“The enemy.” In a recent conversation with one of my co-workers, he asked me if he should consider another local coffee shop to be “the enemy” now that he worked here. I told him my take is that there is absolutely no reason he should feel that way, and for two reasons: Value and trust.… [Read more…]
August 31, 2011
The past several weeks — months, really — have been mildly crazy. Lots and lots of work, with not a whole lot of reprieve. I’m fine with that, though, as I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to learn and explore, all the while being paid. Right now, this very moment, I have several batches of… [Read more…]
April 3, 2011
This is the first in a series of interviews with the people that help to make the Louisville coffee scene what it is. My hopes in profiling such a set of individuals is simple: I want to showcase not only the baristas behind the bar, but also the customers those baristas serve, because both are… [Read more…]
February 22, 2011
Over two years ago, this conversation took place: Peter: ”It’s happening, Toto.” Me: ”What is?” Peter: ”I’m starting to like black coffee. Every time you make some, I have a bit of it black and then pour the chocolate into the rest of it to compare…I might like the black more…I can’t tell yet.” Me: ”Hahahaha!” Peter: ”You’ve ruined me.”… [Read more…]
December 4, 2010
I feel exhausted. It’s been a long, long week, and I feel like my brain has way too many things it wants to do, including sleep for a week. Still, I feel a need to go ahead and write out a few short thoughts by way of reflection, if for no other reason than to… [Read more…]
November 26, 2010
One of the things those of us in the coffee industry often espouse is the ethical sourcing of coffee. There’s a reason good coffee costs more, and it’s not just because someone feels they can get away with charging a higher price; in reality, quality coffee doesn’t happen on accident, and that price is a… [Read more…]
November 25, 2010
A couple of days ago, I was thinking while walking home. I do this quite often; the time it takes me to move my legs for that mile-and-a-half lets my mind run freely, often scampering over topics closely tied to coffee. As I pondered the next “move” in my coffee journey, I realized why I… [Read more…]
November 23, 2010
For a long while now, Petunia has been bothering me about competing in the Prima Coffee Barista Bash 004 best cup competition. Methods of said bothering include repeated questioning, suggesting, and discussing bribery with a meal from Morton’s. To be fair, I suggested bribery with a meal from Morton’s, and Petunia said no dice… but… [Read more…]
November 29, 2011
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