An Annual Tradition

The first campus tastings were held in the spring of 2007, when Bridgewater State College (as we were then known) was offering just a few second-year seminars as a pilot project. 

Because these seminars were originally intended to be speaking-intensive, coffee was a natural fit. And because the title "Geography of Coffee" was already in use for a travel course in Nicaragua, we named the new seminar "Secret Life of Coffee" and never would have guessed that it would be taught 2-3 times a year in every possible format for more than a decade.

It was a student in the second travel course (we have now had 13 and counting) who developed the tasting concept. As we traveled by van through the coffeelands of Nicaragua, she suggested what was to become a Bridgewater tradition. Students could do research about coffee in different countries while serving coffee from those countries. 

Drawing on her experience with student organizations and the  college-wide Program Committee, she helped to make the first event a success. We soon combined efforts with the Social Justice League -- a student organization that is the precursor to the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice -- to host Fair Trade Fairs in conjunction with the tasting events. Often these drew vendors from throughout New England and hundreds of campus and community visitors. Photos from some of the most active years are in 2011 and 2012 Flickr albums. Early events were in the Campus Center ballroom; when that became inexplicably difficult to schedule, we moved the event to the atrium of the new Science & Mathematics building.

The tradition has continued through the Covid-19 crisis, in an online form. The spring 2020 course began on campus and we were just starting to prepare for the tasting event before spring break. By the end of spring break, the world had changed and we never met again in person. We scrambled to put on the 2020 tasting, which is still fully available. 

In the Fall 2021 -- as soon as conditions allow us to do so safely -- I will host a small version of the tasting to which I will invite just for the students in these four classes. They have been incredibly flexible, patient, and creative in studying coffee without any coffee flowing, and I look forward to sharing with them a cup or three.

And then in the spring 2022, we will be back with a bold tasting event for all!