I recently visited Willem Boot in his coffee lab in Mill Valley, California, for a coffee tasting. Willem founded Boot Coffee Consulting in 1999. He has been in the coffee industry since age 14. He was co-owner of his family’s coffee business in The Netherlands. Willem has also been managing several coffee development programs in Ethiopia, El Salvador, Columbia, Panama and Papua New Guinea. Boot Coffee Consulting offers consulting services and training to professionals in the coffee industry.
We tasted 11 different coffees and talked about the attributes of each - the aroma, the taste, the body, the acidity, etc. We analyzed each of the 11 beans to see the extent to which they were roasted. I learned that I could detect the most aroma and taste in the beans that had been roasted to medium darkness. It makes sense that if the roast is too dark, it can destroy some of the taste and aroma of the beans. My favorite picks were two different beans from Kenya and a bean from Ethiopia. I had so much fun that I now want to figure out food and coffee pairings.
If you know of anyone in the coffee industry who would like to enhance their knowledge and skills, please pass on the information on Boot Coffee Consulting.