It Has Happened/Nice To Meet You.

Well, I guess it couldn't have been too much longer before it happened. It finally sucked me in. The guilty emptiness I feel from sucking so much out of the internet has collapsed. I have to give back. I have to tell you my opinion, now. I have to write a blog. Web-log. Internet journal. I've never had a diary before. I've never had a log before. I've had a livejournal, but who among us would count that? So why not start now? I'll even let all three of my friends who read blogs see what I have to say on a semi-irregular basis. Seems redundant though, that I would write a blog for friends who I talk to every day to read. So who am I writing this for, really? Not my friends. Myself? No, I don't need to give myself up to thoughts of the masses for myself. But, I could still give myself up to the masses. So I will. In that case, this blog is for those of you who aren't my friends, and who aren't me. For people I don't know, who may find what I have to say interesting, worth reading, educational, thought-provoking, etc... Or not. Maybe it's for people who just want something to do to pass the time. That's fine. You all have one thing in common, though: you don't know me. And I don't know you. It'd be hard for everyone who could potentially read this to introduce themselves to me, so I'll just introduce myself to you all. Also, it's my blog, so I don't really need to know you. Let's begin with an introduction.

[As a note, I'd like to say that I never plan on writing a post as long as this one again]

Hi. My name is Ian Levine. This is me:

I was born and raised in Culver City, California. It's a little city you've never heard of that borders cities you have heard of. Santa Monica. Venice. Los Angeles. I found it to be a very convenient place to live. I didn't live in a city full of high-end shops; I didn't live in a city with a world famous beach; I didn't live in a city stuffed to the brim with everything else; but I did live within driving distance of the places that did. I could be in the hustles and bustle of the city whenever I wanted to. More importantly, I could also not. And on most occasions, I chose the latter. I preferred the quaint, small town qualities of Culver City, but also appreciated it being just commercial enough to where I didn't have to go to far to find a Ralph's. Or 7-11. Or gas station with comparable produce. I kid. It was nice. I didn't have to go far to find anything. Everything I needed was there. Except quality coffee.

Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of coffee in Culver City: King's, Tanner's, The Spot, That One Place On Sawtelle That Eventually Became A Wine Bar That Eventually Shut Down. And The Conservatory for Coffee, Tea & Cocoa. Unfortunately, none of these were enough for me. Let me lay down a little history. I began working in coffee in 2006. I use "working in" loosely, because it means something different to me now, than it did then. My friend at the time worked at King's Cafe, which was owned by her parents. I was right out of High School, with a couple of years of Community College ahead of me and I decided that working in a cafe seemed like an easy enough job. So I asked her if I could work there. And I could. So I did. Let me give you a run down of this cafe during my employment. Smallest cup that wasn't a demitasse was 12 oz. Largest was 20. A cappuccino was defined as being either a single or double espresso, topped with equal parts steamed milk and scooped foam. A macchiato was a single or double espresso, served in a 12 oz. to-go cup, topped to the brim of the cup with foam. The grind setting was never to be touched. The drip coffee was to be ground as soon as the tupperware, that ground coffee was stored in, wasn't full anymore. A single espresso was about 2 oz. of espresso, pulled in about 8 seconds. How many grams? To put it simply: it's wasn't pot. Why the fuck did I need to know how many grams were going into the portable coffee/tea filter? You get the idea. Anyway, after about a year there, I finally started looking up coffee, and getting more information from people more qualified than my almost-never-there boss. I found out that it didn't have to only taste good with sugar and cream. I found out that drinking bitter espresso doesn't mean you're manly, but rather uninformed. I learned that a cafe doesn't have to rely on sandwich sales to stay afloat. After realizing that it could be better, (and also losing "creative control" after I adjusted the grind so 2 oz. of espresso came out in 25 seconds), I quit.

I went to work at the aforementioned Conservatory for Coffee, Tea & Cocoa. It was a cafe that had been open for 12 or 13 years when I started. On site roasting. Grinders, that had their grinds adjusted as needed, and a machine that wasn't pulled out of the "So You Want To Open A Cafe?" catalogue. I was stoked to get a job there. My boss taught me a great deal about coffee, while I worked there. I learned that not all coffee tastes the same. I learned that different coffees should be roasted differently. I learned how to make drinks without using a bar spoon. I learned enough that I felt comfortable competing in the 2008 WRBC. It was there that I met Jared Truby and Chris Baca for the first time. It's also the first time I heard of Verve. They become active characters in this yarn a little bit later. I placed 17th; a position I'm still proud of, considering my tenure as a barista, and the resources I had available. Again, after a year or so of working there, I decided I was ready to learn more. I had already become the 2nd best barista there (second to my boss), and I felt it was time for me to work someplace where it'd take longer to earn that title. At this point, I made a daily commute out of my town. I found myself in Santa Monica almost everyday. I found Caffe Luxxe.

So, instead of using that Ditting, that James Hoffmann used to win the 2007 WBC, I was now using two Mazzer Super Jollys (one for decaf and one for straight espresso), and a Compak K-10 WBC (for milk drinks). Instead of a 12 year old, aging Faema with spouted filters, a brand new Synesso Hydra, with nakeds. Two Hydras, in fact. Hog heaven, my new friends. Until I was allowed to pull shots, I gazed up that set up with an almost religious zeal. I still love those grinders, (I'm more partial to the Compak) and who doesn't remain in love with a Synesso?

So I spent some time there. I made coffee, I made friends, and I competed again. Let's not talk about that. One of my co-workers (who was and still is one of my favorite people ever) also competed and placed 8th in the '09 WRBC. We went up to Portland for the USBC so she could compete. By far one of the best coffee experiences I've had. Anyway. Some things happened when we got back. Some things I was not at all happy with. So I decided that it was time, once again, to move on. And so I moved on. To where I am now. Welcome to Santa Cruz.

Here's the thing. Before the '08 WRBC, I had decided that I wanted to go to school at the university in Santa Cruz. When I met Jared and heard about Verve, I decided that while I went to school, Verve would be a good place to work. This was before I would decided that have my career be coffee. Over the next 2 years or so, it became less that I would work at Verve because it was in the same town as the school, and more that I would go to the school because it was in the same town as Verve. (At this point, I feel like I made the move solely to work at Verve, and that going to school is just something I tell my parents). So I made the arrangements to transfer to UCSC, (if you must know, I'm majoring in Language Studies with an emphasis in German), and to work at Verve. So now I'm here. And I'm very, very happy to be. I'm making coffee and I'm making friends. I may even compete this year. Who knows?

So that's my life story. Hope you survived the novella that is Coffee and Ian. I think I'm done with this post. Well, except for one thing. I feel like I should write a statement of the purpose of this blog. Look at the title. It's a coffee blog. So I'm only going to write about coffee. I may slip more personal stuff in here and there, (not funny), but I'll be saving most of that stuff for my friends and myself. Maybe the first story arc will be the road the competition. Probably not. It'll probably just be me talking about my quest to become a better barista. Whatever it will be, it will be about coffee. It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you back soon.

-Ian.