Grateful

So this will be my first blog in english. I think it's about time, since I've been using the titles that way. Ít's a challenge I must say, but I would like to give it a shot. Tips and tricks are always welcome..

Today was such an inspirational day. Jermaine, a good friend of mine, agreed on getting a nice cup of coffee. I've heard about the opening of this new roastery in Amsterdam and suggested to check it out. The smell of roasted coffee got us to this cool spot. It was a basic set-up, but so perfect and beautiful. A Giesen roaster was shining in the corner. Kees Kraakman is the owner of this monster machine and as he plays along with the roasting process, he serves coffee to the public. Only for the summertime though. While enjoying a french pressed coffee, Kees roasted a new batch and guided us through the process. We got to smell the coffee, heard it cracking and chewed on a bean to check the taste and the roasting on the inside of the bean. This was more of a habit he told us. Ok, this is just cool.

After, I dropped by Screaming Beans for some catching up with my new colleagues. We now have a special selected coffee that is only available at Screaming Beans. It's a Sidamo-3 Guji from the Oromia region in Ethiopia. Obviously I had to try it out.. Love! Great coffee! I'm not surprised however, because that is what we stand for.

My afternoon was well spent in Hilversum. I checked in at Tiramisu for some parts for my espresso machine. It is almost up and running now. Exciting! Sandro Mascilongo knows espresso machines. Next to the two shops in The Netherlands, he is also the co-owner of a big roastery in the South of Italia. We couldn't stop talking about coffee. His son designs coffee bags and so he showed me. Very nice! He has a strong opinion about coffee related matters. I might not always agree on everything, but he sure is inspiring and has a lot of knowledge. Great business. Great guy. Passion is once again the right word.

So much passion was shared today. I love how they all inspire me (you too J.). I love how everyone has their own habits. I love how families are keeping their traditions of craftmanship alive by passing them on from father to son. I love the different point of views and find them all very interesting. I respect each one of them.