So to get me back in to the swing of blogging, I decided to to the 12 month Has Bean Review. This time of the year always seems like a good time to look back and look forwards, so on the last post I will do a plans for 2011 (or at least goals).

The last 12 months has been (see what I did there) amazing, so many highs and highs, very lucky to be involved in this wonderful industry that continues to give me so much. I’m lucky that most of my life is in a video somewhere so expect a few of them.

So lets get into it

January 2010

January was all about the official opening of Third Floor Espresso In dublin (or better known as 3FE). Colin had opened the shop in January but this was the official lets have a party opening. At this time I wasn’t fully involved in 3FE but I still feel like we were breaking new ground with this unique method, of taking space that at a certain time of the day is dead, and making it into a destination cafe.

Because he was so busy doing shop keeper the search for a replacment for Colin on Tamper Tantrum began

Tamper Tantrum Auditions from Stephen Leighton on Vimeo.

February 2010

This time of year is always taken up with Barista Competition, the UKBC season of January, February and March is a crazy time. We had lots of customers getting involved last year, which is great and also very draining. But I think the thing I remember the most was this audioboo on the way home from the semi finals

March 2010

The theme of Barista Competition carried on with John Gordon of Gorilla Tamper fame winning the UKBC, using coffee from us. Johns a great friend, and it was wonderful to see him win with a coffee that was 100% him, funky and crazy 🙂

One thing I loved was an in my mug we did at the Window in Norwich still one of my favourites. Hayley is a legend and much fun (and coffee)was had, on my flying visit.

April 2010

Like I have already said, so much of the first half of the year is always made up with these Barista competitions, the Irish championships the previous year were all well over by this time, but with a summer competition to be held in London, it was an April event.

Colin harmon knocked it out the park in this tough competition, one I enjoyed very very much. I did the streaming for the event, and got to see every single competitor, I had a blast and was really impressed at the high standards, and the amazing competition the Irish SCAE chapter put on.

It was here I rather prematurely decided I wouldn’t be working on comps again, and I felt at the time I was done with it all. In a way I am, I don’t think I’ll ever get as involved as I did with the Irish and the following WBC (if I ever get a chance to work in those arenas again of course) but its become such a big part of my life and I’ve learnt so much that it seems wrong to stop that just yet.