dbleshot:

BRETT.

Able Brewing
Oakland CA, USA

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How did you get into coffee? What made you fall in love with coffee?
Blue Bottle was actually my first interaction with specialty coffee. I instantly fell in love with my first pour-over. I was so excited to buy a bag of beans and enjoy that same amazing taste at home. It wasn’t until the next morning when I brewed up a cup and realized making delicious coffee is more than just buying good coffee beans… I immediately feel in love with the details, process and craft of coffee.

So your path into the coffee industry was unique in the sense that you didn’t start off working as a barista.
Yeah, coffee started as a passion and a hobby. It wasn’t until I meet Keith from Able Brewing, that I realized it was time to leave my comfortable desk job and be a part of what he was doing at Able Brewing.

For anyone who doesn’t know anything about Able Brewing, is there a quick history lesson you can give us?
Able makes reusable and sustainable coffee brewing equipment. Everything we make is 100% made in USA. It started with a pour over coffee filter designed for the Chemex, called the KONE and shortly after that, a reusable DISK coffee filter for the AeroPress. One thing has led to another and now we have a full line up of coffee accessories and ceramics.

Can you tell us a little about the coffee culture here in Oakland?
Oakland has a great coffee scene that is diverse and unique to each of it’s neighbourhoods. There is a good mix of roasters, brewing styles and cafés.

Today we did what you called a “coffee crawl”, is there a reason why you chose these specific places to visit?
Yeah! Timeless is one of my all-time favorites. They are a vegan shop so that’s really unique. They roast their own beans and make all of their pasties in-house. Sub Rosa is a small neighborhood shop that serves Four Barrel coffee. I love their outdoor seating and the neighborly vibe that makes you feel like you live right around the corner. Temescal Alley is a great place to grab a coffee or ice cream and check out all of the different independent makers and shops. I thought this would be a really fun way to share the culture of Oakland and some of the neighborhoods that make this large city feel small.

A lot of people have differing opinions on filters and brewing methods, do you have any thoughts?
At Able we’re all about being approachable. We want people to love what they’re brewing and we enjoy being a part of that process. We get all types of brewing emails and calls, my favorite is when someone experiences the KONE for the first time and loves how it transformed their pour over experience into an entirely new brewing method.

What’s the next step for Able?
As we’ve continued to grow over the years, we’ve started to become more popular internationally. We’re working to get our products more accessible and attainable overseas. We’ve partnered with companies like Eight Ounce Coffee in Canada, CoffeeDesk in Poland and CoffeeTools in Australia to help with distributing to make things more affordable and approachable. As for new products, we’re always testing and prototyping new ideas. We’re excited for what 2017 has in store.

How has brewing coffee influenced your outlook on other aspects of your life?
Coffee has made a significant impact on my appreciation for how things are made, where they come from and the people behind them.

There seems to be a bit of a throwaway culture now where people lean towards cheaper options for things and compromise on quality.
Totally. That’s a culture that we want to help to change at Able. We make a small amount of products but strive to make them really well. We believe in buying things once and buying them right. This is why we’re so intentional about making high quality products. From the packaging, to the filter itself, we want it to be a lasting and purposeful experience.

Last question, if you could have coffee with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Definitely Jony Ive, he’s the lead designer at Apple. I find him fascinating. Apple does such a good job with their design and purpose. I’d love to find out what makes him tick and what inspires him.