Coffee Sommeliers
Stand in line at any one of these artisan coffee houses and you'll notice customers are ordering more exotic coffees than the run–of–the–mill cappuccinos and lattes. Rojo's has a tempting tasting menu that entices customers into trying exotic coffees like the Ethiopian Harrar Longberry, described as an "intense, rustic, medium to full–bodied blend complete with notes of chocolate, apricots and berries."
The ultimate goal of the small batch roaster is to unlock intrinsic flavors of the coffee beans without introducing flavors from the roasting process. It's a lot like what a wine maker strives to do with his grapes.
Small–batch coffee roasters even use the same lingo as wine makers. An ideal cup of Colombian coffee, Rojo's Waldman says, should be "nutty, semi– sweet with some chocolate aromas, slightly tangy but not lemony." He sounds like a sommelier.
By pouring their heart and soul into every cup of coffee, small batch roasters continue to stand out from the coffee conglomerates. Add a friendly barista behind the counter who knows the lineage of the beans he's grinding, and you've got a recipe for the perfect cup of coffee.
