When people ask about the origins of Caffeinated Conversations, I usually reach back to a story Professor Dennis Sandole told me about 6 years ago where the facilitators of a problem solving workshop were unable to move the conversation forward between Israelis and Palestinians. However, once lunch was served, coffee provided, and the mediators of conversation stepped aside, the participants began to talk amongst each other. Sometimes, simply providing a space hospitable to conversation is enough to get things started.
I then refer to Lucy who I met at a coffee shop a few months later. While reading Foucault and Social Dialogue: Beyond Fragmentation, she approached me, asking about the book that has forever shaped my philosophy. Our weekly coffee and conversation got me thinking about the historical significance of coffee shops, and how the space in which they provide have allowed for the endless exchange of ideas, the shaping and reshaping of the world.
The story continues…
My wife and I got married and moved to Seattle after I graduated from ICAR, and our reasons for moving west had little to do with coffee, but rather a change of pace (and if you ask me, the Seattle Mariners too; Virginia was not to be our final destination. But coffee stimulates almost everyone who live here, and soon my passion for coffee and conversation solidified. It was always there, but Seattle brought it front and center, to the surface.
In December of 08, I met a ship boat captain at a Conversation Café just a few days before the presidential election, and his presence and assertion about the importance of conversation reaffirmed what I now believe to be true:
Everyday, people immerse themselves in Caffeinated Conversations; they can be as stimulating and complex as the coffee bean that helps make them possible.
During conversation, new ideas are put forward and prevailing ones reconsidered. Questions are asked and opinions shared. Commonalities and differences reveal themselves. And while no conversation is perfect, imperfect communication is always better than no communication at all—regardless of what it may reveal.
And so it began. I created Caffeinated Conversations and started to become what I so strongly believe in. Roasting coffee at home, I decided to fully immerse myself in all things coffee and conversation.
The Coffee Club of Seattle was a great place to start. Michael Allen Smith of Coffee Hero knows his espresso and is familiar with just about every coffee shop in town. People attend these meetups for different reasons, but all who join love coffee and conversation.
When I think of Edwin Martinez of ONYX Coffee, HARIO USA, and Finca Vista Hermosa, I am reminded that coffee is fruit juice, and that it’s origins can’t be tasted and experienced if over-roasted. I heard Edwin speak at a Burke Museum exhibit called Coffee: The World in Your Cup in April soon after my website went live, and I have been learning about the complexity of coffee from him ever since. When I told him about my project, he was intrigued, supportive, and saw great potential.
Months later, while visiting Edwin’s coffee lab in Bellingham, I met Kelli Baker (now working for HARIO USA), and she has been equally encouraging and supportive. We’ll be meeting for coffee and conversation in the next week or so to talk social media again.
Soon after starting the Caffeinated Conversations Flickr group, I received an email from Melanie Ross, letting me know that the photo I asked her to submit to the group was that of her daughter and husband who happens to have a roastery a few miles a way. So, of course I had to meet him. Over the last few months, I’ve been hanging out with Velton of Velton’s Coffee Roasting Company, talking coffee, social media, and throwing the baseball. If you haven’t noticed on Twitter already, there’s almost always a bag of Velton’s Coffee on my counter at home.
And then there is Richard Wolak of The Cafe Guide who I met in Seattle this summer. He referred to cafés and I coffee shops, but it’s obvious what we talked about. I returned from Vancouver, Canada earlier this month where we visited five coffee shops, introducing me to some local coffee aficionados including Mark Prince of Coffee Geek. More Caffeinated Travels are in the works.
Joe McCarthy (@gumption) who previously worked at CoCollage, which provided digital displays to coffee shops, allowing visitors to display their digital doings to everyone present, has become a very good friend. His passion for exploring new ways that technology can help its users connect with people has greatly influenced my thinking of how Twitter (AKA The Online Coffee Shop), Facebook, and the like can and continue to complement face to face conversation. It’s hard to capture how important our weekly coffee shop conversations over the last few months have been.
Returning to Hawaiʻi for the first time in more than five years (I met my wife there in 2002), the Big Island of Hawaii was calling, and there my wife and I stayed at the Mango Sunset Bed & Breakfast Inn at Lyman Kona Coffee Farms. Lounging on the lanai, I drank a few cups of french press coffee every morning, overlooking 3,200 coffee trees (here are some pictures). Hans told his story and I listened intently, learning about all things Kona. I brought about ten pounds of green beans home, and have shared much of it with my coffee roasting friends. I roasted some for myself too.
Melissa Allison who writes Coffee City for the Seattle Times helped me continue the Twitter coffee talk by writing about it in her column. We later met and talked coffee at a Caffé Vita and Theo Chocolate cupping / tasting. Through Melissa, I learned about a book reading set for January 14 where Bryant Simon will be talking about his new book titled, Everything but the Coffee: Learning about America from Starbucks. I’m looking forward to it.
And thank you Tara Shenson of the Coffee Speciality Association of America for having my article about the online coffee shop known as Twitter published in The Chronicle’s next membership publication.
A transfer of mayor status on foursquare with Kevin Urie who founded the Social Media Club of Seattle encouraged me to attend an event where I then met Bridget Baker and Brad Nelson (@bradnelson) of Starbucks whom I later visited to talk and cup coffee.
As you may already know, I’m an avid Seattle Mariners fan, and Starbucks is within walking distance of Safeco Field. Lucky for me, I met Kevin Martinez and Gregg Greene who work in the front office at the same event. We talked baseball and social media of course.
And how can I forget my family. They flew back to their respective homes yesterday, and my coffee supply is down two pounds. Yes, I brewed a lot last week. While it’s hard to fully explain my passion to them, they are exceptionally supportive and encouraging.
These are just a few of the many important conversations coffee helped make possible this year. And in many ways, they were shaped by Ian Stewart, Allan Cole, and James Koster who designed this website.
What’s in the bag for 2010?
January is going to be a busy month with many conversations already on my calendar. But more generally, I’m not exactly sure what’s to come. I can only promise many more conversations that will continue to shape Caffeinated Conversations. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for the coffee and conversation.
4 Comments
Thank you for the background info and history. Very interesting. The Foucault reading sounds very dense and difficult. At one point I read about half of Uncommon Grounds which is a good coffee history type book. Did you ever finish the Foucault book?
@Melody This particular reading is very accessible, but it’s an interpretation/exploration of Foucault’s work. I’ve read Foucault and Social Dialogue many times; about once a year. I’ve read Uncommon Grounds as well. And many other books on coffee, coffeehouses, and conversation.
Jason, here’s some food–or coffee–for thought. The key is the diverse group of people you’re collecting not the coffee per se. I devoted a whole chapter to “being spaces”–places where strangers morph into something more. Coffee shops are quintessential being spaces!
@Melinda Blau Ray Oldenburg uses the term “third place” to describe places which are “anchors” of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction. He uses the term in relation to first place (home) and second place (work). I’m all for creating / opening spaces that allow for people to “morph.” For me, it’s all about creating opportunities for people to talk about whatever matters most to them. However, people ultimately choose what they make of the spaces that they inhabit.