OK well here goes, this is my first blog EVER! Not too sure how to go about it or if anyone will ever read what I have to say but please bear with my while I stick my toe into the water.
I have been involved in coffee since I was knee high which was a huge amount of time ago. My folks were passionate about coffee and as a young tot I would have to go and grind their coffee beans in an old Spong manual grinder which was attached to the back door. This was a two-piece stable door and if I wasn't being conked on the back of my head by the door, the tin cup containing the grounds would often topple from the grinder and shower me with ground coffee. Please imagine the scene, I was smaller than the lower part of the door and had to grind with my tiny arms stretched above my head! What a mess...it was however either this or wash the dishes!
My Grand Father on my mothers side, was a tall, white haired and somewhat distinguished gentleman (everyone is of course tall to a six year old). His name was Eric William Grier, and had spent many years in Italy where he'd grown very fond of the lovely brew. His presence always added to the volume of ground coffee needed - as much as I liked him there were times, I must confess, when I thought he'd be better off at his own home! Be this as it may, the gurgle of a stove-top coffee maker and the quite unique aroma of freshly ground coffee has been "up my nose" for a very long time. So where am I going with this?
This was a time where most South Africans were drinking instant coffee. I remember names like Raadsaal; Frisco and Koffiehuis, I am not sure if they're still around. Not in our family though, it was always the real stuff after dinner. Instant was OK during the morning rush but certainly not at night.
You've probably guessed it already but I now find myself, some fifty or so years later, as a coffee roaster. Who would have believed this? My parents and grand parents are unfortunately deceased, since long before I started roasting coffee - so it's perhaps with some thanks to them that I count myself very fortunate and thankful that my hobby and my job are in some way, the same thing. Hey, so me and Tiger Woods share something in common, he also makes money from his hobby! Oh dear, please don't for a moment think that my small business makes even a small fraction of what the great Tiger does and nor that I have ever make anything swinging a golf club - but that's a story for another day. Again, where am I going with this?
I really hope to use this blog to share my experiences as a coffee roaster firstly and a coffee lover secondly. I don't even know how blogs work at this stage ... I don't know if readers can make comments or send questions but I do hope I will find this to be the case. Do they "follow" as one might do on Twitter or "like" as is the case with Facebook? Time will tell... anyway, I invite you to come along for the ride, I'll share a few moans and groans, some highlights and some experiences. I do hope you will enjoy these. This is probably enough of an introduction. My name is Alan and my Company is located in East London, a medium to small city in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Kind regards
www.elcoffee.co.za
I have been involved in coffee since I was knee high which was a huge amount of time ago. My folks were passionate about coffee and as a young tot I would have to go and grind their coffee beans in an old Spong manual grinder which was attached to the back door. This was a two-piece stable door and if I wasn't being conked on the back of my head by the door, the tin cup containing the grounds would often topple from the grinder and shower me with ground coffee. Please imagine the scene, I was smaller than the lower part of the door and had to grind with my tiny arms stretched above my head! What a mess...it was however either this or wash the dishes!
This was a time where most South Africans were drinking instant coffee. I remember names like Raadsaal; Frisco and Koffiehuis, I am not sure if they're still around. Not in our family though, it was always the real stuff after dinner. Instant was OK during the morning rush but certainly not at night.
You've probably guessed it already but I now find myself, some fifty or so years later, as a coffee roaster. Who would have believed this? My parents and grand parents are unfortunately deceased, since long before I started roasting coffee - so it's perhaps with some thanks to them that I count myself very fortunate and thankful that my hobby and my job are in some way, the same thing. Hey, so me and Tiger Woods share something in common, he also makes money from his hobby! Oh dear, please don't for a moment think that my small business makes even a small fraction of what the great Tiger does and nor that I have ever make anything swinging a golf club - but that's a story for another day. Again, where am I going with this?
I really hope to use this blog to share my experiences as a coffee roaster firstly and a coffee lover secondly. I don't even know how blogs work at this stage ... I don't know if readers can make comments or send questions but I do hope I will find this to be the case. Do they "follow" as one might do on Twitter or "like" as is the case with Facebook? Time will tell... anyway, I invite you to come along for the ride, I'll share a few moans and groans, some highlights and some experiences. I do hope you will enjoy these. This is probably enough of an introduction. My name is Alan and my Company is located in East London, a medium to small city in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Kind regards
www.elcoffee.co.za
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