Meet The Coffee Consumers Who Will Go To Any Lengths, Or Price, To Chase Excellence – CoffeeTalk

Jeff Jungsten, a renowned architect and interior designer in the Bay Area, has been a secret weapon for architects and interior designers for almost four decades. His firm specializes in complex, six-figure-plus construction projects for the pickiest and wealthiest locals. The Mill Valley house was a prime example of this, as the owner wanted Jungsten and architect Drew McGukin to turn the property into “Functional Art.” The owner, a single, 50-something American with homes everywhere from Italy to the islands a ferry ride from Seattle, had bought the classic Victorian in Marin County with an eye to installing his wide-ranging contemporary collection within. But he also wanted the house itself to reflect back on those artworks, becoming a conversation piece in itself.

Jungsten and McGukin came up with an ingenious solution: a custom kitchen made from materials like copper that would age and patinate with use, evolving as a living, interactive artwork. If you don’t finish it with sealer, it won’t stay static—the handles will darken where he grabs them the most, with the patina showing the pattern of his life.”

When clients commission such intensive, expensive projects, Jungsten will often buy a thank you gift to present at completion. This was instantly obvious what this kitchen was missing: the ultimate luxury coffee treat: a $30,000 customized La Marzocco machine by Australian workshop Specht Design. Every element was individually remodeled to reflect the kitchen Jungsten had installed, think walnut paneling and copper fixtures, including the foaming stem; custom copper gage covers came with a new project-specific logo, designed by an artist. “It’s impossible to ignore how cool it is,” swoons Jungsten. “The machine is the essence of art.”

This is an example of the obsessive, intensive, and expensive ways that men (and yes, it’s almost always a man) will go to satisfy a love for coffee—call them the MAMICs, the Middle Aged Man Into Coffee. The first person to show a flicker of interest, a raised eyebrow perhaps, and he’s plunged into the minutiae of the beans he picks, the way he brews them, and the secret foaming trick he learned from the best barista on earth.

There’s no greater MAMIC flex than a five-figure, bespoke coffee machine; many companies offer customization but no one has the kudos or clout of Specht Design. Founder Daniel Schonknecht understands Hopton and Co.’s urges all too well. He first started tinkering with high-end machines, mostly swapping out elements he thought felt too cheap for a premium espresso-maker—timber side panels, for example, in lieu of plastic. A few pictures of that souped-up countertop machine on Instagram caused a frenzy of interest; six months later, he was working full-time on bespoke espresso machines like the one now installed in the Mill Valley home. “We elevate espresso machines and personalize them in the same way as a car—it’s to do with your taste, an expression of what you love,” he tells Robb Report.

Specht, a Melbourne-based coffee roaster, has a significant presence in the coffee industry, with around 70% of his business coming from overseas, including America. Daniel Schonknecht, a master of Specht Design espresso machines, is known for his work on creating unique and impressive designs that showcase the company’s products. He has worked with various clients, including a surgeon who flew to Japan to find a swatch for integration into the final design.

Jessa Winn, a barista and founder of Procreate Coffee in Brooklyn, offers masterclasses to café-workers to improve their espresso-pulling skills. Over the last decade, Winn has noticed that around one third of students have no interest in commercializing their skills and are simply paying to make themselves better at-home baristas. Since the pandemic, private individuals now form 50% of her business.

Winn also offers private training sessions for those who want to learn how to set the grind right to get a good coffee. A two-hour, one-on-one class costs $275, making it an affordable option for many. One recent student, Oren Samari, is a MAMIC-in-training and has been able to learn how to set the grind correctly to get a good coffee.

Steven Sutton, founder of NY-based Colombian roastery Devoción, has earned praise for offering the freshest coffee in the country. He explains that the flavor of coffee beans is diminished when oxygen is introduced to them over time, which can be done through FedEx. This has earned him insiderish accolades from MAMICs around the country, as well as his VIP list. Sutton introduces limited editions of certain beans, teasing them to a list of regulars who typically snap up the entire allocation before it’s even offered to the public.

Overseas devotees, from London to Dubai and Korea, will often pay more in express shipping than for the beans themselves, which typically top out at around $100 per 8-ounce bag. One domestic superfan is Oren Samari, who works in commercial real estate in Los Angeles and moved there five years ago from New York. Devoción is a taste of home for Samari, who enjoys the thoughtfulness and care of the beans.

In conclusion, Specht Design is a leader in the coffee industry, offering a wide range of coffee options to cater to different tastes and preferences. The company’s commitment to quality and innovation has led to a loyal customer base and a strong reputation among MAMICs. By partnering with local roasters and exhibiting their expertise at special events, Specht Design continues to grow and expand its reach in the coffee industry.

The Cup of Excellence is a non-profit organization that has been staging contests and shows around the world for over two decades to help individual farmers earn more accolades and attention for their small batch coffees. The competition, which takes place in a country around the time of its coffee harvest, varies per climate but runs from November until the middle of May around the world. The average price for rarefied crops has increased from around 88 cents per pound in 1999 to $1.72. The Cup of Excellence has auctioned over 5,500 lots, held 200 competitions, and sold $86m worth of coffee, from Mexico to Panama.

Judges are invited to score the coffees, with anything above 90 points proving exceptional. The events are primarily business-to-business, but wealthy individuals keen to create their own private coffee brand would be welcomed. Positions on the juries are awarded via application on Urrutia’s website, though it’s often oversubscribed. Charles Fleer, an American who lives in Prague, Czech Republic, runs La Bohème Café and roaster there. Fleer has taken part in 33 Cup of Excellence events since his first in 2008 and has seen trends come and go.

The latest trend involves adding fruit juice alongside water during bean processing for a flavored fermentation aimed at markets where bitter-tasting espresso is less embraced. Fleer warns that the default luxury bean, Kopi Luwak, where beans famously pass through a civet cat’s digestive system before being readied for human consumption, is a gimmick at best. Many coffee-watchers these days cite animal cruelty as a reason for shunning it.

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