Life can take you on some strange journeys. Just ask Joe West, head roaster at Classic Rock Coffee Co. in Springfield, whose career in coffee started, oddly enough, with BMX bikes.
From bicycles to coffee
West grew up loving bicycles. As a kid, his skill on BMX bikes brought new opportunities. He rode with the Dew Tour, performed shows at Silver Dollar City, and even used action sports for spiritual outreach with Real Encounter ministries.
Ultimately, West paired his passion for bikes with a good friend’s love of coffee to open a popular Springfield bike and coffee shop called The Hub. Although he was supposed to be the “bike guy” in the business venture, as time went on, he found himself drawn to the coffee side of the business as well. He developed a passion for good coffee and learned a lot about it.
Eventually, West and his business partner amicably parted ways. The Hub continued on under a new name, Kingdom Coffee & Cycles. West intended to commit more time to ministry. In fact, he spent the next few months doing just that.
But in June 2011, he followed his taste for coffee to the newly opened Classic Rock Coffee Co. He took a job as its morning barista. When a position opened as a roaster a year later, West applied. He’s been roasting coffee ever since.
Rock ‘n’ roll & coffee
There is no shortage of coffee options in Springfield. From local roasters to national chains, there are a lot of choices. Classic Rock differentiates itself both in ambience and product. True to its name, the cafe features a rock music-themed menu, decor and music.
As for coffee, West says that Classic Rock “bridges the gap between Starbucks and the independents.” It has many choices for those who appreciate the subtle flavors of good coffee, but it also offers plenty of drinks for those accustomed to the popular milk-and-added-flavorings coffee derivatives.
Making a good cup of coffee
The coffee at Classic Rock starts with beans sourced from around the world. Although it doesn’t advertise the fact, all of its signature coffees are single-source. West seemed to take this as a point of pride, indicating that Classic Rock is already in a place where the rest of the gourmet coffee world is going.
Beans are first roasted in small sample batches, where West gets a better feel for the flavor profile of the bean and its potential. The sample batch is brewed and “cupped.” Cupping is a tasting process that, according to West, involves “a lot of slurping,” which aerates the coffee and maximizes its subtle flavors.
Following the tasting process, decisions are made about whether and where the coffee might fit in the company’s rotating line of featured coffees. Once a decision has been reached, coffee can be roasted in much larger batches on a German-made Probat 25-kilogram roaster.
West roasts the coffee for all of Classic Rock’s U.S. locations. He also performs quality control on unroasted beans before shipping them out to Classic Rock’s overseas franchises. A 14-day roast-to-brew policy ensures that every cup the customer gets has consistent flavor.
