Brian Thayer

Male

Cincinnati, OH

United States

Profile Information:

What is your position in the coffee industry?
barista, barista trainer, coffee roaster, consultant
Where are you located? ( City and Country )
Cincinnati, OH USA
How many years have you been in the industry?
4
If you are a barista or shop, are you interested in a barista exchange with another coffee shop/barista?
maybe
Tell us more about your coffee shop or barista skills.
In the past, I've been a barista multiple times, consultant, a barista trainer, and a manager. Now I am a barista again at Rohs Street Cafe, which is on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. I'm dedicated to quality, passionate about service, and committed to excellence.
What cities or countries are you interested in traveling to?
Any coffee producing country.
Anywhere the coffee is awesome.
About Me:
Fast moving college student, husband, and father of two. I've founded a coffee shop and manage it currently. I'm a graduate of the University of Missouri in Columbia.
About My Company:
Vida Coffee Co is a brand new gourmet coffee shop on the University of Missouri's campus in Columbia, located at 812 Hitt st. We're dedicated to quality. This shop will be your best cafe experience- no doubt. We use Northwest Coffee in St. Louis, 1883 syrups, and Ghirardelli Sauces; we bake all goods in-house!

Now, however, I work for Rohs Street Cafe!
What is your favorite thing about the coffee industry?
the devotion to detail- our craft is so precise!
Website:
http://espressovein.blogspot.com/

Comment Wall:

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  • Joe Marrocco

    thanks man! Your wife told me she was getting that for you for V-Day. I told her that if you ever need any help or pointers to let me know. Also, go to www.sweetmarias.com TONS of info on home roasting. Literally the BEST site on the web for it. Thomson Owens runs it out of the Oakland San Fran area. Great guy. Great place to buy green coffee. You can literally spend months reading on his site. Let me know next time you're in St. louis.

    Mar 2, 2010

  • Joe Marrocco

    Coffee quality could play into why the coffee tastes bad too. Indonesian coffee are very bold in their characteristics. They are kind of like primary colors on the color spectrum. There is a wide rang in which you can roast them and they taste ok. Also, they are usually not as dense. They are lower grown and wet-hulled, which leaves them very large and spacious in their interior structure. This means that heat can penetrate them much more efficiently. Thus, they are probably roasting the best. African coffees very on density pretty widely. I'd lie to know what African coffees you are using specifically. Lastly, a really good Central or South American coffee is typically going to be very high grown and very dense. These need to be roasted much more carefully and gently, so that the heat can be absorbed to the core of the coffee before the exterior begins to burn. This is why I love a drum roaster with gas and air control. We can really dial in these parameters. With an air roaster (or popcorn popper) this is more difficult. Air roasters are notorious for coloring the exterior too quickly. The heavy convection super heats the outside of the bean. There has to be more control. One way to do this in your popper is to try to add a bit more coffee, to slow the air down and absorb more of the heat more evenly. This is dangerous though, because you don't want to over load it.

    I hope this has been helpful.

    Happy Roasting!!

    Jul 2, 2010

  • Joe Marrocco

    This is going to be in two sections, because I am only allowed 2000 characters:

    Roasting is a huge challenge, true. I would really have to see what you are doing to the coffee to know, well,... what you are doing to the coffee. Sight unseen and from the taste descriptors, I would wager that you are getting the coffee too hot to fast. you are roasting the exterior portion of the beans more quickly than the interior portion. This will cause the color to look right, while leaving the inside of the bean under-developed. This would be why it is tipping (burning a bit) and tastes green. Are you getting really nice coffees to work with through a reputable source, like sweet maria's?

    Jul 2, 2010