S5:EP5
Guest: Ian Nelson, DOMA Coffee
From: Post Falls, ID
Instagram: @domacoffee
Website: https://www.domacoffee.com/
My biggest takeaway from my interview with Ian Nelson is that he put the goal of becoming a Q-grader—among other career goals—on himself. He challenged himself to meet a standard he wasn’t yet at but thought might be attainable.
As an entrepreneur, I’m always setting goals for myself. I don’t always meet them, but when I miss one, I recalibrate. Reset my goals, and move forward again. I’d like to say that it is just pure self-motivation that moves me forward, but that would be a lie.
Often, I feel this burning sensation of anger and guilt that I didn’t meet said goal encompassing my brain. Learning to control that feeling and funnel it into something productive has been a lifelong challenge. One of the only ways to quench it is to push myself to learn something new or take on a new challenge.
In that way, I can relate to what Ian was feeling when he made a mental calibration that turned his coffee compass towards becoming a Q-Grader. That is where the comparison ends. The Q-Grader program is intense, and I still want to enjoy drinking my coffee every morning.
COFFEE QUESTION TO CONSIDER
Do environmental factors like music impact your coffee drinking experience? What about your more intentional coffee experiences, like cupping?
FROM THE SHOW (there is a lot of it)
The Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) issues the Q-grader certification program and testing, and at its core is an organization dedicated to creating a standard language and set of identifiable characteristics to identify quality in coffee. From there, the work of the CQI fans out into education, coffee professionals networking, and providing technical services to producers, processors, roasters, cafes, and more.
They also offer the Q-mark, which “is the only third-party evaluation and verification that demonstrates to consumers the quality of the specialty or fine coffee they are purchasing, and the only one administered by CQI.” Monies raised from the Q-mark program are used to provide educational services to coffee producers.Palate Vocabulary: A cool term coined by Ian (at least during the show) referring to the the flavors one is able to identify when tasting coffee.
One of the Limited Edition Release coffees Ian mentioned is dropping soon (around 05/23) on DomaCoffee.com. It is an 88-point, Anaerobic-processed coffee from the Pichincha region of Ecuador.
Tasting Notes: cherry, magnolia, and tropical fruit.From DOMA Coffee: This coffee is a special one, even for our Limited Edition lines, and it starts at the coffee farm in Ecuador. The beans at Finca Cruz Loma farm enjoy a temperate and tropical climate just north of Quito in the northwestern part of Pichincha, and farm owners Galo and Maria Alexandra have worked to earn their reputation for quality. Featured producers in Ecuador’s national barista competition, third place winners in the national Taza Dorada quality competition, and other regional accolades all speak to the great taste that Galo and Maria Alexandra have created with their specific growing and processing methods.
Coffee for this particular roast experienced an anaerobic washed process at the farm. Anaerobic processing is unique from honey, natural, or fully washed processes in that the beans are subjected to an extreme no-oxygen environment. Why? It gives the growers ultimate fermentation control and allows them to bring forward coffee characteristics that just aren’t possible with other processes.
This specific lot underwent a combination of anaerobic fermentations, first as a whole cherry within 24-48 hours of picking and then after de-pulping, where parchment was sealed in an air-free tank for 12 hours. The effect is a coffee that’s noticeably more delicate, layered, and floral.After roasting at DOMA, we find this coffee to exhibit tasting notes of cherry, magnolia, and tropical fruit. We have a very small offering of this high-scoring coffee, so get your bag now! It’s one every coffee lover should try for the experience.
The Huskee cup is made from recycled coffee bean husks and a plastic polymer. I was surprised that there was plastic involved. That would normally be a deal breaker for me, but I’m keeping an open mind considering Huskee Co.’s B-Corp* status, HuskeeLoop, and HuskeeSwap programs.
Photo Credit: @huskeecup on Instagram. HuskeeLoop is their attempt to have any of their cups near the end of their lifespan returned to the company or a participating cafe to be repurposed into a new product.
HuskeeSwap is a cafe-based program in which you, as the owner of the HuskeeCup, can go into a participating cafe and swap out your cup for a new one at no charge. The cup you leave behind will either be washed and reused or move into the HuskeeLoop. DOMA Coffee is a stockist of the Huskee Cup.
*I’m a big fan of the B-Corp certification program, which enables corporations to include mission state ideals around social justice, environment & sustainability, charitable giving, and more into their corporate structure. This means making a profit is not the only legal obligation they have to their stakeholders. Search for US-based B-Corps here.Protect Our Winters (POW) is a climate change policy advocacy group that was started by one of my favorite snowboarders, Jeremy Jones. They work on the presumption that solving the problems of climate change are possible with a combination of technological and financial solutions, political will, and a cultural shift in how society views climate change. To get you stoked to fight climate change, watch the clip of Jones ripping down a mountain in Alaska from the Higher film and then click the link below.
Learn more about POW here.Check out Ian Nelson’s band, Kadabra at: https://kadabraband.bandcamp.com/
NOT FROM THE SHOW
As someone firmly in what some describe as middle age and what I describe as today, I pay attention to cholesterol. Coffee isn’t the first thing you might think of when examining your diet for excess cholesterol, but coffee oils (diterpenes) may impact your numbers. For many, the impacts may be negligible, but for some, like me, who are predisposed to having bad cholesterol (Thanks, Dad), I’ve changed how I brew my coffee in an effort to reduce the coffee oils I take in. Read more about the study here.
R!WC Industry Partners
Coffee Cycle Roasting is hosting a Bike to Work Pit Stop in Pacific Beach THIS THURSDAY! Register early to get your BTW2022 T-shirt and support going by bike.
Click these R!WC Industry Partners links. Drink their coffees and whiskeys. Visit their cafes. Support local coffee shops. You won’t be disappointed.
Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Steady State Roasting • CAFÉ LaTERRE • Mostra Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company • Ignite Coffee Company • Ascend Coffee Roasters • Marea Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Roasters
LISTEN TO ROAST! WEST COAST ON THESE PLATFORMS
APPLE PODCASTS • SPOTIFY • ANCHOR.FM • GOOGLE PODCASTS • AMAZON MUSIC • THE COAST NEWS • TUNEIN RADIO • I HEART RADIO • POCKETCASTS • BREAKER • RADIO PUBLIC • OVERCAST • STITCHER
Thank you for reading. Roast! West Coast grows through word of mouth and our optional paid subscribers. Please consider sharing this post with someone who might appreciate it. Follow @RoastWestCoast on Instagram.
Roast! - Ian Nelson, DOMA Coffee Roasters