Hero Shot of different coffees you can get at Prosum Roasters - Nikon D750 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D @ f/4 1/60th ISO 800
As I approached the address for Prosum Roasters I was not exactly sure if I was at the right spot. I was expecting a cafe, but it was a kind of warehouse looking building with double industrial doors as the only possible entrance. Next door was a doggy daycare. Luckily the doors opened as I approached and I was welcomed by the owner, Cynthia. All good!
"Volcano shot" of milk getting poured into ice coffee - Nikon D750 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens @ f/2.8 1/500th ISO 4000
Once inside working with Cynthia and her staff, we set up a very nice background for photographing her packages of roasted coffee beans and both hot and cold coffee drinks by placing a burlap coffee bag down and spreading out some loose beans.
Cynthia also told me her admirable coffee sourcing philosophy of actually going abroad to the countries she buys coffee from and visiting the villages and meeting the coffee farmers in person. She donates 10% of profits to help benefit the coffee farmers. Check out her website to order coffee today.
Coffee art at Prosum Roasters in Albuquerque, New Mexico - Nikon D750 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens @ f/11 0.8s ISO 100
The barista showed off both her foam top art skills as seen in the photo above, and also her pouring skills which I learned was called a "volcano shot." As the milk goes through the coffee it looks like a lava lamp?? I was amazed at the complex designs one can make on the top of a cup of coffee! Myself, I am not a coffee drinker and have only ever ordered hot chocolate and apple juice from the few rare times I have been in a Starbucks, so the trend of making a cup of coffee into a work of art dazzled me!
When I told people I shot in a coffee roaster, they said how it must have smelled great inside. Actually, it seemed to smell like cigarettes and burnt popcorn! The roasting process is not the same as brewing coffee on your home pot!