– Can you please introduce yourself in a few words.
My name is Marcos Iglesias. I’m an Argentine immigrant living in Brooklyn. I’m 26 years old. I’m married to an amazing human named Cassie. I love coffee, wine, pizza, photography, bikes and being outside.

– What’s your story in the coffee industry?
I graduated with a degree in Spanish literature a few years back. I tried reaching for a while but didn’t like the education system. I decided to take a little break from education to try to be a bike messenger and barista. I quickly fell in love with working with coffee and the rest is history.

– What’s your specialty and what makes you different?
I don’t know if I have a specialty. That’s one of the things I like about coffee. There’s so much to do and learn that I feel like I’ll never be limited to just one aspect of the industry. I like people. I like Spanish. I like teaching. I like drinking coffee with and making coffee for others. I don’t know if that makes me different, but they’re some truths about me.

– What was your first coffee experience?
I think the first time I tried coffee was after an all-nighter at some middle school event. It was loaded with powdered creamer and sugar.

– How/when have you discovered about specialty coffee?
My first good coffee experience was at a great coffee shop in the city I went to college in. They had a rotating single-origin on batch brew all the time and as I started going I realized I could taste the differences and that exited me. Over time I developed likes and dislikes and that was crazy to me. The coffee cost $1.50 for 12oz and you could get a refill for $.50. I used to drink a lot of coffee there while I’d work on school stuff.

– What was your best coffee experience?
I don’t know if I have a best coffee experience. My first coffee cupping was very memorable. I had a super memorable espresso served to me when I judged the US barista competition this last year.

– Do you prepare coffee at home ? If yes, what method do you use?
I do, but not very often. I have a home espresso machine I really enjoy using when I have time.

– How do you like your coffee? Black, sugar and milk, iced, Vietnamese style,…?
Black. I usually go for espresso.

– How would you qualify yourself as coffee drinker (occasional, heavy, addict…)?
I drink coffee everyday. Usually one cup for enjoyment. Most of the coffee I drink is evaluative. To see its quality.

– Have you always been into the coffee industry? If not, what was your previous job?
I worked a few jobs before coffee, but most were just part-time during school. I’ve worked in restaurants and retail. My only other serious job was teaching Spanish.

– Do you have another passion or a hobby besides coffee?
Of course. I like photography, although I’m not good at it. I like reading in Spanish. I like wine. I like good food and cooking. I like riding bikes. I think it’s important to have many hobbies and passions outside of work.

– What other place would you recommend, anywhere in the world (coffee or not)?
I grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I think it’s a beautiful city with a lot of interesting culture. I always recommend people visit. I’ve never had an even remotely good coffee there, but I’ve heard that specialty coffee is developing there since the last time I visited.

– What is/are your favorite website(s) to get information about coffee?
Hmm…I think Scott Rao’s blog is very interesting. I think Sprudge has some good stuff about what’s going on globally in the coffee biz.

– What would you say to people who don’t know much about coffee?
I don’t know. I guess it depends on what they would want to know about it.

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Thomas

Thomas Wyngaard est fondateur de OK Coffee et un des rares experts en Café de Spécialité en Belgique francophone. Il est consultant indépendant, enseignant (certifié par la Specialty Coffee Association de janvier 2018 à avril 2021), tour-ist et broadcaster. Après avoir été formé en France, en Pologne et en Estonie, il fait ses armes chez les meilleurs en Belgique, pour ensuite migrer pendant presque 2 ans à New York où il a officié comme conseiller et formateur. Au-delà de la formation sur les métiers du café, il collabore avec des torréfactions belges engagées sur la reconnaissance du café de spécialité, œuvrant ainsi à un monde meilleur “one bean at a time”.