Bryan Wray

Male

Vancouver, WA

United States

Profile Information:

What is your position in the coffee industry?
coffee shop owner, barista trainer, coffee roaster
Where are you located? ( City and Country )
Vancouver, WA
How many years have you been in the industry?
Eight.
If you are a barista or shop, are you interested in a barista exchange with another coffee shop/barista?
yes
What cities or countries are you interested in traveling to?
Contact me with an exchange option and I'll let you know if I'm willing to go!
About Me:
Coffee is terrifying isn't it?

As baristas we usually screw up the coffee more than anyone else before us; that's if we're paying attention and at least a little lucky. Temperature, dose, dwell time, pressure, bloom, tamp, extraction time, coffee rest, grind. The variables are daunting.

Should you dose 18 grams? 18.5? 19 grams? Should the temperature be 200.5f? 201? How much should the shot yield? How long should it take? 25 seconds? 28 seconds? Pre-infusion? And what about tomorrow when the coffee is older, the air pressure is different and the door opens?

As professional baristas, the variables that face us from day to day are some of the most critical and finicky of any at any point in the chain.

It isn't our responsibility to add to the coffee. It's our responsibility not to screw it up. To pay attention. To learn. To educate. To adapt. To showcase everyone else's hard work while making ours look effortless.

If that isn't terrifying to you as a barista you need to reset your focus.

Welcome to coffee.
About My Company:
Compass Coffee is a quality focused roasting company with three cafe locations in the areas around Portland, OR. Our cafes focus on more traditional beverages with an emphasis on comparing different single origin espressos, as well as manually brewed coffees. We strive to obsess.

Some companies develop large mission statements with elaborate details, lofty goals, and words so foreign and confusing that you spend as much time deciphering it as the company did developing it.

While our goals are many and our passion is immense, our mission is simple. We want every person that walks out of our door to know one thing about coffee:

“Coffee is Culinary.”

Stop by one of our locations and experience our mission at work.
What is your favorite thing about the coffee industry?
Education through exploration.
Website:
http://www.compasscoffeeroasting.com

Comment Wall:

  • rob

    Great art, and great music selections too.

    Four tet totally wails.

    We will have to get together and jam sometime!

    Mar 4, 2008

  • rob

    ....p.s. we have chemex too....

    Mar 5, 2008

  • rob

    I work mon - fri 545 am -noon

    Mar 7, 2008

  • Billy Kangas

    Sorry to hear about the shop getting all shut down... hope to see you soon

    Mar 21, 2008

  • Jay Lijewski (TacomaPenna)

    Hey Monkey,
    Good to see ya here. Are you headed to SCAA in May?
    Good luck on the new job. Congrats.

    Jay

    Mar 25, 2008

  • Chris Weaver

    indeed, I adore Postal Service as well, though I think people in the place I work are getting sick of it now :)

    Mar 29, 2008

  • Chris Weaver

    Overplayed where?! In england its not played anywhere, mainly by me!!

    like your art by the way :)

    Mar 29, 2008

  • Josh:D

    So - Bryan - I've been sort-of isolated up here in GR - not many real shops around - and the only thing I knew in KZoo was Water Street - where are you pulling shots now?

    Apr 17, 2008

  • Bryan Wray

    Actually I'm not pulling shots right now (I should change my info... I'll get around to it, haha), but I actually am working for Waterstreet. I'm doing their deliveries, packaging, labeling, inventory, etc. It's a lot of work, and I just started so I'm still kind of learning the ropes, but it's alright so far. Cleaned out a couple Probats today... wow... I had no idea! That sucks! Haha.

    Apr 18, 2008

  • teresa pilarz

    so, since you're on the inside at waterstreet, any chance they need other roasting/bar/marketing/bean counting assistance for a willing apprentice?

    Jun 3, 2008

  • rob

    when you gonna stop in and see us?

    Jun 25, 2008

  • Chris Hooton

    where are you working? I'm taking a train to Kzoo later this month, I might have some time for a cup of coffee

    Aug 11, 2008

  • Miro

    Whats going on dude. Unfortunately we did not get that other roaster. I dont even think were getting the same one anymore. I'll keep you updated on that.

    Anywho, are you going to the spro down in chi town?

    Sep 26, 2008

  • Miro

    October 4th and 5th. Chicago, Intelly, Barista Jam. Will be great. I'm going out there with Ethan and maybe Jim will tag along too. I also have a couple other coffee friends of mine coming with. You should totally go.

    Sep 28, 2008

  • Abbey

    Bryan Wray...you'd like the West Coast.
    I miss you. Jerk.
    Hold the fort down at the Strutt!

    Jan 15, 2009

  • becca.

    oh it's fine. i guess that's what i have to pay if i want you to serve me coffee. im in transition. time for a change so im branching out of the grand rap scene for a little while. i've been bumming around kzoo. getting little jobs here and there to stay busy.

    Jan 16, 2009

  • Miro

    That sounds like i can be a ton of fun. Maybe ill get out there. I wish they had for info posted tho.

    Jan 19, 2009

  • Pat Wray

    Hi Bry!

    Here I am on Barista Exchange - just so I can peek in on your coffee stuff that you do!! MA

    Jan 22, 2009

  • Jose Lemus

    Hey Brian,

    Thanks for de info on the roaster and this page. Cool to see you around.

    Jan 22, 2009

  • Eric Flint

    I'll mostly not use it, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it out... or maybe I'll end up using it a TON... who knows...

    Jan 22, 2009

  • Eric Flint

    p.s. I was at Dino's yesterday for like 90 minutes around 11am and you weren't there. ...Made me sad...

    Jan 22, 2009

  • Eric Flint

    When I asked if you were around the girl said "yea...uhhherrrrr... no actually..." and I thought maybe she was just confused... she probably just didn't want to bother you. Anyway, this studio I work at is on Westnedge just North of the hill where it splits into two one way streets (Park/Westnedge). You might be seeing me around Kalamazoo more, depending on how big of a role I end up playing there. If Dino's wants us to produce a TV or radio commercial, let me know!

    Jan 22, 2009

  • Eric Flint

    If your boss wants his band to record a song and do a radio commercial we can give him a discount for doing both services (and we can then use the song he records IN the radio commercial). Let him know...

    Jan 22, 2009