Tuesday, September 29th is National Coffee Day!
In honor of this celebration of caffeination, we sat down with our Owner and Principal Broker, Chris Rooker, and his cup o’ joe. One of the first things nearly everyone discovers about Chris is his love of coffee. So naturally we sought his expertise on local favorites, and also found out how his java fixation came to be.
Q. When did you first get into coffee?
Hmm. Well, right out of college I worked at a patent law firm processing paperwork all day long, and the only thing good about that job other than getting paid was that I had two breaks a day. Two 15 minute breaks, and everyone I worked with either took a cigarette break or a coffee break. And I thought about it, and it seemed like coffee would be the better choice.
Q. Was there a moment when it went from “I drink coffee” to “I love coffee”?
Yes. I was living in Northern Virginia, and a friend took me to my first Starbucks. It was a super cool, eclectic coffee shop, back in the early 90s. I started going to Starbucks, and that's where I really learned to love coffee. It went from something that simply woke me up to something that I love.
Q. What's your favorite coffee shop in the area?
I like lots of different coffee shops for different reasons, and almost all of them are downtown. The best Americano, in my opinion, is the Aristocat Cafe. I really love the environment and food at Broad Porch. I also like the quiet and the sofas at Crucible Coffee in the Agora market. And if I’m just driving around and I want a takeout Americano, I’ll stop in at the Coffee Hound.
Q. What is your go-to order?
A hot Americano, 12 ounces, with a little bit of room.
Q. Iced or hot?
I do not drink cold coffee. I am actually against it. I think about it the way I think about jet skis; I don't want to like it.
Q. Black coffee or dressed up?
I used to be really committed to drinking my coffee black, but as I got older, I found I needed cream to make it easier on my stomach. I used to look down on people who had to add things to their coffee; now I am one of them.
Q. Do you have a specific setup at home?
I don't really have a setup at home, but at the office here we have a Moccamaster, which I think is the best drip coffee on the planet. I’ve tried just about every coffee maker known to man. I’ve done Chemex pour-over, French Press, Aeropress, but I’ve really kind of settled into my Moccamaster here in the office.
Q. What's the worst coffee you’ve ever had?
The worst coffee I’ve ever had is a tie between the time I was at a friend's house and her mom put salt in my coffee instead of sugar by mistake, but I was too young and embarrassed to say anything about it, so I just drank it. And then recently, Celeste was descaling our coffee maker at the office, the Moccamaster, and she hadn’t run all the vinegar out of it and made a cup of coffee for me, and that was pretty terrible too.
Whether you prefer it hot, iced, black, or you “just like a coffee in your cream”, there are lots of great options for a caffeination situation in downtown Harrisonburg. And next time you descale your office coffee maker, be sure you have a cup yourself before proudly sharing the pot with your colleagues. Happy National Coffee Day, from our mug to yours!
