How many hats?

I really love all the different things I do here at the Conservatory. Roasting, cupping, training, sourcing green coffee, pulling shots(pushing, actually), latte art, brewing by the cup, socializing, filing, billing, restaurant depot...okay, not restaurant depot. However, I do foresee a time when I will trim a few of these tasks from my day to day routine to focus on the few things I love the most. Some of my "hats" are full time responsibilities at other coffee companies. Take roasting. Or green buying. Barista training? Yep. Restaurant Depot? I hope not! In the meantime, you can find my multiple personalities frantically running around the shop! I hope you say hi and we can share a cup of great coffee, brewed strong!

AJ

Thank You!

Just a moment of thanks to all of YOU who keep The Conservatory going! We appreciate all of you and look forward to sharing many more amazing coffees, teas (and cocoas!)  with you in the years to come. Look for cupping sessions in the near future!

Roaster's Choice-March 2009

Here are a few... 

1)Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Natural Idido Misty Valley. This coffee is so incredibly fruity! Blueberries and chocolate anyone? 

2)Yemen Mocha Sanani. Wild, sweet, cocoa pebbles, smooth. 

3)Organic Espresso. Brazil, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Costa Rica. Roasted gently into second crack. Viscous and sweet. 

4)Kenya Peaberry Ruera.  Mouthwatering acidity, pungent fragrance and big body.

Happy New Year and Helloooo Colombia

Hello to everybody and nobody who may read this roaster's attempt at blogging! I received a phone call today from a guy who's a Colombian coffee farmer who was in town. He asked if I could roast some of his green beans and so I did. The farm is in San Agustín, a town and municipality in the southern Colombian Department of Huila. The coffee is organically grown and covered by large shade trees. The coffee he gave me is farm direct, thus extremely fresh, so I tried Willem Boot's advice and charged the supple green beans 100 degrees lower and did a 2 minute pre drying as part of the roast. I just brewed myself a cup and I'm impressed and excited by this coffee and the entrepreneurial spirit of the grower! An all around BIG coffee with lots of plush body, penetrating acidity and classic Colombian flavor. Not to mention caffeine (which the verbosity of this entry will attest to!) Looking forward to buying and sharing some of this special coffee with you all! I pray you all have a blessed year. Bye for now!