Well, Kopplin's is now on myspace. Make sure to check it out. Add us as a friend. You can see many of my flickr pics of the shop there, as well as keep up on what is currently in our espresso grinders.
Big news friends! This blog is long over-due. Some of you know this, others this is new... but life for me is changing in a big way. Ever since I arrived in the cities life in coffee has been awesome. I've been given fresh opportunities every few weeks. Things keep progressing and growing. Kopplin's has changed so much just since I've been around. The shop still looks the same, but the drinks are so much better! Our espresso tastes great, we've got more blends to offer, and in a week we'll be dealing Clover style.
The biggest news is life changing though... Paradise has been looking for a production roaster for awhile now. I am falling more and more in love with coffee... and when I say coffee, I don't mean being a barista. I mean, I am falling for the bean, the product, and the process. I said I would never get into roasting, and I still have apprehension and fear within me, but I am taking the job at Paradise. No, I am not leaving Kopplin's. I am leaving school. As important as academics are to so many people's futures, I believe in chasing what you dream about and what drives you. School means nothing to me. Not now at least. I am putting 10% of my heart into school and about 40% into coffee. The other 50% has been lost in trying to figure out what to do with this all... and a chunk of it's been into this girl. Well, I've realized some things and it's time to pursue what I love. I am diving whole-heartedly into coffee.
My week will look something like this... Monday I will head to the Roastery and catch up on the weekends orders. Tuesday as well will be spent roasting coffee. Wednesday morning will be done doing the same. Then Wednesday afternoon I will head to Kopplin's to work the bar and close the place. Thursday and Friday mornings I will be at Kopplin's rockin' out drinks... and then I'll be back at the shop to serve drinks one shift a weekend. So, I'll be at work six days a week and have an entire day to do nothing... Which being in school hasn't even really allowed.
Other random events involved will include training new baristas as the time comes, possible training for Paradise accounts, teaching classes in the evening at Kopplin's, and training & competing when the time rolls around. Somewhere in there, I am hoping to work in a few origin trips as well... Which, would be amazing... So, here we go. I am launching what I would call a career. Doing what I love. I am very excited to be doing all this. I feel it is best for me. School is not out of the question for the future, but it won't be at North Central... in fact, I'm thinking something in the area of food science...
Well, mid December classes end, I start moving into my new house... and then I take off to Portland for the holidays... When I get back, the true craziness begins!
7 comments:
Many would tell you that dropping school is fool hearty. I, on the other hand would advise you to follow your dreams. If you can make a living doing what you love, you live your life loving what you do. I am learning this lesson much later in my life that you are in yours (but I still look pretty young, I hope) but it is never too late.
Go for it!
Bad Ass!!! Go with what you love my friend, if anyone has a problem with it...you tell 'em to call ME!
Congrats. See you in Petaluma.
have no fear about roasting. i haven't seen the employee agreement form from paradise, but you probably haven't signed a contract to be a roaster for the rest of your life. the experience roasting will elevate your barista skills to a new level, and your barista skills will take your roasting to a higher level.
congratulations on the fun news.
Congrats on the move. You'll learn more from the school of hard knocks then you ever would have from a university. Welcome to the world of unschooled genius'.
Instead of offering some opinion that comes down in between the other comments, I'll just echo them in a different way. You should never give up on any avenue that allows you to learn. You will make a great roaster, and you know that. Think about the things you might not be so confident about, and try to polish those as well.
Jeff
Annex Lackey
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