Always thinking of how interconnected coffee is with the rest of the world. Always thinking of the other things that we take away from coffee. Lessons that are not just the knowledge of how to make coffee, but lessons on life. It only took me a minute to see the parallels between my coffee adventure and Tao.
What is Tao? Although you can find it interpreted a million different ways to suit a million different needs, 'Tao' is literally translated as 'way', 'path', or 'route.' To me, more specifically as the way we interact with our world, become apart of it and realize how much impact we have. What is the Tao of coffee? As coffee people know, coffee begins to consume your life. You eat, drink, walk, sneeze, sleep and dream about coffee. Coffee becomes your life. The Tao of coffee is how coffee people unknowingly strive to become one with the coffee through their five senses, our ability to perceive the universe.
There are several principles to Tao, and to be learned by living life. Recently I asked myself, "Are you content? Can a human be content?" Very scientifically the answer is no because of laws of motion. In a different context, the context of Tao, we find that being content is "the only measure by which we should gauge personal success and how to use it as a filter through which society's values should be passed." What does this mean? Unlike the raving views of political or religious organizations redefining their views to fit a moment, we find in the coffee world that coffee comes from all over the planet from thousands of different farms from hundreds of different countries. The coffee comes from millions of different people from all walks of life, economically, religiously, politically, nationally, or hereditarily. Coffee also comes from potentially millions and millions of different plants, hundreds of different varietals, and processed dozens of different ways. So how do we gauge our success in the coffee industry? I can say for the most part that it is not monetarily for the majority of people involved in the coffee industry. So what is meant by being content? Does what you do make you happy? Do you take pride in what you do? Does coffee fill you up (metaphorically as well as physically) inside? Society is you and me, we humans make up the soul of humanity and our ability to distill so much from so much gives us the ability to appreciate the momentary bliss when sipping on a cup of coffee. That is Tao.
The Tao of coffee is exemplified in the small acts that we do, such as pulling a shot. This though does not seem to carry the same weight as what we are actually a part of in a larger sense. The idea of holism is "the idea that all the properties of a given system cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone. Instead, the system as a whole determines in an important way how the parts behave." Take for example that having a morning cup of coffee for the average Joe is just a wake up tool. This Joe ideally purchased it from an independent micro roaster in a one pound bag. I have read from in many places that a single coffee tree only produces one pound of (roasted) coffee a year. Although highly unlikely (except possible in micro-lot situation), we can look relatively at that pound of coffee used by the average Joe as a single coffee tree. From the moment the coffee cherry was picked as Edwin Martinez says "the quality of the coffee can never go up, it can only go down." So in the processing, exporting, importing and cross country shipping, all the way down to guys roasting, selling, and even the Baristas preparing drinks, the quality of the coffee is potentially dropping. It is the job of these folks involved in the coffee industry to maintain the quality so that the average Joe can experience the greatness of the coffee. Relatively though, with coffee as the second highest traded commodity in the world next to oil, that those small steps that we do to ensure quality act as very small part of the greater world wide economic force that is coffee.
The third wave as defined by the famous Nick Cho is about "(appreciating) each coffee for what it truly is and takes whatever necessary steps to highlight the amazing, unique character in every coffee." Which leads us to the manifestations of the Tao of Coffee. We find this in the uncorrupted manifestations of coffee or as we have come to call it, the third wave. It seems that instead of just dumping canned coffee into a coffee machine in order to make a pot of coffee, I spend most of my time preparing. Preparing for these few small moments of hopefully capturing the essence of coffee. I focus on method of coffee preparation (ie, chemex, french-press, espresso, kona, vac-pot), I focus on grind particle size, water temperature, freshness of coffee, weight, roast style, origin, season, ambient moisture... My goal is to get the coffee, what the coffee is at origin to be in my cup. To a not coffee person this all must sound like over-kill, but I assure you and them that it is not. When you have that first cup of honed in perfection it all makes sense. We want to ultimately achieve this form of what the Tao calls 'enlightened self-interest.' I do not mean selfishness, but an act of bringing yourself to the next level of experience with coffee.
The next level of coffee experience starts with your five senses, and sometimes six senses if you have synesthesia, and boy would I like to talk to you about coffee if you did. Lao Tzu the first person to identify and write of Tao wrote "The people of the world all have a purpose; I alone appear stubborn and uncouth. I alone differ from the other people, And value drawing sustenance from the Mother." We can look at this and take away something so simple as that we can see beauty where others only see nothing. Too deep? Well, us few coffee lovers spend our time looking at a million attributes of the bean itself from color, pitch, touch, first and sometimes second cracks, the fragrance and aromas, and most importantly taste, and the flavors we take away from the coffee. We use our five senses as the means to feel the essence of the coffee and momentarily become one with it. There have been books singularly written on one coffee, and its incredible attributes. The Tao of Coffee is about discovery of the beauty of coffee.
With the discussion of coffee often comes up the subject of environmental impact as well as humanities impact by way of coffee. There are several organizations dedicated to reducing the impact of unnatural farming practices around the world, and with coffee a little 'FTO' sticker comes to mind. The real dedication and change comes about when we use the worlds natural balancing force of the economy to emulate our ethics. What do I mean by this? Simply that when a person purchases something, they are in essence voting for it with their wallet. When somebody buys something that is low quality, there by the laws of supply and demand a gap to fill, and more low quality and cost goods will be produced. With the third wave and a re-evaluation and emphasis on quality, the third-wave has spearheaded a movement that parallels the environmental movement towards a better way of living. It should only seem logical that those who seek the raw natural beauty of coffee and life would also like to see coffee produced without chemicals or unnatural practices occur in the name of quality coffee. Lao Tzu said "He who knows where to stop may be exempt from danger." This means that when you are dedicated enough to something that you should see all aspects of it and its limitations. The third-wave/ quality/ environmental movement can see the end of the road for excess, waste, and low quality coffee and is putting forward a new future based on the Taoist principles of becoming a positive force for change.
This brings me to my final part of the Tao of coffee. Lao Tzu say "Only the perfect man can go about the world without attracting attention to himself." This is not to say do nothing and nothing will be done to you. This is to say that being a rock-star and glamor will only distract you from the real goals of discovery, and potentially lead you to a life of enclosure and loneliness. The real goal of the Tao of Coffee is a personal journey of quality not to impress and destroy. The Tao of Coffee for me is about doing my best with what I have and what is available to me. Accepting natural transitions around me in the world. Being able to accept the beauty of what I am working with and working to create more beauty. Knowing that I am a piece of a larger puzzle and that my minimal contribution could mean nothing, or potentially everything. The Tao of coffee is to say that Tao is coffee, or that coffee is Tao!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
training & muscle memory
I only had three hours, but I did my best at training this group of relative newcomers to the coffee industry. I started it all out with saying how much coffee means to me and how passionate you can become about coffee. I tried to describe all the things I have talked about in my previous blog posts: technique, questions, reaching for something more than just a cup of joe... I hope they bought it.
Courtney and Brett have been prepping more and more for the upcoming Great Lakes Barista Championship. Its not a bad thing but they keep asking me questions, great questions, and talking to me about coffee, and posing questions without question marks. I have loved it. Watching these two prepare for battle has made me feel like I finally have something to offer the coffee industry and these two bright stars are going to shine I tell ya!
I had a long conversation with Tif and Miro on the way out to Chicago a couple weekends ago. It consisted of many subjects revolving around coffee. Before I realized, it was time to drive home by myself, we had been talking about nothing but coffee for nearly two hours if you count the pre-drive prep time. How is it that as children we could all grow up with dreams of being astronauts and cowboys and find ourselves as adults thrilled and empowered by the roasted pit of a cherry?
So training as it was, consisted of me, two dudes and two ladies. One dude said he liked the idea of coffee and the atmosphere in coffee shops, the other said he knew nothing about coffee, one of the ladies had previously worked at some form of "barista"(and I use that term loosely) job where she worked on a super-automatic machine and had no idea about technical coffee, and the last lady had a pretty good understanding of the amount of work needed for good coffee. So, what do I do? My first goal is to get very technical so they understand the importance of coffee and that they are going to be, whether or not they wanted to be, involved in something that wasn't just another job at a chain retail coffee shop. I gave them the run over of all the good and bad things to do or not do with espresso and milk. I spent about 2 hours on very technical espresso (more than I learned in the first year or two in the industry) and about an hour on milk steaming. In the end I looked at them and they all seemed to have this "oh man, I need to practice" look on their faces. It made me happy to the point that I smiled about the whole way home.
What I realize now, is that the majority of what I was trying to teach or impart on these few people is that developing muscle memory with your technique can control some of the most important factors in preparing and serving good espresso. As baristas know, how you make espresso has a huge impact on the final results in the cup... emphasized HUGE! I am very confident even today that although I am not often on an espresso machine that I could (with my muscle memory learned technique) pull some great espresso, so to say I dont think I would be ashamed to serve it... if you get what I mean?
Watching Courtney and Brett is a lot of fun. I can see their muscle memory in action, tapping tamping, dosing, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and boy it is entertaining. We are trying to get coffees for blends down and trying different roast profiles and combos.
So, what about me? I am currently studying about the history of the industry, and the actual coffee plant. I think its good to have goals. So, I think my current goal is to ultimately source coffee and potentially work on a farm... possibly maybe a speck of hope to have a farm... oh, the dreams...
Courtney and Brett have been prepping more and more for the upcoming Great Lakes Barista Championship. Its not a bad thing but they keep asking me questions, great questions, and talking to me about coffee, and posing questions without question marks. I have loved it. Watching these two prepare for battle has made me feel like I finally have something to offer the coffee industry and these two bright stars are going to shine I tell ya!
I had a long conversation with Tif and Miro on the way out to Chicago a couple weekends ago. It consisted of many subjects revolving around coffee. Before I realized, it was time to drive home by myself, we had been talking about nothing but coffee for nearly two hours if you count the pre-drive prep time. How is it that as children we could all grow up with dreams of being astronauts and cowboys and find ourselves as adults thrilled and empowered by the roasted pit of a cherry?
So training as it was, consisted of me, two dudes and two ladies. One dude said he liked the idea of coffee and the atmosphere in coffee shops, the other said he knew nothing about coffee, one of the ladies had previously worked at some form of "barista"(and I use that term loosely) job where she worked on a super-automatic machine and had no idea about technical coffee, and the last lady had a pretty good understanding of the amount of work needed for good coffee. So, what do I do? My first goal is to get very technical so they understand the importance of coffee and that they are going to be, whether or not they wanted to be, involved in something that wasn't just another job at a chain retail coffee shop. I gave them the run over of all the good and bad things to do or not do with espresso and milk. I spent about 2 hours on very technical espresso (more than I learned in the first year or two in the industry) and about an hour on milk steaming. In the end I looked at them and they all seemed to have this "oh man, I need to practice" look on their faces. It made me happy to the point that I smiled about the whole way home.
What I realize now, is that the majority of what I was trying to teach or impart on these few people is that developing muscle memory with your technique can control some of the most important factors in preparing and serving good espresso. As baristas know, how you make espresso has a huge impact on the final results in the cup... emphasized HUGE! I am very confident even today that although I am not often on an espresso machine that I could (with my muscle memory learned technique) pull some great espresso, so to say I dont think I would be ashamed to serve it... if you get what I mean?
Watching Courtney and Brett is a lot of fun. I can see their muscle memory in action, tapping tamping, dosing, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and boy it is entertaining. We are trying to get coffees for blends down and trying different roast profiles and combos.
So, what about me? I am currently studying about the history of the industry, and the actual coffee plant. I think its good to have goals. So, I think my current goal is to ultimately source coffee and potentially work on a farm... possibly maybe a speck of hope to have a farm... oh, the dreams...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
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.
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 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?
Friday, September 18, 2009
Lifers, lovers and part-timers.
Before I started drinking coffee almost 6 years ago, I thought that without a doubt that I would go throughout the rest of my life without drinking coffee. It wasnt a disinterest, and it wasn't because I hated it. The reason why I never wanted to have coffee was because I had never had good coffee. Every shop and every coffee I had ever tried up to the point I went to The Ugly Mug in Ypsilanti was contributing to this idea that all coffee was horrible. Looking back, I can see that maybe it was in part an over-roasted coffee, or maybe the blend was just horrible. But, now I think I'm coming to the conclusion that it could just be the people preparing and serving the coffee. My conclusion comes with a theory on people I meet in the coffee world. These people are loosly classified into three categories: Lifers, Lovers, and Part-Timers.
It has been from experience that I have learned to spot a "Lifer" from a mile away. They usually are wearing a coffee related t-shirt, always talk at length about coffee, and know where all the spots to go are in any town around the world. They can come off as pretentious at times, but have all the best intentions of spreading the word of coffee far and wide. These are the people who are always tweaking, playing, and doing things a million different ways just to see where it can go. Coffee is fun to these people, it is what they think about when they wake up, and it is what they think about all day long.
You have the Lovers lumped in this large middle category. It has its basis in people who can love and appreciate coffee for all its intricacies, but never take what they have in front of them any further than just that. It is an appreciation of it, not a quest to better themselves with the coffee. They generally work in the cafe for the environment and the people they will meet and hang out with but are not really interested in investing much beyond the social aspects of cafe life.
The part-timers are the people in the industry that I am not very fond of. You know these people when you walk into a cafe and clearly see the disdain on their faces. They hang out or work in coffee shops most likely part time to help supplement their other income or job. They don't care about the coffee, they don't care about what they are doing outside of making money and having a job. Quality, what quality? Not here, not with these people. Absolutely zero investment in the coffee, customer, or coffee shop.
Now, why would I mass generalize about what I perceive to be as separate groups of people in the coffee world? Well, because recently I have noticed how I rarely go into other coffee shops because I know whatever I get is most likely going to be made by part-timers. Even if I know that the coffee shop has a good coffee roaster behind them, the final results in the cup are not going to do justice to the coffee. So, what can be done about this? What can I do about this? What can we do about this?
I would really like to find a way to influence other coffee shops and interested coffee "lovers" to move into the first category of "lifers" and use the time that they spend in the cafe to learn and to have fun with the coffee. My parents did a good job teaching me as a kid that having fun with something will make the time go by faster, and make life all around more fulfilling and better. I know though that its not possible to show everyone that they can have fun by learning about coffee because people still have this archaic view of coffee as coming from a can, produced by some Latin American guy wearing a poncho with donkey in tow.
My idea to semi-remedy the problem is enforcement by cafe owners and managers to have Baristas do what is defined in their job description. The job of a Barista in my eyes is that of someone paid to properly represent the coffee they are given. Whether that be by making sure a grind setting is on, making sure the brew weights are right, or even to make sure the origin of coffee is done justice by the brew method. If a Barista pulls a shot based on volume and not by when the shot is properly extracted, they are not fulfilling their job title. It is as if I have seen time and time again that most people in the coffee industry calling themselves Baristas do not look at it as a real job. There is no final outcome for these people, it is just a food service thing for them. No value for them or anyone, just means to an end.
My conclusion is that the job of a Barista should be one of respect, a career, and one of constant betterment and learning. I am unhappy about the fact the the job of the Barista has been demeaned by the corporate coffee world. The majority of Barista jobs around the U.S. holds no value for anyone beyond being the new burger flipper at a Micky D's. Cafes, cafe owners, and cafe managers need to give the job respect again and create more lifers for the investment and return they will get from the customer. These are the people who will start to also respect the position and in turn take pride in contributing to the craft that is being a Barista. When you think about turning the job of a Barista into a career it starts to take on a different form. You start asking yourself "What can I do to do my job better?" And, "What can I do to bring respect to my job and therefore myself?"
I am a lifer. I love, respect, cherish my job and position in the coffee world. My goal is to do the best I can with what I have, to produce something everyone in the world can tell that I take pride in. Here's for hope!
It has been from experience that I have learned to spot a "Lifer" from a mile away. They usually are wearing a coffee related t-shirt, always talk at length about coffee, and know where all the spots to go are in any town around the world. They can come off as pretentious at times, but have all the best intentions of spreading the word of coffee far and wide. These are the people who are always tweaking, playing, and doing things a million different ways just to see where it can go. Coffee is fun to these people, it is what they think about when they wake up, and it is what they think about all day long.
You have the Lovers lumped in this large middle category. It has its basis in people who can love and appreciate coffee for all its intricacies, but never take what they have in front of them any further than just that. It is an appreciation of it, not a quest to better themselves with the coffee. They generally work in the cafe for the environment and the people they will meet and hang out with but are not really interested in investing much beyond the social aspects of cafe life.
The part-timers are the people in the industry that I am not very fond of. You know these people when you walk into a cafe and clearly see the disdain on their faces. They hang out or work in coffee shops most likely part time to help supplement their other income or job. They don't care about the coffee, they don't care about what they are doing outside of making money and having a job. Quality, what quality? Not here, not with these people. Absolutely zero investment in the coffee, customer, or coffee shop.
Now, why would I mass generalize about what I perceive to be as separate groups of people in the coffee world? Well, because recently I have noticed how I rarely go into other coffee shops because I know whatever I get is most likely going to be made by part-timers. Even if I know that the coffee shop has a good coffee roaster behind them, the final results in the cup are not going to do justice to the coffee. So, what can be done about this? What can I do about this? What can we do about this?
I would really like to find a way to influence other coffee shops and interested coffee "lovers" to move into the first category of "lifers" and use the time that they spend in the cafe to learn and to have fun with the coffee. My parents did a good job teaching me as a kid that having fun with something will make the time go by faster, and make life all around more fulfilling and better. I know though that its not possible to show everyone that they can have fun by learning about coffee because people still have this archaic view of coffee as coming from a can, produced by some Latin American guy wearing a poncho with donkey in tow.
My idea to semi-remedy the problem is enforcement by cafe owners and managers to have Baristas do what is defined in their job description. The job of a Barista in my eyes is that of someone paid to properly represent the coffee they are given. Whether that be by making sure a grind setting is on, making sure the brew weights are right, or even to make sure the origin of coffee is done justice by the brew method. If a Barista pulls a shot based on volume and not by when the shot is properly extracted, they are not fulfilling their job title. It is as if I have seen time and time again that most people in the coffee industry calling themselves Baristas do not look at it as a real job. There is no final outcome for these people, it is just a food service thing for them. No value for them or anyone, just means to an end.
My conclusion is that the job of a Barista should be one of respect, a career, and one of constant betterment and learning. I am unhappy about the fact the the job of the Barista has been demeaned by the corporate coffee world. The majority of Barista jobs around the U.S. holds no value for anyone beyond being the new burger flipper at a Micky D's. Cafes, cafe owners, and cafe managers need to give the job respect again and create more lifers for the investment and return they will get from the customer. These are the people who will start to also respect the position and in turn take pride in contributing to the craft that is being a Barista. When you think about turning the job of a Barista into a career it starts to take on a different form. You start asking yourself "What can I do to do my job better?" And, "What can I do to bring respect to my job and therefore myself?"
I am a lifer. I love, respect, cherish my job and position in the coffee world. My goal is to do the best I can with what I have, to produce something everyone in the world can tell that I take pride in. Here's for hope!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Mittens and High Fives!
It has been a while since I have last posted. Long story short, I have been inundated with Dexter, Weeds, and now Heroes, amongst other tons of things having more specifically to do with coffee. I have just gotten back home last night from a very long trip to Michigan to meet up with many coffee peoples there and to spend time with friends and family. It was much needed and very much appreciated.
This coffee adventure starts out with me finding out about a week or so ago that my last shop, Kozy Koffee, had just closed. Whether or not it had anything to do with me and Courtney leaving 2 months previously and the customer base falling off rapidly thereafter or just the owner giving up for financial reasons or lack of effort, both which I know are contributing factors. That makes it now the third shop I have worked at that has closed within months of me leaving them. I would hate for that to sound bad, like I was a cause of these closures, because in all the cases decisions that were not mine contributed far more to the closures than the positive things I did to keep them open. I think I may be concluding that, in Michigan at least that although I have poured my heart into three potentially great shops that once the ownership starts to make bad decisions in order to limit quality and steers away from the focus of coffee that the snow ball has started to build momentum turning itself into an avalanche ending with the closure.
Getting into Michigan just in time to say happy birthday and good night to my lovely Courtney it was around 7 on the 20th that we arrived. We woke around 11am and headed almost instantly to Ann Arbor to eat at Seva and get some coffee at Comet Coffee. We had from what I can remember now a couple shots of Epic from 49th Parallel and a pour over of the Costa they had brewing that day... all I can say is they can make some of the best pour over that I have ever had.
We continued out to Ypsilanti for some time with the Uglies before the throwdown that night. We talked tons of coffee and a lot of industry concluding with drinks and food at Sidetracks (which has awesome vegetarian food I might add for any out of towners) before heading over for a drunken good time at the Ugly Mug for the throw down versus Milwaukee.
Courtney was lucky enough to get to throw down for Ypsie since we have in the past worked for them kinda, roasting in the back and occasionally playing on bar. Unfortunately for my Michigan homies they ended up loosing to Milwaukee in a very strange way with an over all fun filled, beer saturated, time.
As a funny side story, Ramiro was supposed to throw down against Scott at Alterra for the final head to head, but before that happened we made our way over to the Corner Brewery to have some of the worlds greatest beers, which is precisely where we found out that Ramiro was supposed to throw down against Scott. I guess we will never know what could have happened. We eventually made our ways to the Elbow Room in Ypsie and had a few rounds and headed all the way back to Highland for the night. I hope Courtney liked her birthday and all the coffee time with these crazy Michigan guys!
The next morning we woke around 10 or so, ate breakfast, and headed out to Grand Rapids to meet up with the great people at MadCap Coffee. We were lucky enough upon our arrival to be greeted by the whole gang of MadCappers (if they would let me call them that) Ryan, Trevor, Laura, and Chad. We had a blast chatting it up about the upcoming throwdown at the beginning of October, as well as potentially sourcing some amazing coffees together from Costa Rica... Pumped. We even had time to do a side by side comparison of some Kenya Peaberry Ruera Estate Vs 49th Parallel's AA of the same estate, I know I am partial to the stuff roasted by us so of course I thought ours was the better in this battle, but realistically it was just fun to see the coffees up against eachother and the flavor differences of two of the same estate coffees, just different types. Very fun I must say, but we had to head out for a vegan birthday party in Lansing. Ironically though, before we left Grand Rapids, we stopped at a friends house on the way out and standing on the front porch we spotted Kurt Stauffer's roasting business 'Rowsters.' Another unfortunate thing of just stopping in town suddenly is that he wasnt there, but I was able to get a hold of him and chat it up a bit over the phone for a minute or two. Seriously an awesome guy, If anyone is ever in the area stop by, he is a great roaster.
Eventually we made it out to Lansing where I had the opportunity to hang with some of my close friends where one of them (Joe Matteson formerly of the Mug-shot in Highland, one of my old shops) just so happened to have one pound of the first batches roasted my good friend Josh Longsdorf, under his side company RootCoffee out in Napa, CA... I didnt have any means to brew the coffee at the time so I mocked up a way to cup it on the spot and was really just blown away at the amazing coffee... I feel stupid now, but I dont remember what the coffee was (thats what drinking after the fact does) but I can tell you that the guy is an amazing roaster and everyone should keep an eye out for him in the future and buy some coffee off his website if there is any left!
As for the rest of the weekend, I spent some time with friends playing baseball, eating with my family and catching up on old times. Oh, I almost forgot. My sister, Megan Pattison, was helping me manufacture my pour over system, and well the final product is made and is actually in Anodyne right now. Personally I think they look amazing and really just stand out above all the other pour over systems I have seen made. Hopefully soon here I will stop procrastinating and have a website made so I can start an actual production made on these things and cure the world of the ugly pour over station...
Besides that there is a ton of news that I cant really talk about yet because they are plans in the works but I am super psyched to be doing some of these things, so stay tuned.
Michigan, I love and miss you already!
This coffee adventure starts out with me finding out about a week or so ago that my last shop, Kozy Koffee, had just closed. Whether or not it had anything to do with me and Courtney leaving 2 months previously and the customer base falling off rapidly thereafter or just the owner giving up for financial reasons or lack of effort, both which I know are contributing factors. That makes it now the third shop I have worked at that has closed within months of me leaving them. I would hate for that to sound bad, like I was a cause of these closures, because in all the cases decisions that were not mine contributed far more to the closures than the positive things I did to keep them open. I think I may be concluding that, in Michigan at least that although I have poured my heart into three potentially great shops that once the ownership starts to make bad decisions in order to limit quality and steers away from the focus of coffee that the snow ball has started to build momentum turning itself into an avalanche ending with the closure.
Getting into Michigan just in time to say happy birthday and good night to my lovely Courtney it was around 7 on the 20th that we arrived. We woke around 11am and headed almost instantly to Ann Arbor to eat at Seva and get some coffee at Comet Coffee. We had from what I can remember now a couple shots of Epic from 49th Parallel and a pour over of the Costa they had brewing that day... all I can say is they can make some of the best pour over that I have ever had.
We continued out to Ypsilanti for some time with the Uglies before the throwdown that night. We talked tons of coffee and a lot of industry concluding with drinks and food at Sidetracks (which has awesome vegetarian food I might add for any out of towners) before heading over for a drunken good time at the Ugly Mug for the throw down versus Milwaukee.
Courtney was lucky enough to get to throw down for Ypsie since we have in the past worked for them kinda, roasting in the back and occasionally playing on bar. Unfortunately for my Michigan homies they ended up loosing to Milwaukee in a very strange way with an over all fun filled, beer saturated, time.
As a funny side story, Ramiro was supposed to throw down against Scott at Alterra for the final head to head, but before that happened we made our way over to the Corner Brewery to have some of the worlds greatest beers, which is precisely where we found out that Ramiro was supposed to throw down against Scott. I guess we will never know what could have happened. We eventually made our ways to the Elbow Room in Ypsie and had a few rounds and headed all the way back to Highland for the night. I hope Courtney liked her birthday and all the coffee time with these crazy Michigan guys!
The next morning we woke around 10 or so, ate breakfast, and headed out to Grand Rapids to meet up with the great people at MadCap Coffee. We were lucky enough upon our arrival to be greeted by the whole gang of MadCappers (if they would let me call them that) Ryan, Trevor, Laura, and Chad. We had a blast chatting it up about the upcoming throwdown at the beginning of October, as well as potentially sourcing some amazing coffees together from Costa Rica... Pumped. We even had time to do a side by side comparison of some Kenya Peaberry Ruera Estate Vs 49th Parallel's AA of the same estate, I know I am partial to the stuff roasted by us so of course I thought ours was the better in this battle, but realistically it was just fun to see the coffees up against eachother and the flavor differences of two of the same estate coffees, just different types. Very fun I must say, but we had to head out for a vegan birthday party in Lansing. Ironically though, before we left Grand Rapids, we stopped at a friends house on the way out and standing on the front porch we spotted Kurt Stauffer's roasting business 'Rowsters.' Another unfortunate thing of just stopping in town suddenly is that he wasnt there, but I was able to get a hold of him and chat it up a bit over the phone for a minute or two. Seriously an awesome guy, If anyone is ever in the area stop by, he is a great roaster.
Eventually we made it out to Lansing where I had the opportunity to hang with some of my close friends where one of them (Joe Matteson formerly of the Mug-shot in Highland, one of my old shops) just so happened to have one pound of the first batches roasted my good friend Josh Longsdorf, under his side company RootCoffee out in Napa, CA... I didnt have any means to brew the coffee at the time so I mocked up a way to cup it on the spot and was really just blown away at the amazing coffee... I feel stupid now, but I dont remember what the coffee was (thats what drinking after the fact does) but I can tell you that the guy is an amazing roaster and everyone should keep an eye out for him in the future and buy some coffee off his website if there is any left!
As for the rest of the weekend, I spent some time with friends playing baseball, eating with my family and catching up on old times. Oh, I almost forgot. My sister, Megan Pattison, was helping me manufacture my pour over system, and well the final product is made and is actually in Anodyne right now. Personally I think they look amazing and really just stand out above all the other pour over systems I have seen made. Hopefully soon here I will stop procrastinating and have a website made so I can start an actual production made on these things and cure the world of the ugly pour over station...
Besides that there is a ton of news that I cant really talk about yet because they are plans in the works but I am super psyched to be doing some of these things, so stay tuned.
Michigan, I love and miss you already!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
What you need to know and why you need to know it!
The other day I had overheard a conversation and was inspired to write an article on the importance of coffee origins, varietals, processing and the roll of the barsista in educating themselves as well as the consumer. The problem I found was that I did not know where to start. So, in a twist of fate, I turned to my good friend Josh Longsdorf's Blog and found that he had already written a very poignant article on just those subjects. I think it is a really great read and that everyone should give it a gander, so I copied it here for everyones reading pleasure:
If you like this then check out his website at rootcoffee for more stuff, I am sure he will be posting more of his stuff soon.
Reinventing the Role of the Barista
March 19th 2009 | Posted by Josh Longsdorf
The past couple decades have seen an evolution among coffee growers, roasters, and importers, with changes occurring faster than they themselves can keep up with. The industry as a whole is seeking a means to decommoditize coffee, to create a truly sustainable coffee infrastructure - one that is sustainable for the land, the growers, the customer, and everyone involved in between.
In the industry I think sustainability can be likened to a cup of coffee. While many agree coffee should be enjoyed black – or, in it’s natural state, if you will – this doesn’t always work for everyone. To some black coffee is an acquired taste that they have to work hard at enjoying. Others may never be able to enjoy it at all. The same is true of sustainability. Each farmer, each importer, and each roaster has their own cup of sustainable measures that make the relationship between them taste good. While each of these relationships is unique, the one thing common to all of them is the importance of transparency. This is where the barista comes in.
Baristas must do their best to keep this cup of sustainability black and clear – transparent – and garner as much appreciation as possible from our customers. To do this, we must reevaluate our role in coffee. We can no longer limit ourselves to just preparing it. We must also act as its representative to the consumer. We must provide them with the knowledge of what makes each cup of coffee so unique.
Things to know when representing the coffees:
• Where does your coffee come from?
There are currently more than 30 countries that grow the Coffea arabica plant; within each there are usually several growing regions and within each region there are hundreds of farms and some of these farms are even broken into several different micro lots. Therefore it is no longer a matter of whether your coffee comes from Brasil or Ethiopia. We also need to know the growing region, farm or co-op, and even the lot number in some cases. Every coffee has its own story to tell, and that story is reflected in the cup. Whether it’s from three separate micro-lots from the same farm or three farms from the same region, each coffee will be unique, and the barista should be able to explain that to the customer
• Who is the grower or producer?
1 in 10 people in the world work in a job some how related to coffee. With this fact it is then not surprising that there are more than 25 million coffee growers in the world, many of them go unrecognized. A lot of the growth in cup quality that we have seen throughout the years is attributed these growers.
• What is the cultivar or varietal?
Simply put in biological terms, varietals are naturally occurring and cultivars are produced or cultivated through selective breeding. In coffee however the two are often used interchangeably. With more than 40 cultivars stemming from the two varietals Typica and Bourbon, along with Mocha in Yemen and Ethiopia, and wild plants of Ethiopia there are more than 50 varietals and cultivars of Arabica coffee. Many producers grow more than one varietal or cultivar of coffee, all of which will have their own unique characteristics. A Bourbon will have different characteristics then a Pacamara will from the same farm.
• How was it processed?
The easiest way to think of processing is how was the fruit removed from the seed. Today we are seeing many exciting methods of processing, but generally are three major categories; wet or washed, dry or natural, and semi or pulped natural.
• Elevation?
Usually represented by a number followed by ‘masl’ (meters above sea level). Higher elevations mean less atmosphere, thus slower growth, which generally equates to a denser bean.
Of equal importance to properly representing the coffees is involving the customer.
Consumers generally want to know what they’re consuming, and we often fail to help them much in this regard. Edwin Martinez of Finca Vista Hermosa Farms in Huehuetenango, Guatemala says it best: “If more of us can taste and experience coffee we can begin to uncover the layers and become intimately familiar with it’s origin. Decommoditizing coffee hinges on ensuring the farmer is not anonymous.” By creating situations for customers to ask questions we can involve them in a way that is comfortable and educational for them. So how do we spark their interest?
• Cuppings-Traditionally, cuppings have been used for greens purchasing and quality control. These days, many are finding cuppings useful for educating consumers and introducing them to new coffees. Cupping allows the consumer to explore the fragrance, aroma, mouth feel, and taste of several coffees side by side.
• Flights-Taking a cue from an industry that does well in educating their customers; the wine industry has used flights to both educate and sell to customers for centuries. Whether we’re talking varietal/cultivar, origin, producer, or three completely different coffees all together, flights can be a fun way to compare and contrast coffees with customers. Remember to use small servings for flights, possibly with the option of taking a cup of their favorite with them afterwards.
• Single Origin Espresso-Ditch the ol’ blend, grab your favorite coffee and offer it up as espresso. Many roasters are now roasting some of their coffees specifically for single origin espresso; however, if your roaster doesn’t roast single origin espresso, you should be able to pull shots with most coffees as long as they were roasted well to begin with. S/O espresso gives the consumer the chance to see a coffee in a new light, and gives you a chance to introduce each unique bean to espresso drinkers.
To some this information may be a second language, and to others second nature. Either way, every barista could be doing more to educate the world about coffee. Remember in educating the consumer it is not the knowledge you have that matters, rather it is the experience they walk away with.
If this information isn’t available to you, a good place to gain it is to talk with your roaster.
If you like this then check out his website at rootcoffee for more stuff, I am sure he will be posting more of his stuff soon.
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