Most of you will probably know our Marianne - from the beginnings in our first little Café in Schlesische Straße, an event or you might have met her recently in one of our shops. Usually she will ask you how's it going - now you can actually learn some more about her. Happy reading!
How did you start in Specialty Coffee?
I started making coffee and working in cafes during university in Sydney Australia- in fast paced high volume stores where it was very much quantity over quality- 10kg before 10am was pretty normal. It wasn’t until I moved to London where I discovered specialty coffee, working for a coffee roaster with a training facility and a higher standard of quality in terms of coffee.
Where are you from?
Tamworth… Heard of it? Small country town about 500km north west of Sydney
What was your favourite cup of coffee that you’ve ever drunk?
My Tata’s turkish coffee- overroasted, over extracted and over sweetened.
What is your favourite brewing method?
V60
What’s been your biggest revelation about the coffee industry since you started working in it?
Just how difficult it is to change people's perception of the product- particularly here in Berlin where coffee has been and is so cheap and therefore thought of as such and often only regarded as a warm beverage to help wake up. Working in specialty coffee and working to educate people on the whole chain and understanding that the caffeine element is not the most interesting thing.
You have covered nearly every position from being one of the creators of 19grams, to Roasting or being a Shop Manager - what are you currently doing at 19grams? :)
I am the head of operations and take care of all of our customers facing departments- the shops, the kitchens, the bakery- taking care of the HR, structures, processes, new location designs and team morale.
You are one of the Cup of Excellence judges in the cuppings of 2021? How do you feel about this?
Busy. But pleased to be involved, it is a great non profit organisation pushing the quality of coffee as well as the fair price paid to farmers.
Did you learn anything new during the ongoing cuppings?
That Kims average score is 90.
Where did you get your skills from? Did you teach yourself everything?
My Mum - She is a hosp[itatlity legend in her own right, and pushed me into the industry at a very young age, in order to buy myself the pair of doc martins- that she refused to. I have also been lucky enough to work with a ton of very skilled people in my time and have managed to take a lot of information and skills from each of them-
Do you have a preferred coffee origin? Is there one country that you drink a lot of coffees from?
I really like exploring new origins, such as China and Indonesia, and am very interested in a lot of the newer processing methods being experimented with- particularly in south and central america. I do very much have a soft spot for Africans for high acid fruit punch.
Are you a filter or espresso kinda guy/gal?
Filter- but every day starts with a long black- regardless of what other specialty coffee people might think of that choice….
Do you prefer a certain processing method and / or varietal? If so, which one? Nope, like origins, I think its interesting to explore all and especially the new ideas of processing and hybrid varietals. Drinking SL28’s grown in brazil- tasting like a Kenyan, but with a body and structure of a brazil is super interesting after years of tasting Brazils…..
On average how many cups of coffee do you drink in a day?
3 before 3pm - always black. Mostly filter, and never late in the afternoon.
Which is your favourite 19grams coffee at the moment?
The Nic Las Delicias temperature controlled fermentation 48h natural anaerobic.
Have you ever been to Origin? If so, what was your favourite country? If not, where would be first on your list?
I have been lucky enough to travel to Rwanda, Kenya, Mexico and Colombia all as a COE judge, hard to pick a favourite from these. They all were amazing for different reasons, but the food of Mexico definitely wins- the Mescal also helps.
What is the coffee you hate making the most?
Dirty Chai
Did you go to University/ Higher Education? If so, what did you study?
Yes - I did a medical science degree majoring in human evolutionary biology and minoring in analytical Chemistry.
Do you believe apples are the potatoes of the fruit world?
Absolutely not.
What podcasts are you currently listening to?
4 cafes and a bakery- Its long winded but suspense driven….
What’s your favourite part about the specialty coffee industry?
Travel- and meeting Farmers and family at origin, piecing together the whole chain-
Is there a fact about Specialty Coffee That is super important to you?
Every espresso is made of approximately 20 cherries picked and sorted by hand
When and Why did you start working in Coffee?
See above….
What’s your personal Aeropress recipe? Would you share it here?
I actually can’t remember the last time I made an aeropress.
Did you discover any brewing method that everybody should know about?
Don't think so.
Did you ever think about re-inventing a brewing method?
Nope - Think there is more than enough out there that basically do the same thing.
Do you have a favourite customer - no names needed?
Yes. There have been a whole lot over the years across each of the locations.-
What should I have asked you?
A few less questions.