What is your position in the coffee industry?

home barista, supplier

Where are you located? ( City and Country )

Pittsburgh (Bridgeville), USA

How many years have you been in the industry?

1

Tell us more about your coffee shop or barista skills.

I am strictly a home barista but have been so for ~33 years! (Do you remember what the “specialty” coffee industry was back in 1976?) I pull 5 to 7 doubles every day for myself and my wife….more if we have company.

What cities or countries are you interested in traveling to?

I have traveled expensively since the 70s with a lot of time spent overseas and used to be gone from home up to 260 (sic) days per calendar year! Western Europe (especially Italy) is my favorite destination with many of the “cooler” Eastern European cities (Prague, Budapest, St. Petersburg) a close second. Sydney, Australia is ALWAYS great. My travels (almost always for business) took me to places where steel plants or related industries/companies (e.g. manufacturing companies, engineering companies, etc.) were located. Hence, I was always going to paces where the usual traveler never went such as the far west of China (Jiuguan in the Gansu Province/Gobi dessert), or the far south of India (Bangalore, Hospet, Goa – where the high temperature is often >110F), or the far north of Russia (Cherepovets – where the low temperature can be -53F), or a remote mountain town in Turkey (Karabuk), or an inland seaport (sic) in Venezuela (Port Ordaz) etc. Destinations such as these were a real delight to me as I got to see and experience things that most folk never do or will.

About Me:

I am 56 years old, have been married (to the same woman) for 34 of those years, have 4 kids (3 of whom are also married), 4 grandkids & 1 Yorkie.

About My Company:

Len's Espresso Blends provides fresh gourmet coffee beans, roasted the "Old World" way-which means NEVER over-roasted and dedicated exclusively for those who prefer espresso to any other coffee beverage. Well, OK, the beans are also well-suited to a traditional (i.e. 6 oz) cappuccino, or macchiato, etc.

What is your favorite thing about the coffee industry?

For me, it’s all about the coffee, i.e. espresso. The industry is just a means to get that lovely nectar into my cup. And, oh yeah…there are a lot of great people I’ve met along the way.

Website:

http://lensespressoblends.com