Setting the bar in coffee standards

In 2012, he was appointed Head judge of the Coffee of the year Competition in Brazil and then invited to be lecturer in Ethiopia at the International Natural Conference. In the latter, he worked with farmers to raise the quality of their crops through educating about farming and post-processing method Global Standards

In 2014, he expanded his work to teaching courses to coffee businesses in Hong Kong, Korea, and China, under the SCAA certifying body.

The coffee critic & presence

In 2016, he moved on from teaching courses to focus on consultancy work spanning Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia. He considers this part of his work a highly satisfying as he is able to focus on coffee tasting and critique, helping people already in coffee businesses make the best choices and farmers to achieve the fairest trade for their labour. He feels blessed to be able to combine his best skill sets — tasting and trading in his daily work.

To Eddie, truly knowing coffee means appreciating coffee as a process. It is not about the modern culture of cool image and machines.

“80% of what quality coffee is about begins at the farm — how well the farmers work with nature to produce the optimal beans that is particular to their microclimate; it is about soil and altitude and water; how beans are fairly evaluated and fair compensation is paid to the farmers — in short, all the elements that establishes the foundations of sustainability. Only then comes the roasting and brewing, which takes up 30%”

“Coffee taught me many things,” Eddie says. “Most of all, presence, observation and honesty.”

To him, not one link in the coffee process can hide any fudging; one step affects another intricately. Basic integrity underlies the quality of coffee. The coffee taster at the end of the line must observe the entire chain of process to evaluate a coffee. To ensure fine fairness to all involved in the effort from tree to coffee cup, he says that:

“the evaluator must be able to let go of all preferences and preconceived ideas. To be wholly present in that tasting to do justice to the bean.”

Health as self-care

Eddie’s health, like his career, also underwent a sea-change through the years. From overweight days as a corporate high flier in the steel trading industry to a very lean and wiry frame at present, Eddie considers health to be a very fundamental expression of self-care.

He enjoys the freedom of feeling vital and healthy, without the lethargy and discomfort of lugging around excess weight.

He went from being grossly unhealthy ten years ago, to raw vegan, and then to thriving on a wholefood ketogenic diet.

He takes himself to be his own experimental ground and never takes consumer knowledge as a given. What comes as science to him is only useful if he sees it work in his life.

He shares his personal insights to health on his youtube channel.