Sinan Genc’s career did not begin in coffee, rather, he was studying to become an electrical and electronics engineer with a PhD focusing on optical sensors to detect, classify and characterize microplastics in liquid media, when he found his passion for coffee.
Sinan Genc
While working behind the scenes of a coffee business, he monitored the different steps for different recipes and brewing methods and was intrigued with the precision needed to make a good cup of coffee, but also noticed all the fun that could be had playing around with different coffee techniques and recipes. Over time, his favorite part of the day has become coming into the office and preparing that first cup of coffee to get his day started.
For the past nine years that Sinan has worked in the coffee industry, he has upgraded from working at chain coffee shops with espresso and filter-based coffee, to purchasing the 1ZPRESSO J-Max grinder, where he got his first taste of specialty coffee. His curiosity for knowledge of coffee grew once he tasted the intricacies of coffee with his new grinder versus the rather basic, commercially-produced coffee and saw how much more professional and systematic the process was and tasted the difference this grinder offered him. Sinan immediately dove deeper to learn more about the coffee industry and how to brew the perfect cup using different brewing methods.
Being from Turkey, the biggest challenge Sinan faces is his budget for equipment and products due to high importation fees and shipping costs. Nevertheless, Sinan states that even with these challenges, he has seen:
“A third wave, where people have much more respect for the coffee and not only the known brands and chains, but also the farmers, families and roasters who provide those amazing beans to us.”
As someone in the coffee industry, he felt accomplished hearing that he was able to change the way someone thought about and tasted coffee. Sinan loves to share his knowledge of coffee with those around him, and some of the times when he feels most successful and proud is when he is able to share that with his colleagues and friends. Promoting coffee, sharing new brewing methods, and educating people about where coffee comes from helps to bridge the gap between the coffee industry and the consumer. Sinan loves to be the reason that someone’s perspective on coffee has changed and they can see how magical the simple process of using a pour over or Moka Pot can be.
When asked what success means to Sinan, he quoted a moment when a dear friend said to him,
“I noticed that every coffee is not the same. Up until now, I thought that coffee was coffee and now I can say that I feel, understand and taste the difference from bean to bean, method to method.”
Sinan can still remember the fruity taste of his first cup of coffee using the V60 brewer. He thought the barista added something to his cup to achieve that taste before realizing how the V60 brewing method extracted different flavor profiles from the beans. Once he began home brewing, he was able to identify different flavor profiles between different beans which he said,
“Makes me feel proud and more linked to coffee.”
From working with pour over tools, he said,
“I noticed different tastes of beans. Then I noticed that having too hot water in commercial machines removes all the taste coming from the bean itself.”
Sinan has been able to tie in his love of science with his passion for coffee when trying different recipes and testing out new equipment. He said,
“I look for new notes from different beans and roasters, and brew coffee with V60, Origami Dripper and other tools to investigate parameters which affect the taste that made me connected to the world of coffee.”
Exploring new coffee technology and new techniques initially drew him to the coffee industry and triggered his curiosity, soon having coffee take the number one place in his daily life.
While currently pursuing his PhD, he is planning on going abroad and finding research opportunities outside of Turkey and is motivated to explore the different coffee cultures, beans and brewing techniques wherever he goes next.
