Monday, October 13, 2014

I Love Chemist's



Being in the Specialty Coffee business is truly one of the most rewarding pursuits that I've been a part of. The people are incredibly dedicated to their craft. The customers are always cool to you and to top it off, they appreciate your efforts as an artisan coffee roaster/barista.

Recently, I had a gentleman come into our shop. He was a slender-built, studious-type guy. Glasses, a pocket protector, patten-leather shoes. The only thing he was missing was the white piece of tape over the bridge of his glasses.  He wanted to buy a pound of coffee but he was there for much much more.


Turns out that this guy was a  chemical engineer. Not just any chemical engineer, he was a coffee-phile with a curiosity for our beloved bean, that needed to be satisfied. For the next 30 minutes we investigated the enzymatic mysteries of coffee. Why you should and should not freeze it. When was the optimal time to use coffee and on and on.

Our conversation was amazing.

The amazing thing about our conversation was that these types of people are never satisfied with the first answer, it (the topic) expanded to my lovely bride, who brought out things about roasting and preparation, that she obviously had been hiding from me. It was like being in a doubles tennis match. Me and my bride against Chemical Engineer.

Talking coffee isn't as exciting to most people as it is to people who really have a passion for not only drinking it but roasting and brewing it. As the probing and prodding continued I felt a sense of confidence that was curious and exciting at the same time. We were speaking with a chemical engineer with 30 years of experience who just wanted to be pointed in the right direction but the conversation was mutual beneficial. We were sharpening up our coffee skills in a way you just can't get from school books. This was real world stuff.

After the conversation was over and everyone was satisfied with the discussion, I was literally exhausted. I couldn't tell you all of what we spoke about. This I do know, It was all good. My mental powers had been drained. I was physically and mentally spent. But I would do it again...and like it.
I Love Chemist's

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