Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/659497
I love your magazine. Simply being reminded of the fact that there are so many incredible individuals that are as passionate/ infinitely more passionate about coffee as I am, is so refreshing, comforting, and inspiring. I took the time to read a page I usually skip over—Contributors—and was delighted to find story after story of wonderful people following their dreams, and successfully. It gives me hope and reassurance. Thank you so very much for doing what you do! Trent Andreas Seattle Glad you guys got around to writing an article about dark roasting ["The Dark Arts," February + March 2016], but a couple of lines in the article caught my attention: "Prior to this phenomenon, which is a nod to the traditional roast levels in Scandinavia, coffee had largely been considered a dark-art commodity crop deeply influenced by iconic companies like Folgers and Maxwell House since the early 1900s." Later in the paragraph: "The conundrum still facing many third- wave coffee roasters is how to address the demands of a century-old dark coffee market while upholding the true evolution of their craft." As a specialty roaster that stands behind dark roasts as part of our overall roasting portfolio, I had some concerns about the story that's being told. From my understanding of coffee history in the United States, we adopted the dark-roasting tradition largely via the influence of Alfred Peet and later Starbucks. I don't mean to over- simplify, because they were most certainly not the only ones dark roasting at the time (1970s), and not everyone gravitated toward the dark roast either. (Coffee Connection by George Howell was a company doing lighter roasts at the time, for example.) But in a nutshell, the success of dark roasting was in a large part because coffee quality in the United States had been on the decline for several decades prior, due to market factors, consolidation, rationing, etc. The roast style that was prevalent in the United States pre-Peet's was mostly lightly roasted, weakly brewed, and poor- quality coffee—light roasted because the beans weighed more, and allowed companies to stretch a dollar; weakly brewed because the companies advertised their coffee as "extra flavorful," which allowed customers to stretch a dollar; and poor quality because of buying cheap, low-grade beans. The dark-roast style was so successful largely in part because it was so different, and so much better than what had been served until then. Luigi Di Ruocco, vice president, Mr. Espresso Oakland, Calif. I'm thrilled you have incorporated a series into the magazine that specifically addresses technical issues facing café owners [the column "Tech Support," which appears in every other issue of Barista Magazine]. This is timely and wise. The author of these stories, too, is a great writer and has a good sense of humor, but also knows his stuff! I have learned so much from these stories. Please keep them coming. Sam Choi Vancouver, B.C., Canada Hey, the article "Progressive Brewing Techniques" in the new issue [February + March 2016] was great! Me and my coworkers love reading about brewing experiments almost as much as we like doing them! It's fun to see recipes for brewing, too. I hope you have more articles like this in the future. Julie Bourcet Walnut Creek, Calif. Excellent interview with Geoff Watts ["Master Q+A," February + March 2016]. I might sound like a fuddy-duddy saying that the younger generation in coffee doesn't value the people who came before them, but, well, there it is. Geoff isn't even an old-timer like me! But the work he has done with coffee producers around the world that has changed the way they grow and process coffee for the better, is monumental. I am very glad you have these "Master" interviews in every issue of Barista Magazine. This industry is moving forward fast, but to move too quickly and forget about the pioneers would be a grave mistake. The fascinating characters you profile in the "Master" articles go a long way in telling the compelling and important tales of early specialty coffee. Ethan Shane Colorado Springs, Colo. T I P J A R COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, LOVE, AND HATE PHONE: 800.296.9108 FAX: 971.223.3659 TIPJAR@BARISTAMAGAZINE.COM FEBRUARY + MARCH 2016 • VOLUME 11/ISSUE 6 ROASTING DARKER WITH INTEGRITY REPOR TS FROM RWANDA + COSTA RICA COLD - BREW COCKTAILS 101 AN INTERVIEW WITH GEOFF WATTS E - COMMERCE EX PLAINED PHILLY COFFEE PIONEER PROGRESSIVE BREWING T ECHNIQUES 16 barista magazine