1

Brady

Male

Charlotte, NC

United States

Profile Information:

What is your position in the coffee industry?: barista, manager, barista trainer, coffee enthusiast, industry professional, service tech/repair, entrepreneur
Where are you located? ( City and Country ): Charlotte NC
How many years have you been in the industry?: 5
If you are a barista or shop, are you interested in a barista exchange with another coffee shop/barista?: no
Tell us more about your coffee shop or barista skills.: I love drinking coffee and learning more about the ways to prepare it. My goals are to educate my customers and raise the bar for coffee in Charlotte.
What cities or countries are you interested in traveling to?: Everywhere!
About Me:: Tech/Owner of Carolina Espresso Services, an espresso machine repair company located in south Charlotte, NC.

Proud member of Charlotte Coffee Community and the SCAA.

SCAA certified Lead Instructor.

In my spare time, I'm a home cook, a gardener, and enjoy hanging out with my 7 year old son.
About My Company:: Carolina Espresso Services is a coffee and espresso equipment repair company located in Matthews NC, just southeast of Charlotte. We service all major brands of espresso equipment, specializing in Nuova Simonelli, Astoria, Rancilio, and La Marzocco espresso machines, Compak and Mazzer grinders, and Fetco and Bunn coffee equipment. I am a factory-trained Nuova Simonelli, Astoria, Rancilio, and Egro super-automatic equipment tech.
What is your favorite thing about the coffee industry?: Everyone I meet is great!
Website:: http://CarolinaEspressoServices.com

Comment Wall:

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Steve MacDowall

hello and greetings from Canada - Steve

Nov 16, 2008
Kelly David H.

Every shop i have worked at or managed i ave always been able ot convince the owner to switch to powder chocolate. It just has such a better taste and why pay for water? It is def. cheaper for powder and lasts longer because you dont need as much. It's just alaround good. The only problem you might have is with you customers liking the change just because its different.

Nov 16, 2008
Mitch Montgomery

Brady - I read your post on the "favorite brewing method" discussion and I was wondering about you methodology with the aeropress, what are your ratios and brew times? Any info would be helpful as I'm trying to get a better brew with my aeropress. Cheers

Nov 16, 2008
Diversity Den Cafe

thank you please do...but give me some time to ensure i have made enough beverages that when you get there you wont be disappointed. I had gone with Stockton & Graham...

Nov 30, 2008
Steve MacDowall

love your place, keep posting photos- Steve

Dec 1, 2008
Aida Batlle

Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the Grand Reserve.

Dec 1, 2008
Bj Davis

Shagbark Hickory syrup, well, I learned about it at a farmer's market, and then from a chef I worked for. It is similar to maple, but more subtle.
It is produced in Brown County.

Dec 4, 2008
Michael Feamster

Brady: Great to hear from you, and thank you for your post. I am likewise looking forward to the next jam at your shop, even to just check it out. Hope you are doing splendid this month.

Dec 4, 2008
Nick Guidry

hey man, what time does coffee garden close on saturday? i'll be in town this weekend, so i'm gonna try and drop in and check it out!

Dec 5, 2008
John

Brady, is the menu on the left side of the pic the glare-free glass? Are the menu items hand-written with dry erase markers?

Dec 6, 2008
Steve MacDowall

I have two Bodum Frenchpress's at home - I love them. - Steve

Dec 18, 2008
Brendon Parsons

Hey Brady, I'm in NC today and tomorrow, will try to stop by for some of your delicious coffee. Will you be at the shop on Saturday?

Dec 26, 2008
Brendon Parsons

Hey Brady, sorry to have missed you this time around. Hope you have a happy new year. Will try to catch you next time, next year.

Dec 31, 2008
Rachel Moore

Thanks for the well wishes, Brady!

Jan 13, 2009
Banks Thomas

Glad to hear from you, how CLT

Jan 14, 2009
Banks Thomas

The move wasn't too bad. I'm glad to hear about the cool things going on in Charlotte.

Jan 15, 2009
nik orosi

happy birthday my barista friend!!!

Feb 10, 2009
Jason Haeger

A very happy birthday to you, Brady! I hope you got the day off, and that all is well.

Feb 10, 2009
Brendon Parsons

Hey Brady, Happy Birthday! Hope you get all of the coffee presents you desire, plus some. Keep up the good work in NC!

Feb 11, 2009
Ben Kessman

yeah dude ocatane was bad ass, good good art i learned alot we are gunna try and sponser a throwdown at our shop.

Feb 15, 2009
The Barista Formerly Known As JavaJ

Thanks Brady! We are very excited! Hope business is going well.

Apr 10, 2009
Chris Avirett

Brady sir, nice to finally meet you. Hope to see you this weekend. We'll be headed back up on Saturday and maybe staying for Sunday see you around.

Apr 17, 2009
Stewart Hime

Hi Brady
How are you? and Thanks for your inquiry.
This is an open price, we did not set a SRP., but I guess $30-35....?
The most of people does not realized that this dripper was made by MINO Porcelain which one of the best porcelain in Japan.
(There is durability though it is thinly made, we abandons 25% of finished products due to cracked). So, this porcelain is not a cheap Chinese made.
I'm sure that you and or your customers will experiences new tast of dripping coffee.

Apr 21, 2009
Matt Swenson

Hey Brady, It was good to finally meet you in Atlanta. Hopefully we will meet again at another show.

Apr 22, 2009
Bryan Wray

Definitely, this weekend was awesome. It was great to meet you. I'm hoping we'll be able to hang out more at more of these shows and get-togethers. Sara and I had a great time, and we both miss ATL already. I know it's a ways out, but you planning on Anaheim?

-bry

Apr 22, 2009
Adrian Badger

Hey Brady, thanks for pointing out the brewheads group.

Apr 27, 2009
Brandon Ragan

thanks brady, I have a ton on my plate right now and I'm kind of feeling for interest right now. I'm literally going into every coffee shop i see and telling them about barista exchange hoping to get some Orlando folks on the boards. Once i get that going I will definitely hit you up though

May 6, 2009
John Cunningham

Hey man,
I'm glad you tracked me down. It was fun hanging out at conference.

May 7, 2009
Bel Townsend

Hey! Yep, steampunk has been around for a while, but getting more and more fashionable recently I think! I first got into it via the goth community - basically any excuse to dress up!
I mentioned the steampunked Xbox: here it is:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=615032553&ref=profile#/album.php?aid=91351&id=682396173&ref=mf
What do you think?

Jun 10, 2009
Michael

how've you been? how's business at the coffee garden?

Aug 16, 2009
Barbara Adams

Hopefully, we find a barista by then and can send him/her over also.

Aug 23, 2009
Bryan Wray

Brady... I'm going to SC tomorrow! I'll be about 30 minutes outside of Charlotte. When should I come visit?

-bry

Oct 6, 2009
Jason Dominy

Waiting to see the SERJ event page created on here! ;-)

Oct 14, 2009
Espresso Rescue

Thanks for the warm welcome, Brady! I was feeling a little down after yesterday's discussion. I wish our website was finished so you could get the full effect of my company but I'm glad that what we have up right now was enough to show that our opinion is valid and trustworthy. We like working on Rancillios but they have so many models that it's hard to keep up! I would think selling them would require more of an inventory than other brands, maybe I'm wrong. We met our first Egro this year and while the machine wasn't too complicated to service, the company we were using for parts and troubleshooting advice were kinda sucky to work with. I'm glad they are now part of the Rancillio family, much more support options.
You like to refurbish! It's a labor of love, there's a lot of brass to polish up, especially in Wega/Astorias!! It's nice to see someone else enjoying the rebuilding process, it's "the fun part" for us. Right now we are working on the red Marzocco that I posted pics of. It was all back together and we noticed a tiny fracture next to the thermometer just waiting to arc and shock the life out of someone...great. Perhaps a good opportunity to start a boiler patching segment of the business? We'll see...
Where are you getting trained for LM, CMA and NS? What is the most popular brand in your area of the country? I heard Grimac was a household name, say it isn't so!

Oct 22, 2009
Espresso Rescue

Thanks for all the nice compliments on our work! There is a new level of pride you feel when getting brass to shine so brilliently.
I do head your warning and will "watch my back" in this community. I guess I'm taking a different approach when I support the super auto. I would say the ultimate goal of all this passion about coffee is to spread the need for it. To increase good espresso's exposure as much as possible. By placing a superauto in places that dont support traditional you are creating the oppertunity to introduce someone to espresso. Yes their taste will be cultivated from the superauto but they are just being primed for the real show. All the time you hear "I only have drinks from Traditional machines" but you never hear "I only have drinks off a Superauto". Superauto customers are easy converts to the traditional methods (if the barista is pulling quality shots that is) and in that maybe we can weed out some of the baristas out there who should just be pushing a button! Do you think my argument holds water or should I give up before ending up on too many hit lists?

Oct 23, 2009
Sarah Tafili

Thanks for the welcome, Brady. How kind of you.

Dec 6, 2009
Espresso Rescue

Hey Brady!
Yeah I had to take a break for a while and gain composure! haha. I'm so glad we've inspired you, it's such gratifying work. Sorry to hear about the McCafe next door, look on the bright side though, every time their machine breaks all the caffiene-jonsing people will be looking for the nearest fix! Actually, we have a few customers with McDs next door and they have all said that their business didn't slow and they didn't lose any regulars.
Anyway, it's good to be back and thanks for noticing! I should be wrapping presents right now...maybe that's what it took to get me back, an outlet for procrastinating! Have a nice holiday.
BTW, my name is Clio, I'm the Office Manager at ER. Now you can put a name to the...name

Dec 22, 2009
Mabel

Hi Brady, thanks for the comment on the vinegar thing, It helped me too. I am also a manager for my family´s coffee shop, we are on the coffee bussiness in an origin country, we are also coffee producers, and I am really interesting in learning new things everyday!! Your comment was one of them!! TXS

Jan 20, 2010
Garrett Kelly

Thats what im looking for a small time roast good looking out man thanks for the info!!

Feb 9, 2010
nik orosi

happy birthday my bx friend...

Feb 10, 2010
Chris

I've been enjoying these last convos as well. Remember that most of what I've contributed was stolen from other baristi's on other threads or anecdotal, at best! ; >

Feb 27, 2010
Arielle Londiin

hi brady and thank u... i really enjoyed what u posted about machine maintenance

May 7, 2010
Kyle?

yea its waaay out there. not hard to find though.lol

May 24, 2010
scott@herkimercoffee.com

Hey Brady, thanks for the visit! Those mugs have been awesome, our little statement against the lameness of quantity over quality. They've turned out quite popular. Will have to stop in when I find myself in your parts, whenever that may be...

Scott

Jun 7, 2010
I am Espresso Guy

wats up! brad! Thanks for adding me as your friend......I am hoping that we will have a great talk about coffee.....and by the way I admired your coffee shop......

Jun 11, 2010
Bryan Wray

Not sure if you closed it out or not, but sorry if it was my comment that took that rant thread out of the lineup. I figured one rant deserved another, but I know I can be a pain sometimes... If you ever need me to cool it, just let me know.

Aug 21, 2010
Brent hall

that's right..I'm commenting on post...I'm Back! at least for a minute before lunch.

Sep 21, 2010
Chase Mann

Awesome photos Brady. Those espresso shots look gorgeous and absolutely yummy. You've got a really great looking shop there too.

It's always nice when someone in a related field (equip & repair services in your case) takes the time to learn the other side of the equation ... helps them to understand the passion of coffee more I think.

Dec 5, 2010
Eli Masem

thanx brady. hope you have a great holiday. I am happily breaking in my simonelli.

Dec 23, 2010
Scott Guglielmino

Hey Brady, sorry I was not able to comment before the thread was closed. Give me a call Monday and I'll be happy to continue the conversation. 206-706-9104 x118

Jan 23, 2011

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