Andrew Sinclair☕️

honestly the best conversations behind the bar start super simple, somebody tells me they like coffee and Im like dude so do I, lets enjoy it together lol. nobody has to pass a quiz to get a good cup at our shops and the second it starts feeling like a test we already messed up

been doing this long enough that a bunch of stuff I used to swear was a fact just isnt anymore lol, so when someone at the bar tells me how they brew at home I try to remember I did it wrong for years too. mileage can vary, Im not gonna be the guy talking down to anybody over it

thinking tonight about how Wolf started off as just a customer lol. spring 2019 he tells me he likes what we're about and asks if he can do this with me, and he's been in it ever since. best part is I can ask him what he thinks and get a non coffee answer, I appreciate that

buying your coffee already ground is fine Im not gonna lecture you, just use it up fast lol. this new study tracked ground coffee in storage and at room temp it was already losing that fresh aroma by about day 5, so a grinder at home pays off if you can doi.org/10.3390/foods1521377…

every time some new drink blows up online I could throw it on the menu for a quick bump, but I want Mad Lab to taste like Mad Lab lol. so we're not turning into a matcha spot or adding cream tops to chase a bigger ticket. if thats your drink go enjoy it honestly

late night thought but the stuff I say most across the bar is like youre awesome or I hope this cup helps lol, and I mean it every time. for a lot of people coffee is the one bit of normal in their day so I take that part pretty seriously, more than you'd guess from a roaster

I trust my cupping spoon more than a defect count on a grading sheet and this new review kinda backs me up lol, they looked at grading systems from all over and the counts dont translate straight to how the cup tastes. so Im still gonna taste everything doi.org/10.3390/foods1521380…

nobody would tell me anything when I started roasting, people kept it close like industry secrets lol. so I taught myself in a basement on a little sample roaster and Im kinda glad, I never picked up anybody elses habits and had to figure out what I wanted coffee to taste like

one thing I still think about as an owner is when I chased a more developed roast cause sales jumped, and it took a lot of the joy out of the cup for me lol. when we went back to what Mad Lab actually is I was nervous we'd lose people but most stayed and a lot liked it better

our mission line at Mad Lab is to love people a whole lot more instead of a whole lot less and I think about that more than roast curves (and I think about roast curves a lot lol). a perfect cup kinda doesnt matter if whoever hands it over makes you feel dumb for ordering it

I want espresso to feel thick when it hits your tongue, like liquid velvet, sweet and kinda heavy. if a shot comes out thin and sour I dont care how fancy the bag is, somethings off and Id rather keep dialing it in (or go back to the roast) until it actually coats your mouth

my favorite thing behind the bar is asking somebody if they wanna know about the coffee they just ordered, and its almost always this hushed yes like its a secret lol. then ok lets get into it. nobody has to care but when they do its honestly the best part of my shift

people act like they cant function before their first cup lol, this new paper had 30 regular drinkers skip their morning coffee and only reaction time really dropped, memory and the rest held up fine. so youre just a little slow, Im still having mine tho doi.org/10.1002/hup.70070

baristas are basically acoustic bartenders lol. people do life across that counter every day and most just want a minute of normal and somebody glad to see them, so Id rather our crew ask how your day is going than jump into Chem 101 (unless you ask, then its on dude)

something I tell myself at the shops is be the person you needed when you were younger. when I got into coffee I just needed somebody behind the bar to not make me feel dumb (shoutout to the barista who made my first mocha in 2012) so if someone walks up nervous I slow down lol

moka pot people if yours tastes thin or harsh, fix the grind first. this paper ran a Bialetti 90 times and grind is what moved extraction, starting with hot kettle water didnt change it just finished faster lol. preheat if youre rushing but dial the grind doi.org/10.3390/app162110474

every once in a while somebody walks in wanting something we just dont do. if I can make it their way I will, and if we cant Id rather send them to a shop nearby that does it well. Im proud of how we do coffee but nobody should leave here feeling turned away lol

been doing this 10+ years and some stuff I used to say with my whole chest turned out wrong lol, a few facts stopped being facts. so when somebody at the bar is still learning and mixes something up I try to give them grace instead of a lecture, mileage varies and thats ok

I see people online stressing so hard over their home setup, like if the water is one degree off the whole morning is ruined lol. I love that you care, I really do, but sometimes its not that deep dude. if its sweet and you like drinking it you did it right, go enjoy it

lowkey hyped the LA Times put our Figgy Pudding latte and Wintermint matcha in their fall drinks list, we take the seasonal stuff pretty serious around here so this one feels good, go try em at any of the four shops latimes.com/food/list/best-p…