonderful feeling of community.

                                                       (Joe Fletcher, great musician!!)

                                                         Mural of Regular Customers

                                                Having my horoscope read by my new friends


To sum it up, the regular customers had such wonderful things about the Coffee Depot.  It's a great place to bring a laptop and work, and a great place to catch up.  It offers food options, an open mic night, and a frequent coffee buyer card!

and outdoor seating, referred to as The Coffee Depot Beach

Check out their facebook page for more info!
 :https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Coffee-Depot-Warren-RI/76496611752