Blake Valley

It started in 2014...

I was a junior in college, attending an 8:00am class; eyes half-opened, walking to-and-from the bathroom every 15 minutes to splash water on my face - the best solution I had concocted to stay awake. As I walk, I run into a friend of mine. He said, "Holy smokes, Blake, you look exhausted!", which I affirmed was true. After explaining my paltry water-splashing routine, he laughed and said a sentence that would change my life...

"Dude, you should try coffee!"

It hit me like a thunderbolt; "Coffee?! That mythical bean-water that has kept weary pilgrims afloat for millennia?! How had I not thought of this?!" I proceeded downstairs to our school cafeteria and procured the first cup of coffee of my life. The roast? Unknown. The taste? Awful. Caffeinated? Resolutely. Hooked? Incredibly.

Fast forward till now...

Roughly eight years have passed since that faithful day, and, as it turns out, I've learned a lot about coffee since then. As I drank, I started to enjoy. As I enjoyed, I began to visit more coffee shops and roasters. As I tried more shops and roasters, I wanted to have a similar quality at my own home. And as I made more and more coffee at home, I became more and more passionate about what I was doing. Now, my biggest hobbies include 1.) grabbing a few books and visiting more and more roasters to explore their coffees and to learn what they're doing, and 2.) roasting my own beans and making better and better at home.

So what am I here for?

I'm here because I really like coffee, and because I want to help you enjoy your coffee more. Whether you're simply looking for a faster and better cup to keep you through your work day, or because you're falling more and more in love with coffee yourself, I'm here to help. Coffee truly is a beautiful thing, whatever brings you to it. And together, perhaps we can enjoy it a little more :~).