Every successful relationship has a humble beginning, and what follows usually is a journey that is, despite with ups and downs, worth savoring. I’d like to kick off my coffee blogs with a post about my long lasting relationship with coffee which, will also take you back in time and see a part of my past.
I was born and raised in Taiwan, and grew up in an average income family. Taiwan in general, especially Taipei City, where I lived, is known for it’s ultra convenience. In Taipei, you could almost get anything you want within 5 minutes of walk wherever you live – foods, drinks, grocery, pharmacy, hair salons, bookstores, doctors and dentists, you name it. Sure enough, that includes a fresh cup of coffee, 24/7. I mean freshly made latte, 24/7. All thanks to the abundance of the convenient stores, the density of businesses in general, and how much coffee has been popularized among Taiwanese.
It wasn’t quite like that yet when I was a kid. We did start to have convenience stores at some street corners and we have quite a few super grocery stores like equivalent of Walmart in US, but they only sold canned drinks in the fridge. Coffee drinking was a thing, but most treat it more like a coffee flavored drink with just too much cream, sugar, and additives. These two facts, however, were exactly what got me in the door with coffee.
My dad was a big on canned drinks, for it’s convenience and accessible price especially when buy in bulk. I remember one of our weekly rituals was to shop as a family at the super grocery store, among other things we bought big boxes of canned drinks – sport drinks, dessert drinks, juices, milks, yogurt drinks, and coffee. Then in a hot, humid summer afternoon, each of us pick one and and drink it up cold when we get home. “Ahhhhh….so good” my dad always remarked after throwing down his within like 10 second.
The canned coffee was one of his favorite, and the dominating brand was Mr. Brown. (it’s still a major brand for coffee in Taiwan even today).
I still remember the enticing aroma when my dad pulled open the can. The over-sweetness and creaminess happened to blend in perfectly which made it ultra friendly to a young kid who craves for any sugary and calories dense drinks. So soon enough, I found myself with a can in my hand enjoying it with my dad. Looking back, I totally blamed him for being too liberal in parenting and that I probably could’ve been much smarter if he stopped me from drinking caffeine so early while my brain was still developing :).
That marked my encounter, and kicked off the first phase of my coffee journey where I developed drinking canned and 3-in-1 instant coffee as a habit throughout my stressful youth life as a hard studying students. For context, from junior high to high school and from high school to college, we had an “entrance exam” system that decides who gets to go to which school primarily based on their grades in that once in a life time exam, secondarily based on preferences. To compete to enter top schools, students study hard, cram hard, do whatever it takes, and repeat. Sadly, that’s what I remember the most about my youth life. Thankfully I have my coffee to get me through it.
The second phase of my relationship with coffee started in college. Once I got my foot in the door after years of studying my ass off, all of a sudden, everything seems to be different for the better. There’s just much more freedom. We choose our classes (to go or to ditch), we choose your activities as there are endless options, we choose your group of friends, and yes we finally have the time to date girls. Lots of us also started making money by tutoring, which finally was a first step toward true independence. Everything was just refreshing to say the least. Right around the same time, Starbucks just emerged in Taipei starting with only a couple stores, one of them happened to be across the street from my main campus. Then it didn’t take long for it to take the whole market by storm and open more than a hundred stores nationwide, with every single one of them packed from open to close. Its pricing sat at the higher end in Taiwanese standard (i.e. a latte is twice as expensive as an average lunch box), but people still instantly fell in love, for its taste, quality and most importantly, service and the jazzy relaxing ambience. To no surprise, it hit me spot on and it naturally became my go to place for coffee, study, and hangouts. I might have spent more time sitting in Starbucks than in classrooms during my 4 years in college.
And that’s NOT the end of the story for phase two.
Later did I learn, that one of the key ingredients to Starbucks success (worldwide, and it’s emphasized in Taiwan extremely well) is how it hires, develops, and nurtures employees, and creates a culture that motivates them to be passionate about what they do and treat customers well unpretentiously. And that was what I felt in all my visits at the time, I felt the warmth, passion, happiness, energy, and even a good dose of proud in every store employee. The cashier, the barista, and yes even ones who mobbed the floor. And it was so strongly that I soon became aspired to be a part of them. So when I graduated from college waiting a year to apply to graduate school in the US, I applied. It turned out to be one of the most difficult jobs to get in my life. I physically stepped into 20+ store asking if they would take my resume, and got shut out in my face every time. I persisted, and finally in a newly opened store within a fancy new shopping mall where they’re much in need of labors, I got the job as a part time partner (a contractor, they called everyone partner which is a part of what makes you feel good working there). I was thrilled as it was the dream came true moment.
Then the hard work began. I worked full time as a software engineering in the day, and as a Starbucks partner on the nights and weekends. I was paid by Starbucks miserably about 1.5 USD per hour. I started from mobbing the floors and cleaning the toilets before gradually moving “up” to manage cashiers and be trained for barista. Still, I was extremely happy and I still remember that year, before I had to quit to pursue graduate study in the US, the one of the happiest time in my life. I felt I was finally officially introduced to the world of coffee. The skills I learned, including how to prepare a perfect espresso shot and blend it with milk in the right timing for its freshness, how to steam the milk and texture the micro foam, how to differentiate coffees of different roast, stayed with me for years after my tenure which, set me up for the next phase of the coffee journey.
I was totally late to the world of specialty coffee. Honestly, I completely forgot when I stepped into it and how. Without me realizing it, suddenly there is a totally different kind of coffee shops – those who offer “craft coffee” – emerging all over the place, especially in San Francisco. The very first brand that I knew, was Blue Bottle Coffee. I started with espresso-milk drinks like latte and I could immediately tell a difference. First off, the delicately crafted latte art was something Starbucks didn’t teach me, and I failed to describe how exactly the coffee body simply tastes better in a very nuanced way. Plus, Blue Bottle simply takes ambience to the next level, as if it’s the new modern coffee shop compare to that of a typical Starbucks. Without a need to mention. I fell immediately.
And that’s the beginning of phase three. Once I got my foot in the door there’s never looking back. I soon found myself trying different stores and roasters, and stepping into pour over coffee which of course, you mostly taste it black, which I never liked before but it just took me yet again to the next level. Then I bought home the brewing gears, and constantly shop around for coffees, analogous to how wine fanatics shop around for wines. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from being an expert or a coffee snob, I just imagine this analogy as being the fun part of the experience. Anyhow, single origin pour over has become my absolute daily favorite. It’s something I actually look forward to the night before, and jump out of bed for every morning. It’s the coffee, the smell, the brewing ritual, everything about it.
At the office where the commercial espresso machines are provided for employees to use, I started to practice latte art as well as a side hobby to cope with the work stress. The variety just adds to the fun.
I am still in phase three as I’m writing this post. It’s been quite an amazing journey so far, and I can’t wait to see how the future of coffee and me unfold.
