Coffee coffee coffee

I was always sending photos of coffee shops around Japan to one of my friends and then he asked me why ain’t I writing a blog about it? I gave it a thought and then I sat down and wrote this introduction.

I’ve always loved coffee as much as I remember and I was sharing this guilty pleasure with one of my best friends and… Gilmore Girls. However, until three years ago I had no idea what a quality coffee tastes like. I’ve been dreaming about working at a coffee shop and then I got a chance to do it. As I had zero experience, I thought I’d better go to a coffee course.

I decided to attend Petra Veselá’s course and later on found out, that she won the Czech barista championship and that she’s one of the judges now. I went there as a newbie and the day spent at her training opened my eyes. When I tried specialty coffee for the first time, I thought that it was disgusting. Or perhaps I was just shocked how coffee could taste! I think I won’t ever erase this sour shocking explosion in my mouth. And the girls next to me nodding approvingly. Needless to say that I felt like an idiot.

My barista career was brief due to several reasons, nevertheless, I started walking a new path and there was no turning back. Disgusting coffee was disgusting and great coffee was … well, I was unable to perceive it with my taste buds. It took me some time to start understanding the taste, yet I enjoyed it more and more with every sip. Specialty coffee smells like fruit, flowers, chocolate... The most surprising cup so far smelled and tasted literally like a blueberry cake.

When I went to see the Czech Barista Championship, I fell in love even more. Though I almost died of the caffeine overdose, because I’m extremely sensitive and get hyped up way too easily, haha. All those teeny tiny samples felt like huge cups, it was almost impossible to finish them. But here am I now after two more championships, loving this taste and searching for it everywhere.

I’d like to be able to distinguish the subtle notes of flavors and aroma, but I guess that’s a way to go. It’s exciting to learn something new with every single cup.

Oh and not to forget, it was terrifying to ask if it’s ok to write a blog about a coffee shop and ask a few questions… But in the end, it was an exciting experience with many interesting outcomes. Cupping here I come!

The first article will be here soon.