Boog Fam’s Ethical AddictionThe Canadian Coffee and Tea Show 2011.

">   Two members of the Boog Fam (Boogie Family), Matthew Mumbles and Touché (Shay Boogie) Attended the Canadian Coffee and Tea Show, held at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre in beautiful Vancouver, BC. Why would we be interested in attending the Canadian Coffee and Tea Show? The love of Coffee that myself and Shay share. We’ve shared many great business idea’s, writing and formulating songs, at local Vancouver / lower mainland coffee houses. It’s the love for Coffee, that fuels our dreams of opening a Hip Hop inspired Coffee / Espresso bar. I’ve attended the Seattle Coffee Fest, twice in the past three years and was blown away, from the amount of Coffee Roasters, Suppliers and demand for the coffee in North America.

First we want to get a better feel for the industry and meet industry contacts and suppliers. Second, was to sample different products that we might want to be involved or sell in the future. The Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre is bright and welcoming, with tons of room and natural light, giving a ton of energy, to the Trade Show. One of first stops was with a vender / Coffee Roaster we are very familiar with and huge fans of. Caffe D’arte! From Seattle, Wash. We both enjoyed a traditional Caffe Machattio, which was perfect. Caffe D’arte was a founder of the Coffee revolution in Seattle in the early 80’s. The certain roasts / blends of beans, which are roasted by an Alderwood burning coffee roaster. Fantastic, you can pick-up on the smoky, woodsy notes in the coffee.





Our second stop was at the Mexico, booth or should I say pavilion. It was reminiscent of Expo 86’, with many different coffee companies, farmers / growers on display. The Mexican government funded the booth to encourage trade and investment into the Mexican Coffee industry. We sampled some Mexican Roasted coffee’s and one that was roasted in Los Cabo’s. The delegates and exhibiters were extremely friendly at the Mexican booth; however I am not sure if everyone attending the Conference could understand, the relevance of the Mexican’s Booth. The Mexican Government must have spent a small fortune on the event, with the largest and most populated booth of the event. I’ve traveled to Mexico a couple of times, and have never enjoyed a great tasting cup of Coffee. Maybe, the Mexican government should insure that each hotel / resort in Mexico, should serve Mexican Coffees.

 "> After viewing, touring the show and consuming our third or fourth espresso, we decided to watch the Barista Championship / Latte Art Competition. The Barista Competition is where Barista’s from all over the Country compete against one another, in producing Latte Art and signature espresso drinks. The Barista are given five minutes to produce three espresso based drinks. Usually, a Latte, and then a signature espresso drink, where they Barista have full creative control of the espresso based drink they produce. It amazes me on the skill level of the Barista, to products art out of milk and espresso. The competition runs throughout the course of the Trade Show. For The Boog Fam the 2011 Canadian Coffee & Tea Show was a great experience. We look forward to attending next years show!