Houston Miller
Lead Barista Trainer
Quills Coffee
Louisville, Kentucky
What other coffee jobs have you had?
Surprisingly enough, this is my only coffee job I’ve ever had, and I couldn’t be happier.
What’s your favorite part about working in coffee?
It’s always evolving and always a challenge. There’s practically never a boring day on the job, and always something to improve on. And the community could not be better. The huge family that is the coffee industry is wonderful.
Where do you ideally see yourself in 10 years?
Ha! Do any of us know? Few cities top Louisville in my mind, but who knows. I’m interested in finding out.
Who and what inspires you?
There are some great people just in this city that inspire me. Kenny Smith at Sunergos is a wonderful example of customer service and coffee excellence.
What are you drinking right now?
Every now and then, I can’t resist ordering something from Kuma Coffee. The Panama natural they carry is good in this harsh winter Louisville is stuck in right now. Other than that, I’m frequently enjoying a high-grown Kenyan from Embu that I was going to use in the Regional Brewers Cup. I just can’t get enough.
Something that’s not coffee: a friend of mine just handed me a tequila/lime/rosemary cocktail. Whoa.
Crazy/memorable coffee experience you’d like to share?
We have some really great latte art throwdowns around here. Every year we get together in Bowling Green and have a Kentucky versus Tennessee throwdown. Those are so much fun. It doesn’t get much better.
What are you doing when you’re not doing coffee?
Well, I’m a huge nerd. So anything from board/video/card games, to watching ESports (what Super Bowl?).
