Coffee Blog

2008 will be remembered for years to come as the year in which the credit crunch hit the UK and took down a number of banks, high street businesses, household names (including Woolworths, Adams Kids etc) and contributed to one of the biggest surges of unemployment in living history.

None of these events have dented our hopes for the future and if nothing else, have served to bolster our resolve and tighten up our planning, in readiness for a productive and fruitful 2009.

The UK coffee scene has seen new entrants enter the roasting and cafe sectors as well as seeing the beginning of a growing cohesive coffee community, sharing the passion for open communication.

Communication has dramatically improved with the advent of Twitter, and a number of respected figures can be found online, including Mark Prince (@coffeegeek), Steve Leighton (@hasbean), James Hoffman (@squaremile), Chris Weaver (@chrisweaver) as well as the owner of 5M Coffee (@getnoticed). There are too many to name all of the industry stalwarts on here but click the @getnoticed link and browse the list of followers and those being followed to find out who is lurking just beyond your screen.

Podcasts and Video Blogs are starting to hit the mainstream and Chris Weaver’s Common Grind Podcast is being rolled out monthly, whereas Steve Leighton’s In My Mug is a more frequent video blog. Keep an eye out for the instructional videos released by James Hoffman on the SquareMileBlog.

In 2009, keep an eye out for the exciting products and services that will be announced by 5M Coffee in February / March and the continued growth of Coffee Forums UK.

All that’s left to say is Happy New Year and we hope that you have a prosperous 2009.

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I’ve been offered a fantastic opportunity to meet Youri Vlag, Barista Trainer @ Absolute Coffee, who will be training a number of people tomorrow at the Ristretto premises near Wimbledon.

I am passionate about coffee education and this will be a good opportunity to see Youri in action and to get behind different types of Commercial Espresso Machines than I may be used to.

Youri has recently been appointed a Super Moderator at Coffee Forums UK and has been influential in setting up the Coffee Business Owner Support Forum (here) which is intended to become a hub for Coffee Shop / Cafe Owners, Restaurant Managers and Delicatessen Ownders to discuss the topics of relevance to them, including promotionm staff management, improving the quality of the drinks they serve, ethics etc etc (the opportunities are endless)

If you are interested in Commercial Barista Training then you may wish to speak to Youri, whose contact details and further information can be found here.

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Caffe Culture 2009 is being held on 20 & 21 May 2009.

This might seem like a long way off, but not if you are planning to exhibit.

If you are then you should already be looking for inspiration for your stand, securing sponsorship from key suppliers and planning your marketing campaign.

Is this your first time exhibiting? Stuck for ideas? - Give us a call to discuss your requirements

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The CommonGrind Podcast - Number 3 (October 2008) has been uploaded tonight.

Following the early success of podcasts 1 and 2 (available on download from http://www.commongrind.co.uk), narrated by Chris Weaver with Ash Porter as a guest host and the dulcit tones of Steve Leighton at Hasbean* for the cupping portion, this podcast has been eagerly awaited by the members of Coffee Forums UK.

If you’re starting to explore the world of coffee then this easy listening podcast is a good way to get into the coffee terminology and hear the passion of some of the presenters.

Share your thoughts with the members of Coffee Forums UK or direct on the CommonGrind website.

* Find out more about Biodynamic Certification direct on the Hasbean website

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Due to the popularity and stability of the Iberital MC2 grinder in the UK consumer market we have made a decision to use the doserless version for our home coffee training.

Where a client already has a grinder, they will be trained on their own equipment, using the Iberital MC2 grinder as reference after dialling in the grinder to produce a consistent grind for a good extraction.

A good grinder is the most important asset in your coffee equipment and maintained regularly, will outlive most espresso machines.

Using a sub-standard grinder will devalue your overall coffee experience.

With prices of the Iberital MC2 starting from £100 this grinder is a mid-market model at entry level pricing.

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We’re a few steps closer to launch now and have several modules of the Coffee Academy in place.

We’ve been busy learning more about the home coffee machines our clients will be using and putting steps in place to manage the demand.

October will be a busy month for us, tidying up the website ready for launch to the world shortly.

Keep checking back for more updates.

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Recently we’ve noticed that Flat White’s have been appearing on the menus at independent cafes we visit. Most are surprisingly good although on occasion they could be considered more like a cappuccino than a true Flat White.

In New Zealand and Australia the Flat White is the norm and outsells both Cappuccino’s and Lattes.

How to prepare a Flat White

1/3 espresso | 2/3 steamed milk - folded into the espresso base, creating an evenly textured milk/espresso drink

Do you serve Flat White’s at your cafe? If so, get in touch, we’d love to review it.

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In October we will be launching our Coffee Photography service.

Full details can be found at http://photography.5mcoffee.com

Special Introductory Offer:

All 2 and 3 hour Coffee Photoshoots booked and paid for prior to 30 October 2008 will receive a free A4 Box Framed Canvas (worth £25)

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As your coffee company takes shape and starts to grow you will amass a collection of images, documents, sound-bites, videos that are worth keeping.

I plumped for a 500gb Western Digital ‘My Book’, for approx £69, with 2 years warranty and a host of backup trial software options (although I will use Ghost to capture a complete image of my 80gb laptop hard drive next weekend)

Your company data is priceless and backing up to multiple locations is a wise move.

You don’t need to spend a fortune on external hard drives, 1 x 250gb hard drive and an 80gb hard drive is sufficient for most small businesses.

Use the smaller drive to store copies of your very important documents in case of file corruption on the larger drive.

Always make sure you store the drives away from your PC when you’re not in the office in case of accident or theft.

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If you are new to business then networking with others in a similar position can help to gain answers to questions that are playing on your mind. In the UK 2 forums stand out, FreeBusinessForums and A1 Business Forums.

We’ve covered Coffee Forums already and many of you are already members at Coffee Forums UK , recognising the benefits that networking brings.

We are planning a number of networking evenings to be held around the country to bring Coffee enthusiasts together and will keep you informed of dates in the near future.

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