Espresso does not have to be ugly.
Some great espresso brewing videos by K.C. O’Keefe of Peru’s Cafe Verde.
Chevere!
Espresso no tiene que se feo
Published November 24, 2009 coffee , coffee brewing , espresso Leave a CommentRoaster of the Year- Roast Magazine
Published November 23, 2009 coffee , coffee roasters Leave a CommentCongratulations to Equator Coffee (Macro) and Kickapoo Coffee (Micro) for winning the Roaster of the Year 2010 award by Roast Magazine. It has been awhile since I have tried either of the roasters’ coffees so I should see what I have been missing.
Late news about Peet’s buying Diedrichs and the future for Peet’s. Great article by Mike Ferguson at Fresh Ground Consulting. I came on to his blog a little late and have enjoyed his writing and perspective on coffee.
It will be interesting to see the next steps for Peet’s. Seems only logical for Peet’s to enter the One Cup brewer market. They have a very loyal following and will definitely pick up more fans.
I met Martin Diedrich twice and it was really nice to talk to him. He does produce some really remarkable coffees and deserves more recognition. Try some at Kean Coffee.
For those working in the coffee industry, there is not often a clear career path. Let’s face it, kids don’t decide they want to grow up and be a coffee buyer? How do you become one? What skills do you need to have? Have you ever met a coffee buyer?
Most people who work in coffee start out in retail as a barista and fall in love with a certain aspect. Perhaps the customers, brewing and experimentation, or fast paced business. Other come to coffee later in life and bring their business backgrounds or respective skills to a growing company. The coffee industry is diverse from retail to wholesale, commodity trading to marketing and sales.
The coffee business is a billion does business, but is not made of big salaries with benefits. Mostly individuals working in coffee are young and acquire knowledge over salary for a while, but may not call it a career yet. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of formal education in colleges on the coffee industry. Only a small percentage of individuals have a degree in business or agronomy. There needs to be more formal education in business, management and food science to see the coffee industry overcome hurdles for consumers.
Building out your career in coffee comes down to working with committed individuals that you can learn from and timing. Identify your interests and skills that you have. What skills do you need to have to suceed? Who can you learn from at work. When the time is right to apply for a new position or taking on more work, you will be prepared. Are there individuals in other companies that you want to work with?
Some advice on getting started:
- Education- take as many classes, attend SCAA workshops and read books on coffee. Look at taking a few business classes too.
- Taste daily- write down what you taste and taste coffees from a variety of roasters. Don’t just latch on to one type. Discuss your descriptions with others.
- Assess you skills. Are you good with people, writing, management or accounting? Sure everyone want to be a coffee buyer, but someone has to work in payroll.
- Be Critical and objective. Develop your own opinions.
- Be Professional. Courtesy, honesty and good business ethics goes along way.
Came across Coffee Analysts this week doing some research on staling effects of coffee. There are many great coffee consultants from Willem Boot to Kenneth Davids for start-up, small to large scale roasters. Coffee Analysts offer a full scale laboratory from sensory analysis, grading to product testing.
Verve Coffee Roasters has updated their website to order coffee.
I have been enjoying their Guatemala San Jose Ocana courtesy of Bloom Coffee this week. Thanks to Jake for the great shots of Streetlevel and a Chemex of Panama Elida Estate.
A nice succinct video on coffee processing by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
