Roaster of the Week: Master Roaster Tom Isaia

Tom Isaia, owner and founder of wholesale roasting company, Coffee Express, is like the "village

elder" of coffee in southeast Michigan. Since 1982 he has been roasting specialty coffees and supplying cafes across the region with a wide variety of roasted coffee and excellent customer care. He's the one everyone in this corner of the state talks to when they are first thinking of starting a coffee business. You name 'em: Zingerman's, Mighty Good, Espresso Royale, Espresso Elevado, yours truly (Artisan Coffee Imports) and at least half a dozen more -- we all got some of our first learning and encouragement from Tom Isaia. 

Tom loves community. First, he has built a community with his dedicated staff at the Coffee Express roasting plant in Plymouth, MI. Genevieve, Sue, Walt, Doug and Scott are the friendly people I get to see when I visit. In addition to fostering the coffee community in southeast Michigan with his ad hoc advising, Tom was the key organizer of a Michigan Coffee Conference (the "MICoffeeCon") back around 2011 and 2012. This was a well-organized coffee conference held on University of Michigan's campus, attracting professionals from three states and Ontario.

His proudest moment as a roaster? I'm guessing Tom would tell you it was when he was part of the 1st place winning team at the  2015 Roaster's Guild Retreat in Lake Delavan, WI. I had the opportunity to be there, also, coincidentally, and I was not on the winning team. Tom will tell you how there was some great chemistry between his style of roasting and the other roasters. They were able to blend their skills perfectly to achieve the "best roast" -- and they had a lot of fun doing it. The fact that this retreat is a community-building event, also, is one reason Tom enjoyed it so much.

A further tribute to Tom's dedication to the craft is the fact that he established the first SCA-certified lab in the state. He has the Agtron reader, the moisture readers, stellar brewing equipment, and my favorite - a wall-size map of the world, but only the latitudes between Capricorn and Cancer! In this lab he is able to host a variety of SCA courses and instructor-led workshops on-site at the roastery.

So needless to say, Artisan Coffee Imports is proud to have Coffee Express as a customer. Take a glimpse of the video below where Tom is roasting up 1 pound of the Rwanda Ejo Heza on his latest toy - a Giesen W1A, 1 kg roaster.

Despite Tom's long history and success in the coffee industry, he is far from "done" with innovating and trying new things. His next venture - gelato! As in the truly Italian type! He was in Italy last year training to create an authentic product and the samples I got to taste were delicious!

RGR 2015 - Winning team!

Getting the profile just right - a team effort.

MI Coffee Con 2012

Trevor Corlett at MI Coffee Con

Michigan Coffee Conference in Ann Arbor

May 10 and 11, 2012

Cupping lab instructors: Allen Leibowitz and Sally Rivera

"Altogether it was an amazing opportunity for education and networking," said Andy Rottier, of Rowster Coffee in Grand Rapids, who was one of the attendees at the 2nd Michigan Coffee Conference in Ann Arbor, MI. The conference was organized by Coffee Express of Plymouth, MI, and a host of other sponsors. Over 60 professionals gathered from around the state for training, certifications, presentations and a whole lot of fun! It all took place at Pierpont Commons on the University of Michigan campus with attendees registering from all around the state. The day and a half event started on a Thursday afternoon with a sequence of lectures on topics such as marketing tips from Whole Foods Marketing Manager, Bridget Isaia, Chicago, the impact Fair Trade has on the economy and livelihood of coffee growers, presented by Chisara Ehiemere, to insights on the finest teas from Howard Davis, Harney and Sons Teas, New York. 

The group then gathered for a catered dinner in the Duderstadt Center with music from a live jazz band, and then everyone moved to the 3rd annual Motown Throwdown, sponsored by DaVinci (Kerry). Each contestant had to create a signature drink including one of DaVinci's syrups.  

The all day program Friday, May 11th, included cupping and espresso classes, along with drip brewing presentations. Cupping instructors were Sally Rivera, Sales Manager at Cafe Imports and Allen Leibowitz, partner at Zingerman's Coffee Company (who also serves on the SCAA's Instructional Development Committee and is on the executive board of the Roasters Guild). Trevor Corlett, Madcap Coffee, ran the espresso and latte art workshops. He also presided over a BGA certification exam.  Trevor sits on the board of the Barista Guild.  Jim Saborio, Comet Coffee, weighed in on what influences hand-poured drip, and Dean Anderson of Curtis explained what goes into auto-drip equipment.

 

MotownThrowdown II - fun!

Motown Throwdown II, May 19, 2011 Location: AJ's Cafe in Ferndale, MI
I enjoyed the second Motown Throwdown in Ferndale, MI on May 19th. AJ was a gracious host at his cafe. Tom Isaia (Coffee Express) did a great job organizing us. First event - Signature Espresso Drink Contest, with Lani Peterson of Kerry Beverages judging. Teresa Pilarz of Espresso Elevado (Plymouth, MI) won $300! Runners up were Lorne Keeny of Coffee & Friends, Okemos and Brian Cullen, Tres Bean Coffee House, Walkerville, Windsor (Ontario).



The second event: Best Coffee Contest - had 13 entries -- all Colombian. Sally Rivera (imported from Cafe Imports) and Ruth Ann Church (Artisan Coffee Imports in Ann Arbor, MI) cupped and scored all 13 of the coffees, which took almost 2 hours. The top 5 Colombians were then brewed and poured into 5 numbered airpots. Then all participants could taste and judge. The informally scored ranking was:
1) Coffee Express Co., Plymouth; Giraldo Exotico (imported by Royal)
2) Madcap Coffee, Grand Rapids; from Didier Reinoso's farm - used at the Barista Championship in Houston
3) Cafe Imports (green coffee importers), St. Paul, Minnesota.
4) Coffee Express Co., Plymouth; organic
5) Artisan Coffee Imports, Ann Arbor; you guessed it right! This was a DECAF coffee from Artisan Coffee Imports and it was in the top 5 out of 13! The coffee is from the state of Tolima, southern Colombia, and the ASOCEAS cooperative -- a group of 58 farmers near the town of Rio Blanco.