At the Sea Otter Classic, an annual springtime racing and commercial goods and culture event that opens the official bike season, I joined around 4 million other bike industry people in California. After recovering from a brain injury, I decided to come and be a part of the bike world again at Sea Otter, which seemed logical after building so much of my life around it. Figuring out whether or not I should work was a bit of a balancing act, but I decided to write a few articles while I was there, focusing on softer but compelling topics like coffee since bike tech dominates the event.
My first stop was at the Continental tent, which happened to be right next to Pinkbike’s. After a bit of a wait in line, I chose the option of either espresso or Americano since Continental had technical difficulties with their portable fridge and didn’t have any milk. The black coffee was a little disappointing since I couldn’t add half-and-half as I usually do, but it was passable. It’s worth noting that the Continental coffee tent also had a foosball table outside, which was a nice touch.
Next, I went to the Shimano booth and was pleasantly surprised by the lack of wait. The barista brewed coffee quickly, and it was easy to drink, very pleasant, less strong than that of Continental, and more smooth than biting. It’s similar to how Shimano components are user-friendly, so the coffee feels congruent with the brand.
Specialized, known for its crowd-pleasing products, also did not disappoint with its coffee stand. There was a vast menu of seemingly every kind of coffee drink imaginable, and the coffee itself tasted a little muted, maybe dusty, nothing remotely harsh or edgy or “bright.”
Lastly, I visited the Canyon booth, which was within view of Pinkbike’s. After a short wait, I had my Americano, and I asked for some oat or macadamia milk since they didn’t have any refrigeration issues, unlike cow’s milk. The Canyon coffee was quite nice, despite my not wanting to drink any more coffee that day. I’ll take the long-shot guess that the roast level is medium, more “bright” than “earthy” but still seeming very well balanced.
Overall, my roundup of the free coffee of Sea Otter was a pleasant experience. It’s worth noting that I probably missed a booth or two since the event is so vast. However, these personal opinions and experiences are nothing remotely scientific, but drinking free coffee and walking around while chatting with bike people was a decent enough excuse for me to ramble in an article a bit.
