A blog about coffee and my life, because why not?
Roasting coffee for money wasn't the thing I thought I'd end up doing, but because I practiced it, I got better, and because I got better, it became a commodity. And now this business has become one of the central joys of my life, something I've attained through grace and entirely undeserved.
I started roasting coffee because I loved that it made my house smell like a coffee shop. It was a hobby at first, but then people started asking me to roast for them. I'd make lattes for people and they enjoyed them, and we even went to a few festivals where my kids sold cold brew to earn money to buy a gaming computer.
Folks seem to like my coffee, and they are willing to pay for it. So I started charging for my services, and things just went from there.
Up goes the coffee roasting building.
We started the building back in June and it's come a long way so far. I've put in the electrical, plumbing, insulation, and now the walls are starting to go up. I expect it to be about a week before we're able to being moving the roasting equipment to the new space.
I decided to add a separate building because of the fire risk associated with coffee roasting and this decision would minimize the financial impact in the unlikely event of a total loss. I'm installing steel ducting, a firewall, and the cyclone is going outside to ensure I'm operating as safely as possible while minimizing the risk and negative outcomes associated with fire risks.
Also, It's going to be ugly my dear people. Stark white walls, cheap vinyl tiles,
and cold, hard steel. But it'll pass an inspection, so who cares, right!?
In the big plan, I only think I'll be in this space for about 12-18 months depending on a number of factors I think are important. There's also a good chance I could be entirely wrong and the whole thing flops, but that's just the variability of life and I can't really do a whole hell of a lot about that.
FIne-Tuning Tasting Formats
Last week I spent a few hours tasting different coffee bean varieties, talking about each of them, exploring packaging and labeling options, and enjoying the spirit of people in service to the communities they serve.
This is a custom order and they are always fun for me because I get to explore the product with my potential customer.
We're going to be experiencing that variety as collective first-timers. It's kind of neat to find out if we all tasted similar tastes and textures and how we each enjoyed them differently.
Plus, tastings are one of my favorite things to do. It allows me to connect with other coffee lovers. It creates an opportunity for me to bring joy into the world. I think that sort of thing is beautiful and necessary.
So I do it, even if it takes a little more time.
Organic Beans Are In The Hizzouse.
Organic beans of the Honduran and Columbian variety are in the building. We'll be roasting them a little later this week after we deliver orders, including ColdBrew Bombs, to our friends at Elder Ace Hardware in Red Bank and Lakesite.
These beans are for a new customer in Hixson, TN, and I'm really excited to share their business and private label coffee product information with you soon. In the meantime, you can see the progress I'm making with their order on our social media later in the week.
Personal Nonsense
I'm taking my 13 year old to see my favorite band of all time this Wednesday, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He's pretty pumped about it and we're planning on getting tour tees. He's only been to one other concert. It as Weird Al, so this is a bit different.
My sister, who I think is 19, maybe 20 will be joining us (I'm terrible at birthdays), so I'll be flanked by reminders of how old I am while I watch fifty-something year old men jump around on stage singing songs I like. It'll be a blast and I mean that sincerely. Aging suits me well.
That's all I've got for now. I'll leave you with a poem, because I'm a chivalrous oddity with a poetic disposition.
Beautiful & Funny
Chris Moreland
The world is filled with ideas and perspectives.
You'll never see or understand most of them, you know.
But we're all alike.
In search of something meaningful, that is.
Some of you are gay.
Some of you drive electric cars.
Some of you worship a God.
Some of you have braces because you didn't like your crooked teeth.
It's beautiful really.
Because we're all alike.
In search of something meaningful, that is.
Some of you are pilots. Some of you are activists.
Some of you are activists who need to calm down.
Some of you believe you can wrestle a bear and win.
And you're beautiful and funny.
Because we're all alike.
In search of something meaningful, that is.
Some of you are angry.
And that's okay. I can be too.
We're all just people--
In search of something meaningful, that is.