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- Written by: Sydney Cooper | Edited by: Lee
Dee Traylor: A Tribute in Every Cup
Photograph by: Nathan Dumlao
Dee “Walt Deezy” Traylor’s late grandmother, Rosalind, introduced him to his first cup of coffee at Carnival. The experience left him with a lifelong love of coffee, so when it came time to name his own Garland coffee shop in 2015, he naturally chose Rosalind Coffee Company.
“I remember telling her, ‘One day I’m going to get us out of the hood and I’m going to get you a mansion.’ She passed before I could do that,"
Traylor said.
“Now, I just carry on her legacy, still working hard at something I am very passionate about: coffee."
A world champion barista, Traylor has worked in the industry for seven years but his competitive career didn’t start until three years ago. Baristas from all over the country come together once a month in New York to compete over latte art. In a competition, you are only allowed to use your coffee pitcher to create—etching is considered cheating.
“At first, most people took it very seriously, so they didn’t really have fun with it,"
Traylor said.
“That’s why I started wearing black gloves and earphones to try and make a gimmick out of it."
Traylor’s dedication to his craft is no joke. He has been crowned champion in multiple nationwide events: the 2016 New York Coffee Festival, Barista Guild of North Texas Latte Art in March 2017, and April 2017’s Victrola Latte Art, just to name a few. He finds the styles in New York and Texas to be...
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