Name: Dee Traylor, better known as Walt Deezy
Company: Rosalind Coffee Company
Position: Owner, Roaster, Barista, Green Buyer, Renaissance Man
Based: New York, New York
Expos Attended: Lost count (βDouble digits, for sureβ)
JJ: So you love Expos?
WD: Iβve been doing this for a long time and I love Expos. I go to every tradeshow I possibly can go to.
JJ: What are you typically going for? What are the typical activities that you seek out when youβre at an Expo?
WD: Definitely support the baristas when theyβre competing with the Brewers Cup and all the major competitions. But I personally love the latte art competitions. You meet so many fun new people, even just now people who are just getting into coffee, they understand latte art, they understand what pretty is. Right? So it is really cool to be around like-minded people competing. Iβm very competitive so, I win a lot. Iβve never been to a tradeshow and not won.
JJ: What all have you won here?
WD: This time? So far Iβve won Breville latte art throwdown, the Elmhurst latte art throwdown, the Pacific Latte Art throwdown, and the Califia latte art throwdown. And thereβs three more going on today.
JJ: Have you seen any unique trends this year at the Expo?
WD: Yeah, a lot of good latte artists and a lot of alternative milk producers, a lot of them are turning to oat milk, it seems like everyone is doing a really good job at it. I like how [thereβs] a lot of competitions with artists, milk providers, and also machine providers. So everybodyβs getting better cause everyone wants to overtop the person. Competition makes us great, lack of competition can get us stagnant. Iβm liking how everybodyβs getting better, at a rapid rate. Itβs awesome.
JJ: Before, we were chatting about how youβre a hustler, you really like to make things happen. Iβm curious how you got into coffee and what makes you so excited about it.
WD: A guy named Jason Ally, we were at like Starbucks, and he told me to get passionate about something. He looked around and he like, βWhy donβt you work here?β Why not? My first job was Starbucks, and working as a barista was so much fun, I was like, βOh yeah, gotta have that!β
I also wanted it because I wanted to hang out with a lot of people from all walks of life. You canβt just go up to a guy in a really nice suit and say, βHey, letβs be friends,β thatβs weird. But you could do that over coffee. You can do that while you serving. You can do it like, while speaking about a like-minded thing, and coffee was my vessel to have those relationships. So thatβs why I stuck with it, and did for as long as I have. Iβve never done anything else for as long than being in coffee. I am an old man in coffee.
JJ: Oh? Youβre an old man in coffee?
WD: Yup, a thousand years.
JJ: Really? Youβre looking really great for a thousand.
WD: Thank you! See? I got theβ¦ you know. Whatβs that disease called? Benjamin Buttons! So I look good, but Iβm old as dirt.
JJ: Hey, whatever works. So for the newbie baristas, coming into their next Expo or their first tradeshow, what advice do you have for them?
WD: Watch the show. Watch, learn, and also, donβt be afraid to talk to people. Point someone out like, βMan, I love that artβ¦can you show me?β Compete. Donβt be scared because itβs your first time and you see these guys that are like veterans. Losing builds progress. Practice doesnβt make perfect, it makes permanent. I get those muscle memories going and youβre facing really good people, you see what they do and youβre like, βOh man, next time Iβm gonna do this,β and donβt be afraid of losing. After you take a couple of Lβs, youβll stop shaking, youβll stop getting as nervous, and that helps you get better. Donβt be shy, seek a sensei, and be open to new ideas and new pours, and new adventures.
JJ: I feel like youβre pushing what a barista competition looks like. Youβre pushing it in new directions and Iβm curious what your strategy is when youβre developing a presentation?
WD: For a longtime, I used to go to throwdowns and they werenβt boring, because there was still competition, it was cool, but it was just cool. Iβm like, βWhat weβre doing is amazing right now,β it should be presented as that. I really wanted to make it big, so started working on βOkay, how can I make this even more fun? How can I keep peopleβs eye on us? Okay, Iβm gonna throw some baby powder around now. Okay?β People are amazed when theyβve never seen me do that before. Throw in some fireworks. Oh? Yβall used to me doing fireworks now? Alright, let me get a fog machine and a cape. Cool. Alright, yβall seen that before now too? Lemme get a panda head. Who knows, maybe next time Iβll get a panda and me and the panda come down the stage together. I donβt know. I got to keep topping it, keep making it fun and a spectacle because what weβre doing is a spectacle and people love it. A lot of people donβt understand the barista competition. Even though I love it personally, a lot of people donβt understand it. A regular guest would not understand a barista competition. Itβs very tactile and its very unique and itβs very niche. Youβve got the cream of the crop competing, like those are the best baristas possible! But regular customers kind of only understand regular stuff and they understand pretty. What we do is pretty, letβs keep doing it. Itβs something that everybody can relate to and come together and watch. I like to put on a show.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Read all of our conversations from the 2019 Specialty Coffee Expo.