The Barista Babe… 

By education, Kat is a professional translator who reads, writes and speaks three languages.  But Kat is also an artist who loves coffee, and dreamed about some day having her own ‘artsy coffee shop.’  

I had read an article by a coffee connoisseur, who explained that only two things were needed for a great cup of coffee: 1) great beans, and 2) a great barista.  His argument was that with great beans, a great barista can make a great cup of coffee using whatever is at hand.  Conversely, the best espresso machine in the world can’t make a great cup of coffee without great beans, nor can it do so with great beans if the operator doesn’t know how to use it properly.  So, in short, his argument was that the magic is in the beans and the barista, not in the expensive machines.

So when Kat & I decided to start up a little B&B and Coffee Shop on the tiny island of Koh Mak, Kat did what she always does: she dove full in; lock, stock and barrel.  She immediately went to Bangkok and enrolled herself in a barista school.  And as soon as she as she completed the barista school, she enrolled herself in a baking school.  Kat then started endlessly baking and making coffee, over and over and over again; carefully tasting each and every result—while learning lessons and tweaking recipes as she went.  You really have to love what you’re doing to have that sort of perseverance, and Kat’s love of coffee showed!

For beans, Kat wanted to promote local Thai coffee beans bought directly from northern Thai farmers; so no brokers, no wholesalers, no middlemen.  Kat arranged with her friend in Bangkok, EspressoMan, to have his fresh roasted ‘through-the-fence’ northern Thai beans shipped directly to her on Koh Mak.  

But on the tiny tropical island with its corrosive and difficult climate, its unreliable electric grid, and being one hour from the mainland by speed boat, there was no way to get timely service for an expensive espresso machine that is mission-critical for a coffee shop.  So instead we purchased multiple less expansive home espresso machines.  Kat simultaneously used three of these machines in her ‘coffee corner’ (one for teas!), and we kept a fourth one on the shelf just for backup.  Somehow it all came together, and 10 years of smiles and happy voices emanating from Kat’s Coffee Shop—itself overflowing with Kat’s Art—was a rewarding testimonial to the success of Kat’s dream.  

Even the Stefan Loose German-language ‘Travel Guide for Thailand’ claimed that we served the “best breakfast & coffee on Koh Mak.”  And while I agree with Stefan, the great coffee was entirely Kat’s doing—the Barista Babe!

After Covid, we returned to the Idaho side of Thaidaho, and Kat worked for a year and a half at a local coffee shop.  And while she loved making coffee again, and enjoyed her co-workers, it just couldn’t match the feeling of having complete creative control over what and how everything was made and served.  So Kat moved on, and now she works at the local print shop that has always printed her original art; trying to learn more about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ technical side of printing art.  

But we’re not stupid: we kept one of those espresso machines, and we continue to enjoy the barista babe’s coffee—each and every day!  You can Click on any photo below to launch a slideshow starting at that point.  And if you’d like to chat with Kat about making coffee, you can email or message her via her Contact Page.