A Personal Update from The Coffee Nomad; Life, Coffee and Everything in Between

Hey everyone!

As I announced on Instagram, I not only moved to the other side of the country (from Newport Beach, C.A. to Charlotte, N.C.) but I also stepped outside of my comfort zone and began training as a barista at a Counter Culture Coffee account called Not Just Coffee.

Me on the job at Not Just Coffee, Charlotte N.C.

One of my first actually presentable latte art drinks!

And for those of you who aren't quite sure what all of that means - just think as Counter Culture as one of the most bad ass, specialty coffee giants out there.  I remember when I was first reading about coffee, about three years ago, in Coffee: The Guide to the Bean, the Beverage, and the Industry, I came across several articles from Counter Culture folk.  I followed them ever since.  They basically do everything really, really well.  From sourcing coffees, to educating others about sustainability, to training baristas and to taking care of their wholesale accounts (a.k.a my new coffee shop) they genuinely care about what they do and it really comes through.  (And no - this is not a sponsored post from them - I am just being a little bit of a #fangirl at the moment.)

And wouldn't ya know it - they are based in Durham, N.C. - just a few hours from me.  Their training centers are also near me in Asheville and Durham.  So, I am excited to take advantage of all of this top-of-the-line coffee knowledge and take their classes in basic coffee brewing, cupping, coffee origins and much, much more.  And of course, I can't wait to share it with you!

This is the two of us exploring the incredible brewery scene in Asheville, N.C. All of you craft beer affecionados need to make a trip out here. It's beautiful and the brewery selections are endless.

But many of you are probably wondering - why the hell did you move to North Carolina?  Welp, as it happens, my boyfriend of many years matched here at the local hospital for his residency program - a program that would last 7 years.  So, as fun as long distance has been for the past 4 years, I don't think I could do another seven.  Anyhow, I am here now - an East Coast resident.  I honestly never thought those words would come out of my mouth, and/or typed onto a computer screen to thousands of readers everywhere, but here we are. 

But life is funny like that.  And you know what?

The more you put into life, the more you get out of it.  

And that goes for, really, anything that you do.  I have been treating every day like an adventure and have loved it so far.  I have done more rock climbing, road cycling, and zip lining in a few months than I have every done back home in California.  Oh, and don't worry - I have several nomadic trips in the works to keep the coffee exploring going both on the West, East and everything in between ;)  

Anyway, so basically I am really excited to teach you guys more about the technical side of coffee or find the right experts that can. And if you have been a bit overwhelmed or intimidated by it - don't be! Making coffee and learning about all of its sciences is really fun.  And this is coming from someone who never really got along with numbers or chemistry for that matter. 

I am also excited to really talk about coffee gear.  Within the past several weeks alone there has been some pretty cool advancements in the coffee gear realm.  One example is my friend from college launched a kick starter campaign for his product Handground.  As of a week ago it is up and ready to be manufactured.  One is on its way to me and I can't wait to test it out.  I think this is a tool that will be super useful for all of you coffee brewers who are on the go ;)

Phew! Okay, I just figured I owed ya'll a big update on my life - both personal and in coffee.  Now I see it will be nearly impossible to separate the two. 

And meet the newest addition to our family - Mila! She frequents coffee shops with me as much as possible, so you'll be hearing from her quite a bit as well ;)  This is her at her usual spot at Hex Coffee, Charlotte, N.C.

One more thing! I have been slowly reconstructing this site.  So PLEASE if you have any suggestions just email me at thecoffeenomad@gmail.com.  I am working on one feature that I want to keep a surprise, but it will be the most useful damn thing I have ever done for you guys. :) Also, if you would like to guest post here just shoot me an email! I look forward to hearing from you fellow coffee nomads!

Thanks for tuning into this lengthy little update. I appreciate you reading and staying along for what's to come!

Cheers! And as always,
 
Mugs Up,

The Coffee Nomad