January 22, 2009
Caffeine fix: The Burke kicks off Coffee Jan. 24 and 25
What’s the story behind your cup of coffee? As the top coffee consumers in the country, most Seattleites can spot a coffee vendor from a mile away. But the Burke Museum invites you to look closer at your daily fix, beyond the compostable cup and into the captivating world of coffee production.
A new exhibit called Coffee: The World in Your Cup kicks off this weekend 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Burke with guided tours, coffee tastings and talks by coffee experts.
On Saturday, Jan. 24, enjoy informal tastings throughout the day with Fidalgo Bay Coffee, Finca Vista Hermosa, Victrola Coffee Roasters and Pangaea Organica. Learn more about coffee growing and importing with talks by Edwin Martinez, a third generation coffee grower, and David Griswold, founder of Sustainable Harvest International. Burke exhibit coordinator Ruth Pelz will also give tours throughout the day.
“Coffee is such a wonderful window to understanding our place in the world as consumers,” said Pelz. “The history is amazing, the botany is fascinating, the way that it’s grown and processed is fascinating — to hear coffee experts talking, you feel as though you’ve dropped into a wine convention.”
Interested in tasting coffee like an expert? Head to the Burke on Sunday, Jan. 25, for formal tastings (called “cuppings”) with Stephanie Backus and Marie Franklin from Portland Roasting. Learn to appreciate new flavors and aromas in coffee, as well as how to measure a coffee’s body, sweetness, acidity, flavor and aftertaste. Backus is certified as a professionally accredited cupper by the Coffee Quality Institute and Franklin has more than 25 years of experience roasting, retailing and marketing Northwest coffees.
Formal cuppings are limited to 10 visitors per session. Registration is at the door on a first come first served basis. Visit the Burke’s Web site for a complete schedule.
Also on Sunday are informal tastings with Caffe Appassionato Coffee Co., Trabant Coffee and Chai, Starbucks Coffee Company and Caffé Vita.
Coffee tastings and demonstrations by dozens of Northwest coffee companies will take place every weekend until the exhibit ends June 7. Other highlights of Coffee include:
- Color photographs of coffee farms in South America, Africa, the Pacific Islands and more, which tell the global story of coffee cultivation and trade
- Live coffee plants
- Several audio-visual presentations featuring different aspects of the coffee industry, including the local coffee scene
- A wall-to-wall display of coffee bags from dozens of Northwest coffee roasters
The mission of Coffee is not only to create a better understanding of what goes into producing coffee, but what comes out of it — a far-reaching impact on farmers, animals and the environment.
“Coffee production is an intrinsically fascinating story that really invites us to learn about issues like sustainability and social responsibility,” Pelz said.
Visitors can learn how to decipher certification logos on coffee bags, how shade-grown and sun-grown coffee affect the environment and native animal diversity, and how Fair Trade Certification helps farmers and workers improve their quality of life and practice sustainable farming methods.
“When people learn about the different ways that coffee can be grown and the consequences for people and the environment, we hope they will leave interested in knowing where their coffee is from and interested in buying only sustainably produced coffee,” Pelz said.
Visit the Burke’s Web site for more information about the exhibit. Admission to the Burke is free for UW faculty, staff and students. Other admission information: $9.50 general, $7.50 seniors, $6 students and youth (5 & up with ID), and free for Burke members and children 4 and under. Admission is free to the public on the first Thursday of each month.
Had enough Coffee yet? Of course not! The UW will present a lecture series called Coffee: From the Grounds Up in April and May. The series will focus on topics like the history of coffee and human communities, the ecology and environmental impacts of coffee, and the use of coffee as an agent of social change. For more information, contact Terry Rustan, Program on the Environment at 206-221-4895 or trustan@u.washington.edu.
