Second Cup COFFEE EXPERT Patrick Russell Wins The Canadian Cup Tasters
Championships

TORONTO, Sept. 28 /CNW/ - Second Cup® is delighted to announce resident Coffee Expert Patrick Russell has won the Canadian Cup Tasters Championship! Held on Canadian soil for the first time, 16 competitors battled it out on September 26 and 27, at the Canadian Coffee and Tea Show in Toronto.  Russell will represent Canada in the 2011 World Championships!

"The entire Second Cup team is incredibly proud of Patrick and this wonderful accomplishment.  He is a true master of his craft.  What an amazing way to kick off Second Cup's 35^th Birthday celebrations this week!" exclaims Kimberly Clark, Vice President of Marketing, Second Cup Ltd.

Russell was recently promoted to the role of Coffee Expert, a newly created position imperative to the organizational commitment to coffee integrity and providing superior product to guests.  He is the official taster for the company, working alongside the Second Cup Roaster to taste coffees 112 times before they are released to guests.    

States Stacey Mowbray, President & CEO at Second Cup Ltd. "Pat brings a great skill set as a Master Taster and is a key member of the Second Cup team.  His new role as the resident Coffee Expert is an integral part of our continued dedication to bring first-class products to the Canadian consumer."

ABOUT THE COMPETITION:  Four participants at a time taste coffees arranged in eight triangles (groups of three). In each triangle, two cups are identical, one is different. Using skills of smell, taste, memory and concentration, the competitor will try to identify the odd cup out in the triangles, in the shortest time possible. After eight minutes, the round stops and the competitor discovers how many correct done by lifting their selections to reveal whether or not it has the tell-tale dot on the bottom of the cup.  In the final round, all four finalists compete together and the competitor that makes the highest number of correct selections in the least amount of time wins and is named Canadian Cup Taster Champion.  Russell was correct 6 out of 8 times, in only 5 minutes and 45 seconds!

This week Second Cup will celebrate 35 years since 1975, with national retailer events on Thursday, September 30, 2010.  To find a Second Cup location near you or for more information, please visit www.secondcup.com.

About Second Cup®
Founded in 1975, Second Cup® is Canada's largest specialty coffee franchisor, operating more than 340 cafes across the country.  As a proudly Canadian company, Second Cup celebrates its franchisees' local ownership, and prioritizes the support of local businesses through daily deliveries from neighbourhood partners. Committed to coffee integrity all 5,000 associates of Second Cup are Trusted Coffee Experts® who sell 1,000,000 fairly traded coffee and tea beverages every week.   For more information, please visit www.secondcup.com.

For further information:

Natasha Mackow
Director, Marketing Communications; The Second Cup Ltd.

T. 905-362-1818 (ext. 1557)    E. [email protected]