Portland center of coffee universe for a bit with SCAA show, international connections

If Portland appears to be the center of the coffee universe on an average rainy day then the overwhelming presence of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) at the Convention Center must be considered Nirvana.  Such an intense assemblage of nearly 10,000 industry professionals, gearheads, manufacturers, competitive baristas, growers and gawkers forms its own universe for a spell, embracing all corners of the globe. Actually way too much to report on in one post, but one of the highlights was meeting the trio from Cafe Obscura from Sangenjaya district in North Tokyo, who stated their West Coast coffee  trek in San Diego and will end up in Vancouver, BC.  Hideaki Okamoto and gang met me last night in the Ace Hotel when I was way too tired to make much sense but it was amazing to share experience and try to explain a little about American ways and tastes.  Yesterday I had received a drop-in at the roastery (roasting coffee really does provide a lure) from a threesome from roaster Momos Coffee in Pusan, South Korea (thanks for the logo pencils!).  Encouraging to see allied associations of growers from Kenya, Ethiopia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Ecuador and Guatemala.  And my buds at imorters Royal Coffee in Emeryville and KPCI from India plus roastermaker US Roasters stood out among the whirring grinders, shot-pulling XCelsius and Slayer and and large-scale green bean conveyance systems.  Willa Wonka had nothing on these guys.