coffeesnob OLY

i know it's been too long and really i have no excuse besides the total upheaval of my life and starting anew on the left coast.
Olympia, washington is my new home and i love it here. right now, darkness reigns supreme but coffee is her lady in waiting.
I'm now working for Batdorf & Bronson coffee roasters, being a barista, working my way up the ranks, absorbing as much training as i possibly can. so far, i've done roasting workshops, latte art workshops, espresso training, more espresso training. you get the point.
you may be wondering what my reasons were for leaving pittsburgh after such a long time of working at Tazza D'oro. Well, i had felt that i had reached the highest level of training and ability that i could have achieved while working there.there were more opportunities available but they were not really for me. it really was my time to move on to seek a new challenge and a way to grow as a coffee professional. i wish all the folks at tazza and pittsburgh the best in their own personal and professional growth.

living in the pacific northwest, good coffee is super easy peasy to find. i have it timed to drive perfectly from portland back to olympia perfectly where i get an americano at Heart (http://heartroasters.com/) at 7am and get back to olympia at 8:50, just in time to hop in the shower and get a second americano at caffe vita on my walk to work.
Heart is definitely my favorite coffee place in the PacNW. so far. the environment that they have created in their cafe is awesome. there are turntables playing records, interesting taxonomy prints on the walls, a synesso AND a la marzocco, siphon brewing, friendly baristas and a GIANT probat roaster sitting it the middle of it all. i feel very much at home when i stop in every friday morning. they skim their espresso there though, which i have some strong opinions on. the first americano i got there, some weeks ago, was made with sumatran 'spro and was creamy in texture and had a fabulous jasminey aroma. the next one that i got was made with guatemalan spro, upon which after the barista poured it began to skim off the crema, which then became a discussion, in which i stated some very strong opinions about the whole matter and now i'm known as "the-friend-of-ryan-who-hates-the-idea-of-skimming-and-lets-everyone-know-about-it".
whoops.
but i still go there. i give them all my money for delicious drinks. and you should too. whenever you are in portland.
i have stopped in to many places and have discovered so many great things about my new region.
a short list:
cellar door coffee roasters
cascadia rising gluten-free bakery and cafe ( dude, HEMP MILK MOCHA!!!!!)
dalo's ethiopian kitchen (they serve ethiopian coffee exclusively)
little red bike cafe
all of portland's many yarn stores
potato champion food cart
olympia free herbal clinic ( a great resource for a broke barista to get some treatment for coffee-induced injuries {willow bark and jamaican dogwood are my new friends})
pay what you can yoga
fresh fish!

Long story short, i love my new home and cannot wait to write more about all the great things that i'm getting to do in my new job.
till next time.