Good coffee making a better world
Hey, I’m Sandra, and I believe good coffee can change the world.
Did you know that coffee is one of the most traded products on the planet? Right behind oil copper, and corn.
Coffee is at the beginning of so many good days, and it was a way of getting under your skin and becoming part of a culture. That’s why so many places identify so strongly with coffee - there’s turkish coffee and ethiopian coffee ceremony and Vietnamese Coffee and cafe de olla - coffee has this unique way of making a place feel like home.
I’ve spent the last 15 years in the coffee industry. I’ve been a barista, roaster, green buyer, and most recently I became a coffee educator at my own firm, Loupe Coffee.
I specialize in coffee quality and training people in quality evaluation. Maybe you’ve heard people toss around scores like “oh, this coffee is an 86” or “Omg did you taste that coffee? I scored it 90!” and I teach people how to assess coffees and assign those scores by becoming a Q Grader, which is kind of like being a coffee sommelier.
I’m particularly dedicated to getting more certified Q Graders in coffee producing countries, and last year I was able to teach at the first ever certified cupping lab in La Paz, Bolivia.
I believe that we can build more equity in this industry plagued by colonialism, stacked markets, and unfair economic policies by increasing the level of expertise in coffee producing regions.
In case you missed it, I’m actually Latina and my family is from chile. Spanish is my native language and I also learned Portuguese and French. I love cooking and food, and learning about how different cultures approach different ingredients, which is part of why I found a love for coffee.
You may have seen my articles in places like Roast Magazine, Barista Magazine, Coffee T&I, and other places. Understanding sensory perception and coffee quality are my key drivers, so if you want to learn more about the science of taste and the world of coffee, please like and follow! Until then, Happy sipping
