Davide Cobelli
1-Introduce yourself: who are you, where are you from, where do you work and what’s your job.
Hi, I’m Davide Cobelli and I live in Verona (the city of Romeo and Juliet), I’ve been in the world of coffee for a decade as a consultant and trainer; in 2016 I opened the Coffee Training Academy and in 2019 the Artisan Roasting Garage Coffee Bros. In 2020 I became Italian Roasting Champion.
2-When and why did coffee become important to you?
From an early age I saw my father tinkering with a coffee machine (Baby Gaggia) at home: I was less than 10 years old and I already felt that the scent of coffee attracted me. For me, coffee is a memory of home and family.
3-Do you remember the first coffee you had that was more than “just a cup of coffee”?
Yes, it was at Stumptown in NYC; a cup of coffee from Ethiopia, a washed one. Coming back from that trip, I tried to make an Espresso at home and I realized that the coffee could be much more than only burnt and bitter. It all started from there.
4-What’s your favorite thing about going to work in the morning?
I think that what I love most is waking up happy to go to work. I think it’s a privilege that everyone should feel. Do what you like and make it profitable and sustainable.
5-What’s your favorite brewing method and why?
I would say percolating paper extractions. The cleanliness and sensory transparency that allow coffee to express undoubtedly make me love these methods.
6-Which is the best coffee you ever tasted?
The next one I drink! It will certainly be different from the previous one and the thing is exciting and never predictable.
7-Is there a country of origin that you tend to favor coffee from? Why?
I love Ethiopia for the incredible variety and quality of coffee it gives us; I love Honduras for the people I met there, whom I call stepbrothers.
8-Suggest us a roastery to check (not the one you working at/you use at work).
I think it would be right to taste them all (or as many as possible), it is the only way to compare and be able to choose your favorite.
9-What’s the most important things you’ve learnt while working in the business?
This sector has given me a lot, first of all the opportunity to travel all over the world, something that I would never have dreamed of until 10 years ago. Meeting people, sharing experiences, absorbing and discovering new cultures.
10-How your work and the specialty coffee world are coping with Covid and the newchallenges for hospitality?
It is a difficult period but we will get out of it by continuing to persevere in the pursuit of quality, there are no great compromises and I believe that being true to yourself is the winning weapon for the future.
11-How do you the specialty coffee scene in 10 years?
If I look back, I can see that we have come a long way in a few years. I hope that the future will always be centered on the quality and sustainability of the supply chain. On the right value, of things and people.
12-Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I don’t make such long-term predictions 🙂
13-Any last word? Any tip or suggestion you wanna share with someone that want to start this path?
Believe in yourself and never give up.
