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Beyond the Beans: Meet Mike Lilly

By: Brittany Leslie – Wholesale Account Manager and Educator, Kean Coffee This week we sat down with Tustin coffeehouse shift lead, “Coach” Mike Lilly. Since he started working with Kéan Coffee, Mike has become a senior barista and also a new dad! We talk about his coffee experience, what it’s like to be a coach in the coffeehouse and on the field, and more.   How long have you worked with Kean Coffee and what is your position?  I am a senior barista and shift lead. I have been working at Kean Coffee since 2016. I grew up in Tustin/Santa Ana …

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Beyond the Beans: Mike Richardson

By: Brittany Leslie – Wholesale Account Manager and Educator, Kéan Coffee If you have ever been to Kéan Coffee in Newport Beach, it is highly likely that you have seen Mike behind the bar. Mike has been with Kéan Coffee since we first opened our doors in December 2005. Over those years Mike has become highly seasoned in his skills as a professional barista and grown close with our community in Newport Beach. Mike shares with us some of his many stories of how he first started as a barista, what it was like to compete and train under the …

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Beyond the Beans: Eric Miyoda

By Brittany Leslie – Wholesale Account Manager and Educator, Kean Coffee In this week’s Beyond the Beans interview series, we get to know Eric Miyoda! Eric has been working at Kéan Coffee for six years now, each day working toward his goal of learning more about coffee and honing his skills. When he is not working on his latte art, he is working on his own graphic and physical art. Learn more about Eric’s coffee journey in our interview below. What made you decide to pursue a coffee career? What did your coffee journey look like before working at Kéan …

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Beyond the Beans: Meet Samantha Brewer

By: Brittany Leslie – Wholesale Account Manager and Educator, Kean Coffee In this week’s Beyond the Beans interview series, we get to know Newport Beach barista, Samantha Brewer! Living up to her last name, Samantha has been brewing coffee and bringing smiles to guest’s faces with her cheerful attitude since 2016. She has recently returned over the summer to Kéan Coffee after finishing up her studies at San Francisco State University and we are so happy to have her strong barista skills back on bar. She tells us about her history with Kéan Coffee and how communication plays a role …

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Beyond the Beans: Jaydon Charles

By: Brittany Leslie – Wholesale Account Manager and Educator, Kean Coffee In this week’s Beyond the Beans interview series, we talk to the man behind our most recent pour over YouTube video, Jaydon Charles. He has been working with Kéan Coffee for 6 years, taking on the roles of barista, roaster, and one of the Roastery managers. Jaydon grew up as a fan of Diedrich Coffee, drinking coffee as early as 3rd grade, and was not surprised to find himself diving into coffee behind the bar at our Tustin coffeehouse. He gives us insight into the roasting process and explains …

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Beyond the Beans: an interview with Stephanie Summerville

Beyond the Beans: Stephanie Summerville By: Brittany Leslie – Wholesale Account Manager and Educator, Kean Coffee First working at Diedrich Coffee and then continuing her journey at Kean Coffee, Stephanie Summerville has mastered the flow behind the bar. Stephanie is currently the assistant manager at Kean Coffee, Newport Beach, where she has spent 9 years dialing in espresso to perfection, building lasting relationships with our coffeehouse guests, and being everywhere at once. She explains how she manages the coffeehouse’s busiest times and what she does in her free time.    What first brought you to the coffee industry and how did …

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Beyond the Beans: Kristin Lerner

By: Brittany Leslie – Wholesale Account Manager and Educator, Kean Coffee Meet Kristin Lerner. She has demonstrated her coffee skills by becoming certified through the SCA as a Brewer and Barista. We knew of her talent even without the certification, as she has been a long-time member of the Kéan Coffee family and trainer at our Tustin coffeehouse. Her years of training new and experienced baristas, world traveling, and having a sparkling personality make her an amazing teacher and communicator. Her expansive knowledge allows her to not only tell you what makes our Rwanda single origin so wonderful and the …

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Beyond the Beans: Michael Bingham

By: Brittany Leslie – Wholesale Account Manager and Educator, Kean Coffee From Barista, to Production Member, to Roaster. Michael never expected that his curiosity towards specialty coffee as a young teenager would end up setting him on the path of building a coffee career. Through 8 years of hard work and demonstrating his skills as a barista and Roastery team member, Michael continues to gain more coffee experience and knowledge that makes him a valuable member of our Kéan Coffee family. He shares his Kéan Coffee story with us and dives into his passions outside of the coffee realm. Can …

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Beyond the Beans: Melissa & Sunep

By: Brittany Leslie – Wholesale Account Manager and Educator, Kean Coffee Let us introduce you to one of our Kean Coffee barista dream teams, Melissa Hufford and Sunep Ozukum from our Newport Beach coffeehouse! Our Newport team has been gifted with this talented couple hailing from Hawaii, USA and Nagaland, India, respectively. Sunep and Melissa shared with us their coffee journeys, favorite drinks, and more about themselves.   What started your coffee journey? Melissa: “I’ve always loved coffee. I always thought latte art looked fun and that being a barista looked cool. Coffee first piqued my interest when I was living …

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Cold Brew vs Iced Pour Over

By: Gabe Venegas Wholesale Account Manager and Coffee Educator, Kean Coffee With summer rapidly approaching, we thought It would be fun to bring up the never-ending battle between Cold Brew vs Iced Pour Over. For this article, we’re not going to tell you which one is better than the other because, at the end of the day, coffee is all about flavor preference. Our main objective is to point you in the right direction depending on how you would like to enjoy your coffee and highlight what each brew method brings to the table… literally! Cold Brew The increasingly popular …

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Adventures in Coffee Growing – by Martin Diedrich

Sunday morning coffee harvest today. I picked coffee from just one specific tree, a Garnica Arabica variety. We have about 14 different Arabica varieties growing on our small Costa Mesa coffee farm. The Garnica tree was full of ripe, sweet fruit, of which the seed is the bean one makes coffee from. The Garnica variety is a hybrid that was developed in Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico in the 1960’s. That region is now the only place it grows commercially. We are told it is a hybrid of Arabica varieties, Mundo Novo, and Caturra. Its fruit is particularly sweet, which inspired me …

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Guatemala February 2015: Shawn’s First Coffee Origin Trip

We have been a bit remiss in chronicling our Kean Coffee origin trips over the past several years…just too darn busy roasting coffee!  At some point we will backtrack and share more of our adventures. But here, at least, Shawn Anderson, our wholesale division roaster, has shared some of his experiences on a recent trip he and Martin made.  When we (Martin Diedrich and I) arrived in Guatemala City the first evening, I had no idea what to expect. After all, this was my first origin trip and, as I would soon find out, Guatemala City is in no way …

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Meet the Barista: Ten Questions with GARRETT O’CONNOR

This is an ongoing series in which you will get to know a little bit more about the fine young men and women who prepare your coffee at Kean Coffee through a set of random interview questions. Garrett O’Connor has been part of the team at Kean Coffee Newport for a little under a year. Garrett loves working with people and honing his craft as a barista. He is multi-talented, multi-faceted, and witty. If he doesn’t pursue a career as a stand-up comic, he will certainly entertain those around him despite it. Garrett can always be counted on for a …

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Meet the Barista: Eight Questions with MEGAN HERRERA

This is an ongoing series in which you will get to know a little bit more about the fine young men and women who prepare your coffee at Kean Coffee through a series of random interview questions. Megan Herrera has been a valuable part of our Kean Tustin team for over two years. Megan’s love for basketball helps her shine as a barista as she applies her multi-tasking, fast-paced, high energy maneuvers on the court to our fast-paced coffeehouse environment. At Kean Coffee just as on the court, Megan is small but mighty. That’s why we love Megan!  KC:  What …

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Recognize this guy? Meet Dwayne Carroll!

At Kean Coffee we love our regulars – our guests who come in so frequently and regularly, sometimes spanning many years, that we learn their names and they learn ours, often becoming good friends with our staff members. We value their input and enjoy learning more about them and hearing their stories. Meet Dwayne Carroll, a beloved regular at Kean Newport and Tustin!  My first cup of Martin’s coffee was when the Diedrich Coffee opened at Marguerite Pkwy and Crown Valley in Mission Viejo. I was there on opening day. I remember the first manager – a very nice lady, …

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Meet the Barista: Eight Questions with MANUEL RODRIGUEZ

This is an ongoing series in which you will get to know a little bit more about the fine young men and women who prepare your coffee at Kean Coffee through a set of random interview questions. Manuel “Manny” Rodriguez has been with Kean Coffee for two years, as a barista in our Newport coffeehouse. In addition to being an awesome barista, Manny is a successful college student who aspires to become a teacher. Whatever he is doing, Manny works hard and always strives for excellence, while at the same time keeping a great attitude. That’s why we love Manny! …

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Meet the Barista: Eight Questions with BYRON PIERCE

This is the first in an ongoing series of blog entries in which you will get to know the fine young men and women who prepare your coffee at Kean Coffee through a set of random interview questions. We first shine the spotlight on Byron Pierce, a barista and shift manager who works at both our Newport Beach and Tustin coffeehouses. Byron has also recently begun acting as a barista trainer for Kean Coffee wholesale accounts, to rave reviews.  Byron is extremely dedicated and passionate about what he does. Don’t let this tough guy in the photo fool you, Byron …

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2012 Trips to Origin: Mike’s adventures in Costa Rica – a first person account

Mike Richardson has been with Kean Coffee since our doors first opened in late 2005, first as a barista, then becoming a manager and  barista trainer. Mike is passionate about coffee and about what he does, and has participated in several barista competitions- three times competing in the Western Regional Barista Competition and the Ultimate Barista Competition, and once judging the WRBC. Below is his fascinating account of the trip to Costa Rica he went on this past April along with our roaster Ted Vautrinot, who was invited to judge for Costa Rica Cup of Excellence. Enjoy! Everyone has been …

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Kean Coffee Roasts and Judges Hawaii’s Top Coffee Competition for 2012

Due to our reputation as exacting, skilled artisan coffee roasters, Kean Coffee was chosen by the Hawaiian Coffee Association to roast this year’s finalists for the statewide competition of Hawaii’s Best Coffees. Hawaii grows the only coffee produced in the USA. Coffee grows on all the five major islands in the state. Each year they hold a statewide competition to judge the best coffees of the year. This year over 150 coffees were submitted for the competition. They were all judged by an internal Hawaiian judging panel to determine the top 45 finalists. The last round of judging that determines …

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Judging Guatemala Cup of Excellence 2011 – by Ted Vautrinot, Kean Coffee roaster

There is a special magic wafting through a room filled with passionate coffee professionals intent on finding the absolute best coffee from Guatemala’s crop this year. Every sniff, every slurp is carefully evaluated and scored- descriptions of honey, cherry, chocolate, caramel fill the margins as each coffee gets a meticulous assessment before moving on to the next possibility. I was fortunate to return to Central America to be a judge for Cup of Excellence Guatemala. Our 22 member international panel hailed from Japan, Germany, England, Australia, Russia, Korea, Canada, Morocco, Norway, and the U.S.   Our purpose was to identify the …