I admit I'm a sports fan. I have my go-to sports that I enjoy watching live when I can. In the fall it's all about college football. Every Saturday I hit up a small college football game somewhere in Oregon. In the winter I regularly go to home basketball games at the university where I also am a professor at. However, I've found little that has come close to the emotions, anticipation, and intensity of DH World Cup finals.
Yesterday was no exception.
World Cup season is unlike anything I watch. Although I'm simply a viewer on my computer from afar it's something I look forward to ... like a lot. The trick I've learned is since I don't watch the races live (which is like 5 AM here or something crazy) I wait until the replay is available. That means staying off Pinkbike and social media so there are no spoilers. I have to admit that by the time I watched the previous 2 races (not yesterday) that I already at least knew who won (drat!).
But yesterday I was on my game and when the replay was available on Red Bull TV I started watching it without knowing who won and who else got on the podium.
Oh yeah, and I also tend to watch these races while roasting coffee. With my iMac next to my roaster I have my roasting program open and the rest of the screen is dedicated to DH World Cup. Roasting is a fun process of monitoring the "s-curve" and adjusting the heat and airflow throughout the roast. It truly is a science. However, on race day I've been know to completely mess up a batch or two (which means I take it home to drink). I'll be so engrossed in the race that I will miss a key adjustment ... whoops, forgot to ramp up the temp ... drat, I dropped the beans too late.
If there was ever a weekend tradition that I now love and cherish it is watching the DH World Cup and roasting coffee. Sure, it also means I mess up a batch once it a while, but that's probably because I'm fist-pumping, jumping, and shouting.
I love this sport.
Words by Sean Benesh, Loam Coffee Founder and Brand Manager.