Flight attendant spreads his wings as Master Roaster

By Janis Hashe
orginally appeared in the July 2008 issue of Specialty Coffee

The occupation on Kent Baumhover's card reads, "Master Crafter" and the founder of Coffee Crafters Roastery in Chattanooga, Tenn., ain't whistling dixie.  He loves crafting coffee, from choosing beans and roasting, to the art of cupping and pairing coffee with food.  Moreover, he loves sharing this knowledge, which is why his loyal, enthusiastic staff of five might just be some of the best baristas around.  What he hates, however, is pretension, or as he says, "presentation vs. product quality."

As a Delta Airlines flight attendant (he's still flying for the Atlanta-based carrier a few hours a month), he experienced coffee making in Italy and France, and found himself wondering at how hard it was to get a bad cup of coffee there.  So he started "stalking" coffeehouses.  With his base of knowledge and interest growing.  Baumhover downsized his Delta hours and in June 2003 opened Coffee Crafters across the street from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  "I was rejected by every lender in the Southeast," he says, "But I opened anyway."

At 457 square feet, CC is an intimate space that showcases art created by customer.  In addition to the bar and two or three tables inside, there's an outside seating at sidewalk tables and in the popular patio, with it gurgling fountain and umbrella-topped tables.  Although indoor space was at a premium, Baumhover first located his roaster on the premises so customers could get an inside peek at the process.

Coffee education is another on of his passions.  "As a small-batch roaster, we can preserve the flavor spectrum of each varietal," Baumhover says.  "I am a big fan of medium roasts, and I want the customer to understand why."  His website states: "I choose coffees with vivid flavor characteristics and protect the flavor spectrum by limiting coffees to the medium, medium-dark range to allow the distinct flavor nuances to pop through.  Dark roasts are carefully roasted to avoid any ashy or smoky nuances, and are generally blended with well-balanced medium roasts.  I believe we have an obligation to express the true potential of the unroasted coffee to show our customers that the world is full of flavor and diversity in character - and coffee is a great way to show this."

Baumhover soon had to move the roaster to a separate facility, but still trains employees intensively on roasting and preparation before the begin work as baristas.  Each employee, primarily recruited from his customer base ("I see how they interact with people when they are not trying to get a job," he says.) is also fully trained in preparing the food menu items that comprise the other major portion of CC's sales.  "Food evolved very quickly after we opened," Baumhover says.  It began with the signature Turkey and Artichoke Parmesan Spread sandwich invented by Baumhover, and blossomed to include both breakfast items, such as the popular B'Eggel, and lunch sandwiches, wraps and salad.

"I've built our menu items to represent the big flavor qualities of a good espresso blend," he says.  "Sweet, salty, sour, and bitter elements give the food excitement and uniqueness."

CC offers three in-house roasted coffee brews daily, occasionally including the temptingly named "Diamond Hammer," as well as a range of specialty preparations, such as Cafe Breve, espresso with steamed half-and-half, Republic of Tea choices, Ghirardelli hot chocolate and Caramel Apple Cider are also on the hot beverage menu.

House-roasted coffee by the pound is not a huge seller in CC's current location.  Baumhover believes this is because 90 percent of his customers stop by every day, so they don't need to buy beans for home.  That may change with the opening of two new locations; one a coffee kiosk inside a downtown exercise facility, and the other an ambitious blending of coffeehouse and wine bar.  "I really see it as an interactive experience for both coffee and wine," he says.  "You'll be able to taste coffee just as you do wine, as an expresso, as a French press, as a brew ..."  He's already planted a micro-vinyard although the final site for the new space has not been selected.

Customers can be sure that Baumhover plans to continue the atmosphere, which he feels is CC's best asset.  "We have a true sense of community here, something that has been lost in a lot of places over the years," he says.  "I feel there is a reciprocal experience between our customers and us.  The communication in this place is what keeps the doors open.  And in nearly five years, I have never once come in here thinking, 'Ugh, I don't want to come to work.'  I've seen the whole cycle of UTC students graduate and come back as customers in their first jobs.  I really love that."