Neat in the News
Client news: Neat is the word on the street. (and in the news)
photo Jon Lomow
Since the days of protest songs in the 1950s and ’60s music and coffee have maintained a holy alliance in java joints across the continent. The coffeehouse’s smoky glory days have since given way to no-fat double-caramel macchiato at Starbucks served to the beat of the latest from Taylor Swift or Kings of Leon. But here in the Ottawa Valley, the true bond of musician and coffee still perks strong.
I love it when great people are recognized in their community. I especially love it when those great people are past clients of EspressoTrainer.com. They have done a fabulous job of cultivating culture in their renovated historic schoolhouse in Burnstown, ON. This is a video (there are many others floating around) of a performance in the back room of their culture shop. (oh yeah, they also serve fabulous coffee from a La Marzocco Mistral, Bodum Columbia french presses, or a Clover)
If you are ever anywhere near Ottawa, it is well worth the short drive west to visit Burnstown. Stop in to Neat and say “Hi”.
Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving
EspressoTrainer.com would like to wish all of our past, present, and future clients and trainees safe travels, and a very Happy Thanksgiving.
We have a lot to be thankful for, and we suspect that you do as well.
The holidays are a great time to promote a seasonal house blend. Talk to your roaster and ask what they can do. Of course, as always, if you’d like to get our input you know how to get a hold of me. (email address is listed in the footer of each page if you prefer to do it that way)
Happy Thanksgiving
News.. delayed, but news.
Hierarchy and Grinder Adjustment
It was once a common idea that only the store’s manager, or a representative from the equipment suppliers, or the roasting company should be allowed to adjust the espresso grinder. The reasoning could have been a fear of messingsomething up and not being able to repair it, or it could have simply been that retailer owners were left in ignorance by those who wished to keep them dependent. Of course, when a business feels completely dependent on another for success, there results in a temporary cash-cow scenario. A guarantee of future profits.
The caveat, however, being that the business intended to reap profits from may or may not be a long-term success. The odds of failure actually increase with the taking of control away from them over their own product quality.
This is not directed to roasting companies or to equipment companies. This is directed at retailers. YOU are responsible for the quality of your own products. Your customers don’t know and wouldn’t likely care if the extraction of their espresso is off because your roaster adjusted the grinder wrong, or because you didn’t know how, or if it even needed to be adjusted that morning. All that your customers care about is whether the product and service that they receive is worth the money that it costs them and the time that it takes to go out of their way to make the purchase.
That’s it. Removing responsibility is effectively surrendering control. The idea of on-going grinder adjustment is fairly commonplace these days, but there are still pockets around the country where folks are afraid of their own equipment. Don’t be. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s too complicated for you to understand, or that you might “mess something up”. If you own your equipment, it is your responsibility to know how it works, how to repair it, and how to use it properly. If you don’t know how, there are businesses like ours who are more than happy to teach you everything you need to know to run a successful retailer. Our primary means of achieving success is to set our clients up with the tools necessary to serve the best coffee possible.
A pretty sign my draw them in. The service may make them feel welcome. In the end, the quality and value of the products you serve are what will determine if they come back. It’s a simple hierarchy. Product > Service > Ambiance.
“Knowledge and investing in yourself is power.”- Dravasanthy
Fresh Cup Article: Sept. 2009 "Nine Bars"
The Sept. 2009 issue of “Nine Bars” in Fresh Cup Magazine was written by yours truly.
It is an exposition of the often used yet rarely analyzed espresso coffee tamper. I discuss the different parts, different options for each part, and talk a little about how different shapes impact the physics of espresso extraction.
There is so much more to say, but I already went over my word limit for the article. I may get into more details of various tamper base designs for this blog at some point. For now, enjoy the article. If you do not have a subscription to Fresh Cup Magazine, you can read the article by clicking the link below. You can also subscribe here.
http://freshcup.epubxpress.com/link/cup/2009/sep/70?s=0
