Nick & Ryan Drink Coffee: Roast Summit.
We went to Roast Summit in Portland, Oregon to learn more about the dark art of roasting, and have a cup of coffee with our friend Nick Schmitt from Roastar coffee packaging.
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SEASON 15. BONUS EPISODE: Nick & Ryan Drink Coffee at Roast Summit.
Where: A skatepark in Portland, OR. So cool.
What is Roast Summit: Roast Magazine brings together coffee professionals for an immersive experience in the art and science of coffee roasting, sponsored by Diedrich Roasters.
The train to Portland was running late. My anxiety was already high, having just moved to a new city and a new home the weekend before the 2025 Roast Summit in Portland. I can't explain why, but as I looked around at my fellow passengers, I was strangely comforted by how many people were wearing pleated pants.
Travel used to be much more glamorous, but lately it has all been slip-on shoes and elastic-banded pants. I don't blame people for their fashion choices. Wide lounge seats, meals, and hospitality have given way to being herded like cows into a narrow pen. But the train was different. People were dressed for going out into the world.
I've spent a lot of time in Portland over the past few years, beginning with the Specialty Coffee Expo in '23 and most recently attending Coffee Fest 2025 last spring. This time was no different in that the weather was perfect, the flowers in full bloom, and the city a smorgasbord of great food and drink. The "war zone" you may have been reading about or seeing in carefully cropped videos wasn't anywhere to be seen.
Commentary aside, I was here for Roast Summit, an annual gathering of coffee professionals—primarily from the roasting side of the industry—who attend educational seminars and networking events. Unlike other conventions, I wasn't here on any specific Coffee People podcast business. I wasn't doing any interviews or trying to meet a new sponsor. I was here for the coffee and the community.
It wasn't hard to find. The event launched with a networking event at Buckman Coffee Factory. This co-working space is also the home to Marigold Coffee. There I met some new friends and was surprised to see some old ones. The communing continued after the roasting facility tours at the food carts and bar down the street. I called it early. I learned long ago that I want to hear about the crazy thing that happened the next day, not be part of the story.
The actual Summit consisted of lectures from respected coffee professionals on topics like dark roasting coffees, the chemistry of water, and the cost of roasting on fully electric machines. There were hands-on demonstrations on roasting machines from Sivetz Roasting Machines, Loring, and Diederich. In the kitchen space at The Redd event hall, we participated in guided tastings of dark coffees and cold brews, taking notes using the new (somewhat controversial) SCA forms.
I spent most of my time talking to other attendees. The conversations ranged from work-life balance to how race relations impact the coffee industry, why single-serving K-cups are a necessary (or not) revenue driver, cross-country road trips, why this is the Brewers' year, and whether the coffee being served at the event was good or not. It was.
As a non-roaster, the event wasn't really geared towards an interloper like myself, but I still came away having learned a lot. My notebook is filled with scribbles I don't really understand.* I glaze over at the science of coffee, no matter how many times I've learned it over the life of this coffee podcast effort.
More importantly, I left with new coffee friends and strengthened the bond with some old ones. Coffee is about coffee, sure, but for me, it is about people more. Nick Schmitt and I took the opportunity to have another IRL cup of coffee.
*Mostly from Chris Hendon's excellent water chemistry presentation. It is a testament to his enthusiasm and teaching skill that I understood any of the lecture at all. Learn more about "Dr. Coffee" here: https://news.uoregon.edu/drcoffee
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Emily Smith from Hacea Coffee Source, green coffee importers, has been breaking down her roasting approach to the various coffees that come through the warehouse. Most of this goes right over my head, but if you're all about the Maillard phase, roast curves, moisture content, and beyond, this is the blog for you.
From the most recent: "Today's coffee that we are going to approach is a fresh crop (2025) from Kerehaklu Estate in India. This coffee is a washed coffee with a lime culture added during processing."
NEXT WEEK:
Coffee People connects with Delanie Thurlow of Grounded Packaging Co. and visits Upper Left Coffee Roasters.
JUST FOR FUN-ISH: Speaking of luxury travel, here is a collection of vintage photographs of meals being served on airlines curated by Wilder Shaw. The one below of coffee being served on a Pan-am flight is about the least glamorous of the bunch.
