My first lessons about India the following day came early. First, India works on a more relaxed idea of time than America does. As a result, timeliness and punctuality are not the prized virtues that they are in the States. Despite this, somehow everything still works out. This was made very clear to me when we left… {read more}
There is really no place on earth quite like India. I experienced this first hand recently when I was fortunate enough to attend the Araku (emphasis on the first syllable, if you’re trying to say it in your head) Originals Awards in the Araku Valley as an international guest. I got to taste great coffee, and… {read more}
I had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala a few weeks ago. The trip had a few purposes; visiting the grower we have been working with for 13 years, Miguelina, and attending the International Women in Coffee conference. After landing off of the red-eye flight and swinging by the hotel to pick-up Allison Aubrey and David Gilkey… {read more}
The team and I have just returned from an amazing trip to San Francisco for the 2013 Good Food Awards. We were honored to be selected as a finalist this year but to take home a Gold Seal award was truly amazing! The Good Food Awards was founded 3 years ago to (as stated on their website… {read more}
“Imagine working with some of the best equipment and coffees in the world. Both East and West Coast Camp Pull-A-Shot provide baristas of any skill level a forum to explore new equipment, coffee, and ideas. The presence of multiple espresso machines, brewing methods, and coffee from a collection of well-respected roasters is the ideal environment for any… {read more}
The last two months have been filled with demos upon demos. When late August and early September hit it means that our school partners are up and running. This means preparing equipment for the fall semester, tasting coffee with food service employees, checking on marketing and getting baristas trained for the crazy rush of students ahead. … {read more}
Note: This is a continuation of my experiences during a recent trip to Honduras. For the first half, please click here. Our second morning in Honduras started very calmly. Cups of incredibly fresh coffee in hand, we explored Rapaco, the hacienda where we were being housed during our stay with Global Brigades. The hacienda was calm and… {read more}
“Linking Coffee and Community” has long been a guiding phrase here at Portland Roasting Coffee. We firmly believe that in order for our coffee to be the best it can be, we have a responsibility to the communities that grow the coffee. When those communities have needs and we have resources, we want to use those resources… {read more}
At the coffee shop where I used to work there was a woman who came in almost daily and ordered the exact same beverage. This by itself was not extraordinary, but that I was the only person she allowed to make it was. As I hadn’t worked there for very long, I sometimes wondered how she got on… {read more}
Hey Folks, I thought I’d share with readers the news that I was recently elected to the Roasters Guild Executive Council. Being a part of the Roasters Guild has been nothing short of awesome in terms of the education and community that I’ve cultivated around my career as a Roaster. I regularly consult with professionals from the Guild when… {read more}
