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Local veteran makes fresh roasted coffee her mission

The Manhattan Mercury - 2/28/2023

Feb. 28—Christine Ball grew up in Portland, Oregon, where coffee is ingrained in the culture.

"You would see at least one coffee shop on every block all the way down, and it was in every direction in downtown Portland," she said.

When she spent time at sea while in the U.S. Navy, she missed that easy access to high quality, fresh coffee. After roasting her own, she said she noticed the difference a fresh roast makes.

"It was like night and day," Ball said. "I didn't understand why it was so different but I realized it was because it's fresh coffee beans."

Ball, who owns and runs Galaxy Girl Coffee in Manhattan Town Center, has evolved from roasting coffee beans in her kitchen to doing it professionally. Ball wants people who love coffee to be able to easily access it freshly roasted fresh to their preference.

"I want good, quality coffee to be accessible," Ball said.

Ball's grandfather introduced her to the idea of roasting her own beans while she was in the Navy. She first tried roasting in a popcorn air popper but found it too messy and inefficient and ultimately didn't give her the result she wanted.

"I can't control the temperature," Ball said. "I don't like guessing."

She then tried roasting coffee in the oven and then home roasters before moving to the professional one she uses now in her store. Ball said she's a data-driven person and likes the control a better roaster allows.

Ball, 45, moved to Kansas in 2021 after her child's paternal grandparents invited her to live with them and started working in earnest toward roasting her own coffee beans. She started selling them at the farmers market in 2021 and opened her shop in Manhattan Town Center in November. Her teenager designed the logo for her store.

Her goal is for customers to be able to walk up and, within a matter of minutes, leave with coffee beans freshly roasted to their preference.

"I want to be able to roast specifically for people, what they like," she said.

Ball said one of the highest quality beans she sells is a Kona bean that she said she only drinks occasionally as a treat because of how good it is.

"I like to put stuff in my coffee, but it is so good that the thought of putting anything in that coffee, it's not right," she said.

Ball said everyone has their own tastes when it comes to coffee, and she doesn't want to judge someone for how they drink their coffee.

One person might prefer a darker roast while another prefers a lighter one. One person might brew their coffee using the pour over method while another uses a traditional coffee pot.

"Everyone's palate is different," Ball said. "What I like isn't necessarily what you like and that's okay, we don't have to all like the same things."

Ball started drinking coffee at 16 when her aunt made her a "poor man's mocha," coffee with hot chocolate powder mixed in. She still puts a spoonful of Swiss Miss and a splash of oat milk in her first cup of coffee every morning. Once she gets to her store, she also tastes her brew for the day to make sure it's ready to be sold. She tastes coffee from all the beans in her store black before she starts carrying them.

"The best way to find out if you like a coffee is to taste test it black before you add anything," she said.

Ball also takes steps like seeking out things to broaden her offerings like making sure she has a quality decaf coffee available for people who can't have caffeine. Those decisions are part of her ultimate goal of making great coffee accessible.

"Everybody who loves coffee should have the opportunity to have good coffee," she said.

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