You didn’t think we were going to skip Thanksgiving week did you? Coffee is part of my daily routine in a way that I hope someday this show can be. I love coffee and go out of my way to drink good coffee. Sometimes way to far out of the way, but that doesn’t mean I’m drinking a perfect single-origin, 95-point roast pour-over every morning.
Sometimes I just want something hot, now, and with enough oomph to warm me on one of these bitter cool SoCal fall mornings. Alden Hozouri, my guest on today’s show, calls these coffees “Daily Drivers.” That fancy cup, well, that is a “High Flyer,” and as the Founder and Head Coffee Roaster at Crossings Coffee he aims to create a portfolio of both so the menus in the cafe’s—like CAFÉ LaTERRE*—that carry his coffee will be able to offer something both to the customer just looking for a morning warmer and the one looking to illuminate the day with something fantastico.
In the show today we dig into Alden’s journey. The seeds of which were planted long before they came to fruition just as he was about to enter medical school. There seems to be a lot of overlap between coffee professionals and other careers that have long required a certain willingness to grind away (no pun intended) until one has perfected their craft, at least, as much as anyone can perfect a craft that is based on continually changing variables.
*CAFÉ LaTERRE is one of our Roast! Industry Partners. They have one location in Solana Beach, California, and another under construction in Encinitas, California.
FROM THE SHOW
Diedrich IR-5: This is the 5-kilo roaster that Alden bought five years ago, and which sat in a crate, in the garage, until he recently sold it. A quick search showed used versions going for $15-17,000, and new in-the-box used versions for upwards of $25,000.
Follow @crossingscoffee, which is where this photo came from!
Fixing Brains & Mending Hearts is going to be a punk rock coffee themed band sometime soon. I’m certain of it. It is also a concept that speaks to the community aspect of coffee. I’d be curious to know if you can think of other careers that touch humanity in the same way, and why.
This clip waiting boats is from awhile ago, but it gives a nice visual of the shipping delay situation. A recent local news report had boats waiting to go into the Port of LA stretching all the way down to waters off of North County San Diego. The reason the ships are waiting (via NPR) include not enough trucks or chassis to unload containers onto, not enough warehouse space to temporarily store the merchandise, not enough truckers to transport the goods, the double delivery of products that were delayed during the pandemic that are showing up now along with current orders, and American’s demand for products nearly doubling during the pandemic.
Jaunt Coffee Roasters Founder & Head Roaster Jimmy Silva just roasted two more coffees receiving big scores from Coffee Review, including a 94 for his Ethiopia Buno Dambi Uddo and a 93 for his Colombia Planadas Tolima.
ROAST! INDUSTRY PARTNERS
It’s getting a little close to the holidays. Time to start thinking about giving the gift of coffee. Check out the subscriptions offerings at our partner roasters. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Just saying “Hi,” to the team at Marea Coffee. It’s been a minute! Let’s hang out, drink a coffee…or tequila.
Thanks to the the Roast! Industry Legacy Partners. Click these links. Drink their coffees (and whiskey).
Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Leap Coffee • Steady State Roasting • CAFÉ LaTERRE • Mostra Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Importers • Marea Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company
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This is me…saying cheers and thank you!
Thank you! We appreciate you!
COFFEE CINEMA IN CLOSING
Paul Rudd is not only in the new Ghostbusters, he is in every third coffee shop scene in movies. It’s a law.
The first minute, or so, of this clip from the 2014 film They Came Together is way, way, too close to real for anyone who has ever been a barista or bartender or server.
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Roast! - Alden Hozouri