An Independent Starbucks?

It was not at all surprising to when Entrepreneur magazine wrote a long article recently, analyzing the new “Stealth Starbucks” concept they unveiled this fall.  When a company of it’s magnitude suddenly and seemingly abandons its brand identity, many questions begin to be raised…

For those unaware, Starbucks recently opened a new “undercover” coffee shop in their home town of Seattle, WA.  The new shop was named 15th Ave Coffee & Tea, seemingly because of its location on 15th ave.   The interior and decor is designed completely independent of any Starbucks out there and even offers a local flare to the decor.  The shop offers a stellar line up of brewing methods, including a manual pour over station, french press, the Clover, and espresso from the coveted dual boiler La Marzocco manual espresso machine.  It’s enough to make any coffee snob, including me, (bashfully) impressed.

But Why?  Why would the biggest coffee company in the world open a location under a different name and not use their undeniable brand identity as a selling point (or conversely for a few, a turn-off)????

I have joked with many saying that Howard Schultz must have read a recent blog of mine in which I touched on how about Independent Coffee Shops are uniquely positioned to gain market share on the local level from the large corporate chains.   I wrote that post only days before this move was announced publicly a few months ago.  Now, if you have ever met me and had the [unfortunate] pleasure of listening to me ramble on about coffee for minutes, hours, or even days, I almost certainly have mentioned an undeniable trend of a quiet, but prevalent, corporate backlash taking place.  Many people these days, are choosing the independent shops instead of  “the man” on a daily basis, not just in coffee, but in many sectors of the economy.    It gets back to knowing the person behind the counter serving you and receiving that genuine service instead of some regurgitated line out of an employee manual.  Even though Starbucks has tried to maintain that comfortable “third place” feel (your place between work and home), they seemed to have lost it somewhere between the thousands of new cookie cutter locations.  Well, aside from the small local bulletin board hidden by the bathrooms.

By opening a new shop that looks independent, feels independent, and brews coffee like an independent, Starbucks is able to test the waters of the certain social enigmas of different geographic regions. They have realized that by strongly integrating aspects of the local culture and community, they are able to form a stronger bond between their customer base and their business, more so than their corporate identity could ever accomplish.

So what does this move tell us?  Its hard to tell at this point, but as Bruce Milletto points out, it could be that the giant is attempting to get back their roots.   Whether it be getting back to their roots or just showing the industry/world that they too still have “the goods”, it is a surprising move that will continue to unfold in the coming months.

Matt

*Think globally, drink locally*

Organic Timor Maubesse Fair Trade

Please welcome our newest coffee to our selection!  The Timor Maubesse Fair Trade Organic.

If you have never heard of Timor before, don’t stress it.  Timor is a small Southeastern island of Indonesia.   As far as geography with our current offerings go, Timor is in between Sumatra and Papau New Guinea and the island weighs in around 12,000 sq miles.  Within that space, there are over 7,000 coffee farmers of the Organic Timor.  These farmers have teamed up to create 494 small scale farmer groups and 16 co-ops within the country.  We are glad to be a part of it by supporting the small farmers a Fair Trade wage.

This particular coffee is grown from altitudes of 800 to 1,500 meters above sea level and OCIA certified as shade grown.  And if you read David King’s latest blog on coffee processing, its a bit more understandable when I say this is a wet process coffee that is sun dried.  The roasted coffee has a spicy, herbal cup with a good acidity and excellent body.  This is really a unique coffee from a very unique country of origin that I have enjoyed a lot this past week.

We have added this coffee to our offerings on our Bear Creek Coffee Online Store if you would like to try it out.  [Timor Maubesse FTO]

Matt

*Thanks to John at Royal Coffee for all of the info*

Act One

You buy the freshest coffee beans.  You grind right before brewing.  You have the best brewer, and you use the best water.  You think you’re in control of your coffee world.  Yes, you’re starring in the climax of the script, but the drama has been building without you.  So many hands and processes build this entertainment.  Today let’s look at one act in the play:  processing coffee cherries. (Rising action.)

Coffee beans are the seeds of coffee cherries.  The means and methods of extracting the seed from the cherry differ depending on cultural history and atmospheric conditions of coffee growing regions.  The two main methods of uncovering the seed are wet processing and dry processing.  (Predictable twist.)

Dry processing is old world.  After harvest, the cherries are dried in the open air.  To ensure even drying, the beans are raked and turned.  After about four weeks, the dried fruit is milled from the bean in one step.  What are the effects on your coffee experience?  Staggering.  With the dry process look for a bigger body, muted acid and earthy overtones.  (Hero or villain?)

Wet processing requires large amounts of water and more machinery than the dry method.  The ripe fruit sinks in water and is mechanically pressed through a screen.  The remaining pulp is removed by fermentation, or through machine scrubbing.  After drying, the parchment layer is removed by a hulling machine.  The effect?  Profound.  The wet process yields a clean (comedy) revealing impact on the palate.  A lot of drama here.  (My hero!)

When you enjoy a caffeinated dénouement ponder the dynamic interaction between climates, cultures, and individuals that build the foundation of small smile inducing coffee experiences.

The French Press

The Bodum French Press

Mmm…Coffee

Long regarded as the purist’s brewer…What is the french press? How is it used? And is it even French?

For many who have tried coffee out of a French Press, its tough to go back to plain old drip coffee.  Why is this?  Well, the French Press utilizes a slightly different brewing method and straining method than your normal coffee maker.  First, you’ll notice there is no spot for a paper filter.  This is because the press is technically a filter-less brewer.  The wire plunger strains out the majority of the larger particles but leaves a little bit extra in there.  This includes, coffee particles and oils, among others.  It is these oils in the coffee that produces that unmatchable body and mouth feel that is uncommon in any other traditional brewing method.  If you have ever looked at a road within the first few minutes of rain, you may have noticed the water pushing the oils to the top of the road creating a strange, but glistening glaze to the road.  After brewing a french press, you will notice the same concept, with oils floating up to the top and glistening, ready to coat your tongue with the next sip.  These are the oils that create the ‘deliciousness’, and unfortunately enough, have doctors recommending against the French Press due to its potential to increase your cholesterol.

Despite these concerns, the taste profile has made the press become my preferred brewing method.  So much so, that the commercial setup I have in my office only has 6 brew cycles logged in its on board computer over its 4 month life span (anyone need a commercial Curtis air pot brewer?).

Background

Now, it never occurred to me that the French Press makes “American style” coffee, yet it is considered French (where many drinks are espresso based).  My brother brought up the subject when his wife, who has lived in Italy all of her life did not know what the French Press was.  After discussing it via skype with her family in Italy, even her sister who lived in France for a year, had never seen one, even in France!  Well, it is believed that a frenchman discovered the process while accidentally messing up the recipe for “cowboy coffee” (coffee grounds boiled in water) a couple centuries ago. When he added the grounds to the water AFTER the water boiled, the coffee was much better (not over extracted) and the coffee even floated to the top.  Since he would press the grounds to the bottom (and was a frenchman) the name [French] Press Pot caught on.  Later the Italians stepped in added their design to the mechanism to create something similar to today’s presses.

How to Use:

Add your coffee grounds to the bottom of the press,  1 scoop (8-9 grams) of coarsely ground coffee* per 4 oz. cup of water.

Add water that is ~200ºF (few moments off the boil) and stir**.

Cover and let the coffee “brew” or “steep” for about 4 minutes.

After brewing, press the plunger down slowly and serve.  After ~20 minutes, the remaining coffee in the press will expire.

*Grind must be coarse.  The finer the grind, the more coffee grinds you will drink.  **Stir with something light and not a metal spoon.  Spoons can easily crack a press.

Enjoy…

[Ding...Ding...Ding] Coffee Vs. Energy Drinks

When my older brother first recommend I blog about this issue, I was skeptical at first thinking there might be a lack of evidence to support my fair and biased take on the subject.  As I began researching the topic, I was amazed at the scientific evidence of health benefits that coffee provides.

If we begin by looking at the basic ingredients of Red Bull for example, we will see sucrose and glucose being the most used ingredients right behind water.  This results in the beverage boasting a 27 gram sugar content (56g in Monster) per can.  Surprisingly, the caffeine content comes in at around 80mg per can, while a cup of drip coffee rings in around 140mg per 8 oz serving.  Compare this to a can of soda at 35mg and there is a significant difference.  Coffee on the other hand, is 98% water and effectively has no substantial nutritional information, other than its caffeine content.  This is part of the reason why coffee roasters are not required to add nutritional information on the sides of its coffee bags.  On paper, or in spreadsheets, it would seem that the only major difference between the energy drink market and the coffee market is that the energy drink market is adding inches to the youth’s waistline and potentially increasing risk for diabetes.

When searching for the health benefits and risks for energy drinks, such as red bull, there was only one major negatice concern among doctors and watchdog groups…dehydration.  With 12-28 year olds being the energy drink industry’s major market, marketing campaigns have targeted the sports arena.  Promoting increase focusness and physical performance during sports.  Now, as many of you may know, caffeine is naturally a diuretic and when combined with physical activity and perspiration can lead to dehydration.  Now, its unfair to throw this on the energy drinks and not on coffee as well, however, most coffee drinkers (that I know) don’t slam a cup of joe mid morning jog.  Conversely, I don’t forsee teenage soccer players chugging an iced coffee down at halftime.

When looking at the positive medical benefits that energy drinks provide, its seemed like a much more daunting task while slews of pages with respectable medical research that has been performed testing the effects of coffee come up with ease.  Not only has it been shown that coffee may reduce the risk of diabetes II, Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer, and the development of gallstones, if you read my previous blog, it has the potential to treat Alzheimer’s.  All these claims made by major universities while there is little to no substantial evidence to back up the energy drinks benefits if any. With the energy drink industry still relatively immature, who is to say that research will not come out supporting more benefits than a little extra padding for the winter time?

After reading several articles on the subject, I would probably give up energy drinks all together…if it wasn’t for the invention of the Jager bomb…

M

Caffeine and Alzheimer’s

Interesting article on the effects of caffeine and Alzheimer’s Disease…

“Caffeine could be a viable treatment for established Alzheimer’s disease, and not simply a protective strategy. That’s important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/07/06/2009-07-06_coffee_may_help_treat_memory_loss_a_major_symptom_of_al.html#ixzz0LSdDniSc

To Freeze or Not to Freeze…That is the Question.

When I tell people that I work in the coffee industry, one of the most asked questions to follow is “How do I store my coffee?”  I am always reluctant to answer confidently because this is a hotly debated subject in the coffee world.

The ideal place for coffee storage is a “Cool dark place.”  Naturally, the freezer makes sense.  A man named Michael Sivetz has been doing research on the subject for some 50 years however, the results are not always clear and discriminate.  Here are my thoughts…

For the freezer method to work properly, the coffee must be in an airtight container and the coffee must be placed in there almost immediately after roasting, (which is not always possible for the average consumer).  This will preserve the coffee the best.  If the coffee is directly exposed to the cold air, it is possible to get freezer burn as well as absorb some of the smells of other products in the freezer, such as meats, which will dimish the fragerance and aroma of the coffee.  Additionally, I have also read that if you take the coffee out and put back in the freezer for any extended amount of time, there is a possibility of temperature change and moisture can be create and diminish the integrity of the coffee bean.

Personally, I always store my coffee in a shelf or drawer in a dark bag with a one way valve to let out any additional CO2, while not exposing the bean to Oxygen, since oxygen is the beans worst enemy.  If you use this method, be sure not to put it above the oven, toaster, or any appliance that creates heat.

The three storage essentials:

1. No Oxygen

2. No Light

3. Cool Temperature

Ultimately, the a storage method should be tailored to your personal coffee habits.  For someone like my brother, who is a home roaster, a cool dark shelf will be perfect as no coffee ever last in house for more than two weeks.  Conversely, for someone like my parents who only brew coffee when I visit, the freezer would probably be the best storage method.

Which ever method you use, always grind your coffee fresh.  When you grind coffee you increase the surface area of the coffee bean, potentially exposing it to exponential increases of oxygen, which is the fastest way to stale your coffee.  For the home drinker, you can usually find a decent blade grinder from a local store or coffee shop for under $20 and it can easily be the best coffee investment you’ll make.

Grounds to go Green…

With homegrown gardens popping up everywhere and organic not just a buzzword, but a way of life for many, why not join in on the lifestyle of the green warriors and save money, while growing some amazing homegrown veggies…With this tip, you can successfully use your old coffee grounds as a fertilizer for your plants or garden.

Now, I have heard the stories of many using different methods with thier grounds as a fertilizer, but after some own trial and error, and with guidance of fellow coffeeheads and websites, I have figured out the best option.

The best use for the coffee grounds comes in form of compost.  You can simply add the coffee grounds to your compost bin/pile along with other organic material such as tree clippings, leaves, etc.  Before your pile begins to compost and generate heat, it is important to create layers to help the composting process.  If you add 30lbs of used coffee grinds, and 3 leaves, this will not compost successfully.  There need to be equal parts of “browns” and “greens”.  Browns include such things as leaves, twigs, and branches, while Greens include coffee grounds, grass clippings, vegtable waste, etc.  By having the correct ratios of each, enough Carbon is provided by the browns and the greens provide the nitrogen.  Add water to this and it will provide moisture to facilitate the breaking down process.

For more reference, visit http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/composting/index.htm

As a shop owner, it is a great customer service addition if you are able to provide your customers with used grounds that you have collected from your day to day operation.  From a customer aspect, its great, because you are gaining a component of great fertilizer for free.

100% Kona Coffee

One of the best parts of working in a coffee company is trying all of the coffees.  As we are looking to expand our line up to three-fold by the end of summer, we are sampling all sorts of different coffees.  One that stuck out was this week was the Kona Extra Fancy from the Heavenly Hawaiian Farm.  Now, I am typically not interested in Kona Coffees, simply because of the excessive price tag and the relatively predictable cup.  However, this coffee was very smooth and had an astonishingly easy going finish.  As I drank a french press in my office around 830PM, trying to finish the days workload, I rediscovered all of the luster around the Kona Coffee.  Much like a Corona, this coffee has the ability to transcend you from the norm, and take you to a greatly desired place.  Although I would have rather been out mountain biking, playing 18 holes, or out with a good looking lady friend, I wasn’t.  With temptations similar to the aforementioned at loom, I was suddenly taken to a decadent place of complete tranquility.  I was drinking a cup of Kona in the office at 830PM, while surprisingly and unexpectedly, perfectly content.  For me, this was the textbook definition of an “affordable luxury” and it is times like these that remind me not only why I love coffee, but more importantly why I love what I do…

Hang Loose.

M

Four Step Plan for an Independent Retailer to Increase Whole Bean Sales During the Aggressively Mediocre McCoffee Craze.

1.    Connect with the Customer
As an independent coffee retailer, everything you do should be quality driven.  If the product is not the best, why go to your store before one of the large chains?  As an independent retailer, you have the greatest opportunity in the industry to connect with the coffee consumers.  By building trust and confidence within the consumer and your staff, you position yourself as the local “coffee expert,” which will allow you to provide the proper education for your staff and customers to increase your sales and brand image.

2.    Education is Contagious

As the owner or manager of the store, it is your responsibility to know everything about the products you are selling.  This includes everything from country of origin, roast profile, nuances, as well as general coffee knowledge to carry on conversations with interested customers.
Building knowledge with your staff is the most important part of this step.  Every person in the staff must buy into the idea of fresh roasted coffee, and only serving the best coffee at that.  This is much easier to do when hiring only coffee lovers.  Coffee lover or not, it should be the responsibility of the owner/manager to get committed to the coffee culture, from there, your staff will get on board.  Hold weekly tasting tests with the staff, keep a tasting journal, and even give out coffee quizzes with prizes for highest scores.  Pass out educational materials, and preach proper coffee and espresso preparation.  Coffee education should be a never ending process.  This forces the staff to realize this isn’t just a job; it’s a culture that influences sales dramatically.

There is no single thing that you can do to help you sell more whole bean coffee than having a competent, knowledgeable, and trustworthy staff.

3.    Internal and External Marketing

With more and more chains popping up selling aggressively mediocre coffee, it is more important than ever to distance yourself from the big man and promote your independence and individuality.  What sets you apart from Starbucks? Dunkin Donuts?  This should be the first question you ask yourself before creating a marketing plan.  Market yourself in your advertisements and marketing with the intention to highlight the best products you have to offer, while maintaining your stores individuality.  In this 2009 economic climate, the new consumer is not always a price consumer, but rather a value consumer.  The extra fifty cents a cup is worth it to them if the differences are apparent (and marketed).

Dedicate an entire area of your store to Whole bean coffee.  The bigger the better.  If you just throw a couple bags up, it will show that your coffee is a side item and it is not a serious part of your operation, when in reality it should be a basis.  If a customer sees that you take whole bean coffee seriously, it shows that you are a coffee company that actually takes coffee seriously!  This may sound ridiculous, but you would be surprised how many coffee shops exist with employees that don’t know where their coffee comes from, how to properly brew a shot of espresso, or how to up sell a customer.  In a full scale café, it is not unheard of to sell more than 50lbs of coffee per week retail if marketed and maintained properly.

Studies have recently showed that over 50% of people that brew coffee at home, regularly visit a coffee shop.  This study comes at an interesting economic time, where it becomes more and more essential to capture and capitalize on all potential business.  This study shows that many of your current customers are buying coffee elsewhere to brew at their house.  With new economic rules in people’s routine, instead of wondering why they are not coming in everyday anymore, why not capitalize and sell them a pound to brew at home?  Consumers are not cutting back on their caffeine intake; they are just being smarter about it.

4.    Sustainability

There are many applications for the word sustainability within the coffee industry however, for our purposes we are going to apply it to the overall quality of your operation.  During a day when mediocrity is heavily marketed as the best, it becomes more and more vital for independents to uphold it’s commitment to the community, continue to be focused on quality and education, and by doing so, it should become very clear that you have two incredibly powerful assets over the large chains.  The first being your individuality and second being the ability to connect with customers like no other big business can.  It becomes a matter of managing these two assets properly and you will create sustainability within your business.

By: Matt Swenson

As always, If you have any questions or comments, please shoot me an email at matt@evansandkingcoffee.com