August 29, 2011
Coffee By Design Places First in National Roasters Guild Competition
Robert Doyle READ TIME: 2 MIN.
ROANOKE, West Virginia - Dylan Hardman, the head roaster at Maine's Coffee By Design, won first place with his team at this past weekend's Roasters Guild Competition in Roanoke, West Virginia. This is the second year in a row Hardman's team took first place.
The Tri-Style Roast Challenge, which placed nearly 100 roasters from across the country on teams, tested roasters on their coffee capabilities through three tests: roast for a pour-over filter preparation; roast for a press-pot preparation; and roast to match a sample score.
Hardman's team, which included members from Seattle, Texas, and Oregon, received the highest score for the pour-over filter preparation and the highest overall score.
Alan Spear, owner and president of Coffee By Design, also entered the competition; his team received the highest score for the press-pot preparation and came in third in the overall score.
"While we are thrilled that Coffee By Design placed so well in the competition, we are also grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time with other like-minded people at the Roasters Guild retreat," notes Spear. "Specialty roasters are passionate about what we do and this retreat and competition gave us a wonderful way to connect with our peers and share our energy and enthusiasm for roasting coffee."
The winner of the competition receives a Probatino 1 kilo roaster valued at $16,000 to donate to the coffee producing country and farm of their choice. While Hardman's team has not yet chosen the country for this year's prize, last year his team chose to donate the roaster to Anacafe, the Guatemalan National Coffee Association, for use in their organization's training room.
Coffee By Design, a Maine owned and operated coffee company, opened its first Portland retail location in 1994. Today the company operates two coffeehouse locations in Portland plus an Origins Coffee Bar, a coffeehouse in Freeport inside the L.L. Bean Flagship store and a coffee micro roastery.
Coffee By Design is committed to running a sustainable business dedicated to coffee excellence, the arts and the community. With over 450 select restaurant, cafes and gourmet stores and online retail sales, their coffee is enjoyed nationwide.
Long-term New Yorkers, Mark and Robert have also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center, Mark is a PhD in American history and literature, as well as the author of the novels Wolfchild and My Hawaiian Penthouse. Robert is the producer of the documentary We Are All Children of God. Their work has appeared in numerous publications, as well as at : www.mrny.com.
