Elizabeth Chai built her Graphic Design career as a coffeeshop dweller and coffee consumer. After a Design Director stint with Octane Coffee, her passion for advancing the industry convinced her to focus her design, branding, illustration, and photography skills exclusively within Specialty Coffee. Her love of “coffee+design” has resulted in extensive travel to see as many cafĂ©s around the world …
050 : Baristas Speak Vol. 2 : Five Interviews from the Kentukiana Coffee Champs pre-lims 2018
It’s the 50th Episode of Keys to the Shop and I had the opportunity to interview 5 people live at the Kentuckiana Coffee Champs Pre-lims this past weekend. In this 2nd edition of Baristas Speak Nathan Quillo, Sam Miers, Cimara Dunn, Matt Park, and Rita Kaminsky join me on the  to give their thoughts on the role of the barista, …
048 : How to taste coffee w/ U.S. Cup Tasters Champion, Steve Cuevas!
Steve Cuevas of Black Oak Coffee Roasters is the 2017 U.S. Cup Tasters Champion and he is here to here to talk to us about learning to taste, tips for developing your palate, and talking to customers about coffee with confidence, and empathy. His approach to cupping and communicating about coffee to consumers is generous and refreshing and will inspire …
047 : Mastering Latte Art : Some of the worlds best latte masters weigh in!
Ah Latte art…that ubiquitous often ill used symbol of specialty coffee in the eye of the consumer and to the professional both a creative outlet and a seal given to a well made drink. This week we sit down to talk all about latte art with four accomplished latte artists: Jibbi Little, Antoine Franklin, Kenny Smith, and Christopher “Nicely” Alameda. …
046 : Death by Comparison : How we practice it and ways to avoid getting caught up in it
In the coffee world, like anywhere else, we love to compare ourselves to other baristas, managers, owners etc. and see how we stack up. Often this can lead to stress, worry, depression, lack of clarity, wasted energy, loss of opportunity, and many other negative consequences. In today’s episode we explore some of the ways negative comparisons can damage your shop …
045 : Simple, Powerful Hospitality w/ Philip Turner
Providing amazing hospitality for the guests in your shop does not have to be complicated. Today’s guest, Philip Paul Turner, Manager at  Sunergos Coffee, shares his 3 step approach to providing great hospitality that has become his mantra to the staff at his shop and it can transform the way you welcome people into your space. I get to work …
044 : Navigating Mistakes and Failure : Best Practices for overcoming the problems we bring with us to the cafe
Even though mistakes and failure in coffee are a normal part of the learning process they can be hard to deal with, embarrassing, and often can derail our progress. Today we talk about some best practices I have discovered from personal experience for navigating both the small and the serious failures we all have or will encounter as we continue …
042 : Supplying and Selecting Equipment w/ Steve Rhinehart: Prima Coffee
There are many hands that contribute to specialty coffee ecosystem. In addition to farmers, green coffee importers and roasters supplying our shops we all rely on specialty coffee equipment suppliers to get the gear we need to make great coffee. Just like sourcing great coffee, the best suppliers are very particular with what they stock and offer. Today to explore …
041 : Standing for the Art of Coffee w/ Luke Adams, Standart Magazine
STANDING FOR THE ART OF COFFEE One of the best places we can go to gain inspiration, be educated, find insight, and experience life in a different and deeper way is printed page. In the midst of an endless sea of available content, Standart Magazine stands out as a leader in this arena for specialty coffee. Content Director for Standart Magazine, Luke …
040 : Pour Over & Batch brew pt 2 w/ Ryan Soeder
Pour over & batch brew. Each method of brewing has it’s strengths and weaknesses and depending on what message you want to communicate in your shop you will likely find one to be better suited to assist you in that cause. Today in Part 2 of our discussion, Ryan Soeder breaks down the pros and cons of each method along a …
