MalIn’S blog 5
Soooo
This year started with a good mood and lots of work on my hands. I had just finished and completed my postgraduate degree at ZHAW and was looking forward to joining their coffee research conference in early February. Yes. I was excited to start my skiing season after that strained rib in December and then I already had my share of personal drama and health crisis three weeks into the year. Yay!
Oh, so today I am having tea because it’s Labor Day and I don’t work on Labor Day (just kidding, I’ll have a coffee later). So, a very intense January. We all remember the Midwinter Shuffle, right? And then February went slow as usual, the conference in Zürich being the true highlight for real. The people were much more chill and much less business minded than I expected. Everyone in the room really actually shared a true interest in learning. That is the first and only time I have ever experienced this among coffee professionals.
I ate some Krapfen and tried to get some rest but ended up working surplus hours anyways. Around that time, it was also decided that I would be starting to roast for Kaffeefabrik as well. And now, to clear up the confushe for everybody that is not my sibling (in law): it is just an additional task on the side. We still have the same senior production roaster who is roasting the bulk of our batches.
The midwinter shuffle only shuffled the decks a little bit and now we are standing here on Labor Day with more specific and more explicit roles. The business just grew beyond the friendly era of radical informality. My email signature now lists a bunch of coffee related tasks. You still find me behind the bar most of the time.
I have been eating good and better, I have been drinking premium and world class, I have been sleeping worse and worse. I have built body mass like never before in my life since starting to train for my ski race. Thighs fueled by inexplicable expensive auction lots and tons of Mafalde. Shoulders built by lifting kilos of green coffee overhead like I am mighty Atlas carrying like 5% of Kaffeefabrik roasts and from grabbing my long curly hair in a pose of exhaustion from life itself.
I cherish the moments I have spent in operas listening to the Czech language being sung. With you and with friends in Vienna. I remember dearly the little getaways to Bad Gastein, to Brno, to Zürich, to Berlin and Prague. I remember not so dearly the getaway to Krems. I had a great time there honestly. But who wants to get up early to spend the day on the industrial side of Krems? Who?
I danced my feet off and drank them back on (in alcohol free Trumer, Zwettler and Jakobsgold). I remember the taste of Bro’s Pizza, my homemade Reinling and Kärntner Nudeln, of despair and of Geshas processed to perfection they are to other Geshas what other Geshas are to brew bags brewed with super scaled up three-star hotel breakfast hot water dispenser hot water. Honestly, I have been craving Sudan Rume to switch it up so if anybody got some, let me know.
Yes, this has been my life. On Instagram and to friends it is convenient to promote the first few roast profiles you have codesigned as a roaster, for two very exceptional coffees luckily. However, life is something else.
I’m gonna have my breakfast now at 11:52 and I’ll get back to you with a much sooner next update.
Ciao ciao!
long time coming
I’m writing to you while enjoying a cup of Uji Sencha by Shohokuen. It’s a sweet, subtle Sencha green tea which fills your mouth with a lot umami, especially in the back of your tongue. The aroma is rich and grassy like high quality olive oil releasing aroma after being poured over steaming hot potatoes, like roasted sweet chestnuts and a tiny hint of lily. This cuppe was brewed in black clay kyusu, a brewer that I set aside for high quality green teas only. I adjusted my usual recipe for this morning brew, using less tea to have a lighter, lower concentration cup of tea.
I know, I know. I’ve been sucking at giving life updates. I had many of these drafted and never finished and posted. Sometimes, I despise updating others on my life when it keeps going back and forth between being too much in a bad way and too much happening in a good way. As this elegant tea seems to float in my mouth, lightening my mood and spirit and the relentless joy of midsummer sun is beating down on us exhausted hospitality workers on 1 May, let me tell you about what’s been going on.
Shohokuen Tea Store straight from Heaven, your green devilishly subtle tea
unpaid obviously i just like the tea, duh
I love the rich aroma in combo with the full body, subtly complex flavor. That has been my vibe across all drinks generally.
Looking forward to Gesäuse, Betriebsyoga, Donauinseldates, Sudan Rumes, nächsten Winter Weitmoser und Felsentherme, nächste Saison Staatsoper, Erdbeerknödel and tante ;) cose hehe.