S5:EP14
Guest: Nick Berardi, Head Roaster at Mostra Coffee Company
From: San Diego, CA
Instagram: @mostracoffee
Website: www.mostracoffee.com
My dad and I don't agree on a lot of things. Politics, for example. He votes one way, and I vote another. He likes to fly. I prefer to drive (or bike). I like to read, and he likes movies. I drink coffee from my local craft coffee roasters. He drinks Maxwell House at home and whatever is in the black-handled pot at the diner.
One thing we do agree on is having coffee together—sitting in lawn chairs on the patio or at the bar of a cafe or leaning up against the workbench in the garage. Drinking coffee with my father is one of the things I look forward to most in the world.
I'm going to see him in a few weeks. It will be the second time I've laid eyes on him in real life since Covid hit. He'll invite me over for a cup of coffee. He'll meet me in the driveway for a hug first, and then I'll wait outside while he goes inside to pour the coffees. He'll return with full mugs. Visible steam will float skyward.
During the first cup, we'll get through the basics—what is new and what is not. Who's doing what. Why I'm doing that. Our first cup will be enjoyed, sipped slowly, and sometimes forgotten while we talk. Eventually, my mug will be empty, and so will his.
He'll offer me another, and I'll nod. When he returns, we'll be back at it, but our volleying will speed up a notch. There will be a bit more poking of the bear with jabs about those things we disagree on, but we'll be so happy to be together those digs will wash away, and the coffee will disappear even faster.
"Just a half," I'll reply when he asks if I want one more. When he returns, his cup will have just a splash to be communal, and mine will probably be full, just in case. It will be good to be together. We'll lapse into silence, and our sips will slow back down so we can savor this moment. We'll look out at the road, and at each other, and at the road, and at each other.
Finally, the coffee will be gone, and we'll still be a father and son who don't agree on much but do agree on one of the most important things. When we're able, we drink our coffee together.
Coffee is about coffee, but it is so much more. Coffee is about community, and it is about communing. My interview with Nick Berardi could have quickly delved only into the specifics of coffee roasting and what it takes to win a roasting championship, but from the jump, his journey was all about the people in his coffee community pushing him forward and the people he could reach through his coffee efforts.
Enjoy part one of this interview, and check back next week for part two. Nick will share more about the championship experience was like, how his life has changed (or not), and what made his final roast at the Boston event so special.
Happy Father’s Day.
NOT FROM THE SHOW
This is wild. A company is trying to make carseat headrest coffee machines. Hop into your Uber and get a hot coffee? Umm…Maybe… This car coffee maker is on Kickstarter now, but has gotten off to an inauspicious start.
R!WC Industry Partners
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
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Roast! - Nick Berardi, Mostra Coffee Company Part 1