INTERVIEW: Brendan Abrams, Kayak Coffee Delivery.
It’s finally here! Season 2 of the Roast! West Coast podcast. Thanks for being here. Thanks for listening to the podcast. Thanks for subscribing to the newsletter. You’re the best. Let’s get to it.
Today’s guest, Brendan Abrams, is the founder of Kayak Coffee Delivery service. Started from his garage during the coronavirus pandemic, Kayak’s premise is fairly simple. Locally roasted coffee delivered to your home or business.
Brendan partners with local San Diego-area coffee roasters as a wholesale purchaser, collects our orders and then delivers the goods. I always encourage people to support their local roasters, and order direct if possible. Brendan has found a way to marry those concepts. Kayak supports local coffee roasters, fills a need and provides a unique service.
In particular, it is nice to be able to find some up-and-coming roasters that don’t yet have delivery options, and still be able to order from some bigger roasters in the same order. Right now there are seven different roasters with 22 different roasts available for purchase as a one-time try, or you can sign up for a subscription to get a variety of beans shipped to you on your preferred schedule.
During the show Brendan talks about an Australian cafe that inspired him to look at coffee in a different way. He couldn’t remember the name, but he did remember that it had all kinds of chairs on the ceiling. I did a little digging, and the cafe’s name is Brother Baba Budan. It’s located on Berkley St. in Melbourne, Australia. It looks like a cool spot, and maybe worth checking out next time you’re in the area.
The flat white coffee drink that inspired him is commonly described as small latte with less foam. Which also matches the description of a wet cappuccino
Kayak is a new business, but I’m already excited to see how it grows. It is inspiring to hear the story of an entrepreneur filling a need he found in his own life. I hope you enjoy the pod.
I’ll be back in your in-box on Friday with the first Coffee Smarter episode of the season with the Roast! resident coffee expert Chris O’Brien. Somehow we never covered the origins of coffee last season so I ask him about it, and listen as he regales me with the story of an over-caffeinated, possibly drunken, goat.
COFFEE VOCABULARY
Today’s coffee vocabulary terms are all phrases to be used when ordering coffee drinks. These terms help describe how you’d like your coffee to be prepared. For example, you may want to order your cappuccino “Dry” or “Wet” and “with legs.”
Dry: A dry beverage has less steamed milk than normal, and more frothed milk from the steam wand. It will accentuate the bitterness of the espresso in your drink. This term is most commonly applied to a cappuccino or latte order. The foam in dry drinks keeps them more insulated, so they stay hotter longer.
Wet: A wet beverage has more steamed milk than normal, and less frothy milk at the top. The extra steamed milk will make your drink taste creamier, and enhance the sweetness. Most commonly applied to a cappuccino or latte order.
With Legs:If you’re waiting in a socially distanced line at your favorite local coffee roastery you might hear someone order an Ethiopia Natural with legs. This is just an insiders way of saying you want your coffee in a takeout cup. It is the same as asking for an Ethiopia Natural to-go, but it sounds cooler.
INDUSTRY LEGACY PARTNERS!
The Roast! podcast is supported by some local coffee industry (or industry adjacent) partners. These companies not only support Roast! efforts to share more coffee content they are the foundation I lean on when I need some coffee expertise.
If you need a surefire winner when it comes to coffee (or whiskey) this is my go-to list. Legacy Partner Mostra Coffee is even available through today’s guest Kayak Coffee.
Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Leap Coffee • Steady State Roasting • CAFÉ LaTERRE • Mostra Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Importers • Marea Coffee • Coffee Cycle
IN CLOSING
Need to get caught up? Check out all of the episodes from Season 1 here.
Listen to the show 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 • YOUTUBE • STITCHER
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Roast! - Brendan Abrams, Kayak Coffee Delivery