When you do something you love, you never work a day in your life

When you do something you love, you never work a day in your life

Featuring John Moriarity of Fontine Story by Liesel Schmidt Photography by Jeff Heeney

A lover of coffee and a self-proclaimed imbiber who requires 300 mg of caffeine, or three shots of espresso, to find his “sweet spot,” it wasn’t until 2018 that Moriarity actually made a career out of his beloved bean. “A friend of mine invited me to check out a small sample roaster he'd bought used on Ebay and suddenly it dawned on me... I knew so little about coffee, a beverage I drank every day,” Moriarity explains. “We spent the next months in his parents’ carport after our busy day jobs, learning the basics of coffee roasting and coffee chemistry. Nico [my friend] soon moved to Miami, where he started a coffee shop, and suddenly my phone started buzzing with coffee orders. I trained to become a barista, bought a roaster of my own, and began delivering fresh roasted beans to a few dozen folks. My phone has been ringing ever since.” Now the proud owner of Roastee Toastee Coffee, Moriarity is a purveyor of only the finest quality, locally fresh-roasted beans. “The delicious proof is in the cup,” he explains. “It's also written right on the bags of beans. I name the coffee farm where the coffee is grown, I put the Q grade of the coffee on there too, along with the exact roast date. Consumers should be empowered to view coffee as more than just powder in a can. After all, they're seeds from coffee cherries and have a lot in common with fresh produce.”

Moriarity’s expertise in coffee is now almost encyclopedic, a clear indication of his passion. “Did you know that coffee contains over 1,500 chemical compounds?” he marvels. “800 of these compounds are volatiles, aka flavors. It's a remarkably complex and delicious beverage with seemingly magical qualities. And it brings people together in such a wholesome way. Historically, coffee has played a pivotal role in so many cultural revolutions, from helping usher in the Renaissance, to pushing forward the Industrial Revolution. More recently, it has played an important role in the foodie revolution. It's such a universal ritual, a joyful reason to phone a friend and meet up.” Moriarity began working with Fontaine Caffe & Creperie in April of this year, bringing his beans to the experience. “We have such a talented team, from the servers and baristas to everyone in the kitchen,” he says. “It's a terrific group of folks.”




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