INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS BY BRANDON JONES

In Tending Bar, we like to take a moment and get to know those folks behind the counter at your favorite bar, coffee shop, juice bar, or other beverage-making establishment. After-all, you probably see these friendly faces more often than you'd like to admit and there's a lot more to them than just the way that craft their drinks. In this edition we talk with Roy Robertson of Cultivar. Read on for more!

Roy Robertson is a barista at Cultivar Coffee. One could easily make the argument that the little shop on Hickory St. inside of a doughnut store serves some of the best coffee in town (definitely top three). Robertson is also a musician (you probably know him best from the recently defunct Denton band Pageantry) and just an all around solid dude. We stopped by Cultivar last week to talk with Robertson and grab a few photos of him at work to document his process.

We Denton Do It: Hey Roy! How did you become a barista?

Robertson: I graduated college and was looking for something that would work with my schedule as a musician.

How long have you been doing this now?

I've been working in coffee shops off and on for about 5 years now.

What's the coffee scene like in Denton?

Really great, on par with a lot of bigger cities both in quality and diversity. Most people from the third wave shops know each other and are good friends so the community is pretty strong here.

What are you drinking yourself when you're at work?

Straight espresso.

What tips would you give to those who are interested in getting into the coffee industry?

I'd say become a regular at the shop you want to work at, drink a lot of good coffee to learn how to taste flavor notes and try to form relationships with the baristas. A lot of us started out at lower quality shops or Starbucks so you might have to pay some dues first. Favorite part of your job? The smell of coffee never gets old

Thanks, Roy!

You can find Robertson behind the counter at the Denton location of Cultivar Coffee at 235 W Hickory St. Cultivar is open Monday - Friday from 7am - 2pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 8am - 3pm. Don't you wish their hours were longer?