• A better way to operate in life, where we are constantly working on being the best versions of ourselves. 
  
  
• A better way to give of ourselves and to the world around us.
  
  
• A better way to utilise the power of social business to empower those who have less than us.

• Panama Geisha Aristar (Best of Panama 2011 #1) – DIRECT TRADE *RARE & HIGHLY PRIZED*
• Panama Typica Reserva Don Tito
• Panama Catuai Valentina
  
  
• Nicaragua Dipilto
  
  
• Costa Rica Hernan Solis Villa Sachi
  
  
• Bolivia Miranda Inquisivi
  
  
• Brazil Samambaia Mundo Novo
  
  
• Colombia Gaitania
  
  
• El Salvador Miravalle COE 2012 Lot #8
• El Salvador San Carlos
• El Salvador Las Mercedes Pacamara
• El Salvador Las Mercedes El Rio
  
  

• Ethiopian Organic Guji Shakiso

• Sumatra Blue Batak (Lintong)
  
  

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For S$25, coffee crawl participants will be entitled to a free cup of the recommended brew at each of the partner cafés on 15 and 16 September. They will also receive a coffee crawl kit comprising a souvenir #BettrWeek button and a specialty coffee pocket guide created by Bettr Barista. The pocket guide includes interviews with #BettrWeek’s partner café owners, a handy coffee crawl map, and a comprehensive listing of Singapore’s specialty cafés. The coffee crawl is limited to 200 participants and registrations are now open at www.bettrweek.com.

Pamela Chng, 36, founder of Bettr Barista Coffee Academy says: “We hope to make #BettrWeek an annual event and would love for more like-minded partners to join us in our efforts to promote greater social consciousness and the whole idea of thinking, feeling, doing, living and being better. We’ve curated the week’s activities to provide more avenues for coffee lovers to exchange knowledge and learn from industry players. We also want to encourage this spirit of learning amongst baristas.”

The featured partner cafés in this year’s coffee crawl are also internship partners for the Academy’s 12-week holistic training programme for underprivileged women. Part of the proceeds from #BettrWeek activities will go towards funding the programme.

For 32-year-old Harry Grover, owner of 40 Hands, #BettrWeek is a step towards a more vibrant coffee scene in Singapore.

“There are more people who are interested in specialty coffee, and I’m glad to see that Bettr Barista is making efforts to hone this interest through coffee education. I think this will contribute to cultivating Singapore’s coffee culture and I’m excited to be a part of it,” he says.

As part of the #BettrWeek kickoff, the public is invited to an opening party at The Pigeonhole (52/53 Duxton Road, Singapore 089516) on the evening of 15 September from 8pm to 1am, where Bettr Barista will be introducing its first liqueur-based coffee creation, The Bold and The Brewtiful. Entertainment for the evening includes open iPod sessions and a Keep Cup mix-and-match station where the public can personalise and purchase their own reusable Keep Cups.

Bettr Barista Coffee Academy will also open its doors on 16 September from 10am to 6pm for coffee crawl participants to sample its signature Heart blend, brewed by baristas who have graduated from the Academy’s holistic training programme.

Other events for the public during #BettrWeek include a Green Living workshop and a Buy-A-Meal, Give-A-Meal dinner hosted by Food For Thought for beneficiaries, Beyond Social Services and the Mother and Child Project.

Industry-focused events include a technical workshop by Astoria, a milk workshop by Meiji and a latte art competition.

Events are priced from S$48 for the Green Living workshop to S$75 for the beneficiary dinner. The complete event list, prices and registration information can be found at www.bettrweek.com/events.

For updates, connect with the Bettr Barista crew at www.facebook.com/BettrBarista and http://twitter.com/BettrBarista (hashtag #BettrWeek).

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10 July 2012

An Interview With Scott Lucey

Scott is an award-winning barista from Milwaukee, WI, USA who has been brewing for Alterra Coffee since 2001. He began volunteering with Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) in 2006 and since then, has conducted many workshops, judged and interned for the organization. In 2009, he was also crowned champion at the Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition.

Scott was guest trainer at Bettr Barista’s first SCAA course, which was held during the week of June 12, 2012. We sat him down for a chat.

Tell us a little about yourself and your personal coffee journey. What got you started and how did it escalate to you doing what you do now?

I began working at a café when I was 20. I was desperate to get out of my home and had no knowledge about coffee when I first started. My interest developed during my first week of barista training when I learned about coffee plantations. This struck a chord with my childhood, which I spent growing up on a farm in a small town.

My competitive nature and the drive to make the best cup of coffee - and to continually improve - have probably sustained me over the past 10 years. The thing that motivated me to stick around was when I learned how, in other major coffee cities, baristas were either traveling to compete or teach their skill, or they were moving on to open their own cafés. This was something I could envision myself doing, and it made me want to bring a more active coffee culture to my home city.

What is your favourite kind of coffee bean and why?

Personally, my favourite is a coffee from Colombia farmed by a man named Nelson Melo. My company’s had a relationship with Nelson and his family for nearly 6 years and this was my first experience of a direct relationship with a coffee planter. His family’s farm is strictly organic and erratic weather conditions and bugs have increasingly threatened their crops.

We even flew them into Milwaukee in 2009 for the premiere of a coffee episode of How Stuff Works and for the Barista Competition that I won with a Nelson Melo espresso based drink, Liquid Swords.

In the world of coffee that runs from farming to roasting and brewing, which is your favorite element?

Every part is crucial to the final product and they’re all necessary to be done perfectly. Personally, working in the café once a week is my favourite because I just need to make a good cup of coffee and it’s sort of a zen thing for me. If I had the opportunity to learn something new, I’d love that to be roasting.

Is this your first time in Singapore? What has struck you about the local coffee culture?

Yes, and it’s my first time in Asia as well. I knew it would be really different and exciting but I was simply not prepared for the changes. When I first landed and looked out the window, I had this really intense, awesome feeling in my gut. It’s one thing to see the other side of the world on TV but it’s different in person. You get to experience the smells, the sounds and the excitement of actually being there. 

I did expect little pockets of coffee enthusiasts to exist but I did not expect a very bustling coffee culture. What's exciting to me is to see this group of Bettr Baristas learn more and become more involved. Not only doing more things for themselves but inspiring others as well. A community grows with active people, and I see a lot of possibilities for this part of the world.

How did the first SCAA classes in Singapore go and how did they differ from the ones you held back in the US?

The classes we held went very well! What struck me as being most different was that, even though most people were beginners, they had a high level of understanding and great patience. They listened to instructions, understood them and did them. Typically, when a student focuses on one thing, they tend to forget about all the other things but the students here were quick to respond and were able to absorb the complex instructions. The classes went really smoothly and it was almost as if people had done it before.

People in Singapore also have an eye for service and always seem able to anticipate one’s next move. This is very rare in the US where work ethic does exist, but is maybe not as consistent.

The biggest surprise was realizing that I had to conduct the classes alone because, in the US, there is usually a lead instructor and one instructor for every 5-6 students. There is a lot of work involved in each class and I could not have done it without the Bettr Barista team. 

Café owner…professional barista…why get SCAA-certified?

I will use the Barista Guild as an example. I first became a member because it was cool on the Internet and, while it did not guarantee success, I hung in there. Participating in the Guild was a way of holding the door open for the people behind me. Being a member of a social organization has allowed me to share my skills with other people and I think everyone else who is a member should have the same motivation. 

I helped create the certification programme and today, levels 1, 2 and 3 exist. We have over 500 people certified and people like the fact that “you need to have credentials in order to be knowledgeable”. 

I’d hope that these certifications make them think about what they know and the standards required for a good cuppa. 

What motivated you to come to Bettr Barista besides the opportunity to travel to Asia?

I felt that I would enjoy the challenge of organizing, planning and executing the classes as I have never led such classes on my own. 

Given that Bettr Barista is SCAA’s only licensed international education partner in Singapore, what do you think of the Academy’s set up, programs and crew so far?

Before coming to Singapore, I was told that the level of self-motivation in the people here was immensely high and everyone told me that I would be impressed. And I really am. I want to bring all of you back with me. 

I have never heard of a coffee-focused business that goes the extra step to make sure a barista has a healthy lifestyle. I think it's very admirable that Bettr Barista does what they can to care for their students.

What do you personally like to see from Singapore and Bettr Barista in time to come?

I want to see all of these guys again participating in more things in future, even those who are not coffee enthusiasts. I hope to be back and for coffee culture in Singapore to expand and develop.

What is your biggest takeaway from this trip?

My biggest takeaway from this trip has to be the skill levels and attentiveness of each and every one of the participants. In our first year of practical tests, many baristas failed as they were unable to understand instructions despite it being printed in bold. This was not a problem in Singapore and that was nice. 

What is one piece of advice you will give to an aspiring café owner and/or barista?

Just make sure you love what you are doing, so much that you want to do the best that you possibly can. From seed to cup, there are many people involved in the creation of a great cup of coffee. A barista committing their life to making and serving this perfection needs to be quality driven and happy to serve.

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