Coffee Archives - Page 7 of 40 - The Curb Kaimuki

Amman, Jordan’s capital and largest city, has gone by many names—‘Ain Ghazal in 7200 BCE, Ammon during the Ammonite Kingdom, and Philadelphia under the Roman Empire. Despite its long history, at the end of the 20th century the city consisted primarily of a small community of Circassian immigrants. However, after it became the capital in 1921, internal migration and waves of refugees from Palestine, Iraq, and Syria led to a population boom. These communities have left their mark on Amman, and today the city has a population of more than four million. Despite its size, Amman has been treated by many visitors as a city that lacks the “authenticity” of other regional capitals like Jerusalem and Damascus. But since its modern founding, Amman has been a religiously and ethnically diverse capital that has served as a space of refuge for migrants fleeing other parts of the Middle East.

Amman’s diversity is also reflected in its expanding coffee scene. Ammanis love coffee, but it was only recently that specialty coffee gained traction in Jordan. A significant part of this growth can be attributed to younger Jordanians traveling around the world, cultivating a desire to bring the coffee experiences that they’ve had abroad back home. The result is that coffee in Amman is no longer defined exclusively by roadside coffee stalls and late-night cafes. This guide is intended as a first foray into Amman’s coffee community, highlighting a selection of the cafes that can be found throughout the hills defining the cityscape. (And besides these featured, I’d also recommend checking out Bunni Coffee Roasters, which just opened in Weibdeh, as well as Kava Roasters in Abdoun.)

The Coffee Room

If you ask Ammanis to tell you about the most historic areas of their city, Jabal al-Lweibdeh (Weibdeh) will inevitably be mentioned. As people expanded out of downtown in the 1920s, Weibdeh was one of the first places they went. Since then it has been home to prominent Jordanian writers, poets, and politicians. Over the last five years, Weibdeh has also become one of the most popular areas of the city. Located on Paris Square—the neighborhood’s central traffic circle—is The Coffee Room. Its small size and unassuming exterior are deceiving. The Coffee Room serves some of the best coffee that Amman has to offer.

Opened in 2016 and serving the United Kingdom’s Artisan Roast Coffee Roasters, The Coffee Room’s menu offers a full selection of espresso-based drinks, along with multiple manual- and cold-brew options. Its cozy size and brick interior oozes warmth and provides a welcoming spot to grab breakfast or a pastry, all of which are made in-house, while you enjoy your morning coffee. In the evening, seating spills onto the sidewalk outside and provides a chance to watch Weibdeh come alive.

The Coffee Lab

Tucked away in the Jabal Amman neighborhood near the French Embassy, The Coffee Lab, which opened in 2018, is a recent addition to the city’s coffee community. The shop is located near Rainbow Street, a popular destination among visitors. However, it is far enough away from Rainbow that it isn’t affected by the area’s congestion and noise, which is particularly bad on weekend evenings. Ample seating also makes it a prime place for work, but in the middle of the day you might be hard pressed to find a spot, as doctors and lawyers from the surrounding neighborhood regularly make The Coffee Lab a destination for lunch and meetings.

The cafe’s sleek interior draws inspiration from coffee’s molecular structure, and also includes a tweaked periodic table of the elements that adorns the wall above their couch. The Coffee Lab takes what they do seriously, pairing a full menu of espresso and brewed drinks from illy with a robust food menu. All of their food is made in-house, including multiple pastries, sandwiches, and fresh fruit drinks. The Coffee Lab also sells most of the necessary tools to step up your home-brewing game, which can be hard to come by in Amman.

Dimitri’s Coffee Roasters

Dimitri’s Coffee Roasters has in many ways become the face of specialty coffee in Jordan. Founded by three brothers in 2014, there are currently four locations around Amman, including the newest location on al-Baouneyah Street in the Weibdeh neighborhood. Their locations also include a shop on The Boulevard, a massive pedestrian thoroughfare housed inside Amman’s $5-billion-dollar Abdali mega-development. Dimitri’s was also one of Jordan’s first specialty roasters, using a roaster that was designed by one of the brothers and built by local engineers in Jordan.

The Boulevard location features comfortable seating, including a large communal wood table. The shop also boasts a large outdoor patio area that provides a great spot to people-watch. Dimitri’s offers a number of single-origin roasts and blends that can be ordered on multiple manual brew methods. Their extensive manual brew options couple with their espresso menu, which offers everything from straight espresso to blended drinks. No matter what you’re looking for, you can find it at Dimitri’s. If you’re not planning on staying, they also offer retail beans and all of the home-brew equipment you could possibly need.

Melange

Established in 2017, Melange is another new addition to Amman’s coffee scene. Situated on Fawzi Al Qaweqji Street in the affluent West Amman neighborhood of Abdoun, Melange is located around the corner from another well-known Ammani coffee destination—Kava Roasters. Their close proximity makes it easy to sample multiple shops in a single visit, but if you’re looking for a place to get some work done, Melange is a perfect spot.

When you enter Melange, you are greeted by a high bar and a menu of their daily single-origin offerings from Vienna’s CoffeePirates. In addition to their multiple pour-over offerings, Melange offers a full menu of espresso and cold brew. Melange is somewhat unique among Amman’s cafes, which are often defined by their small interior footprints, because of its comparatively vast seating area. The downstairs includes a collection of tables both inside and outside, as well as stool space at the bar. Upstairs, a large communal table is surrounded with additional seating. Both floors rely heavily on natural wood decor, which makes Melange particularly inviting during Amman’s short, but exceedingly wet, winters.

Rumi Cafe

At the corner of Kulliyat Al-Sharee’ah and Jarir Streets in Weibdeh is one of Amman’s more well-known cafe destinations: Rumi Cafe. Sitting across the street from Patisserie Fayruz, Rumi’s interior is styled with white tile and natural wood elements. Floor-to-ceiling windows encase the shop, opening during warmer months to seamlessly connect Rumi’s interior to its large outdoor patio. Additional seating lines the sidewalk, stretching across the next door in the evenings when the neighboring post office closes its doors for the day. Rumi has become one of Amman’s most popular cafes, particularly among younger residents, artists, designers, and visitors.

Rumi serves illy coffees from early in the morning and late into the night. Their drink menu focuses on espresso-based beverages, cold brew, and an extensive tea selection with limited manual brew options. Rumi also offers house-made sweets and pastries, including a rotating selection of cakes, multiple different sandwiches, and a number of breakfast items. Seating is always pretty tight at Rumi because of how popular it is. That’s especially true on summer evenings when the patio and sidewalk fill up quickly. If you’re not up for a crowd, visiting in the morning means you can usually grab a seat.

William Cotter (@cotterw) is a freelance journalist based in Amman, Jordan. This is William Cotter’s first feature for Sprudge.

The post Amman, Jordan: The Sprudge Coffee Guide appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Now that the reboot of Tales of The City on Netflix has put the Bay Area back on the map we’re sure that folks across the country (and around the world) are clamoring to take a bite of that Golden Apple. Like Mary Ann Singleton in the go-go 70s, maybe it’s time to pack your bag and make the big move. Call your parents from the Buena Vista and say “sorry, mom, I’m not coming home!” Take a swig of that Irish Coffee and take a deep breath. This is your new life now! Well, that’s all well and good but you’ll need a job—and next week the folks at The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room will be hosting five incredible Bay Area coffee companies for a Specialty Coffee Job Fair.

We reached out to Richard Sandlin of Royal Coffee to find out what’s really going down.

Give us the elevator pitch for this event:

The (possibly first ever) Specialty Coffee Job Fair elevator pitch is to help great people find great jobs at great companies. We have a chance to provide the space and be the physical bridge between the job seeker and the job provider. It’s a unique event, something we think the coffee industry has been asking for and didn’t know it needed.

As green coffee importers we have a birds-eye view on the entire industry. We are in contact with roasters from all over the country daily. Now, with our brand new space, The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room, we have a new home where we get to meet all aspects of the industry. We keep hearing questions from amazing coffee professionals surrounding their next career move and we keep hearing from roasters wondering how to find their next great hire. The Specialty Coffee Job Fair is their chance to meet one another face to face.

You said Sprudge Jobs played a small role in the inspiration for this event. Tell us more!

I’ve been an avid reader of Sprudge since 2011. Since you launched the jobs page back in 2013 it’s one of my favorite places to check in on the industry. Sure, articles tell you about the movers and shakers, but that usually tells the story of what has already happened. The Sprudge Jobs page is a window into who is growing in the industry, which company has expanded to a new territory, which roaster’s wholesale game has gone to the next level, and what that new new is. I’m a believer in the idea that people make companies great and nothing tells that story more that a job opening.

We now have a chance to introduce the job seeker to their next big break. We can introduce them to the company they’ve been dying to meet. In a world going more and more digital, we have a chance to introduce people and shake hands.

How will the job fair be set up? Will it be like speed dating?

The Job Fair will take place in our Presentation Room at The Crown in Oakland from 10am to 2pm on Friday, June 28th. We’ve assembled an all star cast of roasters, Andytown Coffee, Blue Bottle, Equator Coffees, Highwire Coffee, and Red Bay Coffee to bring their hiring team, their leaders, and their coffee all to The Crown. Each roaster will be stationed at one of our cupping tables, offering tastes of their coffees and a chance to meet hiring managers one on one. Looking to cut through the noise of the online application process? Now is your chance to get noticed.

The Bay Area Coffee Community will host a panel discussion on key topics facing job seekers in the specialty coffee industry with representatives of each of the five roasting companies present during the event beginning at 12pm.

RSVPs are strongly encouraged. Please come in professional attire with printed resumes in hand.

What kinds of opportunities will be available?

We’ve placed all of the jobs available on our website, the Eventbrite page, and the Facebook Event page. These range from entry level positions like barista or production assistant all the way to leadership positions like cafe manager, wholesale sales, account executives, all the way to GM.

Is this open to coffee newbies and coffee olds alike?

This event is open to anyone interested in a career in coffee or growing their career in coffee. You’ll have a chance to meet hiring managers and CEOs of leading coffee companies to discuss real jobs you can apply for. This is unlike any other coffee event to date. The goal is to help attendees land their dream job.

Please come dressed to impress and with printed resumes in hand. Now is your chance to break away from the pack and get noticed. The coffee industry is hiring. Are you ready for your next great move?

Will there be snacks and coffee available to eat and/or drink?

Each roaster will offer free tastes of their coffee. We’ve gathered five of some of the Bay Area’s leading roasting companies—applicants are in for a real treat. The Crown’s Tasting Room will be open with drinks available for purchase as well.

Can I bring a friend?

Please!

What should participants bring with them?

Please come dressed in professional attire with printed resumes in hand. The hiring managers are highly motivated to meet with talented and informed applicants.

I would strongly encourage attendees to review the positions on our website and come with specific questions for the positions of interest.

If I wear vintage third wave coffee gear will my odds at getting a coffee job improve?

Great question. I think you should do whatever you need to do to get noticed. Professional attire is encouraged, but above all, dress to impress. Be you.

Is the accordion shop next door hiring?

You’d have to inquire. It turns out that the accordion shop next door, Smythe’s Accordion Center is the stuff of legend in the Accordion community. I don’t know much about music played on the Accordion but game respect game.

What incredible events are lined up this summer?

The Crown has a ton of great events coming up. Be sure to check out website for the full line up. We are soon launching Saturday Food Pop Ups, Donation Based Yoga supporting Grounds for Health, Q Classes, Roasting Classes, Public Tastings, and maybe the world’s greatest gathering of coffee ice cream. Big things are always happening at The Crown. If you aren’t following us on social, now is the time.

Thanks!

Visit the Royal Coffee website for more information.

Photos courtesy Royal Coffee by Evan Gilman.

Disclosure: Royal Coffee is an advertising partner on Sprudge.

The post Get Hired And Wired At The World’s First Coffee Job Fair appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

It wasn’t but four months ago that I said I was done—“DONE I TELL YOU,” I shouted like a teenager with a broken caps lock key—groveling at the feet of shoe companies for free coffee- (or avocado toast)-inspired sneakers. But like the Simone Biles of not-sticking-to-my-guns that I am, I’ve done a full-on tucked triple double flip-flop (and stuck the landing) thanks to these Café du Monde-inspired Sauconys. And I would like it very much if someone gave me a pair, thank you.

Designed by Sneaker Politics, a sneaker boutique based in New Orleans’ French Quarter not but a half mile from the world famous Café du Monde, the limited release shoe takes the Saucony Shadow 5000 and gives it a beignet-keover with two different colorways: “Beignet Brown” and “Powdered Sugar.” According to Hypebeast, the Beignet Brown “features a three-tone brown suede leather and mesh upper, detailed with white flecks mimicking the powdered sugar sitting atop the delicacy.” The Powdered Sugar features a white suede and mesh and a powdered tan upper. Both colorways receive a pop of color from the green soles, “a nod to Café du Monde’s iconic green and white awnings,” per NOLA.com, as well as the perfect green Café du Monde in green script on the tongue.

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Politics x Saucony x Cafe Du Monde Shadow 5000 – Powdered Sugar / Beignet $125 men sizes 4-14 On 06/22/2019 at 11AM CST at our New Orleans Location we will release 157 pair of this colorway to pay homage to the 157 years that @cafedumonde has been open. #sauconyshadow5000 #SneakerPolitics #CafeDuMonde #Beignet #Shadow5000 #CafeDuPolitics #PoliticsxCafeDuMonde

A post shared by Sneaker Politics (@sneakerpolitics) on Jun 19, 2019 at 11:24am PDT

And if you needed just an extra just *mwah* chef’s kiss to really set the whole thing off, “the sneaker box looks like the goddamn beignet mix,” as one Sprudge editor so succinctly described it in our covetous Slack chat.

But if you were hoping to get your hands, or your feet I guess, on either version of the Café du Monde Shadow 5000, your ability to do so has a one-to-one relationship with your knack for being in New Orleans on June 22^nd at precisely 11:00am CST. The extremely limited releases—like less than 200 of each colorway—will pretty much only be available at the New Orleans Sneaker Politics location. According to NOLA.com, “a few hundred will go out to stores nationwide,” but I wouldn’t hold out much hope of getting any of those.

The Saucony Café du Monde Shadow 5000 retail for $120 and $125 for the Beignet Brown and Powdered Sugar colorways, respectively, but you can go ahead and assume a significant multiplier will be added to that once these hit the secondary market.

So I’m just going to throw this out there one more time, should anyone want to send a pair of size 10 Saucony Café du Monde Shadow 5000s to me, preferably in Beignet Brown but I will gladly update my entire wardrobe to make the Powdered Sugars work too, I won’t say no.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Top image via Hypebeast

The post I Donut *Not* Want These Cafe Du Monde Beignet-Inspired Sneakers appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

You there, the barista with the bags under their eyes. You could use a vacation. How does a few days on a Grecian beach sound? Pretty great, right? Now how about if you spent a little time in between colorful drinks with little umbrellas in them to grow in your career and meet likeminded coffee professionals? If this sounds like your sort of holiday, then the Barista Guild has just the thing. Taking place September 10^th through 13^th in Anavissos, Greece, Barista Camp Europe is a three-day educational event for baristas of all skill levels looking to hone their craft.

The core of Barista Camp Europe revolves around the SCA’s Coffee Skills Program, with focuses including: an introduction to coffee, barista skills, brewing, green coffee, sensory skills, and roasting. At the completion of the training, an optional certification is available to Barista Camp participants. Along with lectures and tastings, new to this year’s event are a host of non-certified workshop tracks for “those looking to expand their knowledge outside of the Coffee Skills Program.” The workshops include:

• Cherry To Seed: Experiments In Fermentation
• Crafting Seasonal Cold Brew Recipes
• Dissecting the Espresso Machine
• Exploring Roast Profiles
• The Foundation of Tea
• Water Chemistry: Beyond H2O

And because Barista Camp is taking place right next to a beach, the Barista Guild has planned “social activities in the evenings [to] help baristas relax and connect with new friends from all over Europe.”

Tickets for Barista Camp Europe can be purchased via the events’s website, with Early Bird pricing still available, ranging from €595 to €845. €100 and €50 discounts are available to Barista Guild members and non-members, respectively, as well as a group rate for parties of four or more. For more information on the discounts, ticketing, or the event itself, visit the Barista Camp’s official website.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Top image via Barista Camp

The post Barista Camp Europe Heads To Greece In September appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Jenny Bonchak (Photo courtesy Jenny Bonchak)

Welcome to The Sprudge Twenty Interviews presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2019 Sprudge Twenty honorees please visit sprudge.com/twenty.

Nominated by Emily Davis

Jenny Bonchak is the founder of Slingshot Coffee, a boutique ready-to-drink coffee company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. An accomplished specialty coffee entrepreneur, Bonchak built her brand from scratch in 2012, starting out hand-packing and brewing every batch herself from inside a shared kitchen. Today Slingshot is distributed nationally through major grocery brands like Whole Foods, Publix, and Target; Bonchak has been named as a Fellow for the 2018 Class of Coca-Cola’s Founders Forum and as Southern Living’s 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year. She manages the brand and oversees the project alongside her partner, Jonathan Bonchak, and together the couple has finaled at multiple national United States Brewers Cup events over the last decade.

What issue in coffee do you care about most?

I care most about equal representation and access to capital for womxn entrepreneurs throughout the supply chain.

What cause or element in coffee drives you?

I’m driven by expanding the definition of what “working in coffee” is. Thousands of people work as baristas to get their start in coffee, but there seems to be a very narrow focus on what’s next for those who want to develop a career beyond the bar. The path is often times working for a roaster. But jobs aren’t always abundant. There are so many more ways to be able to work in coffee as the industry grows and evolves and to be a part of something exciting and impactful.

What issue in coffee do you think is critically overlooked?

Tools and technology can be great… they are great… in so many ways! But the technicality of this gadget or that method means nothing if the coffee/beverage being served simply doesn’t taste the best it can. True palate development has to be a critical and consistent part of any coffee professional’s journey.

What is the quality you like best about coffee?

I like that coffee isn’t forgiving, but if you know it well enough you can coax it to be nicer.

Did you experience a “god shot” or life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?

I didn’t experience a life-changing moment early in my career. But when I was practicing for Brewers Cup a few years ago, I shouted “watermelon rind!” after adjusting some of my brewing parameters. And I’d know that flavor anywhere as it’s my favorite part of the watermelon… when you get to the light pink that’s just above the white rind. When I then brewed that coffee at the 2016 US Brewers Cup Quals in KC and nailed that flavor call like nobody’s business, that was a moment when I left my imposter syndrome at the door and felt a lot of pride and trust in my palate. For good reason, too. I won that year.

What is your idea of coffee happiness?

Nothing will ever beat sipping on a clean, juicy, bright Slingshot Cold Brew on a sunny summer morning with my husband, Jonathan, and our beagle, Frank.

If you could have any job in the coffee industry, what would it be and why?

Pretty sure I’d do exactly what I am now.

Who are your coffee heroes?

My husband, Jonathan, has unbelievable skill and natural talent for coffee. So he’s on the list for sure. I have so much admiration for Emily Davis, Aida Batlle, Katie Carguilo, Kim Elena Ionescu (I thought I was going to pass out the first time I ever did a Brewers Cup run-through in front of her), Tymika Lawrence, Sam Penix… not just because they’re coffee heroes/heroines, but human heroes/heroines. There are so many badass coffee pros out there who are coffee heroes and heroines to everyone.

If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I’d drink coffee with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Since high school, I’ve always said I’d want her to play me if ever there were a character of me. I think she’s brilliantly funny—and what’s better than drinking coffee and laughing? She’s also experienced high highs and low lows and mastered them with humor and grace—an ability I admire.

If you didn’t get bit by the coffee bug, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

I’d like to be Liz Lambert’s apprentice for a while to really learn the ropes, and then own/operate a boutique motel I lovingly restored and designed myself along the coast where no detail would be overlooked. We’d operate a small radio station on the property so we could host in-studios with musicians, artists, everyday people and have a hand in bringing back great radio by supporting fantastic musicians (I miss you, WOXY). Of course there would be a super amazing cafe and breakfast joint on the property, too.

Do you have any coffee mentors?

I certainly count myself lucky to have some exceptional coffee people in my life, who not only share thoughts, expertise, and experience in coffee, but in life.

What do you wish someone would’ve told you when you were first starting out in coffee?

I wish I would have listened to Fleetwood Mac with more sincerity when they told me I could go my own way.

Name three coffee apparatuses you’d take into space with you.

The Bonmac classic single hole pour-over cone, a Baratza Forte and an Atelier Tete mug (the lip and handle are perfection).

Best song to brew coffee to:

Super-Connected by Belly because it’s the best song to do everything to.

Look into the crystal ball—where do you see yourself in 20 years?

I’d like to start a fund to capitalize early-stage businesses owned by womxn entrepreneurs. I want to be in the trenches with them and coach them in order to help grow their ideas and passions into profitable businesses that can continue to change the narrative on equity and equality in business—and then their businesses can do the same. And I’d like to be at that motel serving guests, waiting tables, making drinks, and playing records.

What’d you eat for breakfast this morning?

Oatmeal with dried cranberries and bacon (that I shared with Frank the Beagle).

When did you last drink coffee?

This afternoon, but I’ve been sipping all day.

What was it?

I started my day with a classic Slingshot Cold Brew, then threw back one of our amazing Cascara Teas around lunch and just put away a Slingshot Coffee Soda (Black Cherry Cola). I get high on my own supply.

The Sprudge Twenty is presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2019 Sprudge Twenty honorees please visit sprudge.com/twenty

The post Jenny Bonchak: The Sprudge Twenty Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

It’s hard out there for a person of means on a grand-scale ego trip, a lesson one Howard Schultz had to learn the hard way. The former Starbucks CEO’s will-they-or-won’t-they relationship with a presidential candidacy bid appears to have found its answer: he won’t.

Schultz made waves—angry waves, so very angry—in January when he announced that he was “seriously considering” possibly maybe thinking about, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, looking into a presidential bid as a “centrist independent.” Shockingly enough, the announcement and subsequent potential bid never gained a footing. Over the course of the last four months, no one has had Schultz’s back, even his own back. And now Eater reports Schultz has “let go most of his campaign team” and won’t be campaigning over the summer while he’s recovering from back surgery. This is not to say that Schultz presidential dreams are completely dead; a final decision on his candidacy won’t be made until after Labor Day, but by then he’ll be too far behind other candidates that surely he wouldn’t consider… oh that’s right, he’s too good for the Democratic Party. There’s still time for him to fuck it up, I guess.

Say what you will about Howard Schultz, but he was able to unite the country; he got everyone, progressive and conservative alike, to be deeply annoyed together at his ersatz candidacy. Personally I’m a little bummed to hear he’s most likely already done, because it deprives Sprudge of a plethora of mockery-based content over the coming months, and I was going to kick start my coffee lifestyle brand with some super-sweet anti-Schultz merch.

If he does decide to run, I’ll be taking pre-orders.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Top image by Elaine Thompson/AP via ABC News

The post Howard Schultz Is *Not* Running For President (Probably) appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Daniel Brown, Gilly Brew Bar of Stone Mountain, GA

Welcome to The Sprudge Twenty Interviews presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2019 Sprudge Twenty honorees please visit sprudge.com/twenty.

Nominated by Justin Brostek and Juanita Brown.

Daniel Brown is the founder of Gilly Brew Bar, a successful and important new coffee company based in the Stone Mountain suburb of Atlanta. Housed inside a historic 19th century home known as “The Mayor’s House,” purchased in 2015 by Brown and his wife, Shellane Brown, Gilly pushes quality and innovation across an ever-changing range of premium coffee “elixirs” featuring dried herbs, bitters, and aromatics. Brown was nominated by multiple people for The Sprudge Twenty, and in one nomination essay is described as “one of the most innovative, creative, savvy interpreters of the coffee experience I have ever encountered.”

This interview has been edited and condensed.

What issue in coffee do you care about most?

There are so many, but I deeply care about advancing the education of coffee production to coffee consumers.

By the time our coffee reaches the hopper or drip station, it has traveled miles and has passed through many hands. I want all of my customers to not only have a great cup of coffee but also a better understanding of the process and effort that it took to adeptly prepare their beverage. In turn, I believe customers would appreciate the nuances of a pure, well-grown, cultivated, harvested, roasted, and brewed beverage.

What cause or element in coffee drives you?

Mixing & pairing coffee with other flavors is intriguing to me. Taking risks and challenging myself creatively through innovation, experimentation & revivals of alternative brewing methods & technology are a few causes and elements that drive me.

What issue in coffee do you think is critically overlooked?

Just to name a few:

• Sadly coffee shops have become participants and identifiers of gentrification, as opposed to genuinely helping to revitalize and/or reinvest into communities.
• Much of Western culture is saturated with excess. The monitoring of caffeine intake per day is not really implemented, I believe it should.
• Lack of positive awareness and exposure for amazing black- and brown-owned businesses around the world! But Big Ups to Sprudge for championing and acknowledging talented working baristas, cafe owners, and career professionals of all shades across the globe; especially for the ones who wouldn’t have received this recognition in the past.

What is the quality you like best about coffee?

I see coffee as an artisanal food and my vision is to use it to enhance the culinary experience.

The quality I like best about coffee is its many notes; every crop from every origin tells a different story. But my interest doesn’t end at how coffee tastes. What interests me most is why coffee tastes the way it does. Knowing the why gives me a foundation and a story that I get to share and interpret in my own unique way.

Did you experience a “god shot” or life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?

I experienced a life-changing moment of coffee when I was a child.

The doctor diagnosed me with asthma and recommended I use an inhaler. But anyone who grew up in and around some sort of Caribbean culture knows about how home remedies are often favored over prescribed medication any day. And so at night when I would wheeze, mum would give me a hot cuppa black coffee. It would open up my airways in the lungs and therefore relieve my symptoms.

Coffee for me then was used for medicinal purposes and I still see it that way. It kept me alive (and awake) multiple times.

What is your idea of coffee happiness?

My idea of coffee happiness is being able to serve anyone that steps foot into my bar. A customer may visit that one time and never come again or they may decide to come back. Either way, I know both customers will leave, feeling Gilly.

If you could have any job in the coffee industry, what would it be and why?

Farming or the advancement of technology for the industry. Maybe inventing a new roasting machine or brewing method.

Who are your coffee heroes?

My coffee heroes are all of the men and women who labor day in and out in the farming lands. They cultivate the land that grows this wonderful creation of a tree that produces these juicy peaberries we call coffee.

If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Too easy. I’d drink coffee with my grandfather, Gilbert. I named my company after him and I’m blessed to still have him around. Sipping on some coffee on our family land in Jamaica, no words exchanged would be just enough.

If you didn’t get bit by the coffee bug, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

I’d definitely still be pursuing another one of my business ideas. A studio, maybe? Music (singing/songwriting) has always been a huge part of my life. Perhaps I could sing behind my bar for now, become the first bonafide singing barista.

Yeah, I’ll start there… Look out for my first EP with my band of baristas, aka The Gilly Gang.

Do you have any coffee mentors?

Unfortunately, I do not. I’ve subscribed to a couple of vets on YouTube who have been in the game for some time now. OG’s like James Hoffmann or cats like Chris Baca are always dropping knowledge. In a lot of ways, I’ve become a mentor to others. But I have no in-person coffee mentors in my life. That would be awesome though—hit me up if you’d like to teach me some things.

What do you wish someone would’ve told you when you were first starting out in coffee?

I wish someone would have told me how difficult it was to reach people in your own community. I get so much support from people outside of Stone Mountain Village but I have many neighbors, just walking distance away, who never come over for a cup.

You know what? I’ll bring them a cup someday.

Name three coffee apparatuses you’d take into space with you.

A nursery (consisting of a raised bed, filled with organic fertilizer) to guarantee healthy seedlings
Wet mill
Dry mill

A drip irrigation system with valves (to avoid water waste) will already be installed in my rocket of course. If you haven’t figured it out already, my goal is to grow the first coffee farm in space! Crazy huh?

What’s the best song to brew coffee to?

That’s a hard one. My go to’s would have to be a worship song or an instrumental by an artist like Snarky Puppy, Towser, or a classic beat by James Dewitt Yancey aka J.Dilla.

Look into the crystal ball—where do you see yourself in 20 years?

No need for the crystal ball, 20 years from now I will have a sustainable business that has grown to bear much fruit.

My wife and I will have a free weekend to do whatever we please. We’d have children by then and we’d be in a position to help them focus on their dreams (college, travel abroad, or continue in their parent’s footsteps).

I’ll be financially in a place where I’d also be able to pour into the lives of others (family and friends…) most of all, I’d do all that I can to advance the Kingdom, for the glory of the Lord.

What’d you eat for breakfast this morning?

Porridge. My mum’s recipe, made by my wife Shellane. Cheap and easy to make but very filling.

When did you last drink coffee?

Does right now count???

What was it?

It was a shot of spro: Gilly Blend (Brazil + Colombia), bright, buttery, brown sugar, roasted by my partners at Firelight Coffee Roasters.

The Sprudge Twenty is presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2019 Sprudge Twenty honorees please visit sprudge.com/twenty

Zachary Carlsen is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge. 

The post Daniel Brown: The Sprudge Twenty Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Welcome to The Sprudge Twenty Interviews presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2019 Sprudge Twenty honorees please visit sprudge.com/twenty.

Nominated by Kara Herman and Ben Lytle

Haley Lytle is a co-founder at Cryptozoology, a quality-focused multi-roaster coffee bar located in Denton, Texas. Lytle is one of several nominees featured for their exemplary expression of service and hospitality in a specialty coffee environment. A working barista and entrepreneur, Lytle’s work in coffee helps advance the culture in ways large and small. Here’s more from a nominating essay by Kara Herman:

“Haley specifically thrives on efficiency and makes it an art. She is able to communicate with customers while knocking out an order before the customer even walks away from the bar. (Almost every time!)… She has been incredibly encouraging and inspiring to me. I am only a few months into joining the coffee community so I am very glad to be learning from her… She makes sure that our team is efficient, happy, learning, and exhibiting the best customer experience possible. She has a gentle way of teaching and showing me how to do certain tasks better and explaining why it will make an overall difference in what we are doing. High-quality drinks and exceptional customer service are our goals and she makes sure it happens while having a lot of fun… She goes above and beyond but has no idea.”

This interview has been edited and condensed.

What issue in coffee do you care about most?

I care about hospitality being restored because I feel like it became the norm for baristas to have a mean edge. What seemed to manifest from that was a lack of making customers feel welcome and being given the opportunity to fall in love with coffee, whether your thing is vanilla iced lattes or pour-overs. I would also love to see more racial diversity in the coffee industry because the market still seems to be directed toward a certain kind of person who looks one way, knows certain things, and is well-spoken in English.

What cause or element in coffee drives you?

I love getting to serve people and make them feel known. We love to memorize people’s names to further dignify them as real people. I definitely love coffee itself and the nuances there, but it’s amazing to see how customers can feel your warmth and love translated even when you’re standing on one side of the bar. The fact that we can change the atmosphere is magical to me.

What issue in coffee do you think is critically overlooked?

Again, I would say that service can be overlooked a lot. A lot of baristas don’t know how to simultaneously be personal, efficient, and knowledgeable about their profession. This includes being passionate or mindful about coffee beverages of all types, making every kind of drink the best drink it can be, including flavored lattes that have been criticized as uncool. It also includes being hospitable to people that are new to coffee, speak a totally different language, are disabled in some way or who don’t care to be passionate about coffee the way you are (and this includes your own baristas who don’t want to make coffee their career). I think we have a secret set of things we expect customers and baristas to know without actually being patient and kind in helping them learn things they’re probably too afraid to ask about for fear of feeling dumb.

What is the quality you like best about coffee?

I enjoy that coffee can make your eyes pop because the flavor can be so impressive. I like that even my dad could taste a good, light roast coffee and say, “I can drink this black! I don’t even have to put cream or sugar in this!” I once had this coffee that tasted so strongly of tangerine (like its bag said), and I really tasted that. I had drank a lot of good coffee before then, but I never experienced such a strong note that I both saw on the bag and experienced for myself. It’s amazing how coffee comes from a fruit, and that means constant change. What a world!

Did you experience a “god shot” or life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?

I still don’t get the concept of a “god shot,” but I did fall in love with coffee over time. I started drinking all kinds of great black coffee, and I just never stopped. But like I’ve already mentioned in the previous question, the pour-over I made of this one coffee blew my mind when I tasted that clear tangerine note. Wow! That made me think that baristas really weren’t lying when they said they like the taste of coffee!

What is your idea of coffee happiness?

Oh boy. Happiness is contentment and gratefulness. Things can always be worse. I’ve experienced enough anxiety to last me a lifetime, and it’s amazing what being grateful can do. My mom once told me in 7th grade, “You just never know what people are going through.” And boy is that true! Every person you see is having a hard time in some way—even if that person is really mean. That’s what’s so awesome about coffee, even though the service industry is challenging. I can love people just by fixing up and serving them a drink. And that’s something to be grateful for. I get to do something I love and simultaneously make others feel loved.

If you could have any job in the coffee industry, what would it be and why?

I think I like exactly what I’m doing now. Owning a coffee shop with my husband in Denton, TX is a big ole check mark on the list of things I would say are a list of dreams. I can’t be happier nor do I feel like any other position would satisfy me more. I get to own a shop but also be behind bar a lot (pretty much all the time). And it’s hard but so great.

Who are your coffee heroes?

My husband, Ben Lytle. He teaches me something new everyday and is a huge example of leadership in the coffee community.

Also, Elle Jensen. My husband and I went to Denver, CO for our honeymoon about four years ago. We sat down at Amethyst for the first time and had no idea how big a deal that shop was/would be. Elle served us our coffees that day, and she was probably around 26 at the time. We discovered she owns Amethyst, and it’s her shop that influenced our shop’s menu of “any coffee any way” where you can order the same coffee as either an espresso or pour-over.

Last, Tim Wendelboe. Who doesn’t love the godfather of coffee and a man who will shoot you straight?

If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I would drink coffee with Mister Rogers because he loved people so well, and I’d love to soak in his wisdom over a cup of coffee and good conversation. I used to watch his show when I was little, and he would be so fun to chat with.

If you didn’t get bit by the coffee bug, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

I’d love to be a personal trainer, a funeral director, or a sculptor. (I can’t sculpt.)

Do you have any coffee mentors?

My husband has been a great coffee mentor. He is such an exceptional encourager. He’s one of the most talented people you could ever meet. He has been a barista, a roaster, a brewer’s cup competitor, he’s an artist, he has an amazing singing voice, and I recently rediscovered that he can make balloon animals! Ben has always been willing to teach me things, help me, and always celebrate when I’m learning and growing.

My old coworker, Ramon Muzquiz, was always willing to dive into coffee knowledge with me. He was always very passionate, detail-oriented, and inquisitive. He wasn’t above being wrong, and his palate was always pretty sharp. He helped me develop my palate when I was learning coffee.

What do you wish someone would’ve told you when you were first starting out in coffee?

I wish someone would have told me that most baristas are kind of bull**** along the way. There can be a lot of arrogance and pride in the coffee world (which is weird to me), but everyone is simply just trying. We’re all trying to learn and develop our palates and have fun.

Name three coffee apparatuses you’d take into space with you.

Grinder, Kalita (I’m assuming we can take filters too), and a kettle. If I can’t take a scale, I’ll just eyeball it all.

Best song to brew coffee to:

Next Time/Humble Pie—The Internet

Look into the crystal ball—where do you see yourself in 20 years?

I have kids with Ben, we still love coffee and have a shop, we still live in Denton, TX, and my parents will have been able to move up to Denton from southeast Texas (which is six hours away ).

What’d you eat for breakfast this morning?

I didn’t eat breakfast. I’m a coffee shop owner but also full-time barista. So I don’t have time to do that. Can I get an amen from all you baristas?

When did you last drink coffee?

I’m drinking some right now.

What is it?

It’s an Ecuador coffee from Sweet Bloom (Rosa Encarnacion), and it is straight fire.

The Sprudge Twenty is presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2019 Sprudge Twenty honorees please visit sprudge.com/twenty

Zachary Carlsen is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge. 

The post Haley Lytle: The Sprudge Twenty Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

Photo by Daniel Smith

Welcome to The Sprudge Twenty Interviews presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2019 Sprudge Twenty honorees please visit sprudge.com/twenty.

Nominated by Priscilla Fisher 

Chris Tellez is a coffee professional and entrepreneur based in Ontario, where he serves as a regional sales representative for Phil & Sebastian Coffee and owns and operates Show & Tell Coffee. A career professional, Tellez has been competing in the Canadian barista competition circuit for more than a decade. His work came to international attention in 2019 for a protest routine on the Canadian Barista Championship stage, calling out an official World Coffee Events rule disallowing the use of alternative milk. Tellez’ routine was timed to the launch of a petition formally requesting WCE reconsider the rule.

What issue in coffee do you care about most?

I’ve spent the last several years focusing on personal wellness and its role in the coffee industry. We are largely a customer-facing, service-oriented business, and being in that position requires creating an emotionally, physically, and spiritually stable foundation. I think there is a serious problem of burnout in our industry, which leads many, many people to end up leaving the customer-facing positions, or the industry altogether. I see very little being done to cultivate all-around health within organizations and I think this is a huge area where we can improve.

I should also mention that currently I am putting a lot of effort behind trying to change rule 2.2.2 in the World Baristas Championships, which indicates that competitors must use cow’s milk for the espresso and milk course. As a vegan, and someone with sustainability in mind, I really feel like this is a regressive rule and it is definitely time that we work towards updating it to reflect the current culture in the industry, where more and more plants milks are being enjoyed, at a fraction of the ecological footprint of dairy milks.

What cause or element in coffee drives you?

I think the driving force for myself in coffee is creating accessible spaces to learn about coffee. At the cafe level, we work really hard in our spaces to create an environment where everyone can ask questions and learn at their own pace without feeling alienated. But on a broader level, I really love to work with new coffee professionals, to get them thinking about coffee in new and unique ways, and to try and learn from their experiences so that I can better understand where people are coming from when they start to pursue coffee. It makes it a lot more exciting for me and it allows me to connect with people on a more honest level, which is the most motivating thing I can think of.

What issue in coffee do you think is critically overlooked?

Lately, my mind has been on green coffee quality and the issues we are facing in getting quality roasted coffee, due to green issues. We get sent tons of samples, and so, so often the coffee tastes past crop. When I taste age on a coffee, it no longer feels like specialty coffee to me. When we get into the end of the winter months, and everyone’s coffee is starting to taste its age, there are only a few roasters really doing anything to combat this. It’s something that has inspired us to create a pretty hard-line on the coffees we will be bringing in, and that in the future we simply cannot accept old coffees. I really look forward to more roasteries addressing this in a sustainable way.

What is the quality you like best about coffee?

Coffee gives us the opportunity to connect with a plant every time we drink it. I have a great respect for the power of plants and the medicine they hold. Coffee has been known for a very, very long time to be a powerful and potent medicine, and I think our ritual of roasting and brewing the seed builds a very direct relationship with the plant, something most of us lack in our day to day lives. In addition to having a career in coffee, I am also in the final stages of finishing school to become an herbalist, and I like to see coffee making as a daily practice in connecting to the plant world.

Did you experience a “god shot” or life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your
career?

Probably not dissimilar to a lot of people, but I remember in 2007 going to a coffee shop and being served an “Aricha” Ethiopian Clover coffee. You probably could have assumed it was 2007 because I said Aricha and Clover. Anyways, it was the first cup of coffee I paid a lot of money for, and it was the first time I tasted something that was entirely outside of my preconceptions of coffee. It was a blueberry bomb, no subtlety, no nuance, no elegance, just big, loud, and full of blueberries… and roast. Definitely opened my eyes up to the idea that there was something else going on, and led me to pursue working with a roaster, which helped me explore these things.

What is your idea of coffee happiness?

I don’t know if I’m interpreting this question properly but I think “coffee happiness” to me is just being served a really well-made, fresh coffee from a barista who genuinely cares about providing a good experience. I get to travel a fair bit for my work and I go to a lot of cafes. When I meet a barista who clearly has the intention of making something special out of the experience, I get really stoked. That’s what I try and do as much as possible in my cafes and what I really try to encourage staff to think about. It also really helps when the coffee tastes amazing. I’m a sucker for a really well made batch brew.

If you could have any job in the coffee industry, what would it be and why?

This is such an awesome question, and I think my answer actually has a few caveats. Firstly, I kind of have exactly the job I want now; I run a couple cafes (along with my business partners) and I do wholesale management for Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters. It’s a really cool blend of work that gives me a lot of opportunity to build personal connections, which is what I care most about. But if I wasn’t doing this, I think I would really like to create a role within a large coffee company that focuses on blending elements of HR and community engagement. Acting as a voice for both the baristas and/or roasting staff to help maintain a healthy internal community, while bridging the gap between what the company is trying to achieve and the outside community’s role. I would also foresee some kind of overall “Wellness” attribute to it.

Who are your coffee heroes?

Oh man, I have a pretty long list of the people who have inspired me. As a competitor I was always so, so inspired by Colin Harmon. Watching his sets just made me so excited, because I could see a little bit of how I liked to perform in him, just on a whole other level. I would also put Ben Put into that category. No one in my competitive life has set a better example than him. Outside of competition, I have to say Phil Robertson and Sebastian Sztabzyb. Every day I see the phenomenal amount of dedication they put into what they do and I am so deeply humbled and inspired. The things they do at origin, the way they approach problems like green quality, and their excitement surrounding roasting is just such a good reminder of why I care about coffee.

On a more personal level, every one of my staff members inspires me, though we have worked hard to try and promote female coffee professionals within our organization, which was something that my very first coffee job was really good about recognizing and set the tone for me. Having strong female voices in the mix just feels so natural and so so important, and gives me a much better understanding of the industry as a whole, so they are definitely my heroes.

If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

So, he’s more of a tea drinker, but it would have to be Ram Dass, my spiritual teacher. He is the person who taught me how to live in my heart, helped bring me out of the depths of my depression, eating disorder and self-harming thoughts, and really just opened my eyes to so much of the beauty in the world. Without him I couldn’t be the person in coffee I am now, so a coffee date would be a pretty big experience. We did have a Skype date once, but I don’t think I had a coffee with me.

If you didn’t get bit by the coffee bug, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

I might be working on a vegetable farm in some strange corner of the world, living in a van near a climbing crag, or likely working in the health industry. I studied nutrition, and am finishing up my schooling in herbalism, so I suppose that would probably be somewhere in there too!

Do you have any coffee mentors?

The Phil & Sebastian team for sure, I think the Cat & Cloud team really has helped me better understand my own vision for managing a team, and I wouldn’t be anywhere without my bosses at my first cafe, Mark and Christene at Espresso Post in my home town.

What do you wish someone would’ve told you when you were first starting out in coffee?

I was 16 so, there was a whole lot of lessons I needed to learn, but I think the biggest one would be to just stay quiet and curious. I had a lot of self-esteem issues and I really only knew how to play those off by faking confidence. I think this got in the way of some of my learning early on, especially when I took my first serious coffee job after high school. It led to certain assumptions about me that I don’t think were very accurate and I probably could have avoided some of that. Regardless, it helped me grow into who I am now, so I’m thankful for that.

Name three coffee apparatuses you’d take into space with you.

I guess a scale wouldn’t be much good, hey? So maybe like, a cup with a lid, some freeze-dried coffee, and a straw?

Best song to brew coffee to:

At the risk of sounding way too Canadian: “Big League” by Tom Cochrane. I used it in my comp playlist this year and I was pretty happy with it.

Look into the crystal ball—where do you see yourself in 20 years?

I have a kind of grandiose plan. I would like to create a network to provide people within the coffee industry access to health services that are normally outside of their financial means. Things like nutrition, personal training, meditation, talk therapy, etc. We work in an industry that really doesn’t do a great job of promoting a healthy lifestyle, and I think we need to start changing that. In 20 years I would love to be operating a space which acts as an almost wellness centre to provide that to our industry. And of course, there would be a cafe involved too.

What’d you eat for breakfast this morning?

A ton of berries and some almonds. Pretty standard!

When did you last drink coffee?

Literally right now… it’s happening.

What is it?

La Magdalena #1 from Colonna Coffee. It’s a Colombian coffee comprised of a bunch of microlots from Tarqui, Huila. It’s a total slugger, insanely delicious and a very perfect morning coffee.

Thank you.

The Sprudge Twenty is presented by Pacific Barista Series. For a complete list of 2019 Sprudge Twenty honorees please visit sprudge.com/twenty

Zachary Carlsen is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge. 

The post Chris Tellez: The Sprudge Twenty Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News

We as consumers have in recent years put a premium on all things organic and pesticide-free; we’ve even developed opinions on monoculture systems (we don’t like them). And while all these sustainability-focused practices are decidedly good things, it’s often easy to say what folks worlds away should be doing when we have no real stake in the game. Many producers are just trying to eke out a living, so switching entire farming practices to follow a trend—for better or worse—is untenable. Ants, crickets, and beetles still exist; they are the “pest” the sprayed chemicals are trying to “icide” away. One Brazilian coffee farmer decided to make the switch to organic farming, and right on cue, the ants showed up and began carrying off his coffee cherries.

But then, an interesting thing happened: the farmer started to notice discarded coffee seeds cleaned of the pulp, so he began to pick them up. Turns out, they tasted pretty good.

As reported in Atlas Obscura by frequent Sprudge contributor Rafael Tonon, João Neto of Fazenda Santo Antônio in the interior state of São Paulo opted to move away from monoculture coffee production and chemical pesticides, practices the farm has used for decades. Neto did so for ecological reasons, to allow for the “natural rebalancing that the monoculture of coffees had extinguished” at his farm. “Nature is in charge. If these plants have to stay here, they will resist,” Neto told Atlas Obscura.

And nature was hungry. The re-emergent ants began climbing up the coffee trees to knock off coffee cherries to take back to their mounds. After feasting on the pulp, the ants would leave the seeds outside the mounds, which Neto began to collect. After collecting enough seeds to “fill a large coffee grinder,” Neto reached out to friend and owner of Tokyo’s Café Paulista, Katsuhiko Hasegawa, who wanted to see how they tasted.

When Hasegawa next visited Fazenda Santo Antônio, he roasted the coffee and found that it had, as Neto described, “a different and pleasant acidity.” Others who tasted the coffee said “the flavor resembled other floral coffees with jasmine notes” and that the ant processing gave the coffee “sweeter notes.”

But even after a successful trial run, don’t expect to find Neto’s unique coffee popping up in your local shop anytime soon. The best harvest of the ant-processed coffee didn’t eclipse the 60-pound mark, and with the switch away from monoculture farming, Neto’s land use for coffee production has decreased from 230 hectares to just 40. Neto is currently only making samples of the coffee, but according to Atlas Obscura, he hopes to someday sell “tiny amounts” of it to interested parties.

Even if Neto’s coffee never sees commercial success, Fazenda Santo Antônio acts as a proof of concept that nature and coffee farming can coexist more or less peacefully. Keep an eye out for ant-processed coffee taking the coffee competition world by storm. Lactic processed Gesha is so 2018.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Top image from Marvel’s Ant-Man via IMDB

The post Organic Farming, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Ant-Processed Coffee appeared first on Sprudge.

Source: Coffee News