Honestly, I have never had any real palate refining classes or intense cupping knowledge. I have been to literally hundreds of specialty coffee retailers all over the country, and even some outside of the country, and this is where my palate has been exposed to different forms of coffee. Having said that, if sometimes I seem unhappy with a product or if asked what I think and I respond honestly, it really should be taken with a grain of salt. I am no expert, and I have only fell in love with 3 espresso blends so far. I am not saying these are the best, or that others are inferior, I am really just expressing what I look for in an espresso. Grumpy, Vivace, Intelly, these are the espressos that blew me out of the water. Leaps and bounds out of the water. So much so that I am on this conquest of providing the same effect I got from these espresso to my customers here in Houston. I don't mean to shun local roasters, it's just I was so blown away by these awesome blends and profiles and I haven't experienced that here yet. Maybe it isn't the blend, maybe its the equipment. Maybe its me not addressing procedures properly. I honestly am not educated enough in the dozens of variables that are regarded in producing such a noteworthy shot. Water, Grind, Pressure, Temperature, Tamping, Milk, Extraction times, etc. I am no expert, and likewise it may be any of these things besides the blend, or roast profile. But what I do understand is to replicate such quality, I have to learn to address every single variable and determine where I am succeeding and where my shortcomings are. Luckily there are like-minded coffee geeks here in Houston as well to help me on my venture. So yeah, if I say its ok, or I don't like it, it by no means says the product or quality is inferior, its just my personal, uneducated opinion.