Baristas Rule The World: Kaiti Blom
DOMA Coffee Roasting Company's Head of Education
Who: Kaiti Blom (she/they)
What: Head of Education at DOMA Coffee Roasting
Where: Post Falls, ID
Years in the industry: 18 (yikes!)
Fav Ninja Turtle: Leonardo
Connect: @kaiticorene on Instagram & check out www.domacoffee.com
R!WC: How would you describe what you do?
Kaiti: As a lifelong barista turned educator, I try to take the knick knacks of knowledge out of my brain and put them into the brains of other baristas.
R!WC: What is the best thing about your job?
Kaiti: Watching the look on baristas faces when "it clicks"!
R!WC: What is the worst thing about the job?
Kaiti: When baristas think training is a chore.
R!WC: Do you have a first memory of when coffee became something more important to you?
Kaiti: Thinking back to the beginning of my career, before I knew it would be a career, I recall falling in love with a natural Ethiopia (classic trope), and thinking "I need to know more about this coffee". That started a lifetime of learning.
R!WC: What have you learned about life from working in coffee?
Kaiti: To relax, chill out, and that everything is better with a cup of coffee in hand. It's not rocket science or brain surgery, coffee is service and that is an act of love.
R!WC: If you could share one piece of advice to a new barista, what would it be?
Kaiti: Just one? Haha, I want to say that bar ergonomics and protecting your body is super important- but maybe the one piece should be that being a barista is fun, and you should lean into that and not let the rushes, or bad management, or occasional bad customer get you down.
R!WC: When you aren't at the coffee shop/roaster/etcetera, what are you doing in life? Who are you?
Kaiti: FOOD! Eating it, cooking it, reading about it, watching shows about it. I love food. Also love spending time with my pets, working in the garden and hiking/paddleboarding.
R!WC: What is your favorite way to drink coffee?
Kaiti: Fresh ground, fresh brewed, and black.
R!WC: What is your favorite coffee drink to make?
Kaiti: Classic little lattes- I love the act of making latte art for people.
Kaiti’s colleague Q-grader Ian Nelson at DOMA Coffee Roasting was featured on R!WC in Season 5. Check out that episode at the link that is literally below this sentence.
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