http://thewig.ca/node/1370

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”.

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

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

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

There are several ways to brew iced coffee.  Cold Brewing (commonly referred to as Toddy) has become more widespread in recent years, and a cup of “iced coffee” seems nearly ubiquitous.  It can be had from 7-11, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, and of course, Starbucks and independent coffee retailers.  The advertisements would have one believe that consumers simply do not distinguish between grades of coffee when it is over ice in a clear plastic cup with a little dairy and sweetener of some kind.  This is a sad thing, however, because consumers of specialty coffee are becoming more particular about the things they spend their money on, and even more discriminating about the quality of those things.

My preferred method of making iced coffee is very simple, and carries over many of the flavor attributes of a normal hot cup of the same brew.  Use the brew method of your choice, within reason, but I tend to prefer French Press for a variety of reasons.  This article is not about the merits of French Press coffee, so we’ll save the answers to “why” for another time.

The recipe is as follows

• 14g coffee per 6oz. of water
• Brew it in a French Press (as little or as much is desired, remembering that the final volume will at least be double of what you start with)
• Once finished brewing, pour over ice equal in weight to the water. (tip.  1 oz. of water weighs 1 oz.)

That’s all there is to it.  You can make a larger batch and store it in the under-counter refrigerator for convenient dosing into cups.  If you want to avoid the grit that accompanies all French Press brews, decant into a larger vessel, and then pour through a paper filter (like Melitta) into its final container to filter out the sediment.

Since it is hot brewed, much of the acidity and flavor found in a hot cup of the same coffee should be present in the iced coffee being served across the counter to your eager patrons.

Iced coffee hits the spot during these swealtering summer days, and not everyone is always in the mood for an iced Americano.  While Cold Brewing is often popular, why not offer your customers their favorite coffee over ice that actually tastes like their favorite coffee?

Try not to drink the entire batch during the first few shifts of carrying it.  Of course, if you do, you can always just make more.

Enjoy.

This blog will feature thoughts concerning the coffee industry, profitability, strategies, and other related information.

Some of you know me from my other blogs.  This one will be strictly professional and relevant to EspressoTrainer.com and things concerning existing, past, and future clients in regards to information that they may find relevant and/or useful.

Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and make sure your thinking cap is securely fastened.  Welcome to the official blog of EspressoTrainer.com

And for those of you who have seen this website in its infancy, you may remember the picture above.  I’ve learned a few things since then in regards to website building, design, layout, photography, and, yes, coffee and espresso.

This industry is constantly evolving, and this coffee professional intends to stay at the cutting edge of that curve, if at all possible.  It’s a challenge, and one I enjoy.  A tiny proportion of the human race understands my love for coffee at a same or similar depth.

Let’s share the love,

Jason H.