clockwise: Trading coffee secrets at Counter
Culture Coffee; Enjoying the floor show and
George Howell Coffee; Toasting to a successful
day; Siphon demo at Flywheel Coffee.
opposite: Coffee insiders and consumers
mingle and discuss their shared love for coffee.
coffee show,” Sinnott says.
The first CoffeeCon succeeded, and Sinnott hasn’t
stopped.
He isn’t driven solely by
the momentum of the festival,
important as that is. He also
hopes that the meet-up can
foster what he calls a “farm
stand relationship” between
consumers and producers in
the coffee niche.
As seems typical, Sinnott
has a fitting analogy at hand.
After discovering farmers
markets years ago, he began
buying much of his food directly from those who produced it, often purchasing
interview: kevin sinnot
I really care seriously about the beverage...
I'm probably as much of a geek as it's possible to
be...I definitely believe that it's got to be fun too.
from local farmers. He knows
how they farm, and he knows
the hard work they put in.
“The food tastes better,” he
insists. “I’m convinced it’s
better for me and my family,
and that relationship is what
I’d like to see, ultimately,
between consumers and coffee
growers and coffeemaker
manufacturers.”
That person-to-person
connection lies at the heart of
good coffee, according to
Sinnott. He says that he always
tries to remind himself that
the most important part of a
cup of coffee, if you’re sharing
it with someone, is who you’re
sharing that moment with. It’s
supposed to be enjoyable.
“I really care seriously