Got lectured at a cupping in Portland for adding milk, never again
Last Saturday I went to this public cupping at a roastery off Division Street, and I thought it was a chill open house thing. The guy running it, real intense with a handlebar mustache, watched me pour a splash of oat milk into my cup after the tasting part. He walked over and said 'you just ruined the entire terroir profile' loud enough for everyone to hear. I felt like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, honestly. I paid $25 for that event just to be called out in front of 12 strangers. Since then I've been drinking everything black at home, but you know what, I kinda get it now. Some of those single origin notes do pop way more without the milk covering everything. But the way he said it, with zero humor, still bugs me. Has anyone else had a snobby gatekeeper moment that actually changed your coffee habits for the better?
My buddy Dave got the same treatment at a spot in Seattle two years ago, some guy hovering over him while he reached for the half and half. He switched to black for a month and now he swears he can taste the difference between washed and natural beans, which honestly I never saw coming from a guy who used to drown everything in caramel syrup. So yeah, the delivery was rough, but sometimes those smug jerks accidentally hand you a real upgrade.