The Coffee Journey of a Brewing Champ

Two times US Brewer’s Cup winner, Todd Goldsworthy gave us a little insight into his coffee journey. Todd has been a longtime member of the specialty coffee community. Over the years, he’s acquired valuable experience and knowledge in coffee, not only as a professional and competitor, but as regular home coffee drinker.

Here’s what he shared in our short Q&A:

How long have you worked at Klatch? What’s your role there? I have been with Klatch Coffee 6 years this August. I am the director of wholesale but as with many small businesses we all wear a lot of hats. I have helped create and shape our cold brew and keg distribution as well as support new store openings, I teach brewing classes, and fill in when and where I’m needed.

When did you get your first Baratza grinder, which one was it? My first Baratza grinder was the virtuoso, I believe I bought that back in 2010 or 2011. It was the same grinder I ended up using to win the 2014 US Brewers Cup. My brother now has that grinder and uses it at home. On a side note, I used the preciso grinder to win in 2016, I love conical burrs for manual brewing!

As the 2014 and 2016 US Brewers Cup Champion, we know you know your brews! What’s your preferred brew method? Want to share your go-to recipe? With manual brewed my preferred method is flat bottom brewers, typically a Gino dripper or Kalita brewer, whichever is around. However, on the weekdays I start my mornings using my Forte grinder and Breville Precision Brewer. My go-to recipe varies by coffee and situation a little, a nice washed central might be 28g/400g when manual brewing a cup for myself while 40g/600g would be a little extra for my wife (Holly) and I to share.

Which coffee no-no do you break most often? I’m sitting here trying to think of the answer to this. I texted Holly to figure out which coffee no-no I break, and she answered “you’re snooty. You don’t break rules”. So, yeah…. I think the best answer I can come up with is that we drink a lot coffee at home that might be “getting old” to some people. Coffees that we won’t serve in our cafes because they are too far off roast date will often end up in my kitchen for us to drink at home.

How have Baratza grinders helped you in your coffee journey, personally and professionally? I have had the great opportunity to use and play with a lot of different baratza grinders. I own the encore, virtuoso, preciso, sette, and forte grinder – yes I have a lot of grinders! As mentioned before I love conical burrs for brewed coffee but you also see that I use the forte at home and in our Klatch shops. What I have found to be the big difference is that I prefer conical burrs in my manual brews for the complexity while the forte (flat burrs) gives the consistency I’m looking for when automating my brews. Baratza grinders have really helped me understand and distinguish that difference.

Tell us a little about how you use Baratza grinders at Klatch and why you chose them? It’s been about 10 years since we’ve opened a new cafe at Klatch and this year we are looking at 4 new stores opening with the first having just opened here in June in Redondo Beach, CA. In that store (and the plan for all new stores) has 3 Forte grinders paired with a 5 group PourSteady. We’ve put a lot of focus on delivering a great cup of coffee both consistently and efficiently.

This set-up has allowed us to continue our BruBar menu focusing on 3 coffees rotating every 2 weeks and delivering on that great cup to every customer. We plan to retrofit our current locations to eventually add this setup as well.

What coffee are you enjoying drinking right now? I bounce around coffees quite regularly, at Klatch we are known for having variety in our offerings, but my top 3 that I’m really enjoying right now are the Panama Elida Natural, El Salvador Yellow Icatu Honey, and Colombia El Quebradon AAA. At this moment I’m drinking the Colombia El Quebradon as I write this, but my real special treat is anytime I can get my hands on some of our Geisha’s!

Todd’s coffee journey is a big encouragement to us. It is a reminder that our high quality grinders are of great significance in the coffee community. As we share Todd’s passion for coffee and for family, we pursue our promise to help the world grind fresh coffee for better brewing.

Thanks for sharing Todd.

#WeGrindYouBrew