“I nicknamed it ‘Gertrude’ due to the fact it was made in Germany. It’s about 50 years old, but the older the better when it comes to these machines,” Sturgis said. “I compare it to a chef, who has a certain stove or oven he prefers to use, you really get a feel for what it’s telling you. This ensures a consistent quality product time and time again.”

Sturgis sees roasting coffee as an art form — where art and technology come together.

“They say it takes 10 years to become a master roaster,” Sturgis, 30, said. With three years of professional coffee roasting experience, Sturgis, a Valencia resident, is now at the level of journeyman.

“Those of us in the industry know it takes a lot of time to completely understand roasting,” Sturgis said. “Usually an apprentice will learn to ‘cup’ coffee for a few months before he even uses the roaster.” Cupping is the traditional method of evaluating the aroma and taste of a particular coffee sample. Proper cupping requires the adherence to an exacting set of brewing standards and a formal step-by-step evaluation process.

“We take a freshly roasted coffee, grind it coarsely, and put a tablespoon of it into a ceramic cup. Then we add hot water to it and let it sit for a couple of minutes,” Sturgis said, describing a cupping session. “Next we take a silver spoon and carefully remove the top layer of film (grinds) then slurp it up, literally, to get the whole effect of the body and flavor. Then we actually spit it out into a spittoon. This process is repeated several times for each roast.”

Sturgis is a member of the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Roasters Guild, a trade association of professional coffee roasters. Complete with internet bulletin boards and conferences, the Roasters Guild is a virtual meeting place for roasting aficionados who maintain industry standards for the craft of roasting coffee.

Sturgis’ love for coffee dates back to his childhood. “I believe I was about 7 years old. Every Sunday just after the service started, I would tell my mother I needed to use the restroom,” Sturgis said. “However, I would go pour myself a cup of coffee instead — lots of sugar of course. By the time the sermon started, I was so fidgety, she would send me outside again.”

A veritable connoisseur of coffee beans, Sturgis uses only the highest grade coffee beans from around the world. Choosing among approximately 20 different types of beans, Sturgis often creates special coffee blends. Currently he is working on an “Anniversary Blend” in celebration of Newhall Coffee’s 10th Anniversary.

“I enjoy hearing people say how good our coffee is. Unlike waiting for year-end profit results I get a sense of satisfaction on a daily basis,” Sturgis said. “Most days I’m up at 4 a.m. or so and like to fire up the roaster by 5 a.m. By lunch time I’m looking at the next days orders. Afterwards, I like to sample — ‘cup’ — my roasts before they are shipped out. My busiest day is Tuesday. We have all of our locals due on Wednesday, and since we are a local company we have a lot of local customers.”

“Roasting is a hands-on art,” Sturgis said. “I take pride in getting it right.”