Edrey is a seasoned coffee professional with a decade of experience in the specialty coffee industry. He has been manager at my coffee shop for over a year now where he maintains an excellent staff and has helped us grow our specialty coffee menus and reach out to the community. Previously he was coffee director at a local specialty favorite Vice City Bean for seven years where he helped put Miami on the map as a specialty coffee city. Additionally he has competed in the World AeroPress Championship in 2019 and the US Brewers Cup in 2022. On top of managing my coffee shop he also roasts coffee part time with local specialty coffee roaster Golden Bush and founded his own specialty coffee brand focusing on design and apparel called Feed the Barista. He is hard work and humble and deserves this nomination.
Nominated by Denys Kolesnyk
How many years total have you worked in the coffee industry?
13
What was your first coffee job?
Starbucks for commercial, Vice City Bean for specialty coffee.
Did you experience a life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your career?
Yes, very early into my career in specialty I became enamored with the the depth and complexity of truly understanding how to make coffee. As well as the persistence and dedication required in being a barista who can work a bar and make quality coffee consistently
Is there a person or persons who served as your mentor early in your coffee career? How did they impact you?
I was lucky to start my career in specialty at Vice City Bean when they were just opening. I was able to learn about coffee and help develop the program with the owner Roland Baker. He supported and inspired me to compete in such things as the World AeroPress Competition and Brewers Cup as well as take me to several trade shows.
What is your current role in coffee?
I currently run a coffee shop in downtown Miami called Breezeblock Coffee. I also roast coffee for Golden Bush Coffee a couple of days out of the week. So a couple of days a week I wake up at 5:00am to open up a coffee shop, dial in coffee, run the shop until 2:00pm where then I go roast and cup coffees until 10:00pm.
What facet of the coffee industry has changed the most during your career?
In my opinion what has changed the most is what makes a third wave coffee shop successful as well as what is expected. I started specialty coffee in 2016 when no one was serving cold foam or strawberry matchas. “Specialty drinks” or coffee cocktail style drinks have gained a big focus on the market. On the coffee side the amount of ways in which coffee is being processed has also increased dramatically. When I started specialty coffee we only had to concern ourselves with washed, honey, and naturally processed coffees. Now there are co-ferments, anaerobic, carbonic maceration, thermal shocks, and the list goes on. While I do love all of these changes it does seem to have increased the barrier for entry in some ways and lowered it in others.
What still surprises you today about coffee, or gives you joy?
What still surprises me and will always bring me joy is that there’s always more to learn and deeper ways to dive in. It feels like there are endless opportunities in a lot of ways.
What’s something about the coffee industry you’d most like to see change?
I would love for the perception of what it means to be a coffee professional to change. I think most people are still surprised that you can make a career in this industry but they wouldn’t be surprised that someone has made a career as a chef or bartender.
What is your most cherished coffee memory?
While I have plenty, my most cherished was during the summer of 2022 when New York’s Espresso State of Mind hosted a latte art throwdown circuit across South Florida. That series of throwdowns really fostered a sense of community and for the first and possibly only time in South Florida it felt like a tight knit group of baristas.
Do you make coffee at home? If so, tell us how you brew!
I do! I love making coffee at home, I say I’m a home barista two days out of the week. I have a tendency to collect brew methods but my go-tos are usually smaller droppers like the Orea v1 or the Minis Cup cake but I also love using my Kalita Wave, V60, AeroPress, Hario Switch, and Tricolate. I also love my Dehlongi ECP3420, which never ceases to amaze me for a $100 espresso machine.
What is your favorite song/music to brew coffee to?
Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Geese so probably “2122” by Geese.
What is your idea of coffee happiness?
Haha that’s a tough one, I’d say good coffee with good people that appreciate it and have good conversation. Working in coffee shops for so long I see how coffee can bring people together.
If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I would choose one of my favorite directors David Lynch. I would want to hear anything he has to say. Or maybe video game developer Hideo Kojima.
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone getting their start in the coffee industry today?
I would tell them to enjoy every moment but to not get too comfortable or complacent. This industry doesn’t really hand out anything to anyone, if you want to move forward it’s up to you to decide what you want and how you want to do it. In this way the industry can be very freeing.
The Sprudge Twenty feature series is proudly presented by Pacific Barista Series.
