We were lucky to catch up with Mary Halbrooks recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mary thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s go back in time a bit – can you share a story of a time when you learned an important lesson during your education?

I stood in the hall outside the instructor’s office, the last student to take the lab practical exam that day. He looked uneasy and my face no doubt showed exhaustion and raw nerves.

“You didn’t pass, Mary,” he said, softening his voice, projecting calm. “But that’s not unusual for first timers like you. This is a grueling exam and there are many experienced coffee professionals who don’t pass on the first attempt. I think you have potential.”

I was stricken, sick, feeling stupid. I had gone to graduate school, been an academic my whole life up to now, a perpetual student, always striving for the A. Yet here I was, standing in the hallway of a green coffee importing company in Seattle, the city where coffee oozes out of the pores of everyone and I just flunked a test about coffee.

“You can take it again at the coffee meetings in Atlanta next month. But you need to prepare for it differently.”

What did he mean by differently? This class nearly killed me. The class met five days a week all day over three weeks. I had given it all I had. I just looked at him, trying not to be emotional, appreciating the kindness he projected my way.

“You have to find a way that works for you – a way that helps you to identify what you’re tasting. That’s the key to getting better. Oh, and you need to taste a lot of different coffees.”

I was tired, mentally and physically, and my palate was still saturated with the series of coffees, solutions and aromas that had tested the limits of my sensory skills. I didn’t know how the other students in the class had done, but my lab partner, Sophia had passed. Well, good for her I thought. After all, she is a barista at a local coffee shop and tastes different coffees every day at work. Unlike me, she projected confidence during all the hours we spent in the lab these past weeks. I was not so confident and she saw that in me. She had helped me many times when I was struggling. She was kind and friendly. I sensed that the other students thought I was too old to be there and as the only one in class with a PhD – they wanted nothing to do with me. I wished her well. But what was I going to do now?

At the age of 59, I had come back to school hoping to become a certified coffee taster. I made my decision to leave my comfort zone in academia after a long career. I was ready for a new start, a new challenge, something I could do for the rest of my life that would hold my interest and allow me to be my own boss. I’d had enough bad bosses for a lifetime. I knew I would be a far better boss than any of them ever had. But obviously I had no idea what I was in for taking these classes, setting these goals for myself. As I left the building that afternoon, I tried to comfort myself that it was my lack of experience that had defeated me, not my lack of effort or interest or even ability. I couldn’t yet process what had happened or what he meant offering that advice but I would figure it out. I was not giving up.

I flew back to Minneapolis the next day. My partner, Ann, listened quietly when I told her about the long week leading up to the test, all the days of sensory practice, how exhausting the test was and how I would have to take it again. My confidence was wavering now that I was home. Maybe it wasn’t for me, this second career in coffee.

“You can do this.” she said. “Don’t give up. I know you. Go for it.”

With that, I changed our dining room into a lab and began practicing my sensory skills as we had done in lab. Day after day I tasted coffees and smelled aromas until finally I understood his meaning – I needed to find a way to trust my senses, not force my senses. The breakthrough came when I changed from asking myself what flavor is this to what does this remind me of? Fresh flowers? Chocolate chip cookies? Black tea? Peaches? When I allowed my memory to work for me, to bring the flavors to me rather than searching madly for them, it got so much easier. It was an epiphany. I had found my way of trusting my senses, just as he had advised.

I remembered the other advice: taste a lot of different coffees. I ordered coffees from all over the world, different origins, different varieties, different roasters. As I tasted them I recorded the flavor profiles of each one in meticulous detail. Every day for three weeks I practiced and slowly I got better. My confidence was building. I set up a practice exam with Ann’s help and got a passing grade.

I arrived in Atlanta feeling ready. As I began to work my way through the coffees and the aroma vials, I reminded myself to trust my senses. I finished the test easily this time and left the room feeling confident. My results came by email a week later. I had passed and was awarded the Level 1 Coffee Taster Certificate. A year later I earned the Level 2 certificate.

To this day, I continue to hone my sensory skills remembering and appreciating that I had learned to trust my senses. It requires paying attention and practice but it works for me.

Mary, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Horticulture was a hobby for me as a child. I was the kid on the block who always had a garden in the summer. It made sense for me to major in horticulture in college and then go on to graduate school. My academic career gave me skills in science and as an educator. After 28 years, I was ready for a change, so I went into business for myself as a specialty coffee educator and consultant. Now I teach coffee appreciation classes and lead tastings for small groups here in Minneapolis where I’m based. Recently I have been partnering with the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in their adult education program. They have 25,000 members which gives me a much broader audience of coffee enthusiasts to tap into locally. I’m having a lot of fun teaching specialty coffee and craft chocolate appreciation. For coffee professionals I offer training in the protocols of coffee cupping and sensory analysis. Coffee roasters and producers hire me to provide sensory analysis and feedback on coffee quality.

I’m proud to have successfully changed my career path at a later stage of life. I took on some financial risk by investing in very specialized training. I also invested 2 years to become fully certified. I had to pivot from operating as an academic teaching undergraduates to teaching coffee enthusiasts. I have built a consultancy practice providing customized education for coffee professionals.

I think my biggest advantage is the real-life experience I bring to the table. I have so much more to offer than just technical knowledge about coffee. I value relationships with clients and show them the respect they deserve. In my teaching, I go by the philosophy of “meeting people where they are” in their coffee journey. My enthusiasm for my work inspires others. I think the people who work with me appreciate those aspects of me and my work.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

For me, it was obsession turning into profession.

I had long been a coffee enthusiast – studying about coffee on my own, staking out exemplary coffee shops wherever I traveled and learning how to brew better coffee at home. I was a true coffee nerd so it seemed a perfect fit for me to make it a professional pursuit. Because coffee is a horticultural crop it taps into my academic background. With my skills as a teacher and my training as a scientist I felt that I could offer a unique set of skills.

My key milestone was to earn certifications with the Specialty Coffee Association and become an authorized trainer. With that completed I concentrated on networking in the coffee world by attending countless coffee events, conferences and international meetings. Another milestone was getting my first client. I was contacted by a coffee producer I had met at a sensory conference. We had stayed in touch so when they needed training and consulting for their new venture in coffee farming, they called me. I developed a customized curriculum in sensory training and brought it to them in Oaxaca, Mexico. We spent three days on training and a day at the coffee farm consulting. This was my first paycheck. They have remained loyal clients. Every spring they send me green coffee samples from this year’s harvest and I provide a sensory evaluation as feedback for crop improvement.

Other milestones were more like stepping stones. To further develop my sensory skills and to fill a void in the coffee world, I started writing and publishing coffee reviews. Unlike the world of wine which is saturated with reviews, there are very few published coffee reviews. I began by reaching out to coffee roasters whose work I respect asking for coffee samples. At first I wrote occasional reviews, now I write reviews regularly and publish them on my website. This has allowed me to develop professional relationships with coffee professionals world wide. Many are exemplary roasters who know my work and value my reviews. All of this builds my reputation as a serious coffee taster and expands my audience of coffee professionals and enthusiasts who follow me on social media. I’m becoming a recognized coffee critic.

In the education component of my business, early on I focused on coffee appreciation classes for enthusiasts but my audience was limited. In order to build wider brand recognition, I needed to reach more people. So when the opportunity to partner with the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum came along I was ready to collaborate. They are expanding their programming so it’s a win-win situation.

I’ve recently started a YouTube channel about specialty coffee which will include my coffee reviews. I also have several writing projects in the works.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think people appreciate my academic background in horticultural science and certification as a sensory expert gives me credibility among coffee professionals and enthusiasts. Early on I hired a graphic designer to develop my brand identity and a logo that encapsulates what I do. By presenting my brand clearly and consistently from the get go it was easy for colleagues in my network to remember me and my work and share that with other colleagues and potential clients. All of this has a cumulative effect and I’m hoping to build on that in the coming years. I’m excited to see where my own coffee journey takes me. 

Contact Info:

• Website: allbeansconsidered.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allbeansconsideredmpls/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allbeansconsidered
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryallbeansconsidered/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7YPnny6DHLCc-D4lr88Gng
• Other: specialtycoffeereviews.com https://www.instagram.com/coffeestudiompls/?hl=en