This past week I had the pleasure of witnessing my friends at Water Avenue Coffee dominate the Portland coffee scene with consumers.
Friday, Oct 8th, 2010, the Portland YWCA hosted an event in Pioneer Square, bringing together fifteen coffee roasters for the public to sample. Roasters ranged from small one-person operations to world-wide giants like Starbucks. For a $5 donation, you got a small cup of green coffee beans to vote on your favorite roastery.
I’ve been witness to the creation, birth and early growth of Water Avenue Coffee. Frankly, everything about this organization is ‘par excellence’. The brain-child of Matt Milletto, Bruce Milletto and Brandon Smyth, WAC offers some of the most deftly roasted coffees, barista skills and environment in the country. The entire crew at WAC, part of the larger organization of Bellissimo CoffeeInfo Group and American Barista Coffee School, have educated and befriended this old chef as I journey deeper into the world of specialty coffee.
The infamous “OMFG Tweet” happened shortly after WAC officially opened its doors. Head Roaster Brandon Smyth had offered me one of the first cups of Oak Barrel Aged Sumatra, a coffee he roasts by storing green Sumatra beans in aged old oak wine barrels for two weeks and then roasting. Literally, this was the finest cup of coffee I’ve ever tasted.
I tweeted out my joy over four Twitter accounts: @JeffreyJKingman and @chalkboarder (both mine), @CoffeeFestShow (client Coffee Fest Tradeshow), and in my excitement, also from Dessert Professional Magazine’s Twitter account @dessertpro.
Within two hours, I received a phone call from the publisher of Dessert Professional Magazine. “You have to take that “OMFG tweet” down – we’re getting complaints.”
Totally embarressed by causing a client consternation, I immediately removed it from their account history and wrote a long apology, dispersed widely through the web.
Oak Barrel Aged Sumatra is still my favorite coffee. Maybe soon, Brandon will teach me how to roast my own.
Leaf & Berry 
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