The Golden Lamb Coffee is an independent coffee publication founded by Kelsey Todd. The site focuses on coffee recipes, brewing methods, espresso drinks, coffee gear, and coffee science for people who want to make better coffee at home.
Kelsey Todd has more than 20 years of barista and coffee experience, including work in Seattle cafes, specialty coffee environments, and coffee education. This site brings that experience into practical guides, comparisons, and coffee explanations written for everyday coffee drinkers.
Note: The Golden Lamb Coffee is not affiliated with the Golden Lamb restaurant in Lebanon, Ohio.
I was born in 1979 and grew up in Byron, Michigan, a small farm town where people worked hard and knew their neighbors. It wasn’t flashy, but it gave me a pretty solid foundation. You learn quickly in a place like that that effort matters, and that people do better when they look out for each other.
Coffee didn’t enter the picture until 2001, when I moved to Seattle. I took a job at Tully’s on the corner of 1st and Virginia, not really thinking it would turn into a career. But it stuck. I went from barista to store manager over the next few years, and somewhere in that stretch I got pulled in. Not just the drinks, but the systems, the workflow, the way a good café runs when everything clicks.
Seattle is a hard place not to take coffee seriously. I spent time around shops like Cafe Ladro and eventually worked there as well, which pushed things further. Different approach, different standards, more attention to detail. It sharpened how I think about brewing and what actually makes a cup of coffee good, not just acceptable.
Along the way, I got involved with the Specialty Coffee Association of America, which opened things up beyond the day-to-day café grind. It gave me a better understanding of sourcing, roasting, and how trends move through the industry. I also went through Starbucks’ Coffee Master training before they discontinued the program. I never got the official title, but the training itself stuck with me.
At one point I was living in Lompoc, California, and commuting to Santa Barbara to manage a Starbucks. That meant waking up around 3 a.m. most days. It wasn’t glamorous, but it forced a level of discipline that’s hard to fake. You either care about the work or you don’t. That stretch made it clear that I did.
Even before all of that, a trip to Europe in the late ’90s shifted how I saw coffee. It felt slower there. Less transactional. People sat with it, talked over it, treated it like part of the day instead of a quick stop on the way to something else. That stuck with me more than I realized at the time.
Outside of work, life has had its rough patches. I’ve been sober for nearly 13 years now. That’s probably the thing I’m most proud of. It changed how I approach everything, including this site. I’m more patient, more honest, and a lot less interested in pretending I have things figured out when I don’t.
These days I’m based in the St. Louis area, working as a Senior Art Director. A lot of my time goes toward my daughter, and I stay involved in my local Catholic parish. Life looks different than it did back in Seattle, but in a good way.
This site is where all of that comes together. It’s part coffee blog, part field notes from someone who’s been in the industry for a while. I write about brewing methods, gear, coffee culture, and the small details that actually make a difference in the cup. Nothing overly polished, nothing written for show. Just useful information, explained clearly.
If you’re here because you want to make better coffee at home, or just understand what you’re drinking a little more, you’re in the right place.
Thanks for reading.
-Kelsey