I wanted to share some thoughts and views on what my experience has been like moving from Salt Lake City to Portland, Oregon. Let me start by talking about the first time I visited Portland about 7 years go. I was just getting into coffee at the time in Salt Lake city; frequenting Nobrow and brewing pour-overs at home obsessively. During that time, I of course had heard about Stumptown, Heart, and Coava. I got the chance to come here with my brother and father, and already knew I would aim to visit as many shops as I could. I was very intrigued and excited to visit the city because I knew that it was a city where Stumptown had paved the way for a progressive culture for coffee. The one thing that stood out to me at first was of course just how many coffee shops were here. Not just any coffee shops, but specialty coffee shops. That term was very new to me because Salt Lake City had a scarcity as far as specialty coffee shops went. Nobrow was doing their thing by serving solid coffee and bringing in multiple roasters with solid reputations to the awareness of a young and growing coffee scene in Salt Lake City. Roasters included at this time were names like: Intelligentsia, Coava, Onyx, Handsome Coffee Roasters (RIP), Sightglass, Ritual, Chromatic..I may have missed a few but as you can see already, Nobrow did a solid job of bringing these roasters to Salt Lake City. I was so excited, I felt like a kid in a candy store everytime I went in for a fresh bag. I should also mention that Caffe D' Bolla was also serving/roasting their own solid coffee and had been for a bit longer than Nobrow been around, but if you are in SLC and know about John and his views, you may understand why there is not a lot more to say. I have nothing against John, and will credit his shop to also helping my curiosity blossom but I do feel that his customer service has always been a bit rough. I noticed he really only started treating my with respect when he could see that I was entirely obsessed with coffee. Like I said, no disrespect but I just want to express that opinion. I will still say he has helped the coffee industry in SLC in bringing awareness to an elevated experience towards coffee especially with siphon brewed coffee, I just think that now there are many more great spots in SLC, and John refuses to accept that. Anyhow, aside from them I must also mention The Rose as they were serving Four Barrel coffee exclusively while also showcasing an amazing food and pastry menu. I ended up working at The Rose for a month in hopes of learning the ropes from the official Four Barrel training program, but ended up leaving as La Barba/Charming Beard was growing more and offered me a bit more of an opportunity. So, there is a bit of background as far as where Salt Lake City was as far as coffee goes. During that time Patrick from Blue Copper was probably still roasting at his house on a modified BBQ roaster sort of thing, and Levi from La Barba was also learning to roast at home. Those would be the two main roasters followed by Publik. who helped push the local scene even more. As things have progressed, all of these roasters continue to improve. For me, after 5 years the biggest thing that then happened in SLC was having Campos coffee come into town. We all knew it was a matter of time that a large company would set it's eyes on a growing city ready for something "new". As many of you who will read this know that I was at Campos for a year and a half. I will always appreciate the training and experience I received while working there, and have to say it was one of the strictest environments that I have worked in, and I say that in a way that is mostly positive but I will also be honest that it was probably also one of the more stressful places to work. I know I have strayed away from the main topic here, but that context is important to understand what it has been like now being in Portland. From what I see, Stumptown has continued to grow and grow and as many know that it had been acquired by Peets along with Intelligentsia a few years ago. I personally think Stumptown still has solid quality with their coffees but I would not say I visit them often. When I was living in SE I did enjoy going to the original location on Division, or the other on Belmont. I think this is because they are still low key, and not designed like their newer more minimalist downtown locations. They are cute old buildings, in neighborhoods that I really like being in. Aside from that, you still have Heart, Barista, and Coava killing it. Barista has started roasting their own coffees, along with still carrying other roasters like Case, Kuma and others. One interesting thing for me personally was having a company like Proud Mary here in Portland. It is eerily similar to the approach Campos had in Salt Lake City. There is nothing wrong with that, and I am not trying to hate on them.. I am just speaking from my experience. I still tell many people about them, because my favorite thing about what they do is bring some of the highest quality coffees to Portland, and roast them very well. I have to of course mention Push X Pull because they are a micro roaster bringing in amazing coffees, especially focused on natural and anaerobic processed coffee. I usually go there on my days off to treat myself, they are probably my favorite roaster in town. I am excited to see what continues in Portland. I have to say still I am very happy to be here and hope that soon I can get back to networking and meeting people in this industry, because that is a huge part of why I moved out here. I am very lucky to have so many options here, and definitely appreciate that.
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I wanted to take the time to write down some of my thoughts on how my work in coffee has been impacted, and overall what I have experienced during this pandemic. I was laid off March 16th 2020, and then returned back to work around August 2020. I did not go right back to Case Study, as they were still figuring out what they were doing. I actually ended up finding a position at Ratio, helping assemble machines out by Water Ave. For anyone not familiar with Ratio, they are a company based here in Portland, Oregon that designs and assembles two different models of home pour-over machines that are quite beautiful and brew very well. Now, I worked there for about a month until I heard from Case Study and was offered my old position back, as well as a nice raise. I decided to go back, as it seemed to me that it was going to be a position suited better for my advancement in the coffee industry.
Anyhow, I mainly wanted to talk about how things have changed and how we have adapted to service at Case Study. We have been operating one person shifts, from 7:30-3:00 since the start. I will admit, it has gotten a bit more difficult in the last few weeks. I think personally, I am once again feeling the burnout pretty hard. I believe it is a combination of things that personally for me, are hard to balance. I would of course say having unemployment for 5 months was nice, but of course it got boring especially since the lockdown was in effect. So, going right back into a full time schedule was good at first because I was quite ready to feel some sort of normality, like having someplace to be and work to do. But now that we are getting busier, and the mundane of the same schedule everyday is starting to hit.. I have become quite tired and bored. Now, I don't want to just sit here and complain, mainly I wanted to analyze. Another topic I wanted to discuss is customers and how different some interactions have been. Let me get straight to it: At first, many people were just so happy to have shops open again. They realized how important these spaces were for them, even if it meant they could only show up and wait in line, get a drink and be on their way. I had many good and pleasant interactions with customers who had always been very loyal to the company. It was nice to be back in a space where I could interact with customers again, albeit with masks, a plexiglass barrier in the way and usually for only a few minutes. Now, of course we must talk about the negative interactions. For the first few weeks, we did not have plexiglass installed. What we did was let customers know that we had to touch the screen for them when it was time to confront the ominous tip screen that we all have become so familiar with, on Square. Most people were fine with it, some people touched it by mere accident but with others it turned into very awkward situations. Now, we do have plexiglass but let me tell you, I have still had some people try to reach under and touch the screen.. lol. I will say I am happy to admit that MOST people do tip. I would say roughly on average we maybe get 2-3 people a day who just say no. Not all are that nice about it, though. We had someone send a review online once where they complained about being asked to tip. Then, you get people that respond in a way that seems to be translated into "oh, I guess", as if they don't have a choice, or are being forced to in that very moment. I know I am generalizing here, but I also feel I am really good at reading peoples tones. It's been rough, to be honest with you. I don't love having to ask so many times a day if people want to tip. I don't like getting no as a response, or no, thanks even... I don't want this to turn fully into a debate about tips, but this has become something quite relevant. In regards to covid, we of course have been forced to look at how service workers are treated, and there has been a lot of backlash coming from service workers who are sick of being treated like we are lesser. This plays a huge role for me in regards to tips, because I cannot help but notice how many people who seem to be doing so well, refuse to tip. I know this is a huge can of worms, but I just want to lay that out there. I have thought about this a lot. I don't feel like it's the general publics duty to help us financially by tipping, of course in a perfect world we would just be paid a wage where we could truly live comfortably, and tips could be extra for exceptional service... but that is sadly not the case and I have become so sick of the topic itself. Let me stray from that topic..as it can go on forever. My goal with this post was to capture a bit of how my experience has been as someone who has worked through a large chunk of this pandemic. I know others have been through much worse, especially healthcare workers and I want to say that I admire and respect their commitment to work through such a horrible time. I didn't have a list in mind to go through for this post, I kind of just wanted to freehand it. There is a lot more to say, but for now I think that this will do. For the last few weeks, we in the coffee industry (as in all industries) have been impacted by the closures brought from the Covid-19 virus. I myself was laid off work on March 16th. Since then, I have been on unemployment and feel extremely grateful and privileged, as I know many people have not been able to receive much assistance. I can't imagine how that can feel, the uncertainty of not knowing when work will return, or how bills will be paid. It makes me wonder more and more how we in the coffee industry can help support each other. I have seen so many people take initiative, and set up programs to help those who are in need or are unable to receive any assistance from the government. Other than purchasing beans, or purchasing drinks for takeaway, I feel there must be a better way to support the coffee industry at large. I also think about the producers and what they may be going through at origin. The coffee industry, even before this pandemic, has been in limbo in regards to fair wages for farmers and workers. We must also understand many of these coffee producing countries are highly affected by poverty and political unrest(amongst many more problems.) It's easy to not think about this when purchasing coffee, and I understand we all are going through tough times but I also believe it is also our duty as a society to be aware and help those in need, especially if we are in an adequate position to do so. All of these thoughts have come after reading a blog post from Sustainable Harvest, a coffee importer here in the US. I will provide the link for anyone wanting more information about how this pandemic is affecting producers. If you have any opinion over this matter, I would love to hear it. Especially any insight on what you believe is the best way for us here, at the end of the supply chain to help and support those in producing countries and also how to best support our local rosters. I will also provide the link the aforementioned blog post below:
I am finally going to start writing more in this blog. When I started it, I knew that there were not going to be many people reading it, but now I am going to put more of an effort to getting this out into the public. The last time I wrote, I was still working for Campos in SLC, Utah. I became Head Barista at our flagship in SLC and learned a lot from them. I am happy to announce that since then, I have moved to Portland, Oregon. As many close friends know, this has been a city that I have been wanting to live in for a while. I met someone who became a friend of mine while I was at the coffee convention in Boston last April and we remained in contact. After a few months, she offered me a room in her home here and I knew I had to take the chance and chase my dreams of making coffee a real career. When I first came out here 6 years ago, I was very inspired by the coffee culture. I have always looked up to Heart, Coava and Stumptown. I now have been here for 7 months and was working for Case Study Coffee Roasters as a barista, and was more recently going to become the trainer for the company. As many of you may already know, the covid virus has put a halt to many businesses, including the service industry. I have been out of work since the middle part of March. Even though I am not working, I want to make sure I am staying active within the coffee industry in any way I can. Some friends of mine and fellow coffee industry workers in SLC have initiated live sessions on Instagram talking about the state of affairs in regards to how this virus has affected our industry and what may come of it. I am going to try and continue that, and invite friends and colleagues to join me to discuss this and many other topics. I want these to be approachable to anyone who is simply interested in learning more about the coffee industry or even simply how to brew better coffee at home. I will also continue to write more within this blog and continue to document, as that was my plan all along. Thanks for reading!
Hello virtual friends! I have been slacking so badly at keeping up with this blog so I have decided today to put something together. I have always loved listening to stories of how people have found their way into working in the coffee industry. Especially here in Utah, where the culture is still fairly new, but that is all about to change here in the next few years. Anyhow, I wanted to just give some insight for anyone who may be interested. Let's start with the first times I had consumed coffee. As a kid, I grew up with parents who only drank instant coffee at home. Anything from Folgers or Taster's Choice was usually what my parents would brew in the morning. I absolutely loved the aroma of coffee, so I was always curious. My parents would always have friends come over and share traditional hispanic pastries with a cup of coffee, that's just always how it went. I remember I would always hang out with them in the living room because I liked the feeling of being part of this adult activity of catching up over coffee and pastries. My mother and father always took their coffee with a fair amount of cream and sugar. They would always let me sip some if I ever asked, but never let me drink too much. Other than at home, there was a time where my mother tried converting us into Christians for some reason. We at one point would somewhat regularly attend Christian church services in Spanish. My uncle had been a devout Christian since he had come into the country from Guatemala so he had convinced my mother that we should follow suit and try to attend church more often. I was never raised in a very religious manner, and had only sparingly attended church as a kid. I ended up enjoying the Christian services more so because of the high energy (as compared to LDS services, which my Grandmother from Guatemala, on my fathers side would take us to when she visited) and the fact that coffee was served every morning along with cheap muffins from Costco. Every Sunday I attended I looked forward to starting my day off with coffee (mind you, I was about 15 years old). Beyond that point, I continued drinking coffee into my late teenage years with my parents or when ever my mother would come home with a cup of crummy Mcdonald's coffee. I would sometimes go to Beans and Brews or Starbucks, but was never paying too much attention to what was the deeper story behind coffee. When I had started attending college, I had also taken a phone center job. In the lobby we had a Mr. Coffee and you were allowed to bring your own ground coffee. For a while, I would go to grocery stores and buy ground coffee as it made sense to me that I may be able to find something different. At the time I was still adding cream to my coffee because I really desired that roasty taste I would get from coffee but I was so used to the sweetness that my mother had taught me to prepare. I first started consuming black coffee right before I turned 21. The reason being was that my friends and I enjoyed hanging out downtown but at that age there really was no where else to hang out late other than Coffee Break, a coffee shop downtown that was open till 2 or 3 am. For some reason, the americano on the menu sounded interesting and I figured in my head this was the purest way to start drinking black coffee. I felt "cool" ordering if even though I had no idea what it was when I did. When I first tried an americano, it was obviously very dark and bitter, but I thought to myself: "this is how coffee tastes, yes?" I figured I was heading in the right direction. I started taking classes at the South City Campus during my second year of college and was working at a phone center that was quite near the airport. I usually had about 2 hours to kill after I had gotten off work and had class, so I started going to coffee shops downtown to do homework while I waited. It was then that I found Nobrow Coffee Werks (which is now Blue Copper Coffee). I had found an article online highlighting the aesthetic of this shop. I decided instantly that I needed to find this shop. So, I did. I still remember walking in the first time and being so intrigued at the interior. I had never been into a coffee shop with such a unique design. Safe to say, I instantly became a regular. I would stop in 2-3 times a week to have a 12 ounce latte and do homework. During that time, I found out about Caffe D' Bolla, a local roaster who had been around for quite some time (about 7 or 8 years at that point). If you have never been, I highly recommend it but I will save that for another post. Caffe D' Bolla was the first shop to introduce Syphon brewed coffee to Utah, and has been a pioneer for coffee in SLC. It was here that I did try a cup of coffee unlike anything I had ever tasted in my life. Since I had been drinking mostly espresso/milk drinks at Nobrow, I had no idea yet of how amazing a properly brewed cup of coffee could taste. The rest is history.. after that point I became obsessed with coffee. Everything about it: brewing, the beans, the equipment, the journey from farm to cup, and the coffee culture that I had suddenly peeked into. I continued to visit Nobrow regularly and slowly started purchasing every tool I would need to eventually start brewing pour-overs at home. I would buy coffee beans from Nobrow every 2 weeks and take them home to tinker with. I became very close with the baristas there and it quickly became a respite from college and work, both of which I was not happy with at the time. But finally, I had found something so captivating and beautiful, something I wanted to dedicate all of my energy into. A few months later I decided to stop going to school (sadly, I only needed a few more credits to finish my associates) and that I was going to pursue a future in the coffee industry. I knew it was a big risk, but it felt so right. I was sick of sitting on a desk all day and attending school when I still didn't know what in the hell I wanted to do with my life. I felt it was too soon to be doing that anyway. And now, here I am.. coming up on 5 years in coffee and I am so happy that I have been able to work with a handful of coffee roasters and meet so many amazing people along the way. I look forward to many more years of working with coffee and continuing to learn more and more while also being part of the community we have growing here in SLC that is passionate about coffee. To the future of coffee in Utah! Hello, to the few that have been able to find my blog (I'll admit firsthand, I have not been on top of this blog but am working on being able to keep it constant and interesting.) I will start with what has changed in the time that has passed since I last posted. I am now working for Campos a company based originally out of Sydney, Australia. I worked the first months up in Park City in our seasonal store, as we await for the SLC roastery to be ready for us. We are looking at opening mid May, as long as everything goes as planned. I am so excited to have the chance to work in SLC again and be surrounded by more people who are interested in coffee and community. With my last year at Publik having been less time on the bar and more in the warehouse, I am looking forward to serving Salt Lake City some of the best coffee this state will have the chance to taste. I am happy with Campos, it is a company that is willing to focus on coffee on every level and takes care of their employees. I look forward to the opportunities and learning that this company will offer me, as my goal is to always be furthering my knowledge as a coffee professional.
Here are a few images from the shops I visited in February. This was my third time to both of these cities so I really just went back to my favorites. In SF I visited the following shops: Sightglass (both locations), The Mill, Four Barrel on Divisadero, Ritual on Haight St., and Andytown. I only had a short time in Oakland but I was able to finally visit the original Blue Bottle Roastery.
The bay area is such a gem of a scene. I had the chance of visiting Verve in Santa Cruz and Chromatic in San Jose last year and they were both great establishments. I have also been to plenty of shops in LA and am always pleasantly surprised at what the California coffee scene has to offer. I still remember the first time I visited Nobrow, about 3 and a half years ago now.. I walked in and was warmly greeted by one of the friendliest baristas (and to this day, person) I have ever met. His name is Duffy, of course. Many people newer to the coffee scene may not recognize the name Nobrow or know much of the history behind it. I wanted to talk about it today because this shop was truly the place where most of my curiosity for coffee was cultivated. That first time I went, I was led by an online article with pictures of the shop, I was very drawn in by the aesthetics and design. At first, I didn't believe there was such a place that existed in Salt Lake City. I was very new to coffee at the time and was on the lookout for good coffee. I had already been to Portland once and it was then where I noticed that people were really taking coffee seriously, not only in what they serve but also how they designed their shops to look and feel. I eventually became a regular, sticking with a 12 ounce latte for a good while until they made me aware of the fact that an 8 ounce latte would have the same amount of coffee, but less milk. Seeing all of the coffee they had to offer at the time really made me want to start brewing at home. The list was extensive, ranging from big names like Intelligentsia, Handsome Coffee Roasters, Ritual Coffee Roasters to local roasters like Charming Beard (now, La Barba) and Blue Copper. I always asked questions and the staff there did a great job, especially when I was in there numerous times a week trying out different coffees. Jeremy was probably the first barista there that I began to talk to more and more. I think he noticed that I was becoming quite fond of coffee. Anytime I had a question about what my water/coffee ratio brewing at home or grind size would be, I would ask him. Joe Evans, of course was the person to talk to about coffee. He was the original founder of Nobrow and had before that been trained by Intelligentsia. He, in my eyes, was truly a pioneer for the Salt Lake coffee scene. During that first year of finding Nobrow, I ended up finding my first job in coffee with then Charming Beard when they opened a cafe inside of the business building at the University of Utah. I worked for Charming Beard/ La Barba for just under a year and was lead barista for them. During all of this time I had also met Patrick, who was the founder/roaster for Blue Copper. Around 3 months after Nobrow ended up merging with Blue Copper to become one as a roaster and cafe, I was offered a job at the Blue Copper Coffee Room. I, of course, accepted the job with complete happiness. I was ready for growth and what better way than being offered a job at the some shop where my love of coffee grew and grew more each day? I wrote this because I wanted to give a little bit of insight on the development of what would be a huge time of growth for the "third wave"/specialty coffee scene in Salt Lake City. Also, to acknowledge Nobrow as one very important establishment in that growth. People like Joe Evans and all of those baristas who worked at Nobrow and still work at Blue Copper Coffee room now helped push the scene and further elevate the quality of coffee in a city few people think good coffee exists, to this day. So, thanks Nobrow. You won't be forgotten.
For a while now, I have watched the way baristas work behind the bar. I have always been someone who is very clean and tidy, and when I started making drinks behind the bar, that stayed true. One situation in particular has boggled my mind: some baristas do not seem to think that cleaning the entire portafilter after emptying it out is necessary. The first time I worked alongside someone who I'd notice wouldn't properly rinse it out, they claimed that they were "seasoning" the portafilter to block out what they called 'metallic' flavors. I wasn't buying it; I still don't. I have begun to watch more baristas and many times, a barista will knock the puck out and they proceed to directly wipe it with a rag. Without rinsing out any of the grounds that are left over inside of the basket and even underneath it.. To me, this is confusing. Anytime I empty my puck, I then rinse the basket inside and out and then insert it into the group to also rinse hot water through it. I even will give the group a slight flush to remove any of the grounds that may have remained along the rubber gaskets. Give this a try, and you will notice that quite a bit of residue remains there, just waiting to become rancid coffee oils. I know, I know... cafes are busy and it is hard to set that much time aside to clean the portafilter. But, do we really want to risk having any of the old grounds pushed into our fresh puck? Yes, you may lose 3-5 seconds, but there must be a way to train barista to make it a habit and then eventually..."ll be a quick and easy process, ensuring that the only thing that is being pressurised through the basket is freshly ground coffee without any residue from the previous shot... In my opinion, that is very much worth a couple of seconds. If you are a barista, I would love to hear your opinion on the matter!
I was lucky enough to be featured on an episode for KUED where they highlight individuals in their field of work. I am very proud to be able to represent the growing coffee industry in Salt Lake City. Thank you to everyone who has given me the chance to work for them. Cheers! |