So, I worked for about an hour today...making drinks.. I did get the schedule up and posted for the coming weeks, and realized my presence was not needed for the majority of the afternoon.
Breakfast was cooked for Lenore and me, we had Poor Knights of Windsor (look it up) and I had an additional omelet. Like you guys really care. But what is meaningful is that Lenore requested coffee, which is a rarity. I am always happy to oblige, and got water heating for the trusty French Press I have owned for over 10 years.
Its not that Lenore doesn't drink coffee, she was one of those kids several years ago that got turned on to espresso and coffee, but drank so much of it, she says it doesn't affect her.
I on the other hand, have been behind an espresso machine for almost 14 years, and have pulled, drank, served and tossed so many shots, I have no idea how my life would look if I didn't come home smelling of chocolate & coffee and had splashes of steamed milk all over my shoes.
The funny thing is, is that after all this time, and making drinks for so long, I still find myself interested in creating better beverages, pulling better shots, and learning more about the production side of the business with every passing day. I am lucky to have a local roaster that is knowledgeable, approachable and passionate about providing consistent beans for all of his buyers. I have been meaning to get out to Troy ID and visit the roastery, learn about the blends and single origins that Jon uses, but keeping my body at the OWC has taken so much of my attention these days, I feel it will never happen.
The nice thing is now, the slow times. From a business standpoint, I don't think its too comfortable for the ownership to go into our lean time, but they have weathered four years of these patterns, and know what to expect. So for the slow times for me, I have some goals.
Go to Landgrove Coffee and hang out with Jon and Hannah
Learn about our beans, their origins, their individual flavors, their collective power in a blend
Roast some beans, cup them
Repeat.
Come back to work and talk up the drip coffee brews to staff, customers and ownership
Refresh my love for tasting espresso, shot after sweet shot, and excite my staff, customers and ownership about these same things
Host a cupping with Jon for staff and ownership
And finally, down the road a bit, get our customers into the shop for education, by hosting quarterly cuppings.
This will be my contribution to One World Cafe'.