Just like it should be. Who am I? What am I? My name is James Spano. Born and raised in Auburn, Al I also attended school there and graduated Spring '06 with a degree in music education. I got interested in coffee around my second sophomore year. I don't mean my second year of school, I mean my second year as a sophomore. I'm a slow learner. Anyway, some friends of mine from church who recently moved here from Ecuador had just opened a coffee shop and I went over with some friends to try it out. They served me a cup of Guatemalan Antigua and I said to myself "Wow, is that what coffee is supposed to taste like?". The business was small and after a year decided to move to a larger location in a better spot. I took this opportunity to offer my services as a completely unexperienced but eager to learn employee. I took my job seriously, learning as much as I could from my employers and learning as much as I could on my own through books and websites. I found out many great things our shop was doing and how many more great things were out there. I spent this past year traveling the world on a Christian missions trip. I went to as many coffee shops as I could and love the atmosphere that some of these shops provide. I drank everything from fresh roasted Guatemalan coffee in Antigua to sweetened condensed Ice coffees in Cambodia. It was through these adventures that I decided to make a living out of coffee. And the first thing to do is figure out what that means. This Spring I'm planning on going down to Guatemala and working as an apprentice to a coffee shop owner/roaster. I'm really excited about learning and meeting people. I hope that through this I'll get a better idea of where to steer my adventure, but I knew I needed to start on a solid foundation which is what I can get in Guatemala. So that's more than you probably wanted to know about me. Right now I spend my time filling in at the coffee shop here and visiting Counter Culture Coffee for cuppings on fridays. Peace.