Ohio Proud

Barista Competition and Brewers Cup

Muggswigz Coffee and Tea Co. will be hosting a national Preliminary Coffee Competition in partnership with the Specialty Coffee Association, Arts in Stark, and Visit Canton. Canton is one of only ten national locations to host this event. On August 10th through August 12th, 2018, Muggswigz, who has been Canton’s local coffee shop, roastery, and wholesaler, since 2003, will open its downtown Canton location doors to competitors from all over the country. There will be two main competitions; The Brewers Cup Competition and the Barista Competition. During the Competitions on Saturday, August 11th, Muggswigz will be hosting its second annual ‘Celebrating the Craft’ community event, bringing artists and craftspeople from all over Ohio to Canton to showcase and sell their works. There will be live music provided and raffle baskets throughout the day. The event will be free for non-competitors and all are invited to attend and watch.

Muggswigz has competed in national competitions in years previous, earning them the title of ‘3rd Best Coffeehouse in America’ in 2013, along with Semi Finalist in ‘America’s Best Espresso’, “The Golden Cup Award”,  and many more. Alexander Haas has been both a competitor and a Judge in coffee competitions nationally and internationally so this Preliminary Competition is a long time coming. “We've been involved with the specialty coffee industry for so long and have always had to go out of the state or country to participate in Specialty Coffee Association competitions. It's great that we can now bring an event like this to Canton and stay home!”  These events will be hosted by Alex and his wife Morgan, who has also competed in multiple national coffee competitions all over the country.

Competitor tickets for both events and vendor registration is available by going to www.eventbrite.com. Please visit http://www.uscoffeechampionships.org/ for more details.

Our Coffee & Tea Roots

     In the beginning, April of 2003, Muggswigz opened its doors and downtown Canton had it's only coffeeshop. Alex Haas had just graduated College in Rochester, NY,  and returned home to Canton, OH. Having fueled college with coffee and tea, he wanted his home town to have a place to find a good cup. Both for the sake of his hometown and for coffee and tea! Going off of a suggestion from a friend to start his own coffee shop business, and in pursuit of revitalizing downtown Canton, he did just that. Using his background in science and honing his culinary skills, Alex created Muggswigz (like taking a swig from a mug)  Coffee and Tea Company.

     Remodeling the space on Walnut and 2nd st. took a village, or in this case, helpful family and friends. What used to be an office suit is now a full coffee and tea bar as well as a performing stage for open mic nights. When the company first opened, Alex couldn't even afford an ice machine and had just started roasting coffee on a popcorn popper from the thrift store.

     Fast forward fifteen years and you have a 3rd Best Coffee House in America, USA Today's top ten pick of coffeehouses in America, etc. You have a company that roasts all of it's coffee, competition grade baristas, directly imports tea, a thriving wholesale department, baked goods and syrups made in house, and, of course, an ice machine.

     Muggswigz has educated the area in coffee and tea and has proudly seen many of the staff it introduced to coffee make coffee their career. The training the staff receives is second to none. Some of the staff Muggswigz has inspired go on in the industry to make waves at other companies or even start their own! Our positive impact on the industry spreads through all those Muggswigz Baristas as well as though the coffee and tea farmers we are fortunate enough to work with. Many other coffeeshops and boutiques have popped up since our doors have opened. A brewery has been built. People are finding more reasons to make Downtown Canton their destination, and they should. We are proud to call downtown Canton our home!

Local Honey

Honey is a staple in coffee shops; it sweetens tea and can be steamed or drizzled overtop of a specialty coffee beverage. Since 2004, one year after the company started, Muggswigz Coffee and Tea Company has been buying local honey. It's important to note that the company has not just been buying any honey, but made the choice to buy local honey indigenous to our area, on purpose. Alexander Haas, Muggswigz Artisan Barista and Founder stated, "There is a lot of 'honey' that is imported from china that is largely rice syrup and not actual honey. Buying local ensures more trust and transparency in the transaction, ensuring the quality and integrity of the product. Also being a beekeeper myself, I understand the importance of bees in our ecosystem so the more bees around my community the better!"

According to thehoneybeeconservatory.org, here are 5 reasons why buying local honey is beneficial:

1.) Keeps Beekeepers in business

2.)  It's good for our Agriculture: buying local honey from beekeepers allows for the bees to stay in the community and pollinate. Nearly 1/3 of the food we eat relies on pollination.

3.) Protect the environment: local honey doesn't have far to travel so the carbon footprint is reduced.

4.) Helps with Allergies: 'Anecdotal evidence' suggests that the honey ideally should be from miles from your home, ensuring that it has traces of the allergens and/or pollen spores that cause you trouble; similar to a vaccine effect.

5.) Safety: Some importers were selling honey that was mixed with sugar syrups and illegal antibiotics. With local honey, you avoid consuming honey that could be hazardous and you also avoid supporting those 'honey launderers.'

  CoffeeFest 2018

 We attended Coffee Fest in Baltimore, MD this past March. Coffee Fest is a well known coffee and tea trade show that is highly populated in the industry. They host national competitions, such as 'America's Best Espresso' (we were a semi-finalist!), 'America's Best Cold Brew', and the "world Latte Art Competition open'. The competitions use a head-to-head bracket system which makes the experience more exciting. Vendors are set up to showcase up and coming products.
     A trend in espresso, and coffee in general, was a lighter roasted brew, where the acidity was pronounced. The 'Cold Brew' final four had a variety of options to chose from, one of them being a brew that was set in the same room as tea, allowing the aroma [taste and smell] of the cold brew to take on the scents of tea although the drink was coffee. Many of the cold brews available had notes of berries and/or citrus fruits. There were several gluten free baked goods to try. There were many of granola/oat/nut/energy bars to sample. Workshops were held by professionals and attended by our competitors and staff concerning tea information, an open panel of coffee roasters, trends in consumers and specialty drinks, etc.  We also learned more about how the united States is now beginning to produce tea as there is a tea farm in South Carolina called, 'Charleston tea Plantation'; Here is the link:
www.charlestonteaplantation.com/