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Food GPS: What’s your favorite aspect of working in the coffee world?

Celeste: You meet the best people in the world and nothing ever stays the same.

Dana: I love the connectivity that coffee provides. I love that just by drinking a cup of coffee every morning, I am immediately connected to someone (many people) in a producing country. It is especially meaningful given the time I spent living in a Salvadoran coffee community. My job allows me to work directly with those people many times a year to share ideas, learn, taste great coffees, buy them and have a little fun too.  I feel very fortunate.

Food GPS: What’s the biggest challenge?

Celeste: Finding enough time to complete the ever-increasing roasting schedule and still have time to experiment, sample roast, cup, clean, etc.  Not enough hours in the workday!

Dana: I’d say collaborating with farmers to help them reach their full potential in terms of their coffee’s quality. It requires lots of time, knowledge, skill and investment from producers, processors and roasting companies. I still have a lot to learn.

Food GPS: Who else in the specialty coffee community do you look to for inspiration, guidance or advice?

Celeste: My first specialty coffee shop experience was as a roaster/barista at Hines Public Market Coffee. I learned the finer points of coffee from John Hornall and John Sanders. Java Jan was one of the first women I met in coffee and she has had a successful espresso business for over 20 years. There are too many people to mention, but thanks to all. You know who you are.

Dana: Since I am new to this side of the coffee industry, I look up to a lot of people. We share a roasting facility with Caffe Ladro, and I am fortunate to work closely with Jared Linzmeier, their Director of Coffee. We have a unique and rare example of a functioning mini roaster co-op of sorts. Jared and I have been on purchasing trips together and he has provided much sound advice and guidance to me over the last year, both professionally and as my friend.

Food GPS: What do you think makes the Seattle coffee scene unique?

Celeste: We were one of the first cities to have a coffee scene and we are still going strong. Coffee industry people have continued to keep the coffee scene here vibrant through education workshops, throwdowns, etc. It really is a small coffee world, and Seattle proves that often.

Dana: I think even though many cities have flourishing coffee scenes now across the country, people still see Seattle as The Place. We, as small roasters, have a duty to show people, both visitors and residents, what it’s all about. And we do. Despite the saturated Seattle market, companies reinvent themselves, and new roasters are still opening their doors. I also love the coffee camaraderie between employees of the many, many Seattle roasters. It’s nice to see people coming together for the love of coffee.

Food GPS: What’s a typical coffee consumption day for you, drink by drink, from when you wake up to when you go to sleep?

Celeste: I don’t have coffee until I get to work. It’s my motivation to get to work.  Once there, I usually make an Americano or have my people, and by that I mean Dana, make a Chemex for us. I also like an iced drink in the afternoon, like a Toddy or Americano.

Dana: I begin the weekdays with a 6 oz Americano with a touch of steamed whole milk from our Zoka Greenlake Store. Then at the roastery, I will make a V60 or a Chemex (if I am feeling generous) of one of our single origins. I probably drink about 5 or 6 oz that. After that, I am done. No coffee for me after about 3 pm. My days of being able to handle 8 shots of espresso throughout the day are long gone.  Thankfully.

Food GPS: What’s your preferred brewing method, and why?

Celeste: At home, I rotate between a stovetop espresso maker, a Clever dripper and a French press depending on my mood.

Dana: I live a few blocks from one of our cafes, so I only brew coffee at home on Sundays, while listening to the Commodores “Easy like Sunday Morning.” No joke, it’s my Sunday ritual. I make a Chemex and drink it throughout the morning or give some to a lucky housemate.

Food GPS: If you could only have one more shot of espresso, who would make it for you (besides yourself)?

Celeste: I hope that day never comes.

Dana: Ditto.

+Samantha Joyce is a writer for Seattle Coffee Gear and enjoys drinking the coffee that Dana buys and Celeste roasts at Zoka Coffee.