As the new year begins, I’m realizing I have a lot for which to be grateful. Besides a loving family and a warm apartment, I have been privileged to be repositioned as a lab assistant for Intelligentsia (Chicago) in the quality control room. Amid fears of a market slowdown and a surprising lack of creation of jobs across the US, Intelli has been a real beacon of light. While I’m learning to sample roast, calibrating my palate, and logging information on incoming green samples, I get the additional perk of working around some of the most excellent, talented, and knowledgeable professionals in the coffee industry. It hit me today how amazing it is to be surrounded by such a wealth of experience, wisdom, and information.

Today we cupped 3 tables of coffee from Rwanda and Colombia, each table with its unique gems and flaws. It was the first time I got to experience tasting beans that I had roasted myself, a learning experience to be sure. In addition, Tim Castle, an importer of some of our coffees, sat at the table with us during breaks from the Roaster’s Guild meetings led by chairman Geoff Watts. Cupping with these two gentlemen, in addition to daily exercise in palatal gymnastics with my direct supervisor Sarah Kluth, has been one of the most challenging and exciting additions to my daily routine. I feel like I’m on the cutting edge of coffee, entrenched on all sides by knowledgeable and dedicated peers with similar interests and diverse experiences… and I’m just at the tip of that great iceberg.