Orkun Üstel: Coffee Insurrection Hero Chapter #11
1-Introduce yourself: who are you, where are you from, where do you work and what’s your job.
Hey, everyone! I’m Orkun. I’m Brewers Cup Champion of Turkey 2017 and 2020. Also, I have two other achievements in Brewers Cup of Turkey. I got the 2nd place at 2018 and I got the 3rd place at 2019. Currently, I am working at Kronotrop and I’m in charge of Q.C. of coffee bars and Barista Training. Also, I worked as a barista and production roaster in the past years at the same company.
2-When and why did coffee become important to you?
I’ve lefted the college because of my health issues. In that year (2013) I’ve met with Mokapot and French Press. =) I’ve started to make coffee to myself as a hobby. And then I was really impressed about the coffee scene because it has lots of equipment and techniques. In that time coffee was my only hobby and it helped me to overcome my health problems. So just in one year, coffee took a great part in my life.
3-Do you remember the first coffee you had that was more than “just a cup of coffee”?
I don’t remember the first coffee I drank. But I remember the first specialty coffee that I drank the first time. Which is Indonesia Java Blavan. It tastes like brown sugar. It was the sweetest cup of coffee that I remember having.
4-What’s your favorite thing about going to work in the morning?
Listening to New Wave of British Heavy Metal! It wakes me up and encourage me to start the new day. =)
5-What’s your favorite brewing method and why?
Classic V60. =) because it helps me control the flow rate. It is very useful to get a tasty cup of coffee.
6-Which is the best coffee you ever tasted?
I drank a lot of coffees, including my own competition coffee, which tasted very good. That's why there isn't any single best coffee for me.
7-Is there a country of origin that you tend to favor coffee from? Why?
There are a few origins that I tend to favor coffee from. Those are Colombia, Honduras, Kenya and Ethiopia. I really love complex, fruity coffees. And most of Specialty Coffees from Kenya and Ethiopia has higher acidity and complexity. Usually Colombia and Honduras’ coffees are well known for their sweet tastes and bodies, but also both origins produce lots of varieties and those coffees are quite complex. Because of that, I really love the coffees produced by those four countries.
8-Suggest us a roastery to check (not the one you working at/you use at work).
9-What’s the most important things you’ve learnt while working in the business?
I’ve learned that is not important to work in a coffee company, but it is important to be in the coffee community and to share your experiences and knowledge with that community. You exist as much as you share in the coffee world, and this is the most important thing.
10-How your work and the specialty coffee world are coping with Covid and the new challenges for hospitality?
It’s not going well. Lots of baristas lost their jobs because of the unpaid vacations. Lots of cafes shut down. But the industry has lots of new home baristas now. And it’s helpful for the roasting business.
11-How do you see the specialty coffee scene in 10 years?
Today, usually everyone cares about to get funky experimental coffees but in ten years, I think most producers, importers and roasters will care about organic and biological coffee farming.
12-Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I hope that I will be working as a coffee hunter in some coffee origin. Hopefully in Colombia. =)
13-Any last word? Any tip or suggestion you wanna share with someone that want to start this path?
Always be open minded. There are no strict boundaries in coffee, only recommendations. Being open minded will help you to make new discoveries and get better tastes in a cup of coffee.
