Behind the Brew: Glasser Coffee Co.
I first heard of Glasser Coffee Co. from one of my friends who was moving to the Brighton, MA area and, like me, loved to check out new coffee shops in the area. We planned a day to go check it out and oh man, it was worth the trek from where I live! Glasser is located in Oak Square, Brighton, MA, it’s minimalist store front and logo the only indicator that you’re in the right place. Once you enter, you’re greeted by warmth and beautiful plants, and the smell of chocolatey coffee beans fills the small space; this Korean-owned coffee shop is nostalgia and peace found in the bustling city.
During my visit I met Sarah Kim, head barista and manager at Glasser, and this week’s “Behind the Brew” feature!
I visited Sarah on the day that Glasser was closed (although she still opened up the coffee shop for confused strangers hoping to grab some cold brew… she’s honestly a sweetheart), and we sat outside with a matcha and cappuccino while we spoke. Check out what Sarah had to share below!
Tell me about your journey in the coffee industry. What attracted you to this profession?
Sarah Kim, head barista and manager at Glasser
Sarah: “So my first coffee shop job was just out of college in Syracuse. I wasn't ready to move back home to New Hampshire yet. Without really knowing what's next in my life, I stayed in Syracuse where there was a local coffee shop in the university area that was hiring. I applied and got the job, and that's kind of what exposed me to the coffee industry, especially working with small businesses, which was also kind of a first for me too. I did end up staying there for a while and got a library job, but decided to apply to bookbinding school in Boston.
While I was in school in Boston, I was also working at coffee shops too. Coffee shops have always helped me transition from one thing to another, at least on the financial aspect of things. Now Glasser—Alex (owner/founder) and I have been friends since I first moved to Boston, but it was this past year in May that he got this place. It was when the pandemic just really started to get heavy, I suppose. He told me about what was happening here [at Glasser], but I wasn't asked to join the team until maybe July. That's when I said yes, because I don't know the direction I'm going in my life right now either. Finally, a couple of months ago we opened.”
Tell me a little bit about the coffee shop you work at. What’s your favorite part? What’s your least favorite part? What do you look forward to?
Sarah: “What I like about Glasser is the opportunity to be able to build up a coffee shop, literally from the beginning. Not that I have a lot of construction skills like Alex, but I was able to literally help build up certain aspects of the café. Alex, coming from a restaurant background and not so much coffee one, would debate with me about coffee and we would have lots of fun conversations about random things, like flavor and how to achieve the best brew and whatnot. That’s an aspect I really enjoy, as well as just the freedom to be myself.
I feel like [the freedom to be myself] was something I have never really been able to experience outside of the coffee industry. Even though I tried to go into a more “stable” job, like in an office setting or whatever, I just never really found a comfortable place for me to just be myself. It was in coffee shop settings that I started to find my own voice in learning how to communicate, not just with my team. That kind of transitioned into communicating with people in my own life about my needs and concerns and whatnot. That’s is the biggest thing I really like about Glasser. The next thing is my employees. They're really hard workers and they're passionate, and they've been really, really good about dealing with all the tiny changes that we've been constantly making.
Also, I think another thing that sets Glasser apart is that we're always tasting stuff. Something that I picked up during my very short time at Gracenote (coffee shop) is that they’re always tasting their coffee. So, the quality check is there. I think that's something that Glasser also brings, which I feel sets us apart. And honestly, there's not much that I don’t like. Even on the quiet days, even when I'm just staring out the window for 30 minutes… it’s kind of nice.”
What is a sort of surprise/unexpected fact that people wouldn’t know about your profession?
Sarah: “Again, for me, it's really a place where I've learned to communicate. I was always just so quiet and kept to myself, but for some people it really is kind of a stepping point to just opening up. Maybe that's not true for all people, but that was certainly true of my experience.
Also, it's a lot more emotional labor than I thought too. This is my first time as a manager, at all. On the really quiet days or when it's slow, I find myself constantly wondering things like, “oh, are my employees bored? Does it look like I'm doing enough? How much should we be talking about work stuff?” Just a lot of internal thoughts about that. As a manager, I find myself deeply thinking about that a lot. I’m really trying to cultivate a safe space, but it truly boils down to just treating people with respect and making asking questions a normal thing. I don't know what it is about asking questions, but some people take that as an attack and I just don't understand why. I’m trying to normalize some of those things.
And also, there’s a hierarchy. I get that it exists for me taking on this title of manager and there is some sort of power dynamic going on, but I want to make it as approachable and as humanizing as possible. I’m just trying to stay excited and motivated about learning about coffee in general. Even though that part is exciting to me, what is more exciting to me, honestly, is just building genuine relationships with people.”
How has COVID affected your experience as a barista? How has Glasser adapted its business model and strategies in response to the pandemic?
Sarah: “Glasser was born during the time I was furloughed from Gracenote. The opportunity presented itself during the pandemic-- prices were down and whatnot. Because of the pandemic, Alex was able to get this place. It was just kind of this weird thought of, “how can something so amazing be born out of a pandemic?” It’s something I'm still having a hard time accepting. At first I was definitely hesitant being like, “are you sure we want to do this?”, but the way that Alex builds his business and the way that I see it with his restaurant, Coreanos, I can see all the hard work and hustling that he does, which makes me trust that hopefully the hard work will pay off. Despite the pandemic, I felt like I should take on opportunities that present themselves, or I’ll feel like I would regret it. I also understand there's some sort of privilege that comes with that.
My biggest concern during this time was honestly safety, namely surrounding the recent Asian American attacks and conversations around Asian Americans. Not that Brighton or Boston is necessarily the most welcoming or the most diverse, I was just worried about how we would be perceived or how we would be received in the neighborhood. Thankfully, I’ve been feeling really welcomed. Everyone has been really, really kind and welcoming, and saying a lot of supportive things like, “we've been looking for a coffee shop to come around for a while, so glad you guys are here!” For me I expected worse, but to see that I'm feeling pretty supported just by the community here-- that feels nice.
It's weird to have this lens [on Asian Americans] because we disappeared for a while, and then all of a sudden to have this lens on us is interesting. It's good to raise awareness, but at the same time, there's just a whole lot of inner conflict going on.
I don't know. It's shocking, but also not shocking. Gun violence against people of color has been happening for a long time. I think we’re having bigger awareness and only just starting to look at it more critically as a community, as a country, in general.”
2020 has proven to be an incredibly challenging year for the coffee industry. How do you stay motivated through these hardships?
Sarah: “That's a really tough question because I seriously don't know! I feel like I can be very tough on myself, but also, I'm realizing that I've also been very, very tough on other people in my life, not just in my personal life, but maybe my professional one too. I don't know.
For me, it's not really about motivation. It's just really more asking myself, “how do I find joy in the moment and not take things for granted?” Because for me, the pandemic has kind of made me realize how precious not just life in general is, but the little moments as well. You know— with climate change, with the ever turmoil of the political atmosphere… you're just never so sure or certain about the stability of the future. At least that's the way that I see it. So, for me, it's not really about motivation, but just about not taking things so seriously all the time. Cause dang, life will already do that to you. So why do that to yourself?”
Have you noticed any silver linings in your industry since the pandemic hit?
Sarah: “Any silver linings? Hmm. I didn't think that such happiness and joy can be found in such a hard time. Like with Glasser: building up something that Alex and I are very passionate about, connecting on creative levels but also logistical levels, and to have the ability to do the things that I want regardless of the pandemic. However limiting that is, I’m still finding my way to feel peace with myself too. So yeah, that is the silver lining that I've been experiencing.”
What are the best things local customers can do to support your business?
Sarah: “Oh, I love this question because I'm definitely going to talk about it in terms of the microcosm level and macrocosm level. On the micro level, what I can say is: yes, be a regular somewhere and actually build relationships with people that serve you food and drinks that energizes you the first thing in the morning. Get to know people, ask interesting questions other than just “how are you”. Also, just be kind-- don't show up wearing fake masks. Just please wear a real mask! Do the due respect of us being here, doing our thing and wanting to serve you. But man, don't make it so hard for us. I don't want to have to yell at you. Yeah, so that's on the micro level.
On the macro level, learn and accept that climate change is real. Coffee is a natural product that has a finite lifespan, so learn about how climate is affecting the world but also in the sense of how it affects coffee. All the way from the farms themselves, to how it's affecting economies and politics in South America, Africa, etc. We're all connected, you know.
Also try to find ways to talk about black lives in the coffee space because we have to acknowledge that coffee is a stolen crop from Africa. Then there’s the fact that coffee is just so far removed from where it came from. It is being filtered through a European lens! The fact that we follow a traditional Italian coffee brewing method, think about it… what does that mean? When did that become the standard? It’s about decontextualizing what we understand about coffee, and that comes with deconstructing white supremacy, deconstructing imperialism, colonialism, all of that. I think that is really, really important to talk about in the coffee aspect too, because that's definitely a part of it. You know, with climate change who knows how much the coffee industry is going to be affected, but if the science is real, which I do believe in, it's going to affect us a lot.”
Do you have any recommendations for resources to educate myself on the decolonization of coffee?
Sarah: “Instagram has been a great resource and plethora of a lot of really great topics and things to talk about. I try to find coffee roasters that are people of color. There is… is it Onyx coffee lab? Someone, I believe the head roaster, has a podcast. It’s about black lives and coffee. I enjoy looking for resources about coffee knowledge that isn't being taught through a white man. I’m kind of like, “okay, I'm sorry. You’re probably very, very knowledgeable, but I just really want to hear from someone else.””
What is your favorite coffee drink?
Sarah: “I love drip coffee-- just straight up, 12 oz black coffee. There will be times when I like to mix it with sugar and milk but most of the time it's just straight up black coffee.”
Do you have a type of bean that you like?
Sarah: “I used to be a hardcore about African beans, especially the naturally processed ones-- I want the funk, the smell, the stink. I did enjoy that, it had its time. I find myself looking for more chocolatey, balanced coffee lately and honestly the Mountain Climber beans that we've been serving as cold brew and espresso is amazing. Even as drip coffee and especially as a pour-over. Oh, just so delicious. There are notes of brown sugar, Werther’s candy (as Alex described it). That’s what I've been enjoying lately.”
Do you have a coffee ritual?
Sarah: “When I do have the time and space, I like to do a pour over. My morning ritual in general is I wake up, I say hello to my cat, feed her. And then while I'm feeding her, that's when I turn on my coffee pot and start measuring out the coffee. Just really enjoying the quiet, quiet, dark morning of that.
I used to not be a morning person, but the coffee industry made me in morning person, not out of choice… but I am really learning to appreciate being a morning person.”
What's a little-known fact about coffee that many people don't know?
Sarah: “Hm. Let me throw on my barista hat on. Let's see… going off of the macrocosm level: I don't know if you've ever seen the coffee tasting wheel. But essentially, it shows you the fruit notes, herbal notes, nut notes, etc. It's this colorful wheel of different foods and stuff that you can taste with coffee. One of the things that I learned about decolonizing coffee is that that tasting wheel is mainly from a European and American lens, you know? So probably mostly white people's lens of how to taste coffee. As an Asian American person, especially a Korean person, sometimes I might notice things that are just very specific to the kinds of foods I’ve eaten. For example, sometimes coffee might smell like fish to me. I'm sorry if that's offensive to you, but that is just the way I experience it. I don't know. Just because someone else tells you what you are smelling is offensive… get over it. Trust your gut as to what you're tasting and enjoy it in a way that you want because white supremacy is about perfectionism. And that is what I really want to deconstruct in coffee: perfectionism. Understanding that just because one person has very, very strong opinions about coffee, it doesn't mean that they're right.”
What’s the biggest mistake that people make when making coffee at home?
Sarah: “I would maybe say it’s the grind size or learning about proportions of coffee. I know that it can get super technical, and that it requires a kitchen scale, a timer, etc. When approaching coffee in a professional way, maybe when you're trying a different method of brewing or something, even though it might seem overwhelming and complex at first, just enjoy the process. Put on your scientist hat, take some notes. For example, “Oh. If I brewed it for five minutes, wow. This coffee tastes way more like chocolatey, but when I brewed it for three and a half minutes. Whoa. Where did that like fruit note come from?” Be flexible, have fun with it…! I sound so cheesy.”
Anything else you'd like for readers to know?
Sarah: “The pandemic is still real. It's great that we're getting vaccinated but stay vigilant. I hope people learn to be compassionate and kind to others and stay safe.”
MASSIVE Thank you Sarah for taking the time to be a part of this interview! I loved speaking with you and can’t wait to visit Glasser again!