i’m not a big coffee drinker. when i’m at work (which happens to be a coffee shop), i typically sip on some tea, water, or, occasionally, some whipped cream in a tasting cup with caramel sauce drizzled all over the top. my brother jonathan, on the other hand, is a huge coffee nerd. the kind of person who can drink coffee black and actually enjoy it. i must say how proud i am of him, though. he knows his stuff and he’s good at what he does. because of his dedication, he now manages a coffee shop in atlanta (and roswell) called land of a thousand hills.

phillip and i had the privilege of attending and documenting the land of a thousand hills grand opening in atlanta, which is located in the walton on the chattahoochee apartment community, right on the banks of the chattahoochee river. and i have to tell you, it’s the most beautiful location i’ve ever seen for a coffee shop. it makes me feel like i’m at a getaway resort, which overlooks the swimming pool on one side and a beautiful river on the other. if you are in the atlanta area and want to catch up with a friend over coffee, i HIGHLY recommend coming here. and the great thing about land of a thousand hills is that when you buy a cup of their coffee, you are helping to provide a living wage to coffee growers in rwanda. a simple and enjoyable way to support the rwandan community. as their slogan says: “drink coffee. do good.”

jonathan kicked off the event with a coffee cupping in which participants tasted three different french-pressed roasts and recorded the aroma and taste of each one. then he moved on to fun and games, one being a potato sack race, where the winner got some free coffee goodies.

my goofy brother.

another coffee event we went to was octane’s “friday night throwdown”, a latte art competition in atlanta. among the 40+ baristas competing were my brother and kylene (whose acting headshots you saw in the previous blog). i got to see first-hand the art of making a good latte: grinding the espresso beans, packing the shot, pulling the perfect shot, steaming the milk, and (the most important) making the perfect pour.

jonathan carefully finishing up his pour:

the judges trying to decide what score to give. hmmm…..

jonathan’s latte that ended up winning 5th place! congratulations, bro!