I’ve Decided to do a 12 month Review of the year with pictures, I know a lot of people do this but I’m going to as well.

January 2007

January started of with a bang, and its a month that was dominated for me with my first ever trip to Guatamala. A great trip but the trip to El Bosque and  spending the evening and day on Los Nubes were the highlights for me. A great trip I really enjoyed.

February 2007

Got the first look at the Hottop Digital, a great home roaster. Also got news that the wonderful La Spaziale S1 was coming to the UK. I’ve got one at home and I can tell you its an awesome machine and a highlight of this year. Also an open evening at one of customers in Scarborough was (Roasters Coffee) with a turn out of 40 people to listen to me whine on. And they even sai they enjoyed it.

March 2007

Dominated (again for me) by the UKBC finals and James Hoffmann winning. Unfortunately for us it was the last time we worked with James on his blend after a couple of years of success between us. James is opening his own roasting company in 2008 and wanted the chance to go to the finals with his own coffee. But it was a roller-coaster of work and emptions and it was great to bow out on such a good win.

April 2007

We finally got around to placing the order for the 25kg probat after a lot of pondering. Its proved to be exactly the right choice with the increase in capacity and the machine its self I’m very pleased with it. But ouch Its still stinging the price 🙂 We also get news of el bosque being loaded up onto the boat which proved to be one of the best coffees this year.

May 2007

May is a busy time in the world of speciality coffee. A lot of the central’s start arriving and the middle of auction season in the cup of excellence. So you wont mind if my highlight is nothing to do with coffee. It has to be me playing at the stadium of light (Sunderland Football Clubs home ground). I won a charity auction to play 90 minutes with an ex professional on each side. It was an awesome day and I topped it off with scoring in the 2-2 draw. A wonderful day, one of the highlights of my life let alone 2007. I also went to Long Beach in the US for the SCAA and USBC, and this was great fun Inteligensia Party was legendary.

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June 2007

Cup of excellence auctions for Nicaragua and Guatamala great coffees from which we ended up with three coffees although we missed out on Guatamala in the end because the quality wasn’t as good as the wonderful offerings we have in our normal range. A great cupping in London was at the start of the month

July 2007

The open day was great fun and it was cool to meet so many of our customers (who told me they read here). The cupping the BBQ seems like an age away and something we want to repeat in 2008, was very good fun. Other big landmarks in the history of Has Bean was the arrival of the Probat, Gunther arrived.

August 2007

The UK Coffee world had a lot to shout about this month. James Hoffmann went on to win the World Barista Championships in Tokyo and I for one was very proud and pleased of James achievement. A dedicated and skilled barista who is also a really nice guy, the boy did good. One of my most popular postings ever in Death of the blend came out this month which I was latter asked by Barista Magazine if I would make into a full article so a great month. Gunther also gets installed

September 2007

Football seasons is well under way and I go to see Sunderland at Manchester United Old Trafford. Also news that I’m off to Bolivia in October.

October 2007

Only one thing this month. Bolivia let me back into the country for a second time to be part of the cup of excellence jury. I have a very close affinity with Bolivia and I adore the people the place but most importantly the coffee. The competition has not bee without its problems in the country (more to do with organisation than the quality of the coffee). But everyone pulled together to pull of one of the best competitions I’ve ever been asked to judge. You will see this month how good it really was when we get one of the best coffees I’ve ever tasted onto our range (I know big claim but its a big coffee).

November 2007

the build up to the festive season I start concentrating on getting ready more than travels but I did take a day out to see the start of the 2008 UKBC competition hosted by PureBeans in Buxton for the Midlands qualifiers. Although a smaller turnout I think the quality on show was a sign of how much the industry and quality has moved on. Was good to do the cupping afterwards too, a good day out.

December 2007

A trip to London to drink some coffee with some friends. A tour of some of the best coffee shops in the UK was a good day. Now I look back I enjoyed Climpson and  Son very much and I’m going to get myself back there on a less busy day for coffee not in paper, and was disappointed I didn’t get to Borough market for Monmouth for the third time of trying but my only new years resolution is to to that this year.

So that’s the round up. One last post to come in this looking back kind of style, then time to make 2008 even better than this wonderful year.