Introduction to the 2025 Specialty Espresso Expo in Houston

Hello everybody, Chris right here, reporting stay from the ground of the Specialty Espresso Affiliation (SCA) Expo in Houston, Texas. I’m thrilled to be protecting the world’s largest specialty espresso showpiece occasion this 12 months for CoffeeGeek. It appears like a pure convergence of two long-standing pursuits of mine: a deep and enduring love for espresso (to not point out an unhealthy dependence on), and a lifelong obsession with expertise.

For some background on who I’m, my most seen work has doubtless been by way of the Hiro Report, a weekly e-newsletter I publish underneath a pseudonym. The e-newsletter focuses on surfacing compelling tech, fascinating gear, and thoughtfully curated Apple ecosystem app suggestions. Exterior of writing and the tech world, I’ve been lucky to stay and work throughout 5 continents. These alternatives have taken form in quite a lot of roles, together with a place as a sous chef in a sushi restaurant and a diplomatic posting in Latin America.

I’m additionally an avid pictures fanatic, and for greater than a decade, I’ve been utilizing Fujifilm and Leica cameras. Images has largely remained a private pursuit, although it has sometimes crossed over into skilled territory. I hope to showcase a few of my reportage model pictures work within the SCA Expo articles arising.

Regardless of the numerous instructions my profession and pursuits have taken, some of the constant and rewarding elements of my day by day routine has been making espresso. Whereas I began ingesting it in highschool, my deeper reference to espresso started in faculty after receiving a Chemex as a present. That have pulled me into the deep rabbit gap of handbook brewing and pour-over strategies, and I’ve by no means appeared again.

Extra not too long ago, I’ve developed a powerful curiosity in espresso. That rising ardour led me to find CoffeeGeek, which I consider continues to be probably the most dependable on-line useful resource for exploring espresso gear and studying extra in regards to the finer particulars of espresso.

When Mark reached out to ask if I’d be considering protecting the SCA Expo this 12 months, I lept on the alternative. A part of the attraction was the chance to spend a weekend immersed within the newest developments in espresso, particularly within the espresso area. It additionally helped that Houston is just some hours from my residence base in Austin, making journey logistics fairly manageable.

For this 12 months’s Expo, my focus in my CoffeeGeek studies will largely mirror the mission of the Hiro Report. I’ll be searching for progressive espresso and espresso gear, with a specific curiosity in expertise that has not but reached a broad viewers. A few of this can come from bigger, established manufacturers, however I’m equally keen to find smaller corporations and newer entrants to the area. Typically, probably the most fascinating and experimental work occurs outdoors the highlight.

Along with protecting the merchandise themselves, I additionally wish to communicate with the individuals behind them. I’m inquisitive about what drives them, what challenges they’ve confronted in bringing their concepts to market, and what compromises have been crucial alongside the way in which. The human tales behind the gear typically present a extra nuanced understanding of the improvements on show.

All through the weekend, I might be posting same-day and next-day protection right here on CoffeeGeek. These updates will embrace impressions from the present ground, highlights of noteworthy gear, and conversations with the individuals shaping the way forward for espresso. After the occasion wraps, I’ll be following up with extra in-depth reflections and evaluation in a sequence of articles that can seem over the next week.

In case you are in any respect within the newest gear, evolving expertise, and behind-the-scenes insights from the world of specialty espresso, keep tuned right here on CoffeeGeek and on our social channels. We’ll be sharing protection from the bottom and capturing as a lot of the Expo expertise as we are able to.

Wanting ahead to seeing a few of you on the present ground.