How NOT to serve your group coffee and why

Last week we examined the difficult situation that many leaders find themselves in where there is a large group of people that need coffee, but not a consistant enough need that purchasing a high end commercial system merits the investment that would be required.

I have spent years facing this problem and I can tell you from experience that there are a number of options that people use that are not ideal. The coffee that is used is often poorly made, poorly stored, and poorly obtained.

Cheap coffee reflects a cheap organization. It communicates to those who attend your events that they are not worth the time or the money to offer quality hospitality and can also communicate a lack of ethics since most people now know that the cheapest coffee is often purchased at the expense of poor farmers and laborers.

The amazing thing about coffee is that it doesn't cost very much to improve. Unlike other products you can get some of the best coffees in the world without a huge investment. Taking your coffee from terrible to GREAT doesn't require a lot of money, just a little thought and care.

One of the first things to do, if you want great coffee, is to STOP doing some things that are BAD for your coffee. The following is a simple list of things NOT to do.

1. DON'T use a system the heats the coffee
   There are a lot of systems that keep coffee hot by continually heating the coffee. The longer the coffee is exposed to heat the more the flavors that make your coffee great will be turned into bitter flavors of scorched oils. Avoid percolators or keeping your coffee on a burner. INSTEAD either serve your coffee as soon as it's done brewing OR store it in a preheated themas or air pot. 
2. DON'T buy your coffee in bulkCoffee doesn't stay fresh for very long. If you go out and buy your coffee once a month, EVEN if it were roasted the day you buy it, your coffee will be stale by the end of the month. That doesn't even take into account the fact that most coffee that you can buy in the grocery store are stale before they even make it on the shelf. INSTEAD buy your coffee the morning of your event from a local roaster and only buy as much as you need for the day.
3. DON'T use pre-ground coffeeCoffee starts to oxidize much faster when it's ground. It only lasts a few hours once it's ground. Ideally you should have a quality burr grinder that you can use before you grind every cup or pot. However this is expensive. A cheap way you can get around this is to have the roaster of coffee shop you work with grind the coffee for you right before the event. Having an employee of volunteer pick up the coffee and have it ground on their way to the event is a great way to assure you have fresh ground coffee without spending a bundle.
4. DON'T buy coffee just because it's cheapCheap coffee often reflects loose ethics. The coffee you buy is a moral decision. I am amazed at how many groups I have gone to that talk a lot about social justice but serve coffee that reflects a disregard for ethical buying practices. Do your research, it doesn't cost anything to get informed. Your coffee should be:
1. Bought at a fair wage
2. Environmentally responsible
3. Concerned with the workers who do most of the leg work
4. Sustainable
Anything less then this is irresponsible

Getting Coffee for a Large Group: Part 1

Last week my pastor had the bright idea that I would make coffee for some of the people at my church. I love making coffee, and so I loved the idea. They were having a meeting with about 50 people or so in attendance, so I thought to myself:

"how can I make good coffee for all these people with the inconsistent, unreliable equipment at the church?"

The solution I came up with was to bring a bunch of my own equipment (along with some of our whole bean Coffee which I purchased for the church), and make each cup individually. It look a lot of work, but at the end of the day it worked really well. Everyone got what they wanted: a great cup of coffee, and a lot of fun learning and talking to each other.

Thinking back on the experience I thought that it points to a big hole in the coffee world: Large Group service structures for coffee.

A church is a place that generally has a HUGE need for a ton of coffee ONE HOUR a week. Churches aren't the only places that have this kind of demand bubble. Any organization that hosts large events knows the difficult of supplying coffee for these sorts of things. Most places can't afford the kind of equipment required to make quality coffee on a large scale so they have to explore other options.

Many groups resort to using options that save them money but wind up making the coffee so bad that I sometimes wonder why they bother at all.

THERE IS HOPE!

In the next few weeks I will be exploring ways you can get GREAT coffee to your group without breaking the bank.

Having quality coffee is not impossible for anyone. With a little bit of work and creativity you can bring new life to any gathering with quality coffee. Stay Tuned!

Third Wave Coffee Philosophy

Today we continue our series looking at the three waves of coffee in the United States.

If you remember First Wave coffee is focused on getting coffee to the most people through, commercials, convenience and consistency. It pressures people to drink coffee by highlighting the conventions.
On the other hand, second wave. is about getting coffee that pleases the most people. This is achieved by creating a cup of coffee that focuses on the consumer. Through customization, creativity, and community.


Third wave coffee is focused on the coffee and trying to get the coffee to be treated like a fine wine.
This is driven by crafting with care, culinary art,  and conceitedness


This is about getting coffee that pleases the most annoying people.
This is where I live and where Coffee Ambassadors lives, so don't be offended we implicate ourselves.


Third wave has done a lot of great things for coffee in the world, but the fact remains that in many ways the philosophy that drives much of third wave is a latent sense of superiority. The focus is not on the consumer at all, but on the coffee and the barista that makes it.

Below I have posted a video from one of our friends in the third wave. I really like the video itself, but I want you to notice a few things.

• One phrase in the video that really shows what the philosophy of third wave is when he sets his methods apart says "most people who are preparing [espresso] don't give it [my kind] of respect."
• Notice the personal pronouns. This video uses I and We a lot but doesn't use "you" at all except when he is describing what is "wrong" with the coffee.
• Notice how he sets himself and his coffee apart from the rest of the coffee community saying they serve "a different kind of coffee then what most people are used to"

 

FIRST WAVE	SECOND WAVE	THIRD WAVE
Convenience Commercials Consistency	Customization Creativity Community	Crafting with care Culinary art Conceitedness

A Look at Second Wave Coffee Philosophy

Today we continue our series exploring different "waves" of coffee. Last week we looked at some of the ads at the height of "fist wave" (Folgers, tasters choice etc) coffee consumption. They demonstrated a keen awareness of the power of CONFORMITY. Their power was showing people that they could be "normal" or "successful" if they simply had the right coffee.

 This week look at the philosophy of SECOND WAVE coffee (this is your typical Starbucks or Caribou Coffee). If you watched our video that gave an overview of these forms of coffee you will remember that SECOND WAVE coffee is driven by CUSTOMIZATION.

They focused on coffee that PLEASED THE MOST PEOPLE, not just that was made available to the MOST PEOPLE like we see in first wave coffee. To compare the two:

FIRST WAVE	SECOND WAVE
Convenience Commercials Consistency	Customization Creativity Community

I think that the ad for Starbucks highlights the driving force of second wave marketing.

Examples of First Wave Coffee Philosophy

If you watched our video a couple months back on different coffee "waves" you will remember that coffee culture in the United States Has gone through three "waves" in the last 100 years.

Today I would like to give some examples of how coffee in the first wave worked. First wave coffee is driven by brands like Folgers, Maxwell House, and Tasters Choice.

You may remember that "first wave" coffee was driven by:

• Consistancy
• Commercialization and
• Convenience

It's goal was to get coffee to the most people, and it did a good job of it. Notice the ads below... They are selling coffee as part of a lifestyle rather then as something that can help show the unique you (second wave) or something that has value in itself (third wave).






In the video above almost nothing is said about the coffee itself, but it connects drinking coffee to a lifestyle that OTHER people have. It basically says "drink coffee and you can be like the people you wish you were." This is a typical first wave philosophy.




In This video the lifestyle is almost oppressive. It basically says drink Folgers or you will be a failure as a wife. It uses broad social pressure to push a brand. Like the first ad it pushes you into homogeneity with society as a whole.

We will explore Second and Third wave coffee in future posts

America must be drinking our coffee

Five tips to make a better cup of coffee at home

Before I teach a group about coffee I generally ask them what they would like to learn. Some are interested in history, and others are interested in the science, while still more would like to learn more about how coffee is grown. One thing has always been of interest to every group I have ever taught.

People want to know how to brew a good cup of coffee at home

There are dozens of methods people use to brew coffee at home and within each method there is almost an infinite number of possibilities to how you will make a great cup. Making coffee is like being invited onto a playground, there are lots of places to play and lots of ways to play once you get there, but their are also rules and boundaries that will help you feel more at home and have a lot of fun.

The following are 5 tips I have found help people make coffee better no matter how they like to brew it.

Tip 1: Only Buy Enough Coffee For a Week or Two
Coffee only stays fresh for about 2 weeks after you buy it. If you only go through a half a pound in that amount of time only buy a half a pound. I generally only buy enough to last me one week since I know that I will have to wait a few days after the coffee is roasted for the beans to be at their prime brewing time (coffee releases gasses after it's roasted, giving it a few days to rest can help you get a better cup too.) The best way to get coffee is from a roaster (like us) that way you know you are getting it fresh!

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Tip 2: Get a Burr Grinder

If you want the best cup of coffee at home the first step i recommend it to buy a good burr grinder. Grinding your coffee before you brew it will help your coffee stay fresh longer then getting it pre-ground. Unlike a blade grinder, a burr grinder grinds coffee at a uniform grind, which means you will have a more even extraction and a better balanced cup of coffee.

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There are many on the market. I would personally recommend the Baratza Virtuoso Coffee Grinder - Baratza 585 the Baratza G 285 Maestro Conical Burr Grinder is also good and about half the price. If you really want to make a larger investment the Baratza 885 Vario Espresso Coffee Grinder can do a great job with drip as well as espresso. If you want a cheaper option or something that's good for travel check out the Hario MSS-1B Mini Mill Slim Coffee Grinder or the Hario Coffee Hand Grinder Skerton. Don't bother with cheap electric models like the Mr. Coffee BVMC-BMH23 they have cheap burrs that don't do a much better job then a blade grinder.




Tip 3: Store Your Coffee Somewhere Dark, Dry and at Room Temperature
Your coffee has enimies: light, oxogen, and moisture. This unholy-trinity of forces will breakdown your beans and give them an unpleasant flavor. The best way to avoid this is to store them in an airtight container away from sunlight. DO NOT store your coffee in the fridge. Since coffee absorbs the flavors around it you will find that your coffee with have flavors of last nights dinner in it, and you probably don't want that. I use a porcelain container with a rubber seal which I keep on my counter. Don't use the bag the coffee came in. Those bags generally are not air tight after you open them.
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Tip 4: Use a Gram Scale
Weigh out how much coffee you are using and how much water you are using. Weight is much more accurate then volume when it comes to coffee. Instead of eyeballing your water or your coffee scoop get a gram scale and make sure you are using the right amount of coffee and the right amount of water. For every 1 gram of coffee I use I use 16-17 grams of water. This ratio works in almost every brewing method for a "drip" style of coffee. A gram scale is a great investment to make. I believe every kitchen should have one. I use mine for all my cooking.

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Tip 5: Record What You Do
Keeping a coffee log is a great way to help you hone in on what you like and don't like. Buy a notebook and keep track of what you are doing with your coffee. Keep track of where the coffee is grown, where it's roasted, how it's processed, what kind of plants they used, and when you tried it. You can also keep a record of how fine you ground your coffee, how long the brew process took and what flavor notes you tasted when you drank the coffee. The more you record the more you will be able to see patterns in what you like, and the more you will be able to remember what you've had. Keeping a journal of your coffee can help make coffee more then something you drink, but something you treasure.