Right now, somewhere in the Mediterranean, a ship is floating carefree. It’s a cruise ship, some might even call it a theme cruise. It’s not a Disney cruise, or a Weezer cruise, or even Chris Jericho’s Rock N Wresting Rager (all true, by the way). It’s a coffee cruise, but not just any senior sweaty coffee cruise filled with bad coffee that good marketing has made pricey. It’s the “World’s First Specialty Coffee Tasting Cruise and Barista Show.”
How is it possible that I have only just heard about this?
So there I was, browsing Specialty Coffee Association Events Calendaras is usually done. Amidst posts about coffee fairs and exhibitions and cuppings, I saw an ad for this fateful maiden voyage and immediately felt a morbid curiosity and FOMO (Yo-Ho-Ho FOMO, as they call it on the Seven Seas). What exactly is a specialty coffee tasting cruise with a barista demonstration?
According to SCA EntryThis “world first” adventure is a seven-night cruise that departs from Rome, Italy and ends in Athens, Greece, with stops along the way in Naples, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Turkey, and Santorini. It is organized by Tours and cafe tours in association with Celebrity Cruise Lineswhich will be provided with the newest aircraft model in the fleet – the all-new Ascent.
“We are thrilled to bring this unique and invigorating event to life,” said Martin Guerra, founder of Café Trips and Tours. “The Celebrity Ascent is the perfect setting for this event, and the seven-day Mediterranean itinerary promises to be a journey filled with delicious coffee, stunning scenery and cultural discovery.”
So where does the coffee come in? According to the listing, attendees “will have the opportunity to sample different specialty coffee blends and brewing methods in each port, as well as participate in barista demonstrations and workshops before and after the cruise.” On the Café Trips websitelists optional visits to local coffee roasteries in Rome, a stop at one of Italy’s largest coffee roasteries in Naples, and the chance to visit a Barista Championship-winning roastery in Athens as part of the cruise. Admittedly, the coffee specifics for this premiere cruise haven’t quite been pushed beyond the first crack.
Unfortunately, the cruise already left port on July 27 and will dock tomorrow, August 3, so my ability to do the in-depth journalism this story requires (read: book a seven-day Mediterranean cruise on the company’s dime) has been severely circumscribed. That’s why we’re making calls, sending espresso-S, looking for people who are currently on board the Specialty Coffee Tasting and Barista Demonstration Cruise. If you are that person or know someone who is, please contact us immediately. We have so many questions we need answers to, and our readers need answers.
