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FROM THE EDITOR

I’M LOATH TO ADMIT IT, but summer is winding down. “Back-to-school” ads crowd the newspaper, and the kids on my block seem to be playing outdoors with more intensity, as if they’re determined to wring every last drop out of the season before Labor Day.
      I’ve been thinking about school lately, maybe because I just found a stack of my old yearbooks boxed up in the basement. Naturally, I couldn’t resist paging through cringe-worthy photos of my classmates and myself—stylish in our tucked-in turtlenecks, jean jackets and inches-high bangs—and reading the cryptic messages scrawled inside the cover.
      Or maybe I’ve got education on the brain because there’s so much to learn, see and do in the coffee industry. One recent evening, I attended a technical presentation about brewing coffee according to the Gold Cup Standard. At the end of the evening, we sampled improperly brewed coffee compared with brew that hit the Gold Cup “sweet spot.” The difference was amazing. An industry veteran in the audience summed up the experience for all of us when he said, “It’s events like these that make me realize how much I still have to learn about coffee.”
      I have taken those words to heart. This fall, my goal is to further my coffee education, and I’d like to encourage you to do the same. First, take advantage of classes and other educational opportunities offered through the SCAA, Roasters Guild, regional roaster groups and your local coffee scene. While you’re out, meet new people and ask questions. Maybe they’ve cracked a roasting problem that has been stumping you, or their cafe just broke sales records this year. Try to incorporate their tips into your own business.
      Visit new coffeehouses not only to sample their coffee, but also to follow retail trends and stay current in our evolving industry. Consider these visits an extracurricular activity that helps your business. It sure beats doing homework! At least you’re hanging out, drinking coffee and maybe making some new friends in the process.
      Take time to read about the industry. You never know when you’ll find something to interest or inspire you. This month, for example, Roast brings you the second part of Andi Trindle’s primer on green buying, as well as Kathi Zollman’s exploration of why, exactly, you need to start using a roast log. Terry Davis explains how a simple no-loss stackhead can make your roastery more efficient, while Eric Faust digs into the controversy surrounding coffee’s introduction to the ECX, Ethiopia’s new commodity exchange, and how it impacts the specialty coffee industry.
      And, lastly, get in touch with a handful of people in the industry with whom you’ve lost contact. It’s easy to put off writing e-mails or making phone calls when doing so won’t necessarily affect your business this week, month or year. But it is just as easy to lose touch with people (like all those faces from our yearbooks that we now hardly remember). It’s always refreshing to hear from an old friend who is thinking about you and wants to catch up—and compare industry notes.
      As you discover new information, drop me a line at kelly@roastmagazine.com, and tell me about it. I look forward to hearing about what you’ve learned. In the meantime, I’ll be doing a little research of my own at one of the new coffee shops that have sprouted up around town.

      Cheers,

      Kelly