A Year On
It was about a year ago I was sitting at the dining table with my laptop open, writing up ideas about what sort of coffee shop I would open. Of course, this was with the plan that I’d be back in Hanoi in about three or four months but, like plans go and the who COVID situation, it wasn’t meant to be (yet). I wanted to keep my coffee passion alive and felt all I needed was a Chemex, cheap little hand grinder, set of scales and fresh coffee beans I had bought online. I created a separate Instagram purely for coffee-related posts and a website for my blog. It has been a while since I last uploaded anything on the site because everything nowadays seem to be on social media platforms and, to be honest, it is just simpler to post things on Instagram. That said, it has been a year since I had started documenting my coffee journey and felt it would be nice to write up how things have been since.
I began blogging and taking photos whenever I would visit a coffee shop around London. The city is completely full of coffee shops with various styles and amazing coffees. By combining my love for photography and writing, I would visit a shop, snap some photos, write up about my experience like what sort of coffee I had, special mentions about the baristas (if there was the chance to have a chat) and just the sort of vibe and feel I’d get from my visit. The blog became a visual diary of coffee culture here and a memory for when I look back in future.
“If you’re a follower or have visited my Instagram page, you’ll probably come across reels.”
I quickly caught onto reels early on and how fun it is in general to make coffee videos. Brewing coffee is no doubt one of life’s greatest pleasures and the idea of waking up thinking about sort of coffee to make excites me. Hand brews, especially pour overs, have been my go-to lately and the process from start to finish is simply therapy. I have loads of fun making coffee-related content and love watching many other coffee enthusiasts too.
This, in turn, lead to restarting the fire to be a barista again. Not just a home barista, but to work behind the bar. I was fortunate to be offered the barista role at The Gentlemen Baristas and started working there in September. The team is no doubt some of the most hard-working and amazing people I have the pleasure of working with. Diverse with ethnics and culture, interests and just how different we all are, yet we all seem connected by this amazing thing that is coffee. I am simply amazed by how much each person has grown in the short time I have worked there, and genuinely feel honoured to be part of the team. I mentioned in post a few weeks ago about how each person’s goal is different, but the important thing is to encourage, support and drive each other forward to reaching our own goals.
“Coffee brings people together.”
Speaking of goals, mine has constantly changed and I think that’s a good thing. Over the last six months, I dived deep into coffee sensory. Refining, training, and testing one’s palate isn’t easy as everyone’s experience with taste and flavour is different. I do cupping sessions fairly regularly at home and definitely see the benefits of this exercise. In addition to that, I occasionally roast coffee at home and have been VERY fortunate in getting green coffee beans from the roastery. Soon, I will be working both at the coffee house and roastery, which is simply amazing. Delving deeper into the coffee industry is the overall goal and to have that opportunity is one I didn’t think would be possible.
“What’s next?”
Anything is possible I suppose! I plan to make my way through my list of coffee shops to visit across London. I also plan to make time to visit coffee shops across the UK as there are many great roastery and coffee shops I’ve seen. In doing so, I hope to meet more fellow coffee people and contribute to the amazing community the coffee industry offers. Simply one of the friendliest and most open community anyone can be part of. Until then, I will continue to enjoy the journey and whatever comes ahead, I am certain that it will be nothing short of amazing.
With that, I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who I have met along my journey, some who have supported me and helped me grow, those who continue to inspire me in the industry and many who have become friends through the love of coffee. Another huge thank you to all my family and friends who have supported and encouraged me to keep moving forward with my coffee journey (many who don’t understand the obsession but still motivated me nonetheless haha!)
If you haven’t already, check out the write-up by I Am Not A Barista, an awesome platform about the people who work in coffee - who they are, what they do outside of coffee, why and how they got into coffee. It is an amazing community run by passionate people. Check them out!
