She is my mentor

Her name is Maria. She is the farm manager of the current farm I work for, UCC Hawaii. She’s had the position for 20 years. Took me quick enough to find someone like her. I rent a room in her place too.

Prior to working full time in UCC, I started off as part time picker.

I wanted to leave my previous farm so badly, so I was looking for field maintenance work. At that time I showed up in UCC’s office. Maria said that if I want to work there, I had to start as a picker. The only experience I had in picking at that time was on my days off that I’d voluntarily pick cherries in the previous farm, making 30lbs the most. I was hesitant to say yes quickly, but I immediately recognized the sternness in her voice like she carries herself as a teacher. I asked if I can work 2 days a week and they were fine with it. They gave me papers to sign, then after a week, I returned it, and started. I won’t ever forget the time that Beny, the person in charge of finance, told me that they didn't think I’ll ever come back.

Many things happened in between but after 3 months of working part time, I finally decided to work full time with Maria. Now, more than ever, living my life in Hawaii finally makes sense. More than validating the way I think, she strives to always improve everything. Her focus and determination on the job makes me want to keep up with the amount of experience she has in coffee. She has the strongest mindset and the kindest heart. Finding a person with those characteristics, and a deep knowledge/understanding in coffee farming is absolutely rare to find. I learn about farm life too, reducing waste and some common sense on skills I’ve never touched base on.

Her strength reminds me of my mom and my grandmother’s. I am one stubborn individual who takes on, on these women in my life. Don’t get me wrong. I love them. The advise they give on my career is just sometimes irrelevant because I’m the only one who took a profession in coffee. However, with all questions and guidance I have right now, I will listen to Maria. I recognize her value in my life and I know that in this aspect of coffee, more than being my boss, she is my mentor.

Living a life I aim to live forever

Kona, Hawaii. The current home base. After 7 months of living on the island, having to transfer to another farm, establishing a healthy routine, I can say that I would absolutely love to live this way. This is the healthiest I've lived in my entire life! The farm I live at is abundant with fruit trees, such as avocados, papayas, oranges, seasonal fruits, bananas, edible flowers, and many more. Maria, my farm manager / housemate has free range chickens that give eggs too, so we never have to buy! I work 8 hour shifts, 5 days a week doing labor intensive work in a coffee farm, and on my 2 days off, I do long runs. I see my running as training for work, and work as training to build strength and endurance. In terms of growth, I found the mentor  in coffee farming that justifies my reason for moving here! 

I love it because I don't even have to try so hard. I got everything I need. It's like this life is just where the shoe fits. I have goals that I want to achieve, but this current feeling makes me think, "How could I ask for more?". 

I don't live beyond my means. I had to adjust things I'll willingly spend on. The minimalist approach in life has definitely helped. Focusing on things that only really matter. I maximize my resources too. This is good. I'm having a better understanding of sustainability by living my life around it. 

Do we need two ways to grade coffee?

It never bothered me when I started working in a Kona Coffee Shop in Texas, when we’d sell Extra Fancy & Peaberry as pour over on the menu, but learning Specialty Coffee in the Kona region itself urged these thoughts of mine.

Let me explain how coffee grading in Kona works.

When people say 100% Kona Coffee, it has to be certified. There are certain qualifications in bean size, amount of defect, and it must be grown in a specific range of the Kona region. The farm where I work at gets the seal of approval from the dry mill.

After this, from highest to lowest, there’s the Extra Fancy, Fancy, Kona #1, Kona Select, and Prime. Amount of defects increase as it goes lower.

I recently attended an SCA class on Sensory and had an idea of how to identify specialty coffee. These are coffees that have less than 5 defect in 300g, 0 to 1 defect when grading green coffee & a cupping score of 80 and above. Cause of unpleasant taste may be from defect, bug damage, past crop or improper storage. I’m still slowly trying to wrap my head on this type of grading and the definition of Specialty Coffee is still evolving as they include the producer’s side into the equation.

I’m also really trying to understand my question here. I’ve wondered if the size of the bean matters when the coffee has very little defect, and has been processed in a way that results meet the SCA graded standards. I wonder if using bean size is fair to grade what’s quality. What if the farm has a variety that naturally produces larger beans, (for example: Maragogipe, identified as “Big Bean”) and then there’s the Guatemala Typica variety that is more prominently produced by farms from the Kona region. I simply can’t understand if having two grades benefits the consumer and producer side

I don’t think it helps in the consumer’s understanding of quality coffee. Here’s why. At the end of the process, when coffee is brewed, flavor is the main thing that will speak for the process, if it’s quality or not. A bag of coffee can have the extra fancy size but can be full of defects. Do these tourists even know if a seal of approval exists? A bag of coffee can also be Kona Prime (3 steps lower from the biggest bean) but can be processed correctly and have no defect.

In producer’s perspective, this is where the green bean quality starts. If coffee ripened quickly because of the weather during that season, is it considered their fault? Is it their fault that it didn’t grow big enough? But the coffee is clean from mold, has been kept away from the Coffee Bore Beetle, has been stored correctly and passed specialty, but is still labeled by what its size is.

The thing that makes me wonder if the size to determine a coffee quality really matters! This simply confuses the consumer, by identifying what really is important in producing a cup. It’s also because I know that as I work in the. producer’s side, I can cheat a system like that. I know how to find a loophole. I know that if I see it, people have already done it.

Last thing that makes me wonder if having the Kona grading system helps the industry as a whole, or does it add a barrier to make them highly distinct from other coffee producing regions.

---

Apr 18

Maybe yes.

I keep coming back to this question. Maybe we need two ways to grade coffee because Specialty coffee is not everyone’s niche.

Not everyone drinks coffee because of the flavor, nor does everyone drink it black. Coffee is seen as a caffeine source, or even a comforting flavored/creamy drink. So, there’s no sense in putting up a particularly processed/ fermented/ rare variety/ roasted to perfection coffee on a latte.

It’s only very recent that this beverage is seen as Specialty, as it was presented as a bitter, energizing drink when brought to the market. It’s been so available everywhere, that it became a lifestyle for many parts of the world. The Specialty coffee sector is still so young.

And then I realize, coffee is simply enjoyed differently. Some enjoy it as a commodity & some, as specialty. Farms will also have to realize which market are they for, thus having goals for what to achieve on either. So yea, maybe we do need two ways to grade coffee…

Pandemic, Inflation & Wages

As I write this blog, I assess everything that makes me worry right now. How will my salary be enough to help me live and to help me grow in my career? What a time to start a profession in coffee! From finding a career when no coffee shop is open (2020), to having just enough money with inflation occurring (2022). Can I just say that I live in Kona too? Gas is ridiculously expensive! From $4 last month to $5.49 this month. The post pandemic effect, and an occurring war in Ukraine. 

To help sustain the lives of the workers, shouldn't we be increasing coffee prices too? Maybe do a market adjustment with wages? Do we need to wait for every other coffee farm to do it? Can we take the lead? I wonder. After all, fertilizer is times two in prices already! A raise can only compensate for so much during this time, but it doesn't count as a reward for what one is trying to earn. 

4 hrs after I write this blog to myself, the farm I work for, just released an announcement of increasing the coffee prices. Our minds are quite in sync!  

Organic is Sustainable

… but is it really? Two words that are too broad, even for this topic. This statement had me thinking so deeply, that I wanted to protest. I didn’t. I couldn’t. I’m not putting up a fight when there’s arrogance involved. A point can’t come across when organic is seen like a religion.

We would have to narrow this down. Put this in coffee farming context. I, for one is a big advocate for sustainability. It has been 5 years since I’ve decided to make conscious decisions with waste. Years after that, I found interest in immersing myself into the coffee industry, thus putting these two concepts together. A sustainable coffee business.

With a shallow standard for my thoughts, I’ve been accumulating ideas on how to reduce waste. Learning the barista/consumer side of coffee helped me give some more insight on how to make realistic decisions. To be exact, I have a list of these in this blog too! However, as I got into coffee farming, I’ve seen a bigger picture on what sustainability really is.

For me, sustainability is to make use of resources efficiently. Resources including environment, labor, time & money. Decisions on how a business can sustain itself with what they have. There are only factors that we can control and only so much that we can’t. The question is, how can we work our way around it?

As we know, the producer’s side of coffee can be the most difficult, unacknowledged and misjudged community of the coffee chain. Producers have to deal with the environment, & has been directly affected by climate change. In addition to these, more diseases such as coffee leaf rust, & coffee bore beetle have been affecting the crop. The current to post pandemic stage caused shortage of people all over the world. People have been more lazy! I can’t blame them though. Why work in a labor intensive work environment such as a farm who is tight on budget, when Target offers a competitive pay? I currently live in Kona. A coffee region in Hawaii with the highest cost of living, & labor laws that bring coffee prices up to one of the highest range that is even beyond my budget. And to top it off, you have consumers who know little about the process and demands “Organic”.

Organic is a label that’s been more active in this current time. We see it in groceries everywhere (maybe excluding Walmart). It matters to those who are more conscious with what they eat and where it is sourced. GMOs have been around because there’s so much demand, not much supply, and chemicals are introduced. It can get ridiculous how this can be abused by large scale companies too. For those who go against this, we also have those people who abuse the alternative of these chemically produced products by putting a label. Resulting to the term “Organic” becoming a marketing tool.

In the coffee farm, we spray weed killers around the tree, put fertilizer, spray for fire ants, CBB (coffee bore beetle) and CLR (coffee leaf rust). We spray around the tree to prevent weeds and vines from growing on the tree. With limited labor, weed-whacking around trees on a 32 acre farm is putting the burden on your people. Not spraying on leaves will cause disease on your trees, defective crop, and discomfort to the pickers. Fire ants burn like hell.

With some of these factors, how do we expect to go organic and have products to sell? How can organic be sustainable when farmers lose their farms because the trees haven’t been treated and sprayed? How can organic be sustainable when you expect people to do a labor intensive job while not paying them enough? Can you sustain a farm without having workers? Can you even keep the trees and produce crop to sell when diseases have taken over?

I speak because I empathize. I consume coffee, AND I work in coffee. I am a consumer, AND a producer. Understanding both aspects brings me to wonder why there are so many ignorant people. The sad thing is that some of those who speak for coffee are to blame. Bloggers, youtubers, baristas, and in my case, coffee farm tour guides too. Why do we lie about our product? Are we really knowledgable enough to promote “Organic”? Do we know what’s the cost of using this marketing tool and putting this type of pressure to producers, who is the heart of this chain? We have no product without these people.

Misinformation will only cause division. I’d rather educate than pretend. Let’s help each other. We can start by being honest to those who buy our product. There is no shame with speaking about the problems that we encounter. We can educate on how and why decisions like these must be made.

Now, I’m not saying that we should promote the use of chemicals. I do believe that there is a responsible way of dealing with it. However, if there are ways & suggestions to have little to no harm in the environment, we should also consider. Till then, I hope we include the people who work in the industry when we speak of organic and sustainability, because right now, I can’t say that “organic” can sustain the livelihood of our farmers.

Additional information: The farm that I work at only use chemicals that are approved for coffee farming.

A year of progress

2022 has started, and I wasn’t even able to reflect on what I’ve done for the past 365 days. Jeez! Tasks have just been piling up, my checklist is full and well… we just keep working! Okay. So, how was 2021 like?

Recap:

Jan ‘21 - Sep ‘21, Barista at Kona Reserve Coffee. I learned so many things in latte art, Great improvement with working as a team behind bars, and learned how to communicate a beverage to a guest. A time where I had to resign and move on to make progress in coffee, and to answer more questions I had in mind. It was a really sad decision to go, and I’m glad I kept a good relationship with everyone (including the owner), but I knew that I had to keep going and to keep learning.

Sep ‘21- Dec ‘21, Moved to Hawaii in a coffee farm for a work stay program. Finally found visuals for what I’ve been trying to learn. Worked mostly in the field. This experience has and is currently opening my eyes to the challenges of coffee producers. Aha, and yes. The 3 month mark? It passed it. I have to stay because there’s still so much to do!

As for my extra curricular activities?

Well, this website has been finally launched, I’ve made a couple of coffee reels on instagram, made a couple of YouTube videos during the first half of the year and have been learning sensory through a kit that was lent to me.

That’s all of the general coffee things I’ve had! In addition to this, I look back at the past year sometimes and realize that I’m in a good place. I am proud of myself in that sense. Why? Well, I never thought that I’d find people as passionate as I am, never thought I’d be connected to people who has been in the industry for years, and never thought that I’d be in a place that highly values my persistence to learn about coffee, be very supportive of what I do & listens to my opinions.

… people say I move too fast, there’s no time to waste, but why am I rushing?

(the mind can be very conflicting sometimes)

Despite the mind arguments, I am grateful to be where I am, and I’m excited to build more bridges in the next year! We got this.

The Idealist says, “Only pick red”

Picking cherries at UCC

I go back to who I was about a month ago. I’ve always gone against the rule that if it’s ombre orange to red, you can take the cherry. The reason that it will be rotten, the next time they do the next round on that section is just not enough for me. I’d say, it still isn’t the ripe color, so why take it? 

(I currently work in 2 farms) One reason why I wanted to work in an established farm is to see how they do things, why, and learn from how smooth their operations are. When I got to UCC, I knew they had standards. It is a Japanese company, and I trust how the Japanese culture is meticulous with what they do. 

Maria is the farm manager, and she told me to start learning with picking and so that’s where I’m currently at. She showed me how to pick, how to use the hook, take dried cherries, remove leaves or sticks from basket, or any green that falls and to only pick red.

I love that she asks me of that, because I am very strict with the color difference of when it’s orange, red-orange, red or burgundy. So then on my first day picking, I decided to just take all the red or burgundy from the trees. I filled 3/5 of the burlap sack for that 8hr shift. I was so slow but it’s okay cause I either get $11 / hr or .85/lb, whichever’s higher. Eh. I really didn’t care about the money. 

The next day, I picked again and Maria told me to take even the orange and ombre red - orange. She gave me the reason that my first farm gave, (which I can now fully accept). The conditions were: 1. If it’s soft and easy to squeeze, it will go through the pulper, 2. If the skin comes off when taken from the stem, it’s ripe enough. 

I found an article regarding picking this color range and it said that the differences of the color of ripeness also gives a good character in the end. I also realized that labor is very low, we don’t have much pickers and so we have to take advantage of every day that they come to pick on the farm. It will be hard to find pickers who are meticulous with color, even so when they get paid by the pound in most farms. Lastly, we need to find a sustainable way of keeping up with the coffee production even on large scale. 

I still believe though that the idealist view of picking only red can still be done on micro-lots. This can be done with full control. I’d honestly want to try having a section of trees in which I’d personally pick. 

However, we must assess what the farm looks like, resources, and goals,  before we judge their practices. I could still see some wrong in picking, but since I’ve been doing the job for a while, I was able to understand why we do what we do & make only reasonable changes. 

A Cherry Picker’s story

I’ve been working at UCC for a month now, and I’ve been well fed. It’s not part of the agreement though but every time I pick cherries, there’s this one picker who always gives me food. (Not complaining) Her name’s Tamayo. 

Today, while I was picking, Tamayo approached me and gave me coffee flavored candy. As breaktime approached, I gave her a pack of trail mix, then we simply sat down by the coffee trees, and we got around her story. 

Tamayo is almost 80 years old. She has picked years ago and is on her 2nd year of picking on this farm. She’s worked in multiple jobs in maintenance or food service before.

When she worked in Walmart, she was in charge of maintenance. She told me she’d bring out loaves of bread, spread, a tub of ice cream and water for whoever’s in the staff space. The older people would question why she’d spend money on them. She said, everybody works hard and they deserve it. The reason why she had to leave was because of Debbie, the manager. When Debbie wanted Tamayo to be in her team, Tamayo declined. She said that no one in that crew smiles or says “good morning”, and she didn’t want to be in a work space like that. That’s how she got fired..

The next one was in a restaurant. It was Father’s Day. Now, Tamayo would always have candy with her. She’d buy all candies on one of the convenience stores every week or two. It’s like she’s always ready to give whenever, or wherever. On this day, the restaurant was packed and she decided to give one candy to every person in that restaurant. One of the crews went and scolded her infront of all the people, saying “Tamayo, how many times do we have to tell you to stop giving candies to the guests?!”, and that’s how she got fired. 

Tamayo laughs as she reminisces on her past, but you could also see the sadness in her eyes. She explains to me that she loves to share because it makes her feel good. No matter how small it is, it can make a difference. She told me how her parents were the same, and that they never even swore. 

Tamayo has cancer & is undergoing chemotherapy. Doctors tell her to rest but she thinks she’d die if she’d be stuck at her house. Atleast when she’s picking, she forgets. 

Tamayo is one of those who moves me. She doesn’t have much but with whatever she has, she’s willing to share. The way she treats people, despite how cruel the world has been, also reminded me that we should never poison our souls for someone else’s shortcomings. Compassion and kindness should still live in everyone. . 

So yea. I learned a lot from this woman. Thank you Tamayo for the story, beef jerky, candy and juice you gave me that afternoon :) 

People will hate me and it’s okay

I thought about this while picking cherries today. I realize how my opinions are different, my beliefs and values are always against the current of mass thinking.

I also think to myself that it's okay. 

It's okay that people will hate me because I know how to recognize a situation well, and assess it myself. People will hate me because I want to do things the right way and I have standards. People will hate me because, unless I could argue with myself about situations, I would stand by what I believe in.

It's part of the process though. I know that in order to fix things, get what I want, get rid of the sight of disappointment, I will be against people who will hate my guts & who I have to work with, despite the disagreement. 

I don't really care because I build my opinions based on knowledge, and experience, to be credible enough to speak and educate. I know it sucks but either way, however I deal with things, people will still eventually hate me, and I can honestly say that it's okay. 

Such is life on the 5th of November

I work in two farms now. Here’s the itinerary:

4 am: Wake up to get ready and for breakfast

5am: Drive up to hilltop to water Gesha plants

6:30am: Drive to UCC

7am: Pick cherries 

3:30pm: Clock Out

4pm: Water Gesha plants

5:30pm: Drive down to Basecamp

This was a 12 hour shift. I am exhausted. My feet don't know what flat land is anymore. The Gesha trees are placed on steep terrain, and the area where I picked had a slanted platform. I know that I have to build my endurance and build this routine as a habit, but yes it is tiring. Today, I learned how maintaining healthy trees can directly affect the pickers’ job to take ripe cherries off the tree. I also feel like being a Filipino helps with being easily acquainted with the pickers. The pickers were Japanese, Korean, Filipino and the field manager was from El Salvador. On this second day of picking, I was told to pick those ombre red-orange ones as well. Maria told me that if I’m in doubt, press the cherry to see if it is soft enough to take. Going to the next area for picking was such a beautiful sight to see. There were clumps of red, the bunches were just high enough for my arms when reaching up, and there were only 4 branches. The trees were so kind to me and the pickers. Maria told me that it was the first year that it had fruit since they pruned it back in March 2020. They prune trees every 3 years to make sure they keep it healthy. 8 hours to pick wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, especially with the past experience of picking in the main farm where I am working. Oh and to end the day, I had to water the Gesha plants. So I finish a job to attend to the next one. Drought season can be really harsh to younger coffee trees.

After everything is done, I have people asking me “How was your day, Danni?”. This question is honestly difficult to answer. I was exhausted, and tired, but I knew it served me well in experience and learning. Ofcourse I can’t say those words, because I know that I have brought this upon myself and that I can’t complain. Instead, I say “It has been a day”, while giving a forceful smile. So yes, I mostly suck it up because such is life on the 5th of November. 

Is there a place for “Best”?

"Kona Coffee is the best because we have the perfect weather conditions for growing coffee & the soil is perfect"

Bam. This is what they depend on. Simply the weather, but not the human intervention. I've learned that Greenwell brought the coffee to the international market and it seemed as if he dictated its worth and created the standard for picking and farming practices and that's why it made itself known, most especially in American market.

But when I learn about this after I've listened to the Terroir topic by Lucia Solis, I've thought about this more and questioned the way people think about their coffee. Honestly, Kona coffee isn't the best I've tasted. A Kenyan Coffee or one from Honduras stood out for me, and it's what I consider the "Best", but in these situations, there's so many to blame with the cup that I made, that I never blame the soil or weather conditions of the country. 

With these given, SCA standards and Q Grading, I stand by how I think about coffee from different origins having its own identity, and giving all credit to farmers with their farming practices and procedures or producers. Many coffees can be equally good, but I don't think that none of them should be ranked or marketed as the "Best". Bruh. Taste is subjective. 

The Bean Ambassadors

At the time of writing this, social media has made me cringe on the word “ambassador”, because why claim yourself as someone to look up to? Jeez! Hahaha but to really assess the whole thing with ambassadors and influencers, people should see this as some type of responsibility for what you represent. 

So… who are The Bean Ambassadors? I see them as people who work in coffee, talk about coffee, or send out coffee information. The majority of these people work in coffee shops. The Baristas. 

The number of hobbyists in coffee has been growing. Especially during the pandemic, more people realized that a great cup of coffee can be produced at home, and most of the time, even better than the coffee shops they know (a.k.a Starbucks haha). So when the newbies branch out to specialty coffee shops or some local cafe with a Slayer, La Marzocco, or Victoria Arduino, they get even more intrigued with what else to learn. So, we get questions. 

I’ve been working in coffee for about 1 year and 3 months by now, and what I realized is that I know so much because I read & listen to available coffee resources on the internet even before I worked as a barista. I try to update myself with trends, busting out myths, or even issues that the industry is encountering. 

That’s why I love it when people ask questions. I love it when I justify the price of the coffee that they pay for. “Oh. Who pays for a $10 cup of coffee?” is my favorite question. 

For the answers we say or the information we give, we hold the power to open minds of consumers on why we see coffee the way we do, we give reason as to why Baristas should be paid a livable wage, & we educate them of the meticulous process of the cup that they enjoy or can’t live without. 

In conclusion:

If you’re a barista, educate yourself. Find love in what you do. False information is the reason why we’re stuck with guests who underestimate the whole value of coffee & those who work in coffee. We represent the product and the rest of those in the chain.

If you’re a business owner, value the barista’s education. Invest in your people. They’re the ones who craft the drinks & give the whole cafe experience to guests & regulars. Beans are just beans without those who make the drink out of ‘em (a.k.a The Bean Ambassadors).

Why the scale is my bestfriend

Blame my love for pour over! 

I decided to get a scale only after 2 years of home brewing & I'd say it's a game changer. Specifically buying one for coffee, I immediately invested on Acaia Lunar.

Okay so, this wasn't the case for the shop when I worked. This was the setup. Pour over on heat plate, scale was only used to measure beans, and amount of water is dependent on the carafe's 300ml line. Ugh. I can't do it. Never trust your eyes. They lie. 

Eventually, I was able to encourage my fellow baristas to use the scale, and ask the owner to buy one where time and weight is on one screen. It really made me happy.

The reason is greater than the idea that consistency is key. I encouraged everyone to use it because eyeballing it is dependent on whoever's doing it. All baristas represent the shop, and having one of the most unique & expensive drinks we offer in the cafe should be done correctly by everyone.

No one is better than the other. Relying on a scale is creating a standard & a team is greater than the sum of its parts.

Manners, please?

Sometimes I’d wonder why some of us aren’t taught common courtesy in coffee shops. Like, why? I also wonder if it’s not common sense to be polite. Nawp, nah, nada not where I work. The location of the cafe where I’ve been working is surrounded by regular household income - rich neighborhoods. Most of those I encounter are pretty good and decent. There’d just be a few times when all these mispicks of the Good Morals and Right Conduct (GMRC) class would all come together! Ugh, trust me, it’s 10x draining to handle these people. 

Okay, so one would come up by the counter, be on their phone, while ordering a drink. There’s a lot of communication going on with the one on register and customer just in this transaction. We’d have to ask what size, hot or iced, if they want cream or sugar, which type of sugar, and some other clarifications. That doesn’t even end there! We’d ask them to sign a receipt, and if they’d want to keep their copy. It takes about 2 minutes minimum for this whole process if you’re quickly decided on what to order. But imagine if the one on register has to ask in charades version, and would feel so excused to bother you for all these questions, WHILE you’re out there speaking to somebody on the phone. That’s some type of rudeness. Some would even raise their pointer finger to stop you from talking. At this point though, I am seething. 

One other thing that bothers me is when a customer would order a drink or something different, like a special. They try it and realize how they didn’t like it. The barista made the drink right, but it just wasn’t their thing. Isn’t it just right to have learned your lesson to read and know what that drink is, before ordering it, and see if you’re willing to take the risk of trying something that may be of an acquired taste, because of your not-so-fine palette? Isn’t it just right to simply order another drink that you’d rather have? 

They’d come up by the bar and say “I tasted  it and it’s just… not my thing or not what I imagined it to be. Can you change it?”. I just want to say “No.” and walk away, but I just can’t. So I say “Oh… okay. Which would you want instead?”, and go ahead to make the drink. In my mind, I’ve thrown the drink replacement to the customer, but I… can’t. I hate it because everything we do has a cost and price to it, but we also have to weigh which would matter more. Would it be a bad review while slapping some sense to the guest, or just end the conversation and get them what they want? 

Some people just don’t know what it’s like to be “people”, cause um… excuse me? Manners, please?

Your Barista is a talkative introvert

“I’m so tired. Why do I speak a lot when I know it exhausts me???”,  “Why do I start a conversation when I’m socially exhausted???”, “Why do I still sound cheerful even if I’m drained?”.

To answer these questions, I did my research on introverts (just to confirm, even if I knew already), and yes. I consider myself as one. Being a Barista has been socially exhausting for me. Engaging in insignificant small talks drains the hell out of me. Asking about how someone’s day is, and forgetting about it after that transaction feels useless and at the same time necessary for a shop to be inviting & comforting. Basically, baristas are also therapists hahaha (kidding). 

When an enthusiast comes up by the bar and seems curious about the coffee things we offer, I can’t help myself but ask, engage in conversation and give a whole lecture about coffee. Introverts are also some of those who can speak non stop when it comes to something they’re passionate about. It so happens that I’m in that profession… hmpft. 

For some reason, even if I love what I do as a Barista, it feels as if I wouldn’t want to stay for long, because it could easily burn me out. Yes, I do well in customer service or crafting drinks, but it’s all because it’s part of my job. Hospitality is part of my education and nationality, and I also have to be this way and give my very best in whatever I do. It’s in my character to work as a professional, and naturally be an introvert. 

A way for me to relieve this exhaustion is by swimming, running or doing some workout. Some type of solitude. To wrap it up, I love what I do, but if I can’t take it anymore, you’ll find me in that calm down cabinet. Just so you know. 

Too many paths to take

The coffee chain is so long, and so widespread, that it can be insanely frustrating to know where to find your place. From coffee farmer, producer, green coffee buyer, roaster, barista, instructor, q grader, production assistant, cafe manager, content creator, blogger, up until business owner (and many more that I’m not aware of)

The more I get frustrated when I am told to choose. Why should I? What if I’d love to learn everything? Can I do that? Honestly, I have no clue. This is absolutely uncertain, but I want to make it possible.

I realize that my biggest goal to be a business owner is to go through most of the career paths in coffee, in order to empathize with every sector, and to educate future professionals with honest intentions. To learn, I must experience things firsthand. I want to understand every problem in every sector, in order to correct what I can control.

So many people do really great with sticking to one of these professions or marking 2 or 3 possible careers in coffee, and we need those people. They find themselves passionate on that job, and we need them to pass that level of expertise to whoever's interested. That may be not your style, but it could also be!

With that said, coffee careers are everywhere. Right now, I’m currently in the process of barista -> coffee farm -> ? . I’d really love to complete all the SCA classes and get the diploma, while working as a cafe manager, or compete in a Barista competition.

The challenge is to find the right opportunity, and manage finances well by doing so. A barista job isn’t paid enough. Damn, I wish I had a mentor and I knew what to do.

The Cafe Concept

From the smallest detail of disposables up until saving energy to run the cafe, the goal is to maximize everything, and to be zerowaste - less wasteful.

Starting from the materials used to build the cafe, I’d look for recycled wood and stone (p 96 of Standart 24 as reference)

To go or take out is discouraged but will be available for a fee, unless personal containers are provided. Disposables will be made out of materials that degrade so quickly. We will find partners to supply these products.

Used beans will be dried and bagged to display for those who may want to use it for gardening. Grounds may be distributed to gardens too!

For the espresso machine, Victoria Arduino’s technology in saving water is my most preferred brand.

The feel and theme of the shop is like a patio with indoor and outdoor seats, surrounded by plants. Mist fans to keep people cool. Has this terrace feel. Sunroofs to save energy for light.

Anything biodegradable in the kitchen can be used to form a liquid to use as fertilizer for the plants.

Paperless transactions. Receipts are emailed.

I’m thinking of hiring an environmentalist to join my team.

There will be a small temperature controlled place beside the shop for roasting and cupping classes.

Starting a career in coffee, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I write this article about 1 year after I got accepted in a coffee shop, focused on espresso based drinks. It was the first ever legit barista job I got back in June 2020.

March 2020, after my Culinary Internship has ended, I got back to Texas, where my family is. It is the exact time that the world is shutting down, flights are getting cancelled, and interns from the resort I worked at are being sent home even if their contract wasn’t over yet.

May 2020 graduation in my college in the Philippines didn’t push through. Flights in & out of the country & Europe trip for June with the whole family is cancelled. My $5000 Panama internship for Sept 2020 is cancelled & until now, I’m ghosted for the promised refund.

What were my thoughts back in March? Well…. might as well get a job in coffee while I’m here. Not exactly the best idea, but bro… I’m bored & I don’t have much options if I want to pursue something that I love. I need money too. I applied for Starbucks. I hated their application process. They loved me, but I realized how transparent I was with the plans that could push through if the pandemic would be over in a certain time frame, and they didn’t see me growing with them. So I crossed Starbucks applications off my list

I started a coffee YouTube channel, I applied again, and a start up company hired me in April 2020. The interior isn’t done yet, but they were looking for people to help assemble the store, and fill in “Barista” positions. While we were doing crafty stuff, I volunteered to design a “Now Open” chalk signage by the side walk. I somehow got the store manager & owners to notice my skill in letter art/ chalk art. The walls of the shop were chalkboard painted. You could say that it has this crafty, classy, sophisticated design for an upscale neighborhood grocery that they want it to be. They hired artists to do the chalk wall of the coffee and wine menu, prior to when they recognized what I can do. With that, I was asked if I can do a produce wall! I did and they loved it more than the group that they hired. I was freakin’ excited, until they had me do 3 more walls. It wasn’t fun anymore. It really burned me out.

My sentiments? This is not why I applied for this job. I am artsy, yes. The question is, what knowledge do I get from here if I have to do these walls for 4-8 hours each and not get to hear what the manager was saying about wines or gelatos. Plus, I wasn’t paid for the design that was squeezed off of my brain! Hello???

Bridgette, the one who hired me, was very passionate about crafting drinks, wine, & coffee. I wanted to learn so much from her! Unfortunately, she had an argument with the other store manager and resigned a week after the store opened. I decided to resign too (June 2020) because it felt like the other manager was depending on me for coffee learning. I’m like “bro, I came here to learn”. At that point, I wanted to find a place where I was surrounded with more knowledgable people & be the most stupid one in the room (coffee related, of course).

Immediately, I started looking for more barista occupations around my area in Mckinney. I can’t go too far because my brother was driving me around. I had trouble applying for a license because offices were closed. I had 2 interviews immediately a week after the resignation.

I got hired by Wattage Coffee Co. A coffee shop inside the bike shop! What are the odds, right?! This bike shop had so many people going in & out, hoping to have their bikes fixed & to have a bike available for sale, because people have been enjoying the outdoors! There was a surge of people who became cyclists during the pandemic. It was insane! The current baristas they had, had to help with the bike side because it needed more attention. They needed to hire someone to take charge of the bar. That was me.

As a triathlete, I was fascinated with what I can learn from the bike side. I learned the coffee side so quickly. It was slow and I’d get about 10 customers a day. Cara, my trainer, encouraged me to watch latte art videos. I was practicing for hours with food coloring and soapy water. In 3 weeks, I could form a heart already! I worked for 24 hours, 3 days in a week. Earned $8 an hour + tips.

It sucks. It did. My salary was low and I accepted it because I didn’t know my worth and I was just desperate to find a coffee job. I even considered getting into bike sales, thinking that it could possibly be my career. I had to re align my goals and stick with coffee. Coffee is my focus. Sadly, the income wasn’t sustainable as well. I had too much time in my hands. I have a corgi who has expenses too. 2 months later, I decided to look for a second job.

(August 2020) I landed on 3 interviews in one week. All of these coffee shops offered me a drink and I asked for iced mocha all the time. My initial thought was “hmmm… whoever has the best mocha will be where I want to be”. Hahaha I know it’s dumb. Summer moon had the best though. I saw potential in 2 coffee shops. Summer Moon, and Kona Reserve Coffee.

I passed the initial interview with Summer Moon & had the chance to have an interview with the owner. I mentioned how I’m looking for a part time job because I would like to work with wattage still, since they took me in during the pandemic. After that, he told me how they have an exclusivity contract. They couldn’t hire me. It was understandable but during that time, it was sad. Their mocha moon was so good, plus the manager who interviewed me worked at The Greenbrier, the same resort that I came from. Now that I’m writing this though, I’m quite glad that I didn’t get in. Summer moon is a Texas chain cafe that specializes on their sweet milk, and their coffee is fire roasted. Uhhh… Not much of a fan of this method.

At that time, Kona Reserve hasn’t given me a response yet. I was anxious. They knew that I still wanted to work with wattage for a couple of months, then transfer.

I realized after that, If I wanted to grow with a coffee shop, I had to choose a side. Should I be with Wattage because I owed it to them, or should I find a place that I could learn from & challenge myself with in coffee? I was really hopeless with job hunting in my area. I was thinking of going out of state if I didn’t have opportunity here.

I decided to resign from Wattage since I wasn’t getting enough. On the day that I gave my 2 weeks notice, Kona Reserve Coffee sent me a message saying that they’d be willing to work around my schedule for 2 months, then I am to transfer. I replied and told them that my work hours are free now that I’ve resigned and I’ll be working full time with them, while having some of my conditions met.

The owner was shocked with the sudden change of plans. We had a meeting scheduled the day after. Initially, I was asked of what pay I’m looking for and I said $8(?). During our second meeting, I asked if it can be a dollar more instead. He agreed. I simply decided to work my way up and hopefully prove my worth.

To wrap it up, I am now working at Kona Reserve for 10 1/2 months as a Barista. How is it like working there? My fellow baristas are really kind and some are experienced. I’ve been learning latte art from Thomas and learning how to be efficient on the bar & get creative with flavor combinations from Joci. We get rushes, difficult people and strange situations to learn from. We get about 100 - 150 transactions a day, and the exhaustion has been making my job more fulfilling. Kona Reserve is a local Hawaiian themed quality coffee shop that has a partnership with one of Kona’s producers.

The search for where I had to be was difficult, given the opportunity that surrounded me during the peak of the pandemic. Being driven & ambitious when the world is halting is a nightmare to begin with. For all it’s worth, I am lucky to be where I am. No matter what other circumstances that I’d be trapped with, learning never stops. We just have to maximize what we have in the present too.

Ode Brew Grinder. Uh… I think it’s ok. Maybe I’m the problem.

Ode on my counter

Cleaning this is annoying as heck. I swear. It said that it’s easy to have the blades come off, with just one click, but it doesn’t after 2 times of reassembling it. I slammed it facing down in hopes of having it come off and may have damaged the button. I am an idiot. Now, the button is loose and it runs sometimes even if I don’t press it. I cry.

Now the hopper is another annoying thing. I don’t really have to make much of a fuss about this but beans just get stuck in there. With the static involved & the idea to apply the RDT (Ross Droplet Technique), it just wouldn’t slide and you have to move the beans or push it around the black thing to make sure that it gets ground up.

I must admit. I still love the way it looks, and love it on my counter because it’s just so compact and it gets the job done. However, it still is annoying.

Peace!

Coffee Snob. Is this a compliment?

A scoff from the guest, when I asked if they want cream or sugar is what sparked this thought of mine.

As a Barista in this Kona Coffee shop, that offers good quality & great tasting coffee, I’ve had quite a few conversations with people where they’d describe themselves or a friend as a coffee snob. They’d smile to this. But really? Is it a good thing?

A snob is someone who thinks highly of themselves and who shames people for what they do. Don’t get me wrong. I’m an avid black coffee fan. However, ever since I’ve worked behind bar, and learned how beautiful & creative flavors can be with coffee, I too have been hooked & amazed with these possibilities!

It may sound as a compliment for some, as saying that you are a coffee snob is also a way of saying that “I prefer good quality coffee” or “I don’t like burnt coffee” or “I would pay for a good cup of coffee”, but hopefully we could change this term as “Coffee Enthusiast” instead. It sounds…. friendlier!

Coffee is amazing. It brings people together. Let’s all enjoy our coffee and be inclusive of how people appreciate their drink. Let’s share thoughts on our preferences, and maybe you can encourage that tasty Caramel Macchiato drinker to try this unique, floral tasting Peaberry, because either way, both drinks won’t be made possible without coffee in it!