This coffee world...
I tend to wake up early now no matter what. All that I drank the night before doesn't keep me down and away from my beloved coffee. This past month or so has been really surreal with its ups and downs. The industry lost a great person and I lost a great new friend. I have managed to meet and greet with many industry professionals, and it seems that they are all pretty much as lost as I seem to be when it comes to the next steps. Should the industry be about growth patterns and working to the next step of enlightenment, or should we try to do the best we can without sacrificing our beliefs. If there is one thing I can really take away from everyone I am meeting and from those who I have lost, it is that life is short, and if you are not having fun and enjoying what you are doing then you probably shouldn't be doing it. I personally know that it is way easier to say then to put into practice but I am sure there is some truth that we can all see in it.
I attended the Roast Halloween Party last night, and it was pretty much insanity, and the most fun I have had in a while. It made me miss rocking out on an espresso machine and pouring some latte art. We had people from all over the region come out to watch and support Milwaukees baristas vs. Portland in a city to city latte art throwdown. Milwaukee narrowly beat Portland, but I imagine that without the sponsorship from PBR that the gap would have been a bit larger in Milwaukees favor.
I have to go wake up some hung over people who don't sleep much and try and get them to go out for some coffee with me. Two hours before I gotta take them back to Chicago. It is Halloween and I am ready for this strange day.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
In less than an hour it will have been one month since I last posted anything. My life is a strange one, but as of this last month an even stranger one. I lost perspective on life and regained it, got a cold and just now am getting over it. Experienced some amazing times with coffee peoples and just overall reanalyzed my position both in life and in the coffee industry.
What am I? A coffee roaster person? A barista person? I have not been able to pin a title down to what I am or do. I love being a barista but I also love all aspects of what can be done with coffee, not just limited to serving customers. I love the science behind it. I love the process. I love having to meticulously think over a million aspects to the coffee and what will effect it in each way.
Water: temp, quality, hard, soft, ppm, etc.
Filter: bleached, natural, pre-wet/dry, gold filter, metal filter, etc,
Coffee: origin, varietal, blend, roast type, etc.
Method: kona, moka pot, ibrik, chemex, pour over, espresso machine, aero-press, siphon, french press, cupping, drip type brewer, etc.
Factors: Grind setting, dose size, distribution, channeling, air temp & moisture, age after/before roast date, agitation, bloom, etc.
Every time I make a cup, all these things are running through my head, and I love it because when it is all said and done you are left with something that only your senses can tell you if it is good or bad. How is your tongue today? What did you eat for breakfast? What tooth-paste did you use? Seriously, I am looking at every thing going into this. I believe that this is the most dedication that I have ever put into anything in my life, and I would love for it to continue for as long as the coffee and industry would have me. But, what is my title?
I got into a conversation today about whether or not I was a barista anymore, and well my answer is yes. I do not work on bar and I do not directly serve customers, but I can guarantee that I could do a better job at making, preparing, and serving coffee than the majority of people I see working as a barista. Do I love roasting coffee, and learning about roasting and taking this field as far as I can take it, yes. I find it to be the most fascinating aspect so far in the coffee industry. As it was put to me by Edwin of Finca Vista Hermosa at Coffee Talk, "the quality of the coffee does not really drop from the time it is picked to the time it gets put in the hopper on the roaster. There is nothing to you can do to make the coffee better from the time it was picked, you can only make it worse." That truth really struck me, and made me think of roasting coffee a bit differently. I want to manipulate and bring out the true, best representation of the coffee that I can while roasting, and be content that the coffee that I send out is that best representation. What happens with the barista, well that is in their job title.
Do I love both the jobs? Yes. Am I more one than the other? Well, I feel fortunate to have experienced both of them and can feel the extended process one step to another and how it will be received. What is next and what is my title? One day, and it will be one day way in the future (I think and hope) I would either love to work on a coffee farm, and I am a very hard worker, or perhaps if I win the lotto, own a coffee farm where I can use my not so green thumb as Courtney says to see if I can take my passion one step further. Even further into my thinking about and dreaming about the future, maybe I can work multiple levels and work as an importer and exporter. Maybe one day I will be just a customer, looking into the eyes of a barista hoping that they hold the same respect and passion that I do for coffee... one day. But again, what is my title? Coffee-person? Baroaster? Roasista... haha, I am really not sure... I just hope that its not "Industry professional" that sounds so general... Who know?
What am I? A coffee roaster person? A barista person? I have not been able to pin a title down to what I am or do. I love being a barista but I also love all aspects of what can be done with coffee, not just limited to serving customers. I love the science behind it. I love the process. I love having to meticulously think over a million aspects to the coffee and what will effect it in each way.
Water: temp, quality, hard, soft, ppm, etc.
Filter: bleached, natural, pre-wet/dry, gold filter, metal filter, etc,
Coffee: origin, varietal, blend, roast type, etc.
Method: kona, moka pot, ibrik, chemex, pour over, espresso machine, aero-press, siphon, french press, cupping, drip type brewer, etc.
Factors: Grind setting, dose size, distribution, channeling, air temp & moisture, age after/before roast date, agitation, bloom, etc.
Every time I make a cup, all these things are running through my head, and I love it because when it is all said and done you are left with something that only your senses can tell you if it is good or bad. How is your tongue today? What did you eat for breakfast? What tooth-paste did you use? Seriously, I am looking at every thing going into this. I believe that this is the most dedication that I have ever put into anything in my life, and I would love for it to continue for as long as the coffee and industry would have me. But, what is my title?
I got into a conversation today about whether or not I was a barista anymore, and well my answer is yes. I do not work on bar and I do not directly serve customers, but I can guarantee that I could do a better job at making, preparing, and serving coffee than the majority of people I see working as a barista. Do I love roasting coffee, and learning about roasting and taking this field as far as I can take it, yes. I find it to be the most fascinating aspect so far in the coffee industry. As it was put to me by Edwin of Finca Vista Hermosa at Coffee Talk, "the quality of the coffee does not really drop from the time it is picked to the time it gets put in the hopper on the roaster. There is nothing to you can do to make the coffee better from the time it was picked, you can only make it worse." That truth really struck me, and made me think of roasting coffee a bit differently. I want to manipulate and bring out the true, best representation of the coffee that I can while roasting, and be content that the coffee that I send out is that best representation. What happens with the barista, well that is in their job title.
Do I love both the jobs? Yes. Am I more one than the other? Well, I feel fortunate to have experienced both of them and can feel the extended process one step to another and how it will be received. What is next and what is my title? One day, and it will be one day way in the future (I think and hope) I would either love to work on a coffee farm, and I am a very hard worker, or perhaps if I win the lotto, own a coffee farm where I can use my not so green thumb as Courtney says to see if I can take my passion one step further. Even further into my thinking about and dreaming about the future, maybe I can work multiple levels and work as an importer and exporter. Maybe one day I will be just a customer, looking into the eyes of a barista hoping that they hold the same respect and passion that I do for coffee... one day. But again, what is my title? Coffee-person? Baroaster? Roasista... haha, I am really not sure... I just hope that its not "Industry professional" that sounds so general... Who know?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
