Every story has a beginning. My journey into the world of coffee traces its roots back to a trip I took with my wife to Costa Rica back in 2009.
Now I will say that there were a few blips on the radar prior to this trip. I can remember dinner’s with my parents, ordering cappuccino’s with dessert when I was in my teens. These are the cappuccino’s that remind you of old-world Italy, with dark & smoky espresso and overly-frothed milk. And having spent many years growing up in Vancouver in the early years of Starbucks’ entry into the Canadian market, this also contributed to my curiosity for coffee. Who wasn’t captivated by the green mermaid and her allure of a new coffee experience? I will admit my drink of choice was the Non-Fat-Upside-Down-155-degrees-2-pumps-sugar-free-vanilla-2-pumps-sugar-free-caramel-americano-misto. People called it “The Princess Drink”. Thank goodness those days are LONG GONE!
But nothing truly captured my full attention like this trip to Costa Rica. For me, it was the fact of being in origin, knowing that this was a country that prides itself on its incredible coffee production. It was the amazing variety of coffee’s that I saw in the local markets as we walked through the streets of Jaco. If there was one regret from that trip is that I didn’t source out the many coffee tours that Costa Rica offers. If you ever get the chance to visit this beautiful country, one of these tours is something to definitely put on your “must-see” list.
So with a suitcase full of coffee I made my trip home to begin brewing it. Now I will admit that the only method of brewing was a automatic-drip coffee pot. My foray into to many other (read: better) coffee brewing methods was still a few more years away. But even then I realized that this coffee was different. It tasted better. Those 10 days in Costa Rica were the beginning of what has been an amazing journey into specialty coffee.
So that’s a bit of my backstory into how this all began. What’s your story? I would love to hear it.
-Tyler
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