Improving Quality
How much of your local cafe or favourite shop have you paid for?
How much of your local cafe or favourite shop have you paid for? This question came about when my wife looked up from her crafts box (after receiving a parcel of items from her favourite web supplier) and asked me “I wonder how much I have spent with Company X ?” I remarked that she [...]
Poor Mans Über
A £3.15 Temperature Sensitive Sticker has transformed my Hario Buono Pouring Kettle from a simple hot water storage and pouring device to a functional (and essential) piece of kit for any home coffee brewer to use. I’m amazed at how accurate the temperature reading is, to within 1c of the water temp inside the kettle. [...]
Using the right tamper for your basket brings results
Using the right tamper for your basket brings results This week I took delivery of a new 53mm tamper, to be used with my mypressi TWISTTM A common gripe amongst domestic coffee machine owners is that the plastic tamper provided in the box is not fit for purpose, and sadly the mypressi ships with one [...]
Restaurant Coffee Menus
When was the last time you visited a restaurant and had a great coffee experience? Last week, last month, last year – or are you struggling to remember? The perception of ‘restaurant coffee‘ is not as good as it could be, and many restaurants appear to include coffee as part of a dessert menu with [...]
MoJo goes Mobile
We were really excited to discover that ExtractMojoTM has stepped up a gear and is being taken to the next level by the developers who have acquired the rights from George Howell Coffee Company (GHCC) and now trade under the name MoJoToGoTM We initially purchased a Coffee Refractometer and the SCAE bundled ExtractMojoTM software after [...]
Gold Cup Accreditation
In October 2009 Glenn Watson obtained the SCAE Brewmaster (level1) qualification following a mind-opening theory and practical day at the SCAE HQ in Essex. The SCAE Gold Cup Programme is a Europe-wide initiative to improve the standard of filter coffee served in cafes, restaurants and venues. The Gold Cup programme is based on measurable brewing [...]
A clean start for 2010 (Steam Wand Cleaning)
Harbouring bacteria may be harming your profits A few seconds spent cleaning a steam wand might be the difference between profit and patrons for coffee shop owners. All too often coffee shop staff are steaming milk / hot chocolate and not cleaning the steam wand afterwards, resulting in milk residue and bacteria being caked to [...]
An unexpected bonus
Today we visted a castle in Suffolk and decided to have a coffee at one of the cafes nearby. It was relatively busy when my wife and I ordered our drinks but we were served with a smile and by the time our drinks arrived we were engrossed in conversation, not really taking the time [...]
Midweek Madness in Manchester – £55 Home Barista Training (includes beans*)
For a limited time we have midweek madness in Manchester! If you live in or around Manchester or Stockport and book a Tuesday or Wednesday night appointment in July, August or September we will give you 1 1/2 hours training in your own home and throw in a 250g bag of freshly roasted beans, for [...]
A choice of Coffee Roasters
There comes a time in every industry where monopolies are broken and suddenly there seems to be an abundance of suppliers, all raising their game and pushing each other to new levels. This is what seems to be happening in the UK freshly roasted coffee marketplace. Some of these suppliers have been around for many [...]
