Flyover Flavor

On some Saturday mornings, La Cosecha offers a coffee tasting led by one of the roasters and owners of the company. I was excited when I heard about this because I think a tasting is a great way to experience a shop's coffee menu and to learn more about it. I set my alarm early (for a Saturday morning) and showed up right on time.

                In execution, the event was a letdown. When I arrived, no one greeted me or told me where to go. There wasn’t even a sign. I wandered over to the Diedrich roaster where a man was standing and setting out bags of coffee. It looked like the right place. A few minutes later, this man picked up a chalkboard advertising the tasting and walked it outside. Not until he came back did he greet me and introduce himself as Gio Sparks, one of the roasters and owners.

                Once Sparks began speaking, it became clear that he was knowledgeable and passionate about coffee. He explained a little about how he and his partner experiment with each kind of bean they bring in to dial in the perfect flavor profile. Once they’ve found the best style for the bean, they use a computer program to guarantee consistency. When they purchase beans, they try to ensure the farmers are compensated properly and do direct trades when possible. I would have liked to hear more detail about the company's history and goals, but it was nice to have a glance behind the curtain of La Cosecha's operation.

                We tasted two beans, a Colombia Tolima and a Kenya AA Kifahari. Sparks served them in a snifter, which was a great way to capture the aroma and see the rich color of each. It also cooled the coffee more quickly than a standard ceramic mug, giving us the opportunity to try it both hot and lukewarm. This was nice because different flavors come out at different temperatures.

                I was a little disappointed that I didn’t pick up more flavors. Either because of my palate or the roast or maybe even the beans themselves, the coffee just tasted like… coffee. It was smooth and mild, not too acidic, but it lacked interesting notes. Some coffees strike your tongue with something interesting – an explosion of blueberry or rich earthiness or even a salty finish. Something that makes the coffee memorable. While the story of these beans (the farms they were grown on and how La Cosecha was connected directly to the farmers) was memorable, the brews themselves were forgettable. It would have been nice to receive a little guidance from Sparks about the body, aroma and flavor that we could look for since he had more experience with those coffees than we did.

                This event also brought out a specimen that's common at such coffee-related gatherings: the aggressive coffee snob. I shouldn't have been surprised to spot one, but I wasn't expecting it. There was a couple there for the event and the man was a classic coffee snob. After proudly stating that he dabbles in home roasting, he asked me if I knew what a V60 was. Before I could reply “duh,” he suggested that the roaster should explain it to me.

                It was a nice gut check for me. Am I a coffee snob? Boy, I hope not. As I explore and learn more about coffee, I do not want to devolve into that guy who assumes other people are ignorant or that because I know a bit about coffee that means everyone wants to listen to me. It's one thing to be excited about coffee and to make conversation, and another to make others feel dumb. It didn’t ruin the event for me, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

               I think if there had been more people there and more structure to the tasting (guidance on the characteristics to pick up on and more info on the story of La Cosecha itself), it would have been better. That said, it was nice getting free coffee on a Saturday morning, so I think I'll give it another shot.