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in the success of its protection. When we returned to the States, Laurel was asked to be the administrator for the U.S. branch of the organization we worked for in Lebanon, which happened to be based in Annapolis, Md. I decided to find a job at a coffee shop until I could find something in my field. I remember applying at a coffee shop at the Naval Academy, and at Starbucks, and then a friend of mine told me about a roastery that had recently opened in his neighborhood. So I walked into Caffe Pronto and handed the manager my resumé. I later talked to Vince, and was offered a job as a barista. SA: Can you talk a little about your experience with Caffe Pronto, then Ceremony, over the next 10 years? AS: In the early years at Caffe Pronto, I wore a lot of hats, including barista, delivery driver, and coffee bagger, and did whatever needed to be done to help a growing business. If there is one word of advice I might want to give to someone wanting to pursue a career in the indus- try, it is to work like crazy and be willing to do whatever task needs to be done. Mop floors, clean bathrooms, and dust light fixtures when you're not asked to, even if it has nothing to do with coffee. I can't say I was always a model employee in this respect, but I do think that being willing to do menial tasks day in and day out put me in good stead to begin to take over larger responsibilities. After two-and-a-half years of working for Vince, I started to show interest in roasting. Vince was doing all of it at the time. He saw a need to free up his time to grow the business, and I was definitely interested in learning the craft. It was an honor to begin to take over such an integral part of a wholesale roasting business, and although I think in some ways it was hard for Vince to give this role up, we started to really grow as a company once his time was freed to work on sales. So I spent the last seven years at Caffe Pronto as head roaster. My role evolved over time as we took on more employees and I began to be involved in the green-buying decisions. Cupping and developing a solid palate for coffee was something I really enjoyed and realized I had a knack for… I think it was a pretty natural progression to begin to really care about what I was tasting in black coffee, because quality was such an integral part of our business model. Cupping started to solidify this for me, and I can remember the absolute awe of my first table full of washed Yirgacheffes. To this day I marvel at the fragrance of a real- ly nice Yirg. If I could only fall asleep each night on a bed of freshly ground Kochere… But there is definitely a people side to coffee that I find fascinating. The privilege of traveling to source really opened my eyes to the people who grow and process coffee. And I love to see and experience how coffee is enjoyed in different cultures. The coffee ceremony in Ethiopia, to me, epitomizes all that is special about coffee—a daily gathering of friends and family, a stimulation of all of the senses, creativity and beau- ty, and the enjoyment of one of the most complex beverages on earth. SA: When did you first get the idea to compete, and what inspired it? AS: My first SCAA-related competition was Roasters Choice. Wow, that must be about eight years ago now. I remember submitting a peaberry from Yirgacheffe, and it made it into the top 10. A few years later I decid- ed to compete in the first U.S. Cup Tasters competition and finished sec- ond. This is when the blood started flowing for coffee competitions. SA: How did you prepare for the Brewers Cup? AS: As far as the actual brewing, I did a lot of comparison brews. First I'd try different brewers and cup the results blindly. After I chose a 62 barista magazine