I was in Richmond the other day waiting for my wife’s hair to be finished (Senegalese twists). It took from 9 am to 8 pm in total, so around three I decided to go to a coffee shop in town. I arrived at the shop and first noticed their giant and well maintained Diedrich roaster. Unfortunately their green bean supply was scattered all over the concrete floor which doubled as sitting space for the customers. The shop was a small nice space but quite dirty. The barista was very polite and made me several lovely espresso drinks.

I bought a 1/4# of Costa Rica beans—no info on origin and no roast date. I tried the beans in a hario Beehouse around 110z water, 20g coffee, 2:45 brew time. It was a rancid and over roasted nightmare. It tasted like my old days with the hot air popper roasts. In this, I was comforted to see what other people sell is certainly on a continuum—and the shop was successful with their espresso. Basically it reminded me to taste every roast of mine and always get second opinions. Love goes out to all coffee enthusiasts and professionals though, I highly enjoy our community and look forward to many years of coffee tomfoolery.