You’ve seen him on Hawaiian Idol, you’ve heard him sing to beans – but next Friday, August 9th, Seattleites have a pretty cool opportunity to cup through the various projects and preparations of R. Miguel Meza. He’ll be appearing at the La Marzocco HQ in Ballard from 1pm-4pm, offering attendees a chance to try some pretty special and rare coffees.
Mr. Meza is quickly becoming a legend for his work in Hawaii’s specialty coffee growing sector. He’s the founder of Isla Custom Coffees, and along with Laurie Obra of the famed Rusty’s Hawaiian, they’re the team that helped create Pete Licata’s 2011 USBC winning espresso blend. Here’s more on how they approach espresso at Isla Coffees:
Guests at the event will also have a chance to try some really high scoring robusta coffees from India, grown by Nishant Gurjer at Sethuraman Estates. We’ve been talking for a little while about how the CQI’s R-Grading program is helping find tasty robusta coffees. These coffees, primarily from India, are definitely a thing, although there’s definitely been a backlash against the very idea of robusta. We think that’s stupid and myopic, frankly. Don’t be a robusta racist; this event will be a unique opportunity to explore these coffees from India, and you should do so with an open mind.
Learn more about this event on Facebook. And Miguel, you really do have a lovely singing voice – we recommend you go belt one out at The Crescent Lounge, Bush Garden, or any of Seattle’s other many karaoke temples after your coffee tasting ends.
