I had a palate-awakening experience today. It involved thousands of single origin coffee beans and their smooth-talking boyfriend the San Franciscan Roaster. Let us begin at the quasi beginning- I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker. I’m not one that needs caffeine or desires it, really. My 10 thousand mile a minute brain tends to agree more with chamomile and chai. Soooothing things. But, as a “beverage professional” (yes, I just said that), coffee is something I need to know more about. I leaped at the opportunity to attend a “cupping” (again, yes, I just said that) with some dear friends that are opening a fantastic coffee shop. Nestled among a nondescript stretch of Culver City warehouse landscape, there is a nondescript building secretly housing rooms filled with fresh roasted steam and some of the best beans around.

New Frontier Coffee is a micro roaster that provides beans (and kick ass coffee-making equipment) to select restaurants and retailers. I got to tag along to a coffee tasting of all of their single origin beans as well as a few of their house blends. Now, I am no stranger to tastings. I can get through double digits a few times over with wine sips and spits. But, coffee? I was slightly worried about my ability to handle the caffeine. I was told spitting was de rigeur during cupping (coffeehead speak for tasting), so I figured I would make it out alive. Albeit, really alive.

With a tasting note grid and pen in hand, we set out to taste 10 different roasts. Each one was ground just before placing the grinds and hot water into a french press. We judged them based on strength of aroma, acidity, body and balance. Hey- this was just like wine! I could get down with this. As we tasted, we thought of each one’s ability to blend with the others and also when we would want to drink it and how. Was it a hungover brunch coffee, great with half & half, with a buttery croissant? Would it make a good espresso?

Each bean expressed totally different qualities; burnt toast, bitter hops, (dirt-streaked Pacific Northwest forest fairies), cocoa, blueberry, (a young Sophia Loren’s warm Chanel no. 5 soaked neck) or sweet pipe tobacco as well as slightly different textures and mouthfeel. I was captivated. And extremely alert! In those 2 hours, I just might have become….a coffee lover? I said it. It’s true. Could this become a Costa Rican Beans Have More Fun situation? Fear not.