A question that many people have is, "How did you get this into coffee?". It's a good question, so thought I'd explain the evolution of my love for coffee here.

First, one of the main things I love about coffee is the emotions that it evokes from people. A dedicated coffee drinker loves coffee, but also needs their coffee. People may love ice cream, but they don't eat it every day first thing in the morning.

One quarter in college, I had a thermodynamics class on Tuesdays and Thursdays which started at 7:40am. Proving equations of state is hard enough, let alone at 7:40 in the morning. The professor sympathized with us a bit and being from the Dominican Republic, promised to bring a big carafe of coffee for each class. Thus began my coffee drinking.

Fast forward several years. I quit my job at eBay and moved to Grenoble, France to rock climb and take French lessons. I had been to Europe before and really like how each country put their own unique spin on coffee. France was great because it was espresso wherever you turned: the language school cafeteria, cafes, restaurants, etc. So, after spending the entire summer of 2002 drinking espresso, I was seriously hooked on the stuff. Shortly after returning, my mom got me a nice Gaggia espresso machine for Christmas.

Once you get one good piece coffee equipment, you're on a slippery slope. You may begin with the machine and buy ground beans from Peet's. Then, you notice and realize the freshly ground beans are way better than day-old ground beans...so you invest in a grinder. Then you realize that big coffee companies don't sell fresh (or good) coffee so you search for a better source. If you're lucky enough to have local roasters in your city, you're happy buying fresh beans from them. But, eventually, you may mention to your girlfriend that some guy at work is roasting his own beans after which she gets you your very own home roaster for your birthday. The next thing you know, you're flying to coffee school in Portland and searching the Internet for used commercial coffee roasters. Then you're here, writing all of this.

The coffee world is beginning to change and I stepped in shortly after this change started. Consumers are realizing there is a vast world beyond super dark roasted coffee shots poured into 32 oz. of steamed milk. Coffee is just as complex as wine, the beans unique in their characteristics just like grapes. I sincerely believe that with more small roasters like me out there, the overall quality of coffee in this country will increase and coffee drinkers will benefit. My goal is provide high quality, delicious, interesting and fresh coffee to my customers and help them learn some of the nuances of coffee. I want my customers to know exactly where their coffee came from as well as how and when it was roasted.