Fresh Cup Magazine | September 2017 by Fresh Cup Magazine

TEA BLENDING | COFFEE + CHEESE | HEALTH BENEFITS | RURAL CAFÉS |

COSTA RICA | BUCHAREST

September 2017 » freshcup.com

BEHIND THE BAR Shearwater Coffee Bar Page 22

T H E M AGA Z I N E FO R S P E C I A LT Y C O F F E E & T E A P R O F E S S I O N A L S S I N C E 1 9 9 2

September 2017 Â» Fresh Cup Magazine

FEATURES SEPTEMBER 2017 Fresh Cup Magazine » Vol. 26 » No. 9

HEALTH BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYEES

BEYOND CITY LIGHTS

Overcoming barriers along the path to insurance. P. 38

BY RACHEL NORTHROP

Rural specialty coffee quietly does it all. P. 42

BY ELLIE BRADLEY

COSTA RICA

COFFEE IN BUCHAREST

Part One: Connecting to origin through coffee tourism. P. 52

The rise of specialty coffee in Bucharest, Romania. P. 60

BY PERRY CZOPP

BY SHANNON KELLY

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

DEPARTMENTS SEPTEMBER 2017 Fresh Cup Magazine » Vol. 26 » No. 9

24 22

Coffee Technician’s Guild Summit; Barista Secrets; Riyadh’s Coffee and Chocolate Exhibition

Blending In or Standing Out? The Future of Flavored Tea by Leonard Nima

THE FILTER

THE WHOLE LEAF

BEHIND THE BAR Shearwater Coffee Bar Fairfield, Connecticut by Ellie Bradley

FORK & KNIFE

Self-Care in the Service Industry by Michael Ryan

Coffee Pairings: Cheese by Madeleine Coghlan

Embracing Change

NINE BAR

CAFÉ OUTFITTER

COUNTER INTELLIGENCE

Drinking Chocolate

IN HOUSE Creating an Employee Handbook by Michael Butterworth

CONTRIBUTORS

FROM THE EDITOR

ORIGIN Part One: The Unlikely Climb of a Honduran Agronomist by Garrett Oden

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

THE BACK PAGE Five minutes with Nathanael May; a playlist for fall

People and products

CALENDAR Trade shows and events

ADVERTISER INDEX

FROM THE EDITOR EMBRACING CHANGE

I SMILED AS I FIRST READ MICHAEL RYAN’S COLUMN

CONNECT WITH US

/FreshCupMagazine

@freshcupmag

ON THE COVER: Shearwater Coffee Bar Jason Varga prepares a pour-over at Shearwater Coffee Bar in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Photo by Sandro de Carvalho ELLIE BRADLEY, EDITOR ellie@freshcup.com

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

EDITOR P HOTO BY CYNTHIA MEA DO RS; TO P R IG HT PHOTO BY R OM ULUS BO ICU/T -Z ERO

on self-care in the service industry. His account of entering the service industry oblivious to the harsh customer interactions he would inevitably face was all too familiar. I vividly remember my first days working in a restaurant, and the jarring wake-up call that soon followed (also known as dinner rush), revealing the realities of working at the behest of guests and no-nonsense managers. Service environments can bring out people’s worst characteristics—in customers and employees alike. But serving others can also be a very rewarding experience, and these contrasting interactions often occur simultaneously somehow; a nightmarish guest at the counter, and your favorite regular waiting to pick up their latte at the end of the bar. How we reconcile this roller coaster of emotions and experiences is what helps us grow into better people, in turn making us better employees, coworkers, partners, and friends. Ryan’s piece goes on to offer strategies for introspection, from personality tests to basic needs checklists (Nine Bar, page 32). Employers also have the power to support personal development and a healthier work environment through resources like wellness benefits, employee handbooks, incentive programs, and living wages. These topics are tackled in this month’s In House column (page 26), and in “Health Benefits for Employees” on page 38. This issue also examines how businesses strive for change through methods and practices, from innovative tea blending, to establishing better trade relationships, to influencing countrywide culture revivals following oppressive governmental regimes. Just as people evolve, so can entire organizations. Change is an important part of development, whether it occurs on a personal level, drives a company to new heights, or challenges an entire nation to reflect on its values and practices. For me, pursuing continued growth has manifested geographically: next month, I’ll move cross-country to begin a new chapter of life. This issue marks the end of my leadership at Fresh Cup, and the beginning of a new editorial era. The talented Peter Szymczak will take the helm, and I’m so excited to see the magazine continue to flourish under his guidance. My time with Fresh Cup has been challenging, invigorating, and enlightening. Mostly, it’s been richly rewarding. Thank you all for making Fresh Cup an experience I will always cherish.

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FRESH CUP MAGAZINE ~~~FRESH CUP FOUNDER~~~ WARD BARBEE 1938-2006 ~~~FRESH CUP PUBLISHING~~~ Publisher and President JAN WEIGEL jan@freshcup.com ~~~EDITORIAL~~~ Editor ELLIE BRADLEY ellie@freshcup.com Digital Editor RACHEL SANDSTROM MORRISON rachel@freshcup.com ~~~ART~~~ Art Director CYNTHIA MEADORS cynthia@freshcup.com ~~~ADVERTISING~~~ Sales Manager MICHAEL HARRIS michael@freshcup.com Ad Coordinator DIANE HOWARD adtraffic@freshcup.com Marketing Coordinator ANNA SHELTON anna@freshcup.com ~~~CIRCULATION~~~ Circulation Director ANNA SHELTON anna@freshcup.com ~~~ACCOUNTING~~~ Accounting Manager DIANE HOWARD diane@freshcup.com ~~~EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD~~~ DAVID GRISWOLD

ANUPA MUELLER

Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers

Eco-Prima

CHUCK JONES

BRAD PRICE

Jones Coffee Roasters

Monin Gourmet Flavorings

JULIA LEACH

BRUCE RICHARDSON

Toddy

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas

COSIMO LIBARDO

MANISH SHAH

Toby’s Estate Coffee

Maya Tea Co.

BRUCE MILLETTO

LARRY WINKLER

Bellissimo Coffee Advisors

Torani

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CONTRIBUTORS MICHAEL BUTTERWORTH Writing an employee handbook is more than reporting company policies on punctuality, sick days, and dress code. Michael Butterworth recounts his first experience writing an employee handbook in this month’s In House (page 26), and offers tips for writing guidelines that show new employees you care. Butterworth is a coffee educator and consultant focusing on Eastern Europe and the Middle East. He is also the editor of The Coffee Compass.

MADELEINE COGHLAN The specialty coffee industry is full of creative collaborations and innovative food pairings. In Fresh Cup’s inaugural food column, Fork & Knife (page 36), Madeleine Coghlan talks coffee, tea, and cheese pairings, delivering advice from experts in each industry. Coghlan is an actress, freelance writer, and cold-brew addict living in Los Angeles, California.

PERRY CZOPP Perry Czopp is a coffee professional from Phoenix, Arizona, living and working in Costa Rica. In “Costa Rica—Part One: Coffee Tourism” (page 52), the first in a multi-part series, Czopp explores the benefits of spending more than a few hours on a coffee farm. His guide to traveling to Costa Rica for harvest includes travel tips, a guide to getting the most out of your experience, and suggestions for what to do when you’re not working on a coffee farm.

RACHEL NORTHROP Rachel Northrop is a sales representative for Ally Coffee, and the author of When Coffee Speaks: Stories from and of Latin American Coffeepeople. In “Beyond City Lights” (page 42), Northrop shows how specialty cafés in rural areas look beyond marketing appeal and build business around values benefitting producer partners and the local community.

GARRETT ODEN What do you get when you mix a chemist, biologist, and coffee roaster? Someone like Darwin Pavon, the subject of this month’s Origin column (page 34) written by Garrett Oden. Oden is a barista at Yellow House Coffee in Lubbock, Texas.

SHANNON KELLY Shannon Kelly is a freelance writer and editor based in Galway, Ireland. In “Coffee in Bucharest” (page 50), Kelly tours through the elegant Romanian city’s developing specialty coffee scene, part of a massive cultural revitalization that’s transpired since the end of the country’s communist reign in 1989.

LEONARD NIMA Flavored tea can—and should—go beyond pomegranate and green tea. In Whole Leaf (page 30), Leonard Nima discusses blending for international palates, health benefits, and keeping consumers interested in tea. Nima is the owner of Ruby Lion, a Los Angeles–based tea company.

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

MICHAEL RYAN From interactions with tough customers to the stress of a busy shift, the job of a barista is a tough one. In Nine Bar (page 32), Michael Ryan offers tips for identifying personal needs to better handle job stress. Ryan is a licensed Q grader and the director of coffee at Dapper & Wise Roasters in Portland, Oregon.

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The FILTER A Fine Blend of News and Notes

n the midst of a sweltering North Carolina summer, a collection of coffee technicians gathered in a Greensboro warehouse at the Astoria/ WEGA headquarters. The occasion? The annual Coffee Technicians Guild Summit.

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

The youngest of the SCA guilds, the Coffee Technicians Guild (CTG) is still in the process of developing educational pathways, electing its first official executive council, and welcoming new members. The summit served as a valuable opportunity for technicians to grow their network, offer feedback

in the curriculum development process, and attend educational seminars. Among the weekend’s lively discussions was a panel discussion focused on the business of “tech-ing.” Running a successful service company requires a lot more than qualified technicians, and even those are difficult to find. Panelists

P HOTOS BY SARAH PESERIC O

CTG MEMBERS GATHER IN GREENSBORO

included Rebecca McNelly of Heartland Tech, Tammy Baiz of Solutions Espresso Services, Tooti Roe of Service Call, and Cameron Ankele of Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co. (Full disclosure: I served as moderator for this excellent group of individuals.) The panelists addressed common challenges of operating a service business, from designing an effective training program, to finding qualified employees, to optimizing systems for invoicing, dispatch, and other documentation. How do you set an hourly rate that’s competitive but also keeps your

The summit was underscored by passionate discussions, calls for improved resources for guild members, and wacky group challenges, like assembling a steam valve blindfolded. business afloat? What vehicles maximize efficiency without suffering under heavy equipment loads? How do you keep a good technician on staff once you’ve invested in training them? The summit was underscored by passionate discussions, calls for improved resources for guild members, and wacky group challenges, like assembling a steam valve blindfolded. Though the weekend was fueled by questions, one thing was clear: the CTG has been a welcome gathering place for coffee professionals who have long been without an organized home in the industry. Abundant growth is necessary for technicians to feel like they’re living the high life, but an established professional organization is a significant step toward standardizing best practices, designing a curriculum, and encouraging diversity within the trade. Update: The executive council for the CTG was named in late August. Council members include: Bryan Duggan (Counter Culture Coffee), Damian Marshall (Bewleys), Gene Lemos (Nuova Ricambi), Hylan Joseph (Espresso Partners), Jason Jones (CMA Astoria), Lorenzo Ronal (Gruppo Cimbali), Marco Serri (Nuova Simonelli SPA), Micah Teeters (Franke Coffee Systems North America), Michael Anderegg (Eversys SA), Rebecca McNelly (Heartland Tech), Richard Muhl (Five Senses Coffee Roasters), and Shad Baiz (La Marzocco). —Ellie Bradley

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BARISTA SECRETS

P HOTO S C OURTESY OF BARISTA SEC RE TS

ast month marked the release of Barista Secrets, a reference book by Ryan Soeder and Kohei Matsuno. The handy (and adorable) reference is an approachable resource created for home baristas, but includes helpful tips for latte artists at all levels. Soeder, a Kentucky-based barista and coffee educator who has won both the Coffee Fest World Latte Art Championship and the 2015 North Central Barista competition, uses his skills and experience to teach both new and experienced baristas the fundamentals of free-poured and etched latte art. Matsuno, a Japan-based latte artist known for his 3-D lattes, shows off some of his creative construction—napping pandas included—and teaches readers how to create cute sculptures of their own. Barista Secrets opens with a gallery of latte art from some of the world’s best latte artists, and details the basic techniques for espresso extraction and milk steaming. Handy visuals and photo examples—from delicate free-poured tulips and rosettas, to an etched version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night—are included with each step. The chapter on stencils, what Soeder and Matsuno call the “easiest, most repeatable and (arguably) the most delicious way to make a latte,” includes a guide for choosing powders to add to the tops of drinks in the stencil. The book also includes five stencils for readers to use on their own creations. With ninety-six colorful pages of latte art inspiration and visual step-by-step guides, Barista Secrets is the perfect book to keep in the kitchen or behind the bar. Barista Secrets is available for $19.95 from Firefly Books. —Rachel Sandstrom Morrison

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

INTERNATIONAL COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE EXHIBITION

P HOTO S C OURTESY OF ICAC E

he fourth annual International Coffee and Chocolate Exhibition (ICACE) will take place December 3–6 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The SCA-certified event is part of ICACE’s ongoing efforts to help Saudi Arabia develop into a producing country for coffee and chocolate.

ICACE is the Middle East’s biggest specialized coffee and chocolate expo—the floor plan was 80 percent sold out by mid-June of this year, and more than 60,000 visitors are expected this December. Industry professionals, families, and entrepreneurs will have lots to explore, with 130 local and international exhibitors and more than 8,000 producers in the business-to-business, entrepreneurship, and business-to-consumer sections of the 157,627-square-foot floor. Exhibitors include Hershey’s, Nescafé, Illy, Aani & Dani Chocolatier, as well as 3-D printing companies, tea brands, and, of course, coffee importers, roasters, and cafés. The exhibition also boasts sixty events, including the “youngest Saudi barista event,” where kids can learn about coffee and practice their budding latte art skills. The events list also includes thirteen workshops, seminars, and courses moderated by local and international experts, all designed to help industry professionals network and generate leads and long-term relationships. Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter @coffeechocoexp4, on Snapchat @coffeechocoexp, and at coffeechoco-expo.com. FC —Rachel Sandstrom Morrison

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Tapped for Greatness: A Micro Matic MDD23-E Pro Line E-Series Kegerator serves coldbrew from two taps: standard on the right and nitrogen-infused on the left.

Out of Sight: A Ditting KR1203 grinder is located at a grinding station in the hallway. Keeping the batchbrew grinder separate from the rest of the bar minimizes mess from coffee grounds.

Seeing Triple: A trio of Baratza Forte BG grinders holds the daily single-origin selections for the manual brew bar.

Kone-y Island: Manual brew method is determined by the size of the drink. Twelve-ounce brews are made on Kalita Waves while twentyfour-ounce orders are brewed using a Chemex with an Able Kone filter. Acaia Pearl scales keep a tight watch on brew ratios.

September 2017 Âť Fresh Cup Magazine

Hot and Watered: A five-gallon Curtis WB5N hot water tower is set to 205 degrees Fahrenheit.

Twin for the Win: A Curtis ThermoPro one-gallon twin coffee brewer handles the main batch brew needs for Shearwater. A house blend (Ethiopia and Sumatra) is always on hand, along with a featured origin (Peru and Papua New Guinea are both shop favorites).

Pinch Hitter: The Curtis G4 CGC Single Cup Brewer pulls extra weight when pourover demand is high, and is designated for all decaf brews, reducing waste that would otherwise be created from batch brewing decaf.

Chill Out: Two True TUC-27-HC under-counter refrigerators keep things cool behind the bar. The fridge below the espresso machine holds tasty milk from nearby Arethusa Farm. Under the batch brewer, a second fridge holds chilled pilsner glasses for nitro cold-brew.

On Track: Four Curtis Thermal FreshTrac dispensers hold brewed coffee, which is turned over every thirty minutes.

BEHIND the BAR Shearwater Coffee Bar Fairfield, Connecticut

Cheers to Technology: The Toast pointof-sale system was chosen for its reliability and user friendliness. The system has integrated features for Constant Contact e-mail marketing, and for tracking loyalty points.

Tiers of Joy: A custom-built, three-tier pastry case displays baked goods from a variety of local pastry chefs. “There are a lot of great pastry chefs that work out of a local kitchen,” Freedman says. “It took a big burden off of trying to choose food.”

PHOTO BY ED FREED MAN

Gettin’ Jolly with It: Two Mazzer Super Jolly doserless grinders house Shearwater’s custom espresso blend and a single-origin offering.

Almost Faema-ous: A three-group Faema E71 (which owner Ed Freedman lovingly refers to as the “Ferrari of Faemas”) handles all the espresso needs for Shearwater.

» by Ellie Bradley «

or decades, Ed Freedman would begin each weekday at the train station in Fairfield, Connecticut, dutifully waiting to join the suit-clad swarm of commuters descending on New York City. Years in a corporate IT job left Freedman feeling unfulfilled, so he decided to parlay his passion for home roasting into a business. In 2013, he purchased a Diedrich IR-12, leased a commercial space, and launched Shearwater Organic Coffee Roasters. “Our niche in the market was high-end organic coffee,” Freedman says. Farm-to-table restaurants in Fairfield were eager to step up their coffee game, and Shearwater quickly grew from selling at farmer’s markets and knocking on doors to landing serious wholesale business. In a town dominated by Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, Freedman was cautious to open a retail space. However, three years of a thriving wholesale business gave Shearwater credibility as a brand, and Freedman decided to move forward with a retail shop. “It took probably a good year to find a good business investment: foot traffic, visibility, demographic, size—all the things you need to run a successful coffee shop,” he says. Shearwater Coffee Bar opened in June, in a stretch of Fairfield businesses known as the Brick Walk, a hub for restaurants and shops with artisanal-quality offerings. Warm wood tones and light from two full walls of windows create an inviting atmosphere, exactly what Freedman wanted the retail space to be. “I was looking for something that was hip enough for Millennials but welcoming to others, too,” Freedman says. “Everyone has the right to drink good coffee.” Freedman’s daughter, Amber, a Boston-based architect, led the design process, selecting tiles and light fixtures to bring the right textures and tones to the café. “She came up with all the form and function,” Freedman says. Porcelain tiles made to look like wood line the wall behind the bar, as well as corner elements near the pastry case. Bold yellow-and-red cement tiles bring vibrancy to the bar front, while the granite-hued quartz countertops ground the space. Freedman also recruited Jason Varga, a veteran barista and café manager whom he’d met through Shearwater’s wholesale business. Varga was instrumental in developing the menu, establishing the work flow, hiring and training staff, and running the daily operations of the shop. With a number of restaurants nearby, Shearwater is intended to be a complement, rather than a competitor, to the surrounding food scene. Coffee is the focus, supported by a staff with the skills to flawlessly execute manual brews while providing top-notch customer service. FC

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Café OUTFITTER:

Drinking Chocolate

Cooling temperatures, changing leaves, pumpkin-flavored everything—there’s something about fall that makes it the perfect time for a comforting chocolate beverage. Drinking chocolate, or sipping chocolate, is hot chocolate stepping up its game. Drinking chocolate has richer flavors and heavier body than standard powdered mix, thanks in part to a higher chocolate-to-milk (or water) ratio. Offer your customers a warm welcome for fall with these finely crafted chocolate sippers.

1) TREEHOUSE CHOCOLATE Made from organic, direct-trade, and sustainably sourced Peruvian cacao, Treehouse chocolates are made by founder Aaron Koch, who worked on a cacao bean farm in Hawaii while living in a treehouse. The campingfriendly 1.4-ounce packets—available in sea salt, mocha, coconut, and spiced—simplify the prep process: empty the packet into a mug, add six ounces of hot water or milk, and stir until combined. treehousechocolate.com 2) MONBANA—TRÉSOR CHOCOLATE Chocolaterie Monbana, the family-owned company known for specialty chocolate truffles and filled chocolate oysters, has a line of chocolate drinks perfect for your choc-o-holic customers. Monbana’s fruit-forward, velvety Trésor drinking chocolate powder is inspired by traditional French cocoa recipes, and is 33 percent cacao—the perfect amount for a sweeter, creamier drinking chocolate, no whipped cream necessary. monbana.com 3) CASTRONOVO SIPPING CHOCOLATE Made from pure, ground dark chocolate from Honduras, Castronovo Chocolate’s sipping chocolate makes a deliciously decadent beverage when combined with one cup of milk, then whisked over heat until melted and frothy. Add a shot of espresso to make a thick and indulgent mocha. Castronovo Chocolate is committed to bean-to-bar chocolate making and delivering award-winning flavor. castronovochocolate.com 4) SUPER CHOCOLATE Berlin-based Your Superfoods’ Chocolate Lover drinking chocolate mix combines raw cacao, carob, lucuma, chia seeds, and coconut for a rich and creamy drinking chocolate mix with a superfood kick. Chocolate Lover mix is full of healthy antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins including iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Enjoy Chocolate Lover superfoods in a tasty blended creation (we recommend banana, peanut butter, and almond milk). yoursuperfoods.eu 5) XOCOLATL Bean-to-bar chocolate maker Xocolatl is known for single-origin chocolate bars, but also has a delicious line of single-origin drinking chocolates with only a handful of ingredients in each. The line includes Peppermint Bliss (cacao, organic cane sugar, organic dried peppermint), Vanilla Cinnamon Spice (organic cacao, organic cane sugar, organic vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg), Salted Coconut Milk (cacao, organic cane sugar, coconut milk, sea salt, organic vanilla, and cacao nibs), and Single Origin Nicaraguan (cacao, organic cane sugar). xocolatlchocolate.com FC 24

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

In HOUSE

had recently finished cowriting the draft of an employee manual when a barista brought me an unexpected present: the handbook from her former employer, a large, international coffee company. I opened it to the first page and began reading. I soon found myself wanting to shred the document I had spent months writing and start over from scratch. The way this multinational company had clearly communicated its values, vision, and mission was inspiring. Few people get excited about employee handbooks, but these resources are deserving of enthusiasm. Em-

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

ployee handbooks provide a written resource where a company’s mission, values, and expectations can be clearly articulated for the benefit of its employees and customers. Alternatively, companies that haven’t taken the time to put core values and policies in writing risk creating situations where employees or managers are uncertain how to act. This unnecessary stress can create confusion for customers, anxiety for employees, and often results in avoidable disciplinary action and employee attrition. Writing an employee handbook is a daunting endeavor, but the impact is

worth the time investment. Like any important project, developing a plan and giving yourself deadlines can help you get past the drawing board. Employee manuals are the result of steady, scheduled progress—not a midnight flurry of inspiration. Start by writing an outline of the various sections you’d like the handbook to include. In addition to mission, values, and expectations, common sections include work schedules, compensation, employee relations and responsibilities, safety and security, benefits, and time off. Content will vary widely by organization; a good

P HOTO BY OLU ELETU

Creating an Employee Handbook » By Michael Butterworth

place to begin is by considering the types of questions new hires might have about working for your company.

KNOW YOUR CORE Policies are an important component of handbooks, but they’re not the priority. It can be tempting to lead with expectations of employees concerning punctuality, dress code, or employee conduct. Although these subjects are important and should be included, they’re not what defines your company. Your employees care

help guide baristas through these challenging interactions. “It would be amazing to see more clear-cut guidelines on how to handle workplace harassment and the type of support a company will offer in its event,” says Michelle Johnson of Barista Hustle. Johnson is an award-winning writer and speaker focusing on issues surrounding intersectionality and inclu-

siveness in specialty coffee. Before joining Barista Hustle, an online resource forum managed by a team of veteran coffee professionals, Johnson worked as a barista at numerous specialty coffee shops where she experienced both the benefits of a clearly written employee handbook and the drawbacks that come without one. “Baristas can often feel pressured to deal with unwanted and unwarranted

Employee handbooks are essential for creating an atmosphere where employees feel protected and empowered. about your company’s mission. Beyond roasting coffee or serving customers, employees want to be a part of a company that exists for more than financial profit. If your company hasn’t identified its mission statement and key values, you’re probably not ready to write your employee handbook. Consider reading a book, attending a seminar, or even hiring a consultant to help identify your company’s distinct purpose. Employee handbooks are essential for creating an atmosphere where staff members feel protected and empowered. Baristas often face difficult and even abusive customer service situations; clearly written policies

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attention from guests for fear of retaliation or creating a scene while on the clock,” she says. “Companies taking the extra step past generalized harassment policies to explicitly state they’ll support their staff in taking action against harassment on either side of the bar will empower employees and help create a pleasurable work environment for everyone.”

When writing an employee handbook, business owners should be careful that policies are fair and equitable for all employees. When writing an employee handbook, business owners should be careful that policies are fair and equitable for all employees. Dress codes in particular tend to affect different genders or body types in a partial manner. Johnson says she commonly saw dress code policies that burdened specific groups of employees more than others. “Due to my body type, I’ve been reprimanded for wearing

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

certain articles of clothing, like tank tops and shorts, because ‘It makes other employees/customers uncomfortable,’ yet it was fine for other people with different body types to wear the same things. You have to be consistent in your policies for everyone so folks don’t feel singled out and shamed.”

P HOTO BY ELLIE BRA DLEY

DESIGNED FOR USE An employee handbook is an essential tool for a healthy business, but it’s only as useful as it is utilized. At a bare minimum, companies should provide each employee with a copy and require they read it (on the clock for hourly employees) as part of their onboarding process. Johnson suggests companies can incentivize employees with pop quizzes with small rewards. “Another way may be to assign groups of staff different parts to present and teach to everyone else at a company meeting,” she says. “Extra points for getting creative in the approach!” Your informal company culture will always supersede written policies, but an employee handbook will help provide the clarity your staff needs to thrive. No company should be without one. FC Michael Butterworth is a coffee educator and consultant focusing on Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

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The WHOLE LEAF Blending In or Standing Out? The Future of Flavored Tea » By Leonard Nima

Exotic ingredients can add complexity to a blend, while also creating a beverage with a story that’s more interesting overall. We have a strong track record of taking conventional ideas and throwing them out the window (think candied apples, cheese in a can, and ice cream floats). Could the North American tea industry benefit from some unconventional inspiration? Consider the following flavor combinations: lemon-ginger black, pomegranate green, chai red, and cinnamonorange black. These are likely familiar tea products, as most major tea brands stocked in your local grocer have their own take on these basic flavors. For some time now, the general public has accepted these naturally and artificially flavored teas and tisanes as the reality and scope of all things tea. These basic combinations are made to be approachable, and in doing so, fail

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

to allude to the world of possibilities in tea blending. How can we blend tea in a way that makes people excited? The answer: blending with purpose. Whether that purpose is to be innovative, to replace bagged tea dust with the highest-quality ingredients and leaves as possible, or to cater to local and international palates, blending cannot continue by emulating existing flavor combinations. The goal of blending should be the creation of new, unique flavors that keep consumers on their toes and create intrigue for customers in the café. At Ruby Lion Tea, we created the Hot Lavender blend by adding whole chili peppers, chili seeds, cloves, and lavender to loose-leaf black tea. Spice and Sriracha lovers are natural candidates to enjoy this blend, but the choice to add chili was motivated by more than potential revenue. Discussions of the blend with casual drinkers made it clear the blend had a “wow” factor that ignited their imaginations about what other flavor combinations might be possible. This is the kind of reaction needed to break down traditional conceptions of how tea should be blended and consumed.

THINK EXOTIC Many tea blends fail to spark excitement or delight because they lack any ingredients of interest. Surprising ingredients can add complexity and create a beverage with a story that’s more interesting overall. Victoria Zak’s book, 20,000 Secrets of Tea: The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature’s Healing Herbs, isn’t about tea as much as it serves as a quintessential guide to herbs useful in curing ailments and boosting specific body functions through continued use, like in regular tea consumption. Uncommon herbs such as Calendula officinalis, gotu kola, chasteberry, and damiana are all listed, complete with

health benefits to the human body, just waiting to be implemented in a tasteful union of tea and herb by a curious soul—you don’t need to be a botanist to do it! Though scarcity is the major reason these herbs might be rare or expensive to play with, it’s up to blenders to research, take chances, and create, moving the industry toward a future where more consumers can reap the benefits of improved health.

PERSONALI-TEA Regardless of how many flavors and varieties a blender creates in their lifetime, it’s ultimately impossible to satisfy everyone’s palate. While flavor is essential to successful blending, the process of developing intriguing combinations begs the blender to consider the emotional response a tea will evoke. Not only should a blender ask, “How can I make this blend taste perfect on its own?” but also, “What will people be feeling and thinking when drinking this blend?” In developing a blend, you are also weaving a story that can be shared with the consumer. What led to the decision to include spice? The process of selecting herbs to support a specific function in the body is also part of the narrative of blending. All of these aspects can be shared with the customer by the barista in a café, through a well-crafted packing label, or by content on an accompanying website. The possibilities in blending have only begun to be tapped—we must continue to evolve our methods. Targeted and beneficial blending to age groups, emotions, and stages in life are just a few examples of the next step for tea. We have to do what we do best: take established convention and throw it out the window. FC Leonard Nima is the owner of Ruby Lion Tea in Los Angeles.

P HOTO C OURTESY OF RUBY LION TEA

he practice of drinking tea arrived in North America roughly 400 years ago, yet there has been little deviation in its preparation and service since. Surely the incredibly versatile tea leaf has more hidden value than the inexpensive variety packs or luxury gift tins we purchase. While studying and talking to exhibitors at the World Tea Expo this summer, something became very clear: here in North America, we’re long overdue to turn our attention to the tea industry as a whole, especially on the topic of blending.

spea rmint peppermint g reen tea Da rjeeling Ceylon Ea rl Grey

lavender chili pepper black tea

ca rdamom rose black tea

coconut cinnamon black tea

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NINE BAR Self-Care in the Service Industry » By Michael Ryan

1. KNOW THYSELF If I could encourage everyone to do just one thing in the name of selfcare, it would be to become a student

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

of themselves in a healthy, exploratory manner. While individual approaches will vary, here are a couple tools that have been helpful for me.

Personality tests I have benefited tremendously from studying the Enneagram, an ancient personality typing system that focuses on core motivation rather than behavior alone. Other frameworks like Meyers-Briggs, Anthony Gregorc’s Mind Styles, and Tony Robbins’ DISC test are all useful tools.

Passions Ask yourself: What about my current job makes me come alive? Are there aspects I wish I could avoid? What tasks feel effortless for me but for everyone else feel like pulling teeth? Being able to answer these questions can be tremendously telling, and helpful in “editing” down your life—deciding what things to lean into and which to delete from your day to day.

2. SEE THE STORM COMING Knowing our personal limits and accepting them is key to extending grace to the people we work with and to ourselves. It’s also the first step in eventually moving beyond them. Once I understand what makes me tick, I can see storms before they take me by surprise. I can tell when “hangry” is approaching, and can take care of it before it becomes a problem. It is also paramount to prioritize our basic needs. Things like sleeping and eating well, physical activity, and making time for social relationships are critical to self-care, but easily forgotten. Make time for the things and people that bring meaning to your life every day, week, month, and year.

3. HEED THE WARNING SIGNS If you were raised like me, you might have been taught to power past any negative feeling. The trouble is, sometimes those feelings of irritability, exhaustion, and depression are warning signs of a deeper issue. I find it helpful to create a simple checklist in my head. I ask myself things like: • Have I eaten? • Have I slept? • Have I exercised? • Have I spent time with people? Too much time with people? Make a checklist to reflect your needs and routines so you can start to identify what might be bringing you down.

4. MAKE A CHANGE Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” So stop it! Make a change! Once I started identifying the core issues that made me tense, I had to switch up my routines and prioritize self-care. Demanding time for yourself can be hard. It is easy to feel unreliable when you say no to taking on an extra shift because you’re exhausted, but it’s important; for those wishing to say in a job long-term, it’s essential. By learning our own needs and limitations, we will also be more attuned to the needs and limitations of others, allowing us to graciously create space for needs that are different from our own, while asking that others do the same. What a wonderful world this would be if we all understood this part of ourselves and others, and sought to give it weight instead of pushing it down until we burn out. FC Michael Ryan is the director of coffee at Dapper & Wise Roasters in Portland, Oregon.

P HOTO BY IR INA

y first barista job was at Starbucks. I was new to coffee, new to the service industry, and had a lot to learn. This was made clear on my second day on the job, when a customer yelled at me for what happened at a different Starbucks, then threw an overcooked breakfast sandwich at my head. Though he missed—save for a bit of egg in my ear—he opened my eyes to an important realization: serving people is really hard work. Being on the receiving end of a flying breakfast sandwich had me reeling. I was new to customer service and had never been treated so terribly, especially for something I didn’t do. My coworker, who saw the whole thing, just shrugged it off and made the next drink. The often-thankless job of serving people affects every employee differently. Two coworkers can experience the same customer interaction and walk away with two very singular impressions of the situation. While service techniques can be trained, it’s up to the employee to learn how they are affected by a tough shift, and to come up with strategies for self-care to prevent burnout, anxiety, and negativity. Self-care looks different for everyone. One person’s book and quiet evening is another’s happy hour with friends. When you take care of yourself, you’re better equipped to handle tough customers, be supportive of coworkers, and mitigate the overall level of stress in the workplace. Learning how to take care of yourself is an important step in being the best employee, coworker, or manager you can be.

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ORIGIN

arwin Pavon, a native Honduran, is not your average coffee roaster. His range of skills, knowledge, and connections have enabled him to go above and beyond in his work with coffee producers. Thousands of lives have been positively impacted by his unique approach. And it all started through an unlikely scholarship. Growing up in the urban sprawl of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Pavon had his sights set on professions far from the coffee fields. He initially wanted

Many coffee farmers aren’t able to evaluate the quality of their coffee and thus had no way of knowing if their coffee could demand a higher price. to become a doctor, but schooling was too expensive. High-performing but economically challenged, Pavon accepted a scholarship to attend Zamorano, a local university that trains students to care for crops, from planting to processing, using a “learning by doing” approach. In three years, Pavon had a degree in engineering in agronomy. After completing his degree, Pavon tried his hand at selling animal feed and managing a manufacturing business for a couple years, but he hit his stride when he began developing customized fertilizers for coffee, melon, banana, and sugarcane farms through Honduras-based AgriTech. He was so dedicated to his partners that he would mail weather forecasts to farmers who didn’t have internet access so they could adjust their fertilizer schedules

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

accordingly. His success earned him an overseer position on a coffee-specific team that covered over 600 farms from Mexico to Colombia. Darwin’s team empowered coffee farms with education in crop management practices, staff hiring and development, irrigation implementation, and a variety of other strategies. They brought back the tasty red, yellow, and pink bourbon varieties to Honduras to increase biodiversity. They raised the standards for thousands of pickers and farm workers. A wake of boosted crop value followed their path. Three years into his work with AgriTech, Darwin met Israel Ventura. Ventura and his son, Lurvin, own and operate Finca El Playón between the subregions of San Marcos and Mercedes in Ocotepeque, Honduras. They’re one of only a few independent farms with a license to export in the country, distinguishing them from the major exporters that would primarily buy coffee at commodity price. Pavon and Ventura became good friends through Darwin’s consulting and their shared vision: empowering smallholders to grow and sell incredible coffee. Through this relationship, Pavon was able to establish a powerful exporting partner for his coffee clients. Normally, large exporters would approach farms and buy large portions of crops at commodity price. Most farmers had no other means of distribution and thus no option but to sell at these rock-bottom prices. However, thanks to his new friendship, Pavon was able to encourage coffee producers to seek direct-trade partners and export their coffee through Ventura’s rare license. This opportunity for selling to clients directly, and at a higher price, made a major difference in the lives of many farmers. Pavon saw a glimpse at his vision realized in a new, more dramatic way. He learned he didn’t just want to improve

farm systems and crop quality—he wanted to give farmers every tool they need to grow and thrive, from seed health to export relations. And to do that, he needed to approach farmers from a different perspective. With connections across Central America and a powerful trade route established, Pavon knew he was ready for the next stage in his coffee journey: roasting. He moved to Michigan and began roasting his own direct trade coffee for white-label projects. On one of his sourcing trips back to Honduras, Pavon visited La Fraternidad, a farm owned by Victor Ventura. When Pavon first arrived at La Fraternidad, Victor was ready to give up coffee for a higher value crop. He was selling his coffee cherries to a major exporter for a measly $0.35 a pound; little did he know, the roasters who bought his crop in the United States were selling bags of his coffee for as much as $60.00 per pound. Many coffee farmers aren’t able to evaluate the quality of their coffee and thus had no way of knowing if their coffee could demand a higher price. Pavon helped Victor realize the potential value of his coffee by showing him how to evaluate flavor and introducing him to direct trade. Victor was still discouraged, but Pavon made him an enticing deal: $3.25 per pound of the entire parchment coffee lot, plus an additional $1.75 per pound to finance farm improvements through AgriTech. Victor accepted. In early 2017, Darwin started selling roasted coffee from his own farm and others under the name Darwin’s Coffee. The skills and connections he formed in his role as a farm consultant have been an integral part of his approach to roasting, which will be shared in next month’s Origin column. Stay tuned. FC Garrett Oden is a barista at Yellow House Coffee in Lubbock, Texas.

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Part One: The Unlikely Climb of a Honduran Agronomist » By Garrett Oden

ee bean s bein g LURVIN VENTURA exam ines coff Hon dura s. in ón Play El a Finc at d esse proc

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FORK & KNIFE Coffee Pairings: Cheese » By Madeleine Coghlan

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

The cheese and coffee pairing event was an easy choice: Copper Door already had a strong schedule of monthly educational classes—which cover everything from dominant flavors in coffee regions, different cold brewing methods, and interesting pairings—as well as a good relationship with St. Kilian’s. But customers

meant to be broken,” says Ravi Kroesen, tea director of Royal Tea New York. “Salty and sweet, and astringency versus fat can work well, provided there isn’t a lot of salt in the cheese.” The standout pairing was a goat cheese with a second flush Darjeeling, which Kroesen describes as creating a “chord shift”—a flavor profile

IF YOUR COFFEE HAS…

PAIR WITH…

light-to-medium body and high acidity (El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras),

creamy cheeses like ricotta and mozzarella.

medium-to-full body and medium acidity (Ethiopia, Tanzania),

brie, blue cheese, goat cheese (we recommend Humboldt Fog from Cypress Grove).

full body and low acidity (Sumatra),

smoked mozzarella or gruyere.

medium-to-full body and lowto-medium acidity (Colombia, Brazil),

aged cheddar (we recommend Face Rock Creamery’s two-year extra aged cheddar).

Pairing suggestions courtesy of Full Bloom Coffee.

were still surprised by the combination, says Copper Door owner Hannah Ulbrich. “Most of the people who came to our class were curious, because it was so different. We did three cheeses with coffee prepared different ways.” The standout pairing of the event was a sheep’s milk blue cheese (Little Boy Blue from Hook’s Cheese Company, Wisconsin), topped with a honeyhazelnut caramel drizzle, and paired with Copper Door’s espresso. “It was funky and so delicious,” Ulbrich says. Royal Tea New York hosted two cheese pairing events this winter featuring select teas and chocolates in a guided format that encouraged thoughtful tasting and conversation. Royal worked with the French Cheese Board to create some pairings that followed the traditional rules—such as balancing astringency with fat—and some that broke the rules a little bit. “A lot of the guidelines for pairing like wine work, but some rules are

unique to the pairing. Another notable pair? “A Mimolette with the Phoenix Oolong. Mimolette has high salt and a lot of nuttiness, which paired well with the sweetness of the oolong,” Kroesen says. Pairings are meant to be an experience of exploration and discovery. As the business owner, you can choose how much structure you provide to guests. A good place to start? Choose one coffee and focus on finding a selection of cheeses with complementary flavors. Once you’ve built a basic pairing menu, you’ll be ready to let your palate guide you and your customers through all the world of parings has to offer. Kroesen reiterates the open-ended nature of tastings—and the benefits they bring: “There’s no wrong answer. We all have the same equipment, but how it’s interpreted is so subjective in terms of olfactory and taste.” FC Madeleine Coghlan is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer.

P HOTO BY CYNTHIA MEA DO RS, STYLING BY R AC HEL SA NDSTRO M M O RRISON

abbling in the world of pairings is fun. A successful marriage of food and beverage creates harmony among contrasting flavors and accentuates complementary characteristics, delivering an exciting experience for the palate. The specialty coffee realm provides a playful space for flavor combinations, especially when it comes to the industry’s second-favorite dairy product: cheese. Its high fat content, heavy body, butterfat content, and overall creaminess make cheese ideal for balancing coffee’s acidity. Cheeses with sweetness work well for coffee pairings, says Greg Drobot, president of Face Rock Creamery in Bandon, Oregon. “Our 2-Year Extra Aged Cheddar goes really nicely with coffee because it has a little bit of sweetness to it,” Drobot says. “Our Apricot Fromage Blanc is another great pairing because its sweetness and creaminess contrast nicely with coffee—similar to putting cream and sugar in coffee.” A successful coffee and cheese pairing starts by understanding your product. Thoughtfully tasting the unique flavors of each cheese and coffee is an essential step in experiencing how tastes and textures are transformed once the items are combined. A good pairing will create a new flavor experience while still accentuating these initial flavors. Cafés can introduce pairings to their customers by hosting a pairing event (also a great excuse to forge partnerships with local creameries). These events provide an opportunity for employees to engage with your customers and community, and serve as a learning opportunity for everyone involved—all while creating a unique draw for your business. Earlier this year, Denver, Colorado’s Copper Door Coffee Roasters partnered with local St. Kilian’s Cheese Shop to curate a tour through three coffee and cheese pairings.

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HEALTH BENEFITS for Employees

Paving the Way to Affordable Insurance By Ellie Bradley

September 2017 Â» Fresh Cup Magazine

iscussing health insurance causes anxiety for a lot of people, sending some into a bona fide fit of rage. Signing up is complicated, understanding benefits packages can be mind boggling, and access is often limited by cost. For many employers, offering health benefits isn’t a matter of desire; financial limitations and logistics are too much to overcome. Over time, these barriers may lessen, especially as new resources continue to arise for streamlining the process of coordinating care plans. Companies that find a way to improve access to insurance can experience abundant payoffs. Employees are often motivated to stay longer with a company, incentivizing growth along a career trajectory. Benefits packages also offer resources for improved quality of life, in return cultivating a work culture comprised of employees who are better equipped to perform well in their jobs.

CASE ONE:

HUCKLEBERRY ROASTERS Huckleberry Roasters recently rolled out a benefits plan for its employees, but it took several years to find the right option. “It was way more complicated and convoluted than a business owner needs it to be because of all the moving pieces,” says Mark Mann, coowner of the Denver, Colorado-based roasting company. The leadership team at Huckleberry was always interested in offering benefits, but hadn’t been able to find a plan that made sense for their available resources, both logistically and financially. After continuing to hear from employees about the challenges of signing up for individual benefits, it was clear that demand was high, and providing health care became a priority for the company.

Huckleberry was already working with Gusto, a web-based human resources service, for payroll and scheduling. When Gusto rolled out a benefits platform through its Denver office, a simplified path to implementing a benefits program was finally available. “We like technology to make things more simple for us,” Mann says. “Gusto was just that; they made it more simple for us to do.” Huckleberry employees working twenty-nine hours or more qualify for benefits after sixty days of employment. The company covers 75 percent of premiums for the Kaiser benefits package, leaving employees responsible for the remaining 25 percent. But health insurance is just one component of Huckleberry’s efforts to improve overall health and well-being for staff. The company is also on track to raise hourly wages to fifteen dollars over the next two years. “[Denver] is continuing to be a very expensive place to live,” Mann says. “It’s harder to make life work even at the salary we pay, let alone flourish as a person.” The push to improve quality of life also includes offering a bike incentive program for employees who commute by bike (with a helmet), as well as memberships to a local rock climbing gym. Mann says in the future, they also hope to provide options for employees to donate to nonprofits, also facilitated by Gusto. In an industry notorious for being transitional, Mann says Huckleberry hopes to see better quality of life translate into improved retention, and an overall change in perspective about the prospect of a career in coffee. “Trying to shift [coffee] from being transitional to career-focused has been a motivation of ours,” Mann says. “It’s trying to get people to realize how many more opportunities there are.”

CASE TWO:

PABLO’S COFFEE Across Denver at Pablo’s Coffee, benefits have certainly helped with retention, though insurance is just one of many factors contributing to a positive work environment. Pablo’s rolled out health benefits in 2015, a group policy to which the company contributes a fixed amount, generally about half of the premium. “Before the Affordable Care Act [ACA], the group plans available to us were typically twice the price of quotes for individual plans, so for many years it was just silly to form a group plan,” says Pablo’s owner Craig Conner. In addition to health insurance, Pablo’s employees have access to a 401(k) program—with a 3 percent match rate—after one year of employment. Staff also have access to free Barista Guild of America (BGA) memberships, which has led to more than half of the Pablo’s team completing BGA Level 1 certification. “Our good fortune in keeping people around is many fold,” Conner says. “Of course seeing a 401(k) account grow lends itself to a sense that the future has a little cushion, and that helps.” Employees also earn paid vacation: one week after the first year of employment, with additional weeks earned in subsequent years (Pablo’s has a number of employees who qualify for five weeks paid vacation, earned from eight years of employment.) “Work culture is a strange beast,” Conner says. “If everyone can leave work feeling good about the day and has a pretty good idea of what awaits them the next day, it goes a long way toward being fulfilled.” Conner also says that ultimately, interaction between employees and customers is the driving force behind culture, morale, and long-term success. “In the end, it’s people who take care to respect their customers and coworkers that keeps things from growing too forced or litigious.”

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THOUGHTS FROM A

TIPS FROM AN INSURANCE AGENT • Who are your employees, and where are they going for care? When you begin to shop around, it’s important to have an understanding of the healthcare needs of your employees, and what kinds of providers they seek for care. Age of employees also matters: providing benefits for a young staff will be much less expensive than benefits for a staff in their forties, fifties, and sixties. • Try to keep premiums for employees as low as possible. High premiums prevent many companies from offering benefits packages, but there are lots of options to lessen the financial burden of premiums. • Consider a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA). If high premiums are keeping you from signing up for a group plan, an HRA allows employers to reimburse employees (tax free) for dollars spent meeting premiums or from out-of-pocket medical expenses. This system helps employers save on premiums, while minimizing the financial impact on employees. • Consult an insurance agent. Insurance agents work on commission from insurance companies, so they are a free resource to employers. Agents have better oversight of all that’s happening in the insurance world, and can better match a company with a plan suited to the needs of its employees.

Sarah Rech is an insurance agent with Professional Benefit Services, based in Oregon (Rech helps Fresh Cup coordinate healthcare for its employees).

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

PAYROLL COMPANY

I asked Gusto’s Steffi Wu to shed some light on common barriers between employers and benefits plans, as well as the payoffs from offering a wellness package. What factors keep employers from providing benefits to employees? Benefits are expensive. Period. And not just financially. Setting up and managing employee benefits can be a huge administrative burden. Benefits come with a high overhead from having to find a broker, research providers, select a package, and file paperwork for every employee. Benefits administration is also complex. Carrier documents are hard to decipher, there are thousands of plan options to choose from, and it’s a headache to stay on top of ever-changing compliance regulations. What should employers know about the advantages of offering a benefits program? Benefits pack a big punch. They show that you truly care about your team’s well-being and success, both inside and outside the workplace, and the payoffs don’t stop there. For one, it helps you attract awesome people, and retain the talent you recruit. You also benefit from tax savings—since your contributions are a business expense, they’re tax deductible. Additionally, the amount that your team pays toward their premiums is done on a pre-tax basis, which means that they have lower taxable payroll earnings, so your payroll taxes are lower. Employees pay lower taxes, too. And of course, offering benefits is a great way to reinforce your company culture and sense of community. In fact, half of the employees polled in a study by MetLife said that benefits helped them avoid worrying about their financial future and overall health. What options are available to employers who want to add a benefits program through Gusto? Whether you’re offering health benefits for the first time or offer them already, we’ve got you covered. Currently, health benefits are available in seventeen states and counting: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. Employers can also offer more employee benefits through Gusto including 401(k) retirement plans, 529 college savings, commuter benefits, a flexible spending account (FSA), a health savings account (HSA), dependent care FSA, and life and disability insurance. Who should employers consult to better understand the unique benefits requirements of their state? Your health insurance broker is your go to. A health insurance broker is a licensed benefits pro who can help you research, buy, set up, and manage your health insurance experience from start to finish, and can help you understand exactly what you need to do to stay compliant with your state. FC

Beyond CITY LIGHTS

Responsible sourcing, sustainability, and quality are more than marketable attributes for the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; small-town specialty coffee companies; they are non-negotiable practices communicated to customers through patient conversations over the span of years. By serving rural communities beyond the boundaries of urban saturation, these small businesses have the time and space to practice everything specialty coffee preaches. BY RACHEL NORTHROP

September 2017 Âť Fresh Cup Magazine

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ituated on a sandy beach cove in Deer Isle, Maine, I watched as the fiery sun slowly disappeared on the horizon. On either side of me stood Melissa Raftery and Megan Wood, owners and operators of 44 North Coffee. No other person, building, or vehicle was in sight. Sensing my awe, Raftery chimed in: “We’re pretty much at the end of the world up here, right?” Deer Isle, one of midcoast Maine’s numerous rocky islands, does feel a bit like the edge of the earth, which is why it is incredible that, an hour before, we cupped a Rwandan coffee to dial in the roast profile. Here, in a tiny town where the only other business open year round is the post office, a café-roastery is doing something exceptional: serving coffee that exceeds international specialty criteria to local fishermen and schoolteachers, whose only prior coffee options came from the grocery store and a Mr. Coffee maker.

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

But 44 North is hardly an exception; many café owners are finding success far from the bustle of cities. Though metropolitan areas—with high levels of disposable income and foot traffic—are assumed to be best poised to pay for specialty coffee’s higher prices, rural areas might be better suited for this task. Cafés in small, remote towns have the advantage of a closer connection to the community and a consistent customer base. A menu of thoughtfully sourced coffee resonates with customers who understand the challenges of running a small business within a global economy, while appreciating the quality offered from a hand-crafted beverage.

THE LONG HAUL Raftery and Wood launched 44 North in 2010. Like many rural specialty coffee operations, there is no specialty wholesaler nearby. Serving exceptional coffee requires in-house roasting.

“We started in December, which is really dismal—the few people here are in hibernation,” Wood says, seated next to me on bags of green coffee lining the wall of the roastery, which is improbably located on the second floor of an old schoolhouse (a crane was required to drop in the Diedrich IR-12). Being a local company with a fresh product would have been enough to dominate the Deer Isle coffee market, but 44 North belongs to a slice of the specialty coffee industry that does more than it has to—driven not by competition, but the absence of competitors, which allows them to focus on building strong pillars of business rather than trying to win customers from shops across town. “We were shocked by the outpouring of support—immediately everyone was so excited about something new and different,” Wood says. “We had family and friends coming in who didn’t even drink coffee. It’s been incredible to be a part of this

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44 NORTH CO-OWNERS Melissa Raftery (left) and Megan Wood near their café in Stonington, Maine.

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coffee itself, and opens the door to education on its origins. “The first cup in the morning is a point of reflection and planning,” Wood explains, “and we really like that ceremony of coffee. However you have your coffee is OK, but noticing how far it has come, to intentionally enjoy it, is what’s valuable.”

However you have your coffee is OK, but noticing how far it has come, to intentionally enjoy it, is what’s valuable.

44 NORTH: Melissa Raftery scoops green coffee beans in preparation for roasting.

community and to figure out a little niche of how we can contribute.” Named for the latitude of Deer Isle, 44 North’s contribution is coffee, starting with a wholesale roastery, followed by a café in Stonington, the next town on the island. Raftery and Wood source green coffee through Cooperative Coffees, meeting Maine’s resolute demand for organic. The café serves only pour-overs, which is a feasible model for a town without a commuter rush or heavy lines. “Our customers are everyone from artists

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

to tourists to fishermen,” Raftery says. “While we’re not opening at 3 a.m., we’re here when they come in from the haul. They look forward to that afternoon cup.” It would be reductive to say 44 North uses coffee to create a community. In a town where everyone knows everyone, the café brings together artists and seasonal visitors with locals, including those employed at the working waterfront. Among this eclectic group of patrons, the café fosters a sense of connection with

More than a decade ago, in another small town—this one inland in Plymouth, New Hampshire—I grew up drinking direct-trade, singleorigin, better-than-fair-trade-paid, bird-friendly, shade-grown coffee without having the slightest idea. Café Monte Alto, which roasts for both its shop and local restaurants, is the most literal example of direct trade. But save for a few lines on their packaging and the Andean fabric hanging above the bar, they don’t talk about it much. Direct trade is not their angle; it is the only way they have ever done business. “My father and his two brothers started their coffee farms in Peru’s Cedro Pampa valley in the 1930s after they left Germany following the first World War. The third generation works the farms now,”

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HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

CAFÉ MO NTE ALTO P HOTO BY C HR IS NO RTHRO P ; C INDY M O FFITT P HOTO BY M ATT FURY

CAFÉ MONTE ALTO: The café in Plymouth, New Hampshire sells coffee sourced from producer partners in Peru.

says Micky Giunta, co-owner of Café Monte Alto. “I always buy directly from my family and pay above fair trade because even fair trade doesn’t cover their costs,” she explains. Because Giunta handles the buying and importing herself, using just a freight forwarder for customs clearance, her lens into the process is unclouded. She discussed terrorist groups, drip irrigation, the cost of copper to control leaf rust, water recycling, lack of government support, and ultimately came back to the complicated relationship between the dollar amounts we pay for coffee and how we value it. “You’re getting $1.40 for a pound of coffee and your cost of producing it is between $1.80 and $2.00. It’s not business anymore. Here we can’t compete with Burger King and McDonald’s offering any size coffee for $0.99,” she says. “We’re lucky people embrace us and always come back, because we’re way more expensive than anybody else in town.” she says. Today, unchanged from ten years ago, Café Monte Alto’s bay window

seats and plush cushions are the most coveted real estate on Main Street. “All the gas stations have coffee, but here, you come, you sit down, you talk. It’s social.”

customers, Moffitt brings the details of these places to life, making the names of people and places more

BRINGING THE WORLD HOME Cindy Moffitt also knows the value origin connection can bring to local communities. Her roastery, Prosum Roasters, named for the Latin word meaning “to be useful, beneficial, and do good,” is based in the suburbs of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and with each origin trip she brings the world back to people who do not have the chance to travel. “My first origin trip was in 2014 to Guatemala, up to Chiapas, Mexico, down to El Salvador. I hadn’t even opened the business yet, but I knew then that this is what I wanted to do,” she says. Moffitt has since traveled to Nicaragua, Ethiopia, and Brazil to source and to learn about farming and the cultures of producers. In her travel albums, staff presentations, and enthusiastic conversations with café

CINDY MOFFITT in Kellensoo, Ethiopia, sourcing for Prosum Roasters.

than packaging labels; they are conversation starters and indicators that there is meaning behind the coffee. “One of our wholesale customers is the café at the museum on the

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MOCHA JOE’S ROASTING helped certify Cameroon’s first organic coffee.

reservation of the Navajo Nation,” she says. “They only buy from suppliers within Navajo Nation and loved our coffee but felt conflicted that it violated their principles. When I told them that we source from indigenous people and support indigenous communities in other parts of the world, it was like a weight was lifted, that they didn’t have to compromise on that.” Prosum’s understanding of its supply chain, however, is not what draws clientele. To customers, Prosum is the local coffee company, and purchasing from the community rather than a national chain is what customers are most excited about. “There is a real culture of ‘support local’ in Albuquerque,” Moffitt says. “I’ve heard so many times, ‘Oh I didn’t know I had a local option! Of course I’d love to work with you rather than buying coffee out of state.’”

In Brattleboro, Vermont, Mocha Joe’s Roasting Company began partnering with producers before it was popular. They started ten years ago with producers in Cameroon, based on a suggestion by a Cameroonian customer who worked at the local university. Since then, owner Pierre Capy has developed long-term purchasing relationships in

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

P HOTO BY PIERRE CAP Y

UNTOLD ORIGIN COMMITMENTS

Farmers receive new depulpers in Cameroon’s Oku Valley.

Sumatra, Bolivia, and Guatemala, while building a mill in the Oku Valley and certifying Cameroon’s first organic coffee.

Customers buy from us because we’ve been around for [twenty-five years], have really good coffee, and roast locally. Roaster Erik Johnson sees a crucial connection between Mocha Joe’s lack of talking about what they do and their ability to do it. “We don’t sell a narrative or market anything. Customers buy from us because we’ve been around for [twenty-five years], have really good coffee, and roast locally,” he says.

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Mocha Joe’s also benefits from the consistency of its rural surroundings. “We have a customer base, so we don’t have to spend to draw people into our shop,” Johnson says. “That frees up our money to go to Cameroon, Guatemala, and Sumatra. We can do it because people are committed to us.” Stubbornly sticking to values has built Mocha Joe’s identity, not marketing. “That’s what makes a place a place—this is how we do it here,” Johnson affirms.

KEEPING MAIN STREET ALIVE Abiding by strict values has also led to success for Union Coffee Roaster, a café-roastery in Ayer, Massachusetts (also, coincidentally, on Main Street). But Carrie Medley, Union’s operations manager, recognizes that sharing those values isn’t what draws customers in. “In a place where specialty coffee isn’t a thing and most people don’t come in looking for it, we want to be approachable,” Medley says. “We will give people as much information as they want and we are always looking for an ear to share what we have learned.”

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

I first met Medley at the Mid Atlantic Northeast Coffee Conference (MANE) in Providence, Rhode Island, where she was diligently taking notes and asking questions. Her husband and co-owner, Jesse, shares the same passion for learning. “I overdo everything. In all my free time now I’m reading about coffee,” he admits. The two recently returned from a trip to Nicaragua, their first time to origin. Much of what they are pursuing— travel to origin, attentive sensory analysis, focus on quality small-lot roasting, self-assigned late night coffee reading—sounds familiar to the current young, hungry specialty roasting cohort. But unlike many other roasters, Union has very little competition. Why bother focusing on the details and making more work for themselves? “Starting off, you can only buy what you can afford. Our goal has always been to source based on what we like but also what benefits people,” Medley says. Union wants to sell coffee people love, and they do. She and Jesse entered the market to do what they find valuable—hold themselves to quality standards and source fully traceable

P HOTO S BY JESS E M EDLEY

UNION COFFEE ROASTERS focuses on quality small-lot roasting. Operations manager Carrie Medley (below, right) also prioritizes customer service.

coffees that adequately compensate farmers. “If we keep doing this, our customers will find us,” she says. And they have. Local teacher meetings, business planning sessions, and casual conversations all take place over the coffee the Medleys labor to provide. The café also has a kids’ corner filled with toys and books. In rural towns with one coffee hub, there is plenty of room for local community and obsessive coffee to coexist under the same roof, whether or not customers invest in the details behind each coffee’s origin. Customers valuing the space translates to the price of the product, allowing the owners to reinvest in sourcing the kind of coffee they believe in.

AS COFFEE IS TO LOBSTER

P HOTO C OURTESY O F 44 NOR TH

Back on Deer Isle, Wood observes the unexpected parallels between

lobster fishing and coffee farming. “Stonington is the country’s largest lobster port. 80 percent of the country’s lobster comes from here. I went to school for United States foreign policy with a concentration in Latin America and a little bit in agriculture, and I didn’t intend to be back here,” she says. “I thought I would work for a nongovernmental organization or the government. Studying extract markets, environmental consequences, and migrations was foreign, international study.” For Wood, it has been inspiring to build a company that welcomes both vacationers and the raw, jagged coastline’s workers. Moving back to Maine, she realized all the things she has studied applied to her hometown, too. “We’re dependent on our fisheries. Being

aware of our ecosystems and our climate is a constant conversation. We export our number-one resource, lobster, and quarried granite too,” she says. Like coffee farming regions, Deer Isle relies on international markets to support the local economy. “What I thought was to be studied in other countries about other people and other problems is profoundly relevant in our local community. It’s not the other; it’s here.” Maybe it’s because America’s rural communities understand coffee farming through their own experiences in ways that urban businesses cannot, but it is in these unassuming places that specialty coffee humbly realizes its potential and resolutely delivers equitability, quality, and engagement without compromising any conviction. FC

BOTH COFFEE AND LOBSTER rely on international markets to support the local economy.

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P HOTO BY JA MIE LEE ENGLISH

CARLOS MONTERO

September 2017 Â» Fresh Cup Magazine

Perry Czopp lives in Costa Rica, where he works with coffee producers Don Eli and the Montero family. Over the next year, Czopp and photographer Cheyanne Paredes will explore Costa Rica’s coffee community through a variety of lenses: tourism, production, export, and consuming culture. In this first installment, Czopp makes the case for Costa Rica as an ideal destination for coffee tourism.

f you’re looking to plan a vacation, Costa Rica has lots to offer: picturesque sandy beaches ripe for lounging, protected national parks begging to be explored, and buzzing cities with lively night life. But for the coffee professional, the country has so much more to offer: an opportunity to experience the intersecting segments of the industry’s supply chain, from production, to export, to consumption.

PERRY

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PH OTO BY P ERRY CZ OP P

September 2017 Â» Fresh Cup Magazine

osta Rica produces fantastic coffee that’s representative of Central America. It’s a progressive country open to working with consumers, and it’s easily accessed from the United States. While more than two million tourists come to Costa Rica throughout the course of each year (accounting for 15 percent of the country’s gross domestic product), the ideal time for coffee professionals to visit is during harvest, anytime between November and April. Not only do you get to witness the action of harvest, these months fall during Costa Rica’s dry season, when rain is unlikely and the temperate weather provides a perfect getaway from the winter weather happening farther north.

PRO TIP

ONE

When booking travel to Costa Rica from the

United States, there is no need to worry about filing visa paperwork. When you arrive, border control will stamp a ninety-day tourist visa into your valid passport. Though uncommon, you may be asked to present proof of your departure from the country. Outside of the Juan Santamaría International Airport you can grab a red cab or even use Uber to catch a ride. Both are totally safe and economical ways to get to the next place you need to go.

It’s not easy to sacrifice the time and money necessary to take an origin trip, yet this is such an important milestone for any professional in the industry. I first began to understand coffee while working as a barista at a small, independent café. This was eight years ago, and at the time, going to origin wasn’t possible. Even as I got closer to coffee as a roaster three years later, it was still far out of reach. But I knew that it was important to my career in the coffee industry to see production firsthand. A few years after I started roasting and getting more intimately acquainted with green coffee and where it came from, I competed in a regional barista competition. With roasting skills on my barista resume, I wanted to look for green coffee that I could both roast and serve to the judges. I worked with Jeff Courson, a green coffee trader, to find the right coffee for me—we selected Tematica, a typica micro-lot

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PRO TIP

TWO

Knowing common questions and answers in Spanish is great, but many people in the main cities speak some English. I recommend staying in San Jose for a night when you arrive and before you leave, because you can come and go from the airport on your time and have time to enjoy

PURA VIDA!

PH OTO S BY P ERRY CZ OP P

the capital city.

September 2017 Âť Fresh Cup Magazine

produced by the Montero Family at their micro-mill in Costa Rica. The process of selecting this coffee and preparing for the barista competition led to correspondence with Carlos Montero, the coffee’s producer. Not only did I have an open dialogue with the Montero family, but I received a direct invitation to visit their farm.

PRO TIP

THREE

San Jose has a great café culture that conveys the coffee landscape of the country. Start in Barrio Escalante, the hip part of town housing most of the popular restaurants and cafés. There, you can check out Underground Brew Café, Franco, Cabra Negra, and Cafeoteca, all within walking distance from each other. From there you can go through the artsy Barrio California to Barrio Amón and visit the quaint Café Nauta. End up in the heart of San Jose by

Dedicate at least a week of your time to working on a specific farm and you will get so much more out of your trip.

checking out the Academia Costarricense del Café where they roast, brew, and educate about all that is Costa Rican.

I dove in head first and bought a plane ticket for a two-month visit while I was in between jobs. I spent most of my time working on the farm, but had the opportunity to explore on the weekends. I loved it so much I decided to move here. I continue to learn something new every day about the coffee trade. Since my first trip eight years ago, trips to origin have become much more common, and contact with producers is much more feasible. This has been a huge breakthrough with an immense impact on our industry. Between the ease of travel and the willingness of local producers to host guests, I believe Costa Rica can lead coffee development in the right direction. While there are many ways to travel to Costa Rica, I suggest contacting a farmer directly or getting in touch with your roaster, importer, or exporter in order to find a producing family open to hosting a visitor. Once you get in contact with a farmer,

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PRO TIP

FOUR It is nice to have cell phone service during your stay, so I suggest visiting a Kölbi, Movistar, or Claro store front to get a SIM card and service. Generally the connection works well and is a pretty inexpensive (around twenty dollars) convenience. Having a locally connected cell phone simplifies searching destinations, getting directions, and even posting on social media.

inquire about their ability to host visitors, and come up with a daily or weekly contribution you can make to cover their costs (I suggest starting at around fifteen dollars a day). Remember that you’re going to experience harvest, and learn the coffee growing industry; don’t be a tourist who stops at a farm, takes a picture, and moves on. Dedicate at least a week of your time to working on a specific farm and you will get so much more out of your trip. Three-to-four weeks is the perfect amount of time for a visit: you can experience an entire processing cycle and still have time to explore the country’s volcanoes, beaches, and national parks. In staying with a producing family you get a lot more than a farm or wet mill tour and some photos. You actually become immersed in the dayto-day life of a producer; the early mornings, late nights, language, food, decision-making, and endless hard work that coffee production requires. Working on a farm also facilitates a more meaningful and longer-lasting connection with the farmers you are visiting or staying with, including a deeper understanding of the region, café culture, and overall coffee production. FC

PRO TIP

FIVE Be patient, go with the flow, and savor the moment. Everything will get done, but not everything when you think it should.

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P HOTO O F PERRY C ZO PP BY JAM IE LEE ENGLISH

will unfold when you want it to, or

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September 2017 Â» Fresh Cup Magazine

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he elegant diagonal boulevards and mélange of lush city parks, cobbled streets, and a replica of the Arc de Triomphe once earned Bucharest, Romania, the nickname “Little Paris of the East.” A flourishing capital of culture, Bucharest was an artist’s hub, where poets, painters, and philosophers would meet for conversation at the luxurious Casa Capșa hotel. But this blossoming society waned in the wake of World War II and Nicolae Ceaușescu’s ensuing Communist dictatorship. Bucharest faded into the gray space of the Soviet bloc. Ceaușescu’s dictatorship finally fell in 1989, and the Romanian Revolution raged cross-country. A wave of art and style surged through Bucharest, infusing color into a city long muted by the Communist reign. Twenty-eight years later, Bucharest today is an eclectic mix of neoclassical domed museums, art deco facades, and ragged apartments leftover from the Communist era. Artists and students fill the new cafés and flea markets, and flock to

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

the increasingly popular specialty coffee shops.

ORIGO COFFEE On busy Strada Lipscani in Bucharest’s old town, clusters of customers stand outside Origo Coffee, chatting and sipping espresso in the summer sun. Even in winter, a crowd can be found outside of Bucharest’s most popular specialty coffee shop. Mihai Panfil opened Origo in 2013 with a mission to educate Bucharest about specialty coffee and to put Romania on the coffee map. The name Origo is a nod to new beginnings and identity. “I wanted something that means the start of the coffee industry here,” Panfil says. “We are a Latin people, so I took from Latin the word origo—‘the origin.’” The interior of the shop is simple, designed to make coffee the focus. White coffee cups hang from antique wooden ceiling beams over the bar area, which showcases the shop’s Victoria Arduino Gravitech espresso machine. “Because specialty coffee was brand new here, the idea of the

place was for the entire coffee process to be visible to clients, to see everything, to be transparent,” Panfil says. Originally, Origo roasted its beans in-house behind a glass wall, making the process visible to customers. The roastery has since relocated due to growing customer volume and the accompanying need for more space. Behind the counter, chalkboard walls advertise a simple menu and information about each drink. One chalk panel informs customers that sugar is available upon request, but asks that they try the coffee without it first. “Our goal working here,” says lead barista Lavinia Toma, “is to show people what specialty coffee is, and that it might be a little different than what they are used to.” Each Origo customer is greeted, then served tableside, guided through the menu by knowledgeable staff members. Anca Arhip, also a lead barista, elaborates: “I think it’s very important to have good coffee, but it’s nothing if you make a good coffee and don’t know how to present it to someone. So the coffee

P HOTO S C OURTESY O F ORIGO CO FFEE

ORIGO COFFEE helped put Bucharest on the specialty coffee map and is known for its iconic white coffee cup and pour-over light fixtures (above and opposite page).

is important, but hospitality also means a lot.” This focus on hospitality and education is especially pertinent in Bucharest, stemming from times when Ceaușescu’s economic policy made importing coffee nearly impossible. Romanians instead drank nechezol, the nickname for a coffee substitute composed of only 15 percent coffee and 85 percent grains. Coffee culture began its resurgence in 1990, when Romanians began to travel and seek work in Italy. “Before 1989, there was no coffee culture,” Panfil says. “From what I know, until 1990 there were only four or five professional espresso machines in the country. People didn’t know anything about coffee, they had no education on how coffee should be or taste.” Panfil’s hard work is paying off. He says their roastery is now receiving orders from outside Romania, from places including Hungary and the Czech Republic, and their coffee is in such high demand in Bucharest that they will be opening a second location next year. Toma and her colleagues have competed in the World Brewers Cup, and Arhip placed at the 2016 World Barista Championship. “All the coffee exhibitions and competitions, we are there,” Panfil says. “It’s a lot of effort, but it’s important to stay connected.”

COFTALE Nestled in a stately house outside Bucharest’s city center is Coftale. Owner Antonio Iftimescu opened the shop in December 2012 with his sister, Rocsana Dobre. Their goal was to create a coffee experience reflective of Bucharest’s culture. “I think people in other countries sometimes think of Romania as a Communist country, but that was back then. In my vision, Bucharest is a mixture of old and new,” Iftimescu says. Coftale’s interior is cozy and spacious, with high ceilings, ornate crown molding, and a sleek, modern

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bar. The space is light and airy, hearkening back to Bucharest’s “Little Paris” days. Iftimescu’s interest in specialty coffee began years ago in Berlin, Germany, when a barista there made a heart in his cappuccino. “That made me curious,” he says. “What is that heart in the middle? And why doesn’t it need sugar? I wasn’t a coffee drinker back then, so I used to put a lot of sugar in my coffee. It was like ‘Whoa, no sugar for this coffee.’ It was perfect.” When Iftimescu returned to Romania, he resolved to learn more about specialty coffee. He found a beginner’s course through the

September 2017 » Fresh Cup Magazine

Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) and fell in love. “The idea for a specialty coffee shop just popped. It was like, ‘Let’s try this.’” But, like Panfil, he knew the process would involve education. “For people in Bucharest who are new to specialty coffee, it could seem like the barista disappears behind a counter and comes out with a coffee. We wanted the process to be transparent.” Iftimescu made his Kees van der Westen Spirit easily visible to customers, so they feel like they’re pulling up a chair at a kitchen table. “This is a place where people can connect with the barista and with each other,” he says. “That’s why it’s

called Coftale. We’ve made a tale, a story about coffee in Bucharest.” Iftimescu promotes local business whenever possible. He sources beans primarily from Origo and Bucharestbased roasters Papa Jacques and Guido, and from Yume Coffee Roasters, a roastery in Cluj-Napoca in northwestern Romania. His future plans include roasting his own beans and continuing to attend coffee events such as the Berlin Coffee Festival and next year’s World of Coffee event. He wants to further his own education and assert a Romanian presence at these events. Iftimescu’s passion for specialty coffee and education is paying off. More and more Romanians are foregoing

C O FTALE PHOTOS BY CA LIN DO BRIN/CR ISTAL ST UD IO

COFTALE owner Antonio Iftimescu (above and right) gives customers a front-row view to drink-preparation.

home brews and stopping by Coftale for their morning cup. “When we talk about coffee, we put our heart into it,” Iftimescu explains, “and that resonates with people.”

T-ZERO Besides education, networking has played an important role in expanding Bucharest’s specialty coffee scene. Take, for example, Ciprian Cosma, who opened T-Zero Coffee Shop after a friend and coffee shop owner introduced him to specialty coffee. “I wanted to learn about it,” Cosma says, “and he told me to go to Origo.” Now, over a year after T-Zero’s opening, Cosma maintains connections not only with Origo, who supplies coffee to the café, but with other shop owners throughout Bucharest. “We have started a community,” he says. “We send clients to one another. We are trying to grow.” Cosma recently opened a second T-Zero shop. Together with artist and friend Romulus Boicu, Cosma designed and constructed the interior of his shop—from the teal walls to the rustic wood plank–lined walls and counter. “We did absolutely everything,” he says. The result is an eclectic interplay between the earthy touches and Boicu’s contemporary scrap metal sculptures. Owning two shops has allowed Cosma to experiment and learn. His original shop is home to a Nuova Simonelli Aurelia II and an Anfim Super Caimano grinder, whereas he chose a Victoria Arduino VA358 White Eagle and Nuova Simonelli Mythos One at his newest shop. “Working with the machines, working with the coffee—that’s the best school,” Cosma says.

T-ZERO owner Ciprian Cosma (left) is a thriving force in the Bucharest coffee community.

T- Z ERO PH OTO S BY R OM ULUS BO ICU

BEYOND BUCHAREST Specialty coffee is also growing outside Romania’s capital. The town of Cluj-Napoca, located 280 miles northwest of Bucharest, is home to many specialty coffee shops, and in smaller cities, shops are just beginning to open.

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PH OTO OF LATT E P OUR AT T-Z ERO BY RO M ULUS BO IC U

In Iași, Romania, a specialty coffee and barista school opened this February. Scoala Moldoveneasca de Cafea, which translates to “Moldavian Coffee School,” is the first independent coffee school in the Moldavian region. The main trainer is Laurentiu Stefan, a two-time national barista champion with additional international accolades. Stefan will work alongside a team of two other trainers to educate coffee drinkers and baristas alike. “The goal of the school is to teach people about quality coffee and how to prepare and enjoy it,” says Carmen Manea, the school’s public relations manager. The school will train baristas not only for their work in specialty coffee shops throughout Romania, but also for championships. Manea hopes that increasing access to education in areas outside Bucharest will lead to greater availability of specialty coffee throughout the country. Coffee shop owners and baristas across Romania know and support one another. “It’s not a competition with us,” Origo’s Panfil says, “because if there are more options, the winner is really the client.” Coftale’s Iftimescu agrees that the more options, the better: “Coffee is personal. If you go to one coffee shop here, you might try coffee from Guatemala. You can try another shop later, try something different. That’s a good thing. You start to think about what you like and the origins of what you’re drinking. It creates a little community.” This community of specialty coffee shop owners, baristas, and consumers pushes everyone to continue improving their methods and increases the general knowledge of and interest in drinking specialty coffee in Bucharest. Shop owners and roasters are hopeful that putting Romania on the specialty coffee map will also help paint a more positive image of Romanian culture and lifestyle in general. Summarizing Romania’s rebirth and rising specialty coffee scene, Panfil says, “We started very late, but are recovering very fast.” FC

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Counter INTELLIGENCE CORTADO 2.0 NotNeutral‘s Vero cortado glass is now available for purchase. The sleek glass—available in clear and a chic smoky gray—made its debut at this year’s SCA expo. Made specifically for specialty coffee, the inside of the vessel is smooth and curved for pouring latte art, and the faceted, gem-like base allows for a comfortable grip that balances easily in the hand. Vero glasses are designed and produced in the United States. notneutral.com

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