Hi everyone, Chris here, reporting live from the floor of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Expo<\/a> in Houston, Texas. I\u2019m thrilled to be covering the world\u2019s largest specialty coffee showpiece event this year for CoffeeGeek. It feels like a natural convergence of two long-standing interests of mine: a deep and enduring love for coffee (not to mention an unhealthy dependence on), and a lifelong obsession with technology.<\/p>\n For some background on who I am, my most visible work has likely been through the Hiro Report<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, a weekly newsletter I publish under a pseudonym. The newsletter focuses on surfacing compelling tech, interesting gear, and thoughtfully curated Apple ecosystem app recommendations. Outside of writing and the tech world, I\u2019ve been fortunate to live and work across five continents. These opportunities have taken shape in a variety of roles, including a position as a sous chef in a sushi restaurant and a diplomatic posting in Latin America.<\/p>\n I\u2019m also an avid photography enthusiast, and for more than a decade, I\u2019ve been using Fujifilm and Leica cameras. Photography has mostly remained a personal pursuit, though it has occasionally crossed over into professional territory. I hope to showcase some of my reportage style photography work in the SCA Expo articles coming up.<\/p>\n Despite the varied directions my career and interests have taken, one of the most consistent and rewarding parts of my daily routine has been making coffee<\/strong>. While I started drinking it in high school, my deeper connection with coffee began in college after receiving a Chemex<\/a> as a gift. That experience pulled me into the deep rabbit hole of manual brewing and pour-over methods, and I\u2019ve never looked back.<\/p>\n More recently, I\u2019ve developed a strong interest in espresso. That growing passion led me to discover CoffeeGeek, which I believe is still the most reliable online resource for exploring coffee gear and learning more about the finer details of espresso.<\/p>\n When Mark reached out to ask if I would be interested in covering the SCA Expo this year, I lept at the opportunity. Part of the appeal was the opportunity to spend a weekend immersed in the latest developments in coffee, especially in the espresso space. It also helped that Houston is just a few hours from my home base in Austin, making travel logistics quite manageable.<\/p>\n For this year\u2019s Expo, my focus in my CoffeeGeek reports will largely mirror the mission of the Hiro Report<\/em>. I\u2019ll be looking for innovative coffee and espresso gear, with a particular interest in technology that has not yet reached a broad audience. Some of this will come from larger, established brands, but I\u2019m equally eager to discover smaller companies and newer entrants to the space. Often, the most interesting and experimental work happens outside the spotlight.<\/p>\n In addition to covering the products themselves, I also want to speak with the people behind them. I\u2019m curious about what drives them, what challenges they have faced in bringing their ideas to market, and what compromises have been necessary along the way. The human stories behind the gear often provide a more nuanced understanding of the innovations on display.<\/p>\n Throughout the weekend, I will be posting same-day and next-day coverage here on CoffeeGeek. These updates will include impressions from the show floor, highlights of noteworthy gear, and conversations with the people shaping the future of coffee. After the event wraps, I\u2019ll be following up with more in-depth reflections and analysis in a series of articles that will appear over the following week.<\/p>\n![\"At](\"https:\/\/coffeegeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Hiro-Badge-13-1500x1000.jpg\" "\\"At"){kind=icon}
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