Holiday Socks and Mountain Tops

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Jan 202012
 

There I sat, coffee in hand, my not-to-be-worn-in public 80s fleece socks on my feet, and fantastic morning hair. My headache was thanks to last night’s disproportionate mix of hot cocoa and rum, and too many dips into the bowl of gingerbread house “decorations”.

Rounding out the morning scene was my husband, enjoying his coffee next to me, while we taunted our tweenage son who was trying to pinpoint the much anticipated electronic device that he was really praying the man in a red suit had delivered. In about 30 minutes we’d all be heading off for our Christmas morning ski runs– a tradition in our family.

Gliding up the chairlift for our first run of the day, this hit me in oddly cool way –I realized at that exact moment that all across the country, people were enjoying their morning cup of Lizzy’s.

I’m pretty sure at least one other person was sipping their latte wearing some freaky 80s socks or PJ bottoms that are never allowed to be seen in public. I pictured a family that was up WAY too early, thanks only to their extra spunky 5 year old twin girls, and the grandpa who lingered in the kitchen, strategizing how to sneak another piece of bacon that his wife now forbids him to eat.

Of course I also pictured all the custom coffee labels that were being opened as gifts, and imagined all the people who would be sipping our coffees for the first time.

Yes, I had you all sipping your coffees in your frosted holiday postcard scenes….

A few days later, this picture landed in my email in box.

Rob Landis, enjoying his morning cup of Lizzy's while climbing Aconcagua "Some things are just too important to compromise on."

Not only did it make me feel like a big sandbagger for using my home espresso machine to make my coffee, but it also drew my attention to the fact that on Christmas morning I was actually getting a motor driven ride UP the mountain, which made me a double sandbagger.

Why? Well, this picture was taken on the route up Acongogua. For those of us needing a nudge on our 5th grade geography, that is the highest peak in the Americas. Yes, sissy friends, that’s 22,841 feet of mountain in Argentina, all of which Rob Landis and his friends climbed over the holidays.

December 26th at an elevation of 19,100 feet, Rob enjoyed his morning cup of Lizzy’s, as he’d been doing every morning of his climb.

His friends on the trip looked at him oddly when he first unveiled his 12 oz bag of coffee, as they were a little stumped. What kind of mountain dude ever packs an ounce more than necessary! Maybe all those years of mountain adventure had finally pushed him to the side of crazy. Or, maybe just the opposite happened.

When his climbing mates asked him in disbelief, “You brought coffee?”
Rob’s reply to them simply says it all. “You didn’t?”

Rob, you definitely took the prize for best holiday sipping moment.

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The Matchmaker, 8 Tips for Finding Your Coffee Soul Mate

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Oct 162011
 

Lately I’ve been watching episodes of a newly discovered show for me called Millionaire Matchmaker. I’m not particularly proud of this, but I just can’t look away from the collection of over-tanned dudes with crazy white teeth attempting to make love connections with the wear-a-party-dress-everywhere-they-go girly girls.

I keep coming back to watch it again, though, because in between the ridiculous, and past the outward appearances, a fair percent of these love-hungry people really are very intelligent, diverse, and downright good people. I find myself cheering for the good guy, telling the smart got-it-all-together chick to move on, and wondering how this clearly lovable man hasn’t found a partner in life yet.

Sit tight, because I’m not about to talk endlessly about the Bravo network, but I totally relate to the challenge the matchmaker faces with each match she attempts to make for her love-hunting clients. When she begins her matchmaking, she always asks the client what they’re searching for in a mate, and they usually answer with a super broad reply like “I like brunettes”.

She grimaces, and then starts surgically extracting more information about their likes, dislikes, and past failures to reach some basic direction to the kind of mate she might find for them.

I totally get the job she has to do. I know I’m not a bedazzled L.A. matchmaker, but not unlike her job, I have to make sense out of the vague, and guide people to their love matches.

My reality TV show? The Coffee Bean Matchmaker – Going on nothing but “I like Colombian”, or “I like a dark roast”, then taking clients from an unsatisfied past with coffee into their newly evolved relationship with the bean.

Are you trying to find your coffee soul mate? Here are a few tips for you to help your matchmaker get you what you’re searching for the next time you visit your favorite coffee roaster.

1. Quality counts. Yep, if you’re searching for an intelligent, loving, athletic, and complex mate, you’re not likely going to find that person at your local Booze-n-Pole at 2 a.m. It’s certainly possible, but let’s agree – not likely. If you’re looking for quality coffee, start with a roaster that roasts quality product.

2. Coffees have endless profiles. Like people, no two coffees are identical. Saying “I like Colombian” is the equivalent of saying “I like Colombian women”. What’s more helpful? Talk about what you liked or disliked about the last Colombian you tried (coffee that is). Describe some of what you tasted, or how it tasted brewed in your French press. A little more information will help the roaster read between the lines.

3. Ask for help. Know that your roaster can send you home with a great coffee in hand, but you can still mess up the relationship big time by using a bad quality grinder, brewer, or random bad habit that will send you to divorce court before the second date. Ask your roaster for grinding, brewing and storing tips to help you score a home run.

4. Don’t assume. If you got dumped by your lady friend, and decided to date her sister in hopes that she’d be exactly the same person, you’re on the wrong track. Just like siblings, a coffee from the same growing region might offer similar qualities, but might not meet your expectations. Even the exact same coffee, from the exact same farmer, the next harvest season can taste different. Weather conditions, harvest timing, and coffee processing can all affect the final result.

5. You have the right to expect consistency. Yep, if you fall in love with her fun jokes, bright personality, and loving attention, you don’t want to wake up to bridezilla six months from now. Just the same, a coffee roaster’s blends, although constantly evolving with changing harvests or availability, should always land where expected in terms of what is delivered in your cup. A roaster producing signature blends will tweak them with careful tasting and testing to keep the similar experience on track over the seasons. A single origin from the same lot should stay consistent with each fresh batch during the limited months it’s available, but likely expect changes when the new harvest arrives the next year.

6. Get to know her background. I don’t believe that a person should be judged by her family, but the reality is that what goes on behind the scenes of a roasterie are things you can ask about. What is the roaster’s experience level? What kind of ongoing training do they do? What kind of roasting system is used? Is the roaster’s process certified organic? If you like what you’re sipping, then maybe none of this matters, but when wooing a new mate these things help paint a more complete picture about what can be expected as your relationship grows.

7. How old is she? Yes, it might be rude to ask a woman’s age, but if you wanna have some little ones running around your house in the coming years, you’ll probably want to know how that biological clock is doing. Coffee is no exception. Ask its age every time, and only go for the fresh stuff. It should be right there in front of you on the bag or roasterie bin. If it’s not, don’t date.

8. Finally, don’t be afraid to play the field. Those willing to try new things will often be rewarded most. Coffee origins, blends, and roast degrees will all contribute to the flavor in your cup, so try to find the coffee personality that makes you giggle most. This includes brew methods. Be open to drip, pour over, press or espresso if you have the chance to explore. Some will find their true love and form a committed relationship, while others may prefer switching it up all the time. Whatever your style, coffee is totally cool either way.

Most of all, have fun, and happy dating…uhh….errr….sipping.

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Snapshooter Profile October

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Oct 132011
 

Check out our latest featured photographer! Greg Ha won our October “Sunriser” label spot, and it looks like all those hours in the photo lab as a kid have paid off…at least this month!

Name: Greg Ha, MD
Home Town: Bend, OR

What’s your story? When I was in high school my siblings and I built a black and white photo lab inside our house. I spent many hours there thinking that maybe someday I would be a professional photographer for a magazine like National Geographic. I never got that good at photography, but I do still love taking pictures.

What’s your favorite thing to photograph?
My favorite thing to photograph by far is my daughter Samantha. She has taught me that you have to take a lot of photographs to get one good photograph.

Greg's winning Sunriser picture

What would you say to someone else about the Lizzy’s Fresh Label contest?
I would encourage anyone to enter the Fresh Label Contest. Fun for the coffee lover and photographer in all of us.

Oh yes, what’s your favorite way to drink your coffee?
My favorite way to drink my coffee is not necessarily the way I make my coffee. Although I love my french press and newly acquired vacuum pot, it’s having the time for each step when making my coffee. Weighing the beans, grinding the beans, pressing the pot, and drinking it without having to rush out the door.

Where can our readers see more of your photography? No blog, website, or Flickr page, but maybe I’ll just have to enter the contest again!
****
Do you have the perfect shot for one of the Lizzy’s Fresh Coffee labels? Submit it for a chance to win the cover of one of our coffees a free month of coffee! Go to www.lizzysfreshcoffee.com to submit online now.

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How to Store Coffee – 3 Tips

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Oct 102010
 

Ok, so you’ve purchased some amazing freshly roasted coffee. How do you take care of it from here? What? Rules, you’re thinking? Yep…but if you know these 3 secrets, your coffee will be tasty for up to 2 weeks.

Coffee’s Life is Very Short: Unfortunately, coffee will only stay fresh and flavorful for up to 2 weeks from its roasting day. So ideally you purchase only what you can consume in that time. During the staling process, the oils oxidize, becoming rancid, and the aromas disappear…yep….poof. Sorry, there’s no botox on the planet that can delay it. The good news is that you can be sure that it’s as slow as possible so you can enjoy every sip during the short time you have together.

Know the Enemies: Coffee is kind of anti social. Air, moisture, and light are coffee’s enemies. Plain and simple…letting these be all up in your coffee’s business will make your coffee stale faster than you can say yuck. Store your coffee in an airtight, opaque container to keep it happy.

Coffee Hates to be Cold or Hot: Finicky little thing, it is. Never store your 2 week fresh coffee supply in the freezer or refrigerator. And never store in a hot place like on top of a fridge or in a cabinet over the oven. In and out of the freezer or fridge introduces moisture, and exposure to heat gives the coffee sweaty armpits. Both situations break down the amazing intense aromas and flavors. Coffee likes to be at room temperature, right on your countertop. Read our blog about freezing coffee.

Options for Storage:

The bag it came in. Here at Lizzy’s we package our coffee immediately after roasting in foil bags with one-way degassing valves (that’s the little thing that looks like a belly button on your coffee bag). This allows the CO2 to escape, but doesn’t allow any oxygen in. It also keeps away moisture and light. It’s a great way to store your coffee if you simply roll down the bag, squeezing out the excess air, and flip back the tin tie or tape to create a nice tight seal.

A Decorative Tin or Container: Need a little more style than the bag? You can store in a decorative container, IN the foil bag. Follow directions above, then place entire coffee-in-bag in your container.

In a Container Designed to Hold Coffee, like the AirScape Storage Container: A sweet stainless steel design has a double lid system. The first lid presses excess air out of the chamber and blocks light. The second see-through lid creates an additional barrier, plus lets you see the contents level inside. Super clever, clean, and easy to use. Ideal for use with whole bean storage.

Sorry, the bad news is that if your coffee is already old, there’s no storage method in the world to make it come back to life. You might have to “repurpose” your coffee, or simply suffer through drinking it until it’s gone if that’s your style.

Do you have a question or a comment about this post? Tell us what you think below. If you like it, please share it on Facebook, Like it, or re-tweet!

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Cappuccino Math

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Sep 132010
 

Cappuccino...6 oz of pure coffee-milk-foam yumminess

Turquoise. They gave me a turquoise car. Of course they did. Whatever. At least I have my GPS, and I will not get lost on my super-fantastic-coffee-hub-of-the-universe -adventure. Plus, I have Nevada plates on this sweet “economy” vehicle, so people will definitely know to keep off my back-end as I bob and weave to the voice of the GPS telling me to merge left and right within the same 20 feet.

The afternoon was saved for a visit to our green coffee importer to cup new coffees to offer this fall and winter. With the morning free, though, I decided that I’d take a mini-tour of some of the highly regarded coffee shop/roasters in this oh-so-famous city of coffee. Not like I wasn’t gonna go caffeine free until the afternoon… clearly an impossibility.

So I set my sites on just 3 of the recommended coffee shop/roasters. You know – the ‘little’ guys – the ones doing it right. There’s always something new to learn from everyone in this coffee biz in my book, and I never pass up the opportunity to explore.

At the first stop I decided I was going to enjoy a cappuccino. I had to laugh at the menu immediately, and flash to an experience I had last week when a would-be customer stumbled into our roasting facility, thinking it was a café, and ordered (without saying good-morning I might add) a “dry cappuccino”.

My first reaction I had to this person, who clearly had been deprived of caffeine for at least the past 12 hours, and possibly was still reeling from a little too much wine at last night’s dinner party was……WT*# do you mean a DRY cappuccino?

Umm…Hmm….Ok, here’s the thing. My very literal brain, that has been trained by hours of both expert books and baristas is thinking…”but lady, the definition of a cappuccino is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, 1/3 foam (which is really 2/3 milk-foam, geniusly married with the coffee, and delicately separating into subtle layers). It’s served in a 5.5 or 6 oz cup. And that’s that. Cappuccino, defined.

So isn’t asking for something that isn’t the definition of something, not actually the thing itself? And why the heck would you want to mess with the pure deliciousness, texture, and experience of a perfectly balanced cappuccino? It’s like asking for hollandaise sauce without the butter….or a slice of chocolate cake with the frosting removed. It’s just not right. Fortunately for the customer, I pointed her in the direction of a café that was open, and avoided the urge to unleash my “definitions” upon her that morning. She didn’t seem interested in purchasing coffee to brew at home as a realistic option, so it was kind one of those “we broke up with each other” moments.

So back to Seattle. My first stop offered several size options for cappuccino: a shop-defined ‘traditional’ 6 oz, an 8 oz, or a 12 oz. What’s going on here? What’s up with these size choices?

Do the math with me. If you’re pouring a coffee that’s ratios of 1/3rd each espresso, milk, and foam, and a double 2 oz portion of espresso is the standard “serving”, then the largest drink you would create is 6 oz. Simple!

If you’re doing an 8 oz cappuccino, with ratios intact, you need to pump it up to about 3 shots of espresso, and if you’re doing a 12 oz cappuccino, you need to jack yourself out on 4 shots of espresso. I know you’re with me, because this is easy math…even with the scary presence of fractions.

But that’s not what is happening at all. After asking the question to the very nice barista, what’s being served is just the same 2 oz of espresso, with more milk-foam. This is a total teetering of the balance of the cappuccino universe!

Well, after I enjoyed both a lovely “traditional” and a perfect “small” cappuccino that day at two different coffee shops, let’s jump ahead to the next morning when I was at the airport and I had NO other coffee choice except for a well-known chain that got its start in this great city. In all fairness to my coffee tour of Seattle, I thought, I should throw out the order for the cappuccino here too. So I did (I know).

I ordered a “small”, thinking I would get an 8 oz cup, probably filled only to a 6 oz level, poured like it should be. Well lesson in ordering, because small is tall, and the other small is “short”.

What I ended up with in my hand was a 12 oz thing, with 2 oz of espresso, about 8 oz of crazy hot milk, and 2 puffy ounces of seriously over-stiffened kitchen sink soap bubbles intended to act as “foam”. This is a coffee bummer, to say the least.

But, AAAAAGGG ! That’s when it hit me! The lady, who I’ve now decided was not bossy or crazy at all, was probably so used to these giant milk beverages being passed off as cappuccinos, that she’s adjusted her ordering to say “dry”, in an attempt to get much less milk – simply aiming for the right proportions of coffee, milk and foam. Is that it?

I think it is. I think that’s what I’m going with. It isn’t really her fault at all that the whole world of proper coffee definitions has been modified into a language that changes from day to day, city to city, and shop to shop. It’s like Switzerland for crissake. Can’t we all just talk the same damn language?

Probably not. So I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, because it’s d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. Call it “traditional”, call it “small”, but don’t call it “dry”. (Although if someone does ask for something dry, I might try to interest them in the new line of powdered body lotion we’re working on. )

Thanks great city of Seattle for expanding my coffee universe yet again, turquoise car and all.

Here’s a little cappuccino just for you….

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Featured August Snapshooter

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Aug 072010
 

Photographer Tara Reifenheiser always wows us with her snaps!


Photographer Name: Tara Reifenheiser
Home Town: Long Island, New York

Would you say you’re a snapshot taker, or a pro, or something in between? I am definitely not a pro, but I do take pictures everyday. I consider my love for photography a healthy obsession and a large part of my life. I either have something in mind I want to shoot, or I will just randomly snap the shutter. I do not leave the house without my camera. It trumps my purse and cell phone.

This month's winning snap from Tara...


What kinds of pictures do you enjoy taking? I consider myself an ecclectic photographer who enjoys shooting all people, all places, and all things. My passion is taking pictures that tell a story or convey a mood or emotion. I often pair my images with music lyrics or song titles on my website, since photography and music are the loves of my life.
Have you had a chance to share your fame, or your coffee with others? Absolutely! I share my fame with all friends and family who have enjoyed the coffee labels as well as Lizzy’s coffee. And I drink Lizzy’s coffee every morning. What’s interesting is that I was a tea drinker until I was introduced to Lizzy’s coffee. Lizzy’s coffee turned me into a coffee addict! My sister in law was laughing about how I didn’t know how to use our coffee maker last year, and now I am grinding our Lizzy’s coffee every morning.

And last but not least…what’s your favorite way to brew and drink your coffee? Vanilla creamer and cinnamon.

Anyone can submit a snapshot for a chance to have your pick featured and win a free month of coffee: Click Here

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Rock Star in the House!

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Jul 112010
 

Hanging out with the peeps

If you’ve ever been in the presence of someone who’s truly great at what they do, it can be remarkable. Greats come in all forms. Some greats let their egos ride shotgun, and others glide with calm humility and a humble tone to their achievements. This week I had the pleasure of working side by side with the latter.

When reading the coffee resume of Sammy Piccolo, it’s almost impossible to avoid hearing the announcer, seeing the crazed entrance lights and picturing the screaming fans in your head. A successful coffee business founder, Canadian national barista champion, and world class competitor in the coffee world…and absolutely none of that comes through his welcoming handshake, warm greeting, and offer to make you any coffee you’d like.

Last Wednesday at my store Sammy became our guest barista, and wowed the crowd with his insane latte art, practically pouring each cup with his eyes closed. Yes, I’m still at that phase where I can’t pour and speak at the same time, not to mention remove one of my senses entirely, so call me impressed for sure.

We cracked open some of the simplest and best brewing equipment too, proving that you don’t have to go broke to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee.

Sammy talks about steaming milk

Truly the best part of the day was watching my customers stream in the door, bringing friends, enjoying their coffees, laughing, sharing and learning. I’ve said it before, but it’s too true….Coffee just brings people together. It’s so joyful, so fun, and just about as simple as it gets. Thanks Sammy for hanging out with us here in Ketchum Idaho! You’re welcome back any time.

Coffe (martinis) bring people together...hey it was after 5!

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To Freeze?

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Mar 092010
 

Where to store these little jewels?

Where to store these little jewels?


“Should I store my coffee in the freezer?”
Without a doubt, this is the most frequently asked question I get from customers, so here it is….the unfrozen answer…..

Picture this…..There you are at the bakery. You point to the clerk…”I’d like one of those, and one of those, and one of those.” Just baked, and still just room temperature you run home to throw the perfectly delicious raspberry almond, peach, and strawberry pastries into the freezer so they will stay “fresh” for your afternoon coffee party with friends. You go to the freezer 6 hours later to pull your pastries out to thaw in time for your guests’ arrival. Not only are they hard as a rock, but they now smell like the Dino-Nuggets and fish sticks wedged deep in the freezer 18 months ago. You pretend like this doesn’t bother you, and let the baked goods thaw at room temperature, only to find that when finally thawed, the flaky crust, and chewy center, and fresh fruit have been turned into a soggy, flat and sad excuse for the once amazing baked goods you purchased earlier that day. Sure they still taste pastry-like, but you’ve moved them from a “10” to a “6” at best. Your friends officially think you suck, and would like never to be invited for afternoon coffee at your house again.

So what the does that have to do with coffee besides the fact that it’s coffee hour? Everything. If you are going to buy freshly roasted coffee (I mean freshly roasted, like in the past 1-3 days), and you’re going to be able to drink what you’ve purchased over the next 8-13 days, don’t put it in the freezer. Yes, a pastry’s freshness window is really only about 12 hours, whereas coffee is about 2 weeks, so adjust your imagination accordingly. If you can drink the coffee you have purchased during its freshness window, simply store in an airtight, opaque container and normal room temperature. Enjoy it every day until it’s gone. If your coffee came in a foil coffee bag with a one way degassing valve on it, and can be closed well, that’s also a great way to store it.

If you can’t drink the fresh coffee you’ve purchased within the 2 week freshness window, then here are your options. (Pay attention…none of this matters one bit if you’ve purchased old coffee already.)
1. Don’t care, and know that your coffee’s flavor will deteriorate during the time it takes you to drink it. Keep it all stored at room temp in an airtight container.
2. Try to make it better, and take the portion that you can’t drink in 2 weeks and store it in your freezer in an airtight, opaque container. Enjoy the fresh portion you’ve kept out at room temperature until it’s gone. Once your room-temperature stores have depleted, remove your frozen portion from the freezer, and store and use at room temperature from then on. Know that your frozen coffee’s flavor will be less amazing than the freshly -roasted-never-frozen-version of itself. Don’t expect your coffee to hold on in the freezer for longer than a month.

The most important thing to realize is that making a hybrid version of the above is a terrible idea.….thinking that by just KEEPING your coffee in the freezer day after day, that it will stay better. Not true! We all know that anything we freeze changes in texture and taste. Loaf of bread? That Marlin you caught in Cabo last fall? You get the point.

Think of it this way. You’re a young 15 year old girl has just discovered makeup (ok, hang with me here). You ever-so-slightly apply some mascara and eyeshadow to your eyes to highlight their green color, then brush a little lip gloss onto your perfect little lips to brighten your amazing smile. You go out on a date looking this way, and you’re georgeous. The world acknowledges your undeniable beauty and radiance, and compliments come from every angle. The next day, still enjoying yesterday’s compliments, you think to yourself “if some makeup was that awesome, then I’ll, like, just put more on, and everyone will think I’m INCREDIBLE!”

Nope. Wrong. Now you look like a hooker, and not the “good” kind. Don’t turn your coffee into a street walking train wreck by keeping it stored in the freezer. (You know who you are…you have that half-sealed bag sitting in there right now. Every day it goes in and out of the freezer, forms condensation on the beans, picks up the freezer’s odors, and breaks down the fantastic flavor and aroma characteristics to the point where your coffee just tastes like the old ice cubes on the top shelf behind the sad frozen open bag of broccoli).

The best world scenario is to buy only what you need for 2 weeks, get it fresh, treat it with respect, and enjoy it until it’s gone. Then, buy more fresh coffee and do it all over again. Think of the freezer as an emergency situation that’s only brought in when you get invited on a sudden beach vacation to Baja. When you get back, you’ll still be basking in your sun-tanned look and post Tequila fogginess, so you have a few days to burn up the frozen stuff before your brain kicks in to reality and tells you it’s time to buy more fresh coffee.

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Snapshooter Profile December

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Dec 072009
 

Check out this month’s featured photographer, Michael Bryan….

Photographer Name: Michael Bryan
Home Town: Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Michael Bryan_06-2009

Michaels snowman....one of 3 winning snapshots voted by our customers

Michaels snowman....one of 3 winning snapshots voted by our customers


Would you say you’re a snapshot taker, or a pro, or something in between?
I would say I am somewhere between a serious amateur and a pro.

What kinds of pictures do you enjoy taking?
I really enjoy shooting macro’s, especially of flowers, but I am expanding my horizons a bit and starting to do more landscape shots. My photos can be seen on Flickr at mbryan777. In fact my Lizzy’s Fresh Coffee label is featured there.

Have you had a chance to share your fame, or your coffee with others?
I’ve been sending bags of Lizzy’s coffee to friends and family and they like it!

And last but not least…how do you take your coffee?
I like my coffee strong, so I grind it fine. Then I add a bit of hazelnut creamer.

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Who Invited the Russian Judge?

 3 Responses »
Aug 272009
 

I am the Russian Judge. It’s possible I’ve been bribed by Don Carlos, or the little girl I call the Candy Lord (she’s mastered the art of manipulation using her endless supplies of hard candies). I can be bought, and I know nothing of what I speak. I could hold up a “10” when all the other judges are holding a “6”. Just stand back and be ready to gasp at the results….

Breathing a big sigh of relief I woke up from this morning reality TV dream and got my bearings. It was day 2 in Monserrate, Colombia, and I was there to judge 59 coffee farmers’ hard work with a sniff, a slurp, and a pencil. The top 5 winners would take home cash prizes, and enjoy extra per-pound profits as a result, not to mention earn the respect and envy of every neighbor on the coffee growing hill top. That’s a lot of pressure, and the hopes and dreams of these coffee farmers were waiting on the judgment of 9 people, one being me.

My dream wasn’t far off, because among the room of judges were experienced Q Graders, coffee roasters with several years’ experience, and coffee industry professionals who’ve collectively slurped and spit more coffee than I’ve roasted in my career.

So here’s the gig: “Cupping” is the act of “tasting” coffee. There is a strict protocol to create an equal playing field for the coffees to compete. All must have been roasted the same way, ground the same, measured to precisely 12 grams, brew using water at 203 degrees for exactly 4 minutes, and then be tasted on characteristics ranging from aroma to acidity to body to aftertaste, among others. Scores are tallied and compiled to widdle these 59 coffees down to the top 10 on the final day for a showdown between the best.

I tentatively dipped my spoon into the first cup of joe for a slurp. Nope, it’s not a dainty act. It’s a big airy suck of wind that sprays the coffee into your mouth in order to expose all the flavors the coffee has to offer. A quick swish and the coffee is spit into my personal little spit-cup. Within that mini-moment, I’m supposed to get my head around that coffee. Does it taste like mango dancing in the sunlight of a lemon field laced with a cashew velvet? It was up to me to decide.

At first it was really really hard, and although I wasn’t completely off base, I felt like my assessments were contrived and unnatural. I talked with the others as they all gave me tips on what “body” really felt like, on what number to assign “aroma” and how to detect what really was a “nuttiness”. I was really trying to pick apart every bit of the coffee and mechanically decipher its features and benefits (the downfall of being a boxes and squares kind of gal). I quickly realized this just wasn’t going to work for me, and began wondering where the bribers were hiding because I was pretty sure my vote could be bought at that point.

We came back to the cupping table number 2 and I just decided that I was going to block out all the noise and words that I was trying to put to the coffee and just taste. The clouds parted, and I believe the Virgin herself paid me a visit because all of a sudden this coffee cupping pace gained a momentum and ease that could only be matched by a near effortless downhill ski run in fresh powder. I know, cheesy, huh? But really….just the same. If someone would tell you how to ski and describe every angle of the turn from your knees’ degree of bend, to the pressure assigned to each foot, to the intensity of the grip on your pole, you’d crack. Your first turn would end with a faceplant and yardsale. But instead, if you eased up, let go, and just felt the snow and what it needed to provide you a pillow upon which to arc your perfectly glossed boards? Pure Warren Miller ski movie magic baby.

In two and a half days of tasting, some tables were easier than others, but I seemed to be getting it. Even though my descriptions of the coffees lacked more than 3 adjectives, I could say yum, yuck, and so-so to every coffee on the table right at pace with the group. They taught me so much, gave me so much insight, and made me happy that I wasn’t the only one who could accidentally dip my nose into the cup, or choke on a slurp.

The grand finale was on the final round when we discussed our rankings of the coffees at the table. I knew which coffees I liked and wanted to share with my customers, and I knew what I didn’t like. I learned that not everyone has the same favorite, but I also realized that when a coffee was great, it was great. It was such a joy to realize we’d all voted on the winning coffee when all 9 of our hands went up in unison, and I was not, in fact, that crazy Russian Judge at all. Suck that Candy Lord.

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