Hey, my name is Sarah, and I am 14 years old.

Last year I entered the Home Roasting category and won a bronze medal and my little brother, Zed, won a gold, so I was out to beat him this year … which I did, when I won a gold and a bronze medal. The gold medal blend that I created for the comp was Sumatran and Rwanda, 350 g of each, roasted separately in the Behmor. I was staying at a family friend’s place, when Dad texted me saying, “Are you awake?” I replied with, “Yes”, and the phone rang with a very happy and excited Dad. He said that he had just come from the Golden Bean award ceremony, and that I had won a gold medal! I couldn’t believe it! I was so excited and overwhelmed, I didn’t know what to think. Dad was very excited and proud that his girls took out 2 gold medals.

It’s still a shock to think that I now have 3 medals in 2 years. When Dad came back home, I got a little horse shoe with my name on it and a gold medal with a blue ribbon. Tiana (my sister) won gold and a bronze and Zed (my brother) won 2 silvers, so we all did amazingly well! Dad mentioned all of the cheering when all of the Freeman kids won a medal. I just wanted to say, “Thank you” to the Golden Bean and their judges, Behmor for the amazing roasters that I used for my coffee and of course, Dad, for letting me select the beans from his work. The other bean that I used for the milk based entry was the Tanzanian Ronini, which Coffee Snobs members helped them produce. They raised money for equipment to help them process a better grade of coffee, along with a fresh water supply and blankets to keep them warm. This happens from just donating 50c for every kilo of coffee sold, green and roasted. People also make donations, which all helps to make this happen. This amazing foundation is called FairCrack.
I’m very happy with my medals and can’t wait ‘til next year!