As third-wave coffee has evolved over the past 25 years, we’re probably at or near the extremes of a few long-term trends: roasts have gotten lighter, roasters use fresher green, on average, than ever before, menu offerings have decreased in number, often down to just three or four offerings at a time, and ...

Some of you may not know that I owned several cafes from the mid-90s to 2012. Somehow, the most interesting life stories and people I’ve met came from that first cafe in the 90s.

Our all-time most interesting customer was the “Snakeman.” One day circa 1998, Josh, one of our staff, said a guy came int...