The First Cupping

I can still smell it. The rich, earthy aroma of my very first roast.

There is something remarkable about watching green coffee transform, cracking and darkening as it becomes itself. I had spent months sourcing the best organic beans from Rwanda, and this moment, roasting them and finally tasting them, felt unreal. I got to share it with people I love, and that turned out to be the best part.

It all began with my friend and mentor Nadine, a fellow survivor and the owner of Neza Café in Vancouver. For months she guided me, encouraged me, and helped me source extraordinary Rwandan beans. She connected me with women farmers back home, so this coffee would belong to the women behind it. My first roast came from beans grown with that much care, and tasting it felt emotional in a way I had never expected.

The first proper tasting happened with Johnny, my roaster, and his business partner Chase. They introduced me to cupping, the ritual coffee professionals use to taste a roast honestly, and I learned quickly that slurping is essential. The louder the slurp, the more the coffee spreads across your palate, and the more you taste. Johnny committed to the slurp with his whole chest. I laughed until my eyes watered. Tasting coffee professionally, it turns out, is play.

Later my neighbors Jake and Matthew hosted another session with a French press and helped me write down every note we found. We sat inhaling the deep chocolate and nut aromas, taking turns naming what we tasted: citrus here, caramel there, something floral underneath. One roast ran rich and chocolatey. Another came out delicate, almost like tea. Small changes in the roast transformed everything, and every cup held a small discovery.

Cupping taught me to slow down and pay attention, preferably with people I love, preferably laughing.

Those roasts became our first harvest, which sold out. Our second harvest is open for preorder now and ships in December. When it arrives, brew it slowly, smell it before you sip, and if you slurp loudly, know that somewhere in Los Angeles, Johnny approves.