Show notes
Competitive barista Gray Kauffman joins us in the O.C. this week to drop some serious coffee science on our asses. Alongside being the new Coffee Education and Innovation Lead at Hitchcock Restaurant Group, Gray recently competed at the U.S. Coffee Championships, and they talk about how they did in the Olympics of Coffee, their background in food science, their previous gig in product development at Caffe Vita, and what it was like to travel to a coffee farm in the mountains of Colombia—the origin of the beans they used in the competition.Plus Meg and Mark are always working for the weekend, but they’re not too weakened to tell you about what they ate on their lunch breaks! Dig in!Mentioned in this episode:CanlisDe La SoilLenoxAnanas PizzaGeorge’s Polish DeliRain Shadow MeatsSankakuCafe SulimanNarrativeEspresso VivaceSlow DayCardoonChelsea FarmsGinger & ScallionSurrealDevium WineJude’s Old TownThe ShamblesLenoxTaco TimeRamieSpice SPC Indian Grocery DeLuxe Bar & GrillMeyer Bar00:00 Intro4:26 How Gray Got Started13:14 What’s the Barista Competition Like?18:50 Milk Innovation and Coffee Mixology22:51 Choosing Music and Beans for Competition31:37 Meg’s Indian Bodega Treat37:39 This Week’s Restaurant News51:07 Evolution of Seattle Coffee Culture59:52 Re-thinking Freshness1:08:28 What’s Next for Seattle Coffee?1:11:12 Mystery LaCroix Tasting1:14:18 Thanks, I Ate It!1:29:28 Coming Up Next
