About Roasty

Matt founded Roasty Coffee in 2015 and in the early days was doing a lot of our writing and starring in all the videos (which you can still find on our YouTube channel). Matt is no longer actively involved with Roasty, but he's still very much an entrepreneur. You can keep up with him over at MoneyLab.co

Austin most recently worked as the Director of Education for Carabello Coffee and is a regularly featured expert on the Roasty Coffee YouTube channel. Austin has top level certification through the Specialty Coffee Association, has judged at regional barista competitions, was a Starbucks barista champion in Southern California and developed & taught the Starbucks Coffee Master Program.

Starla Gatson is a Louisiana-based freelance writer and editor with a BA in communication (journalism) from Louisiana Tech. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her curled up on a couch at her favorite coffee shop sipping a vanilla oat milk latte, a classic cappuccino, or a cafe au lait.

Addict and aficionado, Ed Hannam has followed coffee around the world from the bazaars of Persia to the ports of the Black Sea, the bars of Italy to the kitchens of Columbians. Self-described as a 'Coffee Wrangler' he finds pleasure in getting the best from any cup be it a hand pulled ristretto or instant from a tin, considering context to be as important as the grind. A fascination with making coffee outdoors, he is devoted to the emergence of hand espresso devices and using them in places like the Himalayas and jungles of India.

Clark grew up in Nyack, NY, and is now based in Philadelphia, PA. Coffee has always been a part of his family and since high school, he's enjoyed sharing a ritual “coffee break” with his Mom. Whether he's looking for new cafes in NYC or Philly, or brewing a cup at home, he always finds coffee is best shared.

At home, Clark uses a french press, cold brew, and Moka pot, but by far, his favorite way to make coffee is with his Gaggia Classic espresso machine. Clark makes himself a straight double shot of espresso every morning and it’s his favorite drink. Clark loves to grind fresh whole beans from local roasters in Philly.

When he's not writing about coffee, Clark works in the healthcare industry as a mechanical engineer. He hopes to one day combine his passion for coffee and espresso with his technical skills and education in engineering. Clark's dream is to have a full-time career in coffee.

Stormi prefers her coffee cold, but her takes are pretty hot, with a sweet spot for a good decaf and a stockpile of guilty-pleasure instants. When she does go hot and caffeinated, nothing compares to a café con leche from her favorite local restaurant (shout out to Latin Food in West Monroe, LA). Outside of being a divisive coffee connoisseur, Stormi is interested in oral history, storytelling, and accessible communication, and hopes to pursue a career in Library and Information Science… undoubtedly supported by a massive jar of cold-brew.

Victoria is a Louisiana native who enjoys spending time with friends and family, photography, and scary movies. Some of her earliest memories with coffee include drinking "coffee-milk" with her great grandmother from as early as five years old. Working as a barista, coffee blogger, and coffee/food photographer, some of her favorite coffee beverages include lattes, cortados, almost every type of iced coffee imaginable.

Pamela Morgan is a freelance writer and playwright, with plays produced across the United States and the UK. She’s the mother of two humans and two dogs, so she stays extra-caffeinated every morning with a whole pot of fresh ground coffee. Her favorite way to drink it is hot and black, but she'll never turn down a dairy-free latte in the middle of the day.

Alice is a former barista who worked in upscale cafes perfecting her coffee craft. These days, she’s taken her love of brewing into her own kitchen, where she’s in the process of building a home coffee bar. In her spare time, she loves blogging, traveling the world, and sampling coffee from every continent.

Samantha didn’t grow up with a love for coffee; in fact, it was after college before she had her first quality sip when a good friend of hers took her to a local artisan coffee shop. That trip opened her eyes to a whole new world of caffeinated possibilities! Over the years, her love for coffee has grown, as has her collection of coffee makers and gadgets. Her lazy mornings and weekends are spent in search of that perfect cup, but the journey is half the fun!

Nicole is a stay at home mom with 3 kids, so coffee for her is more of a necessity than a hobby. She goes with Pike Place at Starbucks and generally prefers dark roast coffees. Her husband gifted her a (pastel green) Technivorm Moccamaster, which has taken her at home morning coffee to another level.

Barista turned freelance writer, based in Australia. I love educating people about manual brewing methods and single origin coffees, showing them a world of coffee they didn’t know existed. As a true coffee lover, I give every brewing method a chance but a black coffee from Kenya prepared in my V60 is my favourite morning companion. My go-to order is a long black but I won’t say “no” to a flat white.

Marley is a stay-at-home dog parent and dual citizen who will stop at every Starbucks between Toronto and Wisconsin. She grew up loving coffee but became even more interested in it when she lived in Costa Rica and got to know some of the people who spend their lives producing coffee and their brewing methods. She's almost always curled up in her backyard working on her laptop with a coffee in hand.

Heather is a coffee lover to the core. She started her love affair with coffee at a young age and never looked back. When everyone else wanted a car for their 16th birthday, Heather begged her mom for a Keurig machine. Heather has an MA in Mass Communication and works as a freelance writer. When she’s not writing or trying out the newest coffee recipe, she loves to spend time with her two dogs, Sierra and Blake.

Kelsey is a long-time coffee fan who spends her days chasing two energetic kids and a dog around her home in southern VA. She typically caffeinates using her Jura super automatic espresso machine with occasional forays into French Press or cold brew coffee. If you're making a good old fashioned pot of drip coffee, though, she'll never turn down a cup. When she gets a chance to sit down with her coffee, you'll definitely find a book in her hand.

Jonathan left the IT world to start his own café just six months after tasting a Panama Geisha pour over for the first time. This moment sparked a love affair with coffee that has not lost steam since. An unexpected pioneer of Specialty Coffee in the Philippines, he had to wear many hats and quickly learn the ropes of running a startup. It was a challenging time that later proved to be rewarding, thanks to connections and opportunities that helped shape the rest of his coffee career.

Jonathan is an SCA-certified coffee roaster, and has both joined and judged local coffee competitions. He won the Grand Barista Cup in 2013, and has consistently made the Final 6 in the National Barista Championships up until his last stint in 2018. He also recently discovered that he enjoys writing about coffee about as much as he does making it. His favorite things to write about are coffee gear deep-dives and informative pieces demystifying industry jargon.

These days, you can find him at Exchange Alley Coffee House in Manila, where he heads green beans sourcing and client training for the coffee-roasting side of the business. His go-to drink is the 'duet' — a single shot of espresso served with a single shot cortado.

Kevin resides in beautiful Southern California. He was an SCAA-certified barista and spent over 9 years working in a variety of roles within the coffee world. His love of coffee took him out of the shop and into the roastery, where he found a deeper understanding of what goes into the perfect cup. After taking a break from coffee he went into the culinary arts and worked at a Michelin plate restaurant, where his passion for coffee continued to influence the dishes he made both professionally and privately. These days he can be found at home tinkering with a new brew method or cooking and baking with coffee while further exploring its many creative uses.

Taylor is a coffee-obsessed writer who’s worked as a barista at a Starbucks, a coffee truck, and now a small local shop. With all the different coffee experiences she’s had, she applies the knowledge to her own coffee setup at home. She’s also an avid reader and writer with a BA in English and Creative Writing. She loves spending her free time in small coffee shops and can’t turn down a good horror movie.

Dave Mertzig is a Dublin-based freelance writer and former coffee roaster and barista. He loves all things coffee, from the berry to the brew. From farmers in Guatemala to roasters in Oakland and baristas in Melbourne, Dave has met and learned from some of the best people in the industry. As a coffee writer, he wants to demystify the craft so that anyone can learn how to make amazing coffee in their own kitchen.

With two years of barista experience under their belt, Hannah is a long time coffee lover and part time freelance writer. Hannah enjoys writing and talking about their special interests such as coffee, knitting, the impact of trauma and how to be a better and more equitable teacher in the classroom. Their morning rituals involve creating a quality cup of coffee using a Chemex or an at home latte using an AeroPress and handheld milk frother. Hannah enjoys hiking the local trails in Philadelphia, adventuring with their kiddo around the city and visiting their local coffee shops to compare roasts and quality of lattes.