Just watched a guy at the local shop spend 15 minutes smelling unroasted beans from 3 different bags

This was last Saturday at a cafe in Portland. I was waiting for my pour-over and this guy in his 40s walks in, asks to see their green coffee inventory. The barista brings out three bags from different farms in Ethiopia. This guy spends a full quarter hour just sticking his nose in each bag, making notes on his phone, then walks out without buying anything. I get that smell matters but isn't the whole point to actually taste the roasted version? Has anyone else run into these people who treat coffee like wine at a tasting event but never actually drink it?

2 comments

2 Comments

loganm522mo ago

Oh man, that stuff kills me. My buddy Mark who lives over in Seattle told me about this dude he saw at a third wave shop who literally brought out a magnifying glass to look at the roast level on a single bean. Like, dude, it's coffee, not a diamond or a crime scene. He said the guy was taking pictures of the crema on his espresso and zooming way in on his phone screen. Nobody said anything because the barista was just as into it. But Mark was just trying to grab a quick cortado before work and ended up waiting ten extra minutes. Some people just love the theater more than the drink, I guess.

tyler_hernandez2mo agoMost Upvoted

My cousin waited 15 minutes at a shop in Portland while some guy argued with the barista about whether his latte art had "proper contrast" and then asked for a refund cause the foam was "too stiff." I just wanted a black coffee and left feeling embarrassed for everyone involved.