Here’s the thing, podcasting is hard! Well, parts of it are hard. Namely the little technical things. Nine times out of ten everything is perfect, but on the tenth the internet lags or the Bluetooth connects to the wrong Bluetooth. These are not real problems in the grand scheme of things. They are just little things I wish I could control or think I should be able to fix better than I can, but they don’t affect the quality of the conversation.
Coffee is a lot like that too. Sometimes the water-to-grounds ratio is off. Sometimes I forget to adjust the grind setting. Sometimes the water kettle isn’t full or my favorite mug is dirty. These are not real problems either. At the end of whatever series of mishaps the world puts before me during my coffee making efforts, I’m still pretty happy to have a cup of coffee at the end.
The Make Good Coffee Company started when Marc Wortman’s online gambling business closed in the early days of of regulated internet gambling. It is crazy to think about now. Gambling online is fairly commonplace, but it wasn’t long ago that it was the wild, wild west of the internet. It wasn’t that long ago that we went to internet cafe’s either. Things change quickly.
Thankfully now we have the real thing. Make Good Coffee was originally an online coffee blog that morphed into a wholesale roastery, and most recently opened a retail storefront near Old Town in San Diego (look for the bright blue wall). It’s a bit off the beaten path, but Marc Wortman, the Founder, Head Roaster, and Salesman for TMGCC, will make you a cup of coffee and probably tell you a story when you arrive. He’s a good storyteller, and a better salesman. I hope you enjoy the show.
THOUGHTS FROM THE SHOW
• Cupping is a method of tasting coffee that gets discussed a lot on the show. The video below is a pretty good visual description of the process. I’d add that–especially for those of us still increasing in our ability to identify flavors–cupping can be especially helpful when done with a copy of the flavor wheel nearby.
Your local roastery may offer curated cupping experiences where you can taste new coffees with the roasters themselves. With COVID limiting those opportunities, some enterprising roasters, like Marc, moved cuppings online. I’d definitely recommend participating in one (or a dozen) if you have the opportunity, and want to increase your coffee tasting skills.
• Mentorship is an idea that has a romanticized feel to it. In my mind, the best mentors are found in the most unexpected places and they teach in unexpected ways, like Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid movies. In reality, mentors are often bosses, industry leaders, or educators who take time out of their own schedules to counsel those on the come up. A more recent trend is mentors for hire which is fairly popular in the start-up community.
Whether or not you have an actively acknowledged mentor, it is likely that there was someone who helped guide you on your career path. Sometimes their advice had nothing to do with your job, and everything to do with how to approach the job. I can think of a few that left me with lessons I still fall back on even decades after I learned them. Sometimes, I didn’t even realize I learned them until much later. I’m going to take a moment to thank some of those people this week.
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ROAST! INDUSTRY PARTNERS
Thanks to the the Roast! Industry Legacy Partners. Click these links. Drink their coffees (and whiskey).
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QUOTES IN CLOSING
“A little coffee. A little sunlight. Your troubles will get smaller.”
― Richard Webber, Author
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Roast! - Marc Wortman, Make Good Coffee Company