In Search of The Perfect Cup or Behind The Scenes at a Tea Competition.  The coming of spring was marked in many Russian cities by qualifying rounds of the Tea Masters Cup, with the main com-petition taking place for the second time during the annual United Coffee & Tea Industry Event. The competition is the brainchild of two brothers, David and Ramaz Chanturiya; C&TI sat down with them to savor a cup of exquisite Darjeeling (purchased, by the way, at the last year’s charity tea auction in Moscow) and to get the story about how this competition was born. La Roya – the sunset of Central America? Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. It’s only the second day, but my ears, used to hearing foreign speech after years of travels, begin to pick out a word from the leisurely conversations of local farmers: ‘la roya’. The contrast between the soft, melodic ‘l’ and the resounding ‘r’ is so prominent, that the mind unwillingly turns from peaceful contemplation of coffee plants to the processing of the tonal information: the music of the voices reveals confusion, disappointment and, deep down, some hope as well. Today the subject of la roya dominates everyday conversations, brings disputes to an end and comes up when there is nothing else to talk about. What exactly is la roya, what is the magnitude of its impact on Guatemalan coffee, is there light at the end of the tunnel – these are some of the questions author will attempt to answer in this article. The “Russian German” Wogau Family Business: from Tea to Banks and Factories The Russian market has always been a world of unlimited opportunities for foreign businesspersons. Starting with the reign of Peter I the Great and Catherine II the Great, Russian imperial authorities actively recruited people of German origin to serve the Russian crown. Germans arriving in Russia could settle in communities and with their families, they were accepted to military service at their existing rank, they could speak their language and practice their religion. Among those German immigrants was the Wogau family. A detailed history of the family and its business has already been explored in several Russian-language publications by the author. The Wogau family business in Russia started with a trading company founded by Philipp Maximilian von Wogau (1807 – 1880). The family can trace its ancestry to the 16th century; in the 18th century, the family became landed gentry – unknown details about the family tea business. Mobile Coffee, Mobile Tea Before we discuss available tea- and coffee-themed apps for mobile devices, let us articulate our (grossly unrealistic) expectations for these apps. Basically, let your imagination run wild as you think about “how great it would be if my phone (or tablet) could…” – author offers.  In the latest issue of C&TI you can also access news, information about UCTIE 2014, which will be held in Moscow in September, to learn about the latest research findings in the field of coffee, tea and health, learn more about the outcome of the World of Coffee, learn about certification in organic agriculture and read other relevant publications. Subscriptions to magazine is carried out from any issue, and an abridged version of the electronic version is available here . Source: coffeetea.ru