mike marquard has a gingham kerchief tucked into his pocket and is wearing an apron with a rhino that says “booya”.
 

 

 

 

anyway. he opens up describing the flavors of his sumatra/brazil/el salvador blend, and i believe i overhear the words “trail mix”. he tells the judges he’s always impressed at how coffee can underly so many different situations. “from a business meeting to a first date”. OR BOTH, mike! why think small?

he’s from st. louis, and mentions that he’s happy, as a midwesterner, to have found this weekend that people on the coasts are nice, unlike the rumours that they “don’t take care of you”. aw! he then takes care of his judges with a signature drink that involves putting a glass over top of the espresso shot and burning a little tobacco up in there, offering to let the aromatics “smoke up your dome”.

incredible.