What’s your favorite fact about coffee?
I think I learn something new about coffee every day so that’s a tough one. I’ve always been intrigued by the value stream, or all the people and processes it takes to get the seeds to the point of roasting, plus all the things that happen after that point. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and passion behind the scenes before we can enjoy the final product.
What’s your favorite fashion faux pas to commit?
Can there be too many layers and patterns of flannel?
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Family vacations with kids: Pigeon Forge. Personal travel: Something about Portugal calls to me, though I won’t know what it is until I get there. Coffee/professional travel: I would love to spend more time in East Africa.
If someone made you into a cartoon or comic character, what would that character’s most prominent feature be?
I worked closely with someone who was a coffee professional by day and a children’s book illustrator by night for a number of years, so I’ll grant him an artistic license.
Where are you to be found when not at Peace Coffee?
It’s all about the kids. Whatever they want to do. They love to play at the park, swim and explore. Anything active and creative.
If you could have coffee with anyone, living or dead, who’d it be?
Kaldi. Though I’d settle for Norm Abram.
What is the best bike ride you’ve ever taken & why?
For a long time, I lived in a very hilly, bike-friendly city. In the cool, early, early mornings, with no traffic to stop me, I’d ride 5 miles to work almost entirely downhill, as fast as possible.
What is your favorite pairing with coffee?
Fall and winter. Come to think of it, spring and summer are pretty nice pairings too. I typically drink filter coffee black, but I also enjoy espresso straight or sometimes with a little milk.
What music keeps you going while at work?
I’m usually listening for first crack – the popping sound coffee beans make during the roasting process when they need to release some extra energy. When I’m not roasting but working, I’m most likely listening to the Dead, electric-period Miles or other fusion, or Leonard Cohen. If I need something sublime Tom Jobim is a go to. More and more, I’m all about Esperanza Spalding. She’s a visionary.
