How long have you been in coffee?
I have been in coffee for 50+ years.
Which countries have you taught in?
I have taught in the following countries: Rwanda, Myanmar, Thailand, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Indonesia, Vietnam, Zambia, Uganda, Guatemala, China, and India.
What's your favorite coffee origin?
My favourite coffee origin is Ethiopia for its delicious and flavourful coffees.
What do you think are the benefits of taking the Q?
To me, the benefits of taking the Q has been the identification of grey areas in my arena of sensory evaluation, helping me to better understand the taste attributes of the cup and the correlation of the attributes to the chemical components of the coffee cup.
It has enabled me to strengthen my knowledge base and skills in evaluating the quality of a cup of coffee and has helped me to understand the correlation between the terroir, the varietal, the cultivation practices, the processing steps and the final cup as consumed by the consumer.
In general, the benefit of having the Q would be to enable one to clearly understand the taste profile of the coffee cup, besides helping one to understand the manner in which the evaluation should be carried out, covering the aspects of moisture content, defect classification, cupping protocol and the attributes that need to be clearly defined and evaluated in the cup. Added, one can also calibrate one's ability to evaluate with other participants, who could be from different producing and consuming countries or even from different regions in one's own country, helping one to examine and evaluate the coffee cup from the perspective of others, which in itself is a great learning curve.
Through the 'Q', one can also help in educating the coffee farmer on the quality aspects of his coffee produce - the importance of the quality nuances of the cup in relation to the various steps in the cultivation of coffee, the processing of the coffee bean and the brewing of the coffee cup, which would help in ensuring the quality of the coffee product and thus, help in the livelihood of the coffee farmer.
What languages do you speak?
I speak English and the Indian languages.
What other activities do you do in the coffee industry?
At present, I am the President of a Coffee Laboratory called Coffeelab Limited established in Bangalore in March 1996 for evaluating the technical nuances in coffee quality. This lab is the first of its kind to be set up in the private sector in India, providing Green Coffee Sensory Evaluation to all in the coffee value chain, advising and working with farmers on the processing of their coffees, providing Education, Consultancy and Training on Quality aspects of coffee to coffee producers, roasters, traders, exporters, cafe owners and consumers of coffee, Certification of Quality of Indian coffee exported to green coffee buyers and roasters, besides Blending and Preparation of Special coffees as per the requirements of all in the coffee value chain and Advise on all quality matters.
