Specialty Coffee

Roasters I Like

SEY Coffee
Second to none.

Moonwake Coffee Roasters
Beautiful people, beautiful coffees. This would be one of my first stops if you're looking for experimental coffees, and their clean selections are nothing to scoff at either.

BOTZ Coffee
I haven't had a bad coffee yet, but good luck trying to get some; their drops sell out quick. If I miss out, I normally keep an eye out on Ondo's website for a couple of weeks and try to cop a bag there.

Hydrangea Coffee Roasters
Pushing out bangers. Another stop for washed and experimental coffees alike.

Passenger Coffee & Tea
The origin of my interest in specialty coffee, and a great company to work with. I think they are especially notable for their work in creating sustainable relationships with coffee producers, and from the consumer side, their "Foundational" offerings are amazing for more developed, relatively affordable, and regularly available options. Their Foundational coffees from the Montecarlos Estate rank as an all-time favorite for me. Also,tea. Start with Liang Family Black.

Honorable Mention:

Ondo Coffee Co.
My experiences with their roasts is currently limited (which I hope to change), but Bryan is a good guy and has given me helpful tips here and there. Their online store is a solid place to buy gear other places don't have stocked (01-sized T-90s, anyone?), pre-rested bags from a number of great roasters, or imported roasts that might be hard to find in the USA.

Other roasters I've enjoyed:

Thankfully Coffee Roasters (I simply cannot think of a better name for a roaster. I applaud these folks.)
CETO Coffee
Raindrop Coffee Roasters
Newbery St. Coffee
Flower Child Coffee
H&S Coffee Roasters
Sorellina Coffee

This list is not comprehensive in any way

Resources

Robert Asami
I've come to appreciate Robert's approach to specialty coffee, he somehow manages to analyze critically while also maintaining an unusual respect for subjectivity and variability across experiences. His website is a treasure trove of resources; I especially recommend his introduction to water chemistry as a resource surpassing all others I've seen written on the topic.

Hao-yung @ whycoffee.blog
Helpful tidbits.

Rohan @ Pocket Science Coffee
More helpful tidbits (especially if you're on a budget.)

Aside from actually being involved in a local coffee community, I think the next best thing to immersing yourself in other coffee "nerds" is joining a Discord community. These are indispensable for learning about coffee, even given the limitations of purely digital community. I would do some research and check out some servers: Espresso Aficionados, Brian Quan, Lance Hedrick, SEY Coffee.

Other Things Worth Linking to:

Orthodox Christianity: Learn more here.

A good man is hard to find. Here is one. Lux