Gastronomy is the study of food and culture, the skill of preparing and serving rich or delicate and attractive cuisine, regional cooking methods, and the science of excellent eating. How does this relate to coffee? This is Süeda Emir’s coffee story.
Süeda Emir is using Aeropress
This is the story of 23-year-old Süeda Emir, born and raised in Turkey; she entered the coffee industry as a sophomore while attending university. Her love for the fine things in life drew her to get a coffee education, where she worked as a barista for three years. But as the specialty coffee industry does for everyone, it exceeded her expectations, and she found a passion that she never knew existed in the first place.
She went further to learn about the life cycle of specialty coffee and its connection to sustainability. Her curiosity led her to gain three certificates from the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) from one of her university courses, which really gave her a deep dive into the coffee industry.
“One of my course subjects was coffee roasting. The professor explained the transformation of a bean’s color and texture. After that, I did research on coffee training and discovered SCA, and I saw that there were also SCA trainers in Izmir, so I applied and took the courses.”
Her daily routine includes drinking filter coffee by nine AM and then taking part in a practical course in the kitchen. Multitasking might seem daunting to most, which was a challenge for Süeda, as she had to juggle multiple projects, exams, and university courses, all while having a full-time job. But her love for what she was doing made it all worth it and helped her pull through.
Studying at Antalya Bilim University made her thirst for knowledge strong. This led her to what she considers one of her most memorable cups of coffee to date. It was prepared by one of her favorite trainers, who was explaining how to make an expresso, thereby making a single-origin espresso. According to her, the taste hit every note, as it was the culmination of everything:
“At that moment, everything was accomplished: people who love coffee, an environment that smells like coffee, and the coffee’s taste… This is the most joyful day of my life.”
Süeda is inspired by what drew her into the coffee industry in the first place: the people. The people who play their part in planting, harvesting, roasting, grinding, tasting, and brewing coffee and their contribution to the coffee community. She admires seeing people who love to work and contribute to specialty coffee, from farmers to baristas to big coffee drinkers, who make sustainable, organic, and quality products. Therefore, she contributes in any way she can to help her coffee community.
However, her coffee journey took a turn during the pandemic. Her college life was affected, and her communing with people stopped. She was isolated and had to find ways to make herself productive. The opportunity to partake in an online wine education course and a deeper theoretical understanding of her courses are just a few things she is proud of achieving when the pandemic hit. She is currently pursuing an advanced wine education from the International Sommelier Guild (ISG).
Over her time in the coffee industry, she has noticed an increase in homebrewers. From grinding to tasting to brewing, more coffee lovers have a setup at home to enjoy coffee their way.
“I had a bar table built in my kitchen to prepare coffee. I have a grinder and an Aeropress. I am happy to see that people care about specialty coffee and spare time for it.”
Süeda is welcoming to all visitors. You can catch her in her non-coffee time making sourdough bread, baguettes, and ciabattas using organic whole wheat flour, or creating different kinds of bread recipes.
