Coffee Blog

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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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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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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I stopped in Penang on the way back to the UK after visiting New Zealand and was surprised to find that espresso based coffee drinks did not exist in many cafes on the island.

The Coffee Bean and Starbucks have the monopoly in this market and the only other establishment that we found a decent coffee was at Dome in the satellite terminal at KLIA (prepared on a La Cimbali machine)

Many cafes served ‘cappuccino’s’ which were no more than hot water and a sachet mix.

Perhaps it is too hot to drink coffee in Malaysia, or has the coffee revolution not yet hit?

Some hotels had bean-to-cup machines with whole beans but in my opinion they miss several of the vital qualities required to make an acceptable cup of coffee (see here for the 5M concept).

I’ll visit Penang again but next time I will be taking a supply of beans, a grinder and my Aeropress with me.

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Day 10 of our New Zealand trip and another chance to visit more cafes and sample quality coffee’s.

Almost every coffee I have consumed has been of a very high standard. The only ‘average’ coffee I had was yesterday, at Auckland Airport (Domestic Terminal) which was prepared in a superauto by a trainee barista.

In Wanganui (a large town in rural New Zealand) there has been an upturn in the economy and a flood of cafes and restaurants, representing most of the major roasters and corporate suppliers, has caused everyone to raise their game and cater for the rising awareness in quality coffee.

Cafes are catering for all ages groups with kids being introduced to coffee’s having graduated from fluffies and very frothy single shot cappuccino’s.

Tomorrow will dawn another day and yet another chance to visit more cafes with different styles of coffee, service and interior design. 

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Welcome to the 5M Coffee Company Blog.

This blog will document the formation of 5M Coffee Company and provide a platform for client interaction.

We will be covering topical events, discussing breakthroughs in the coffee world, providing cupping notes and a general insight into what it takes to run a coffee company in 2008 and beyond.

The 5M Coffee Company website is currently being worked on and will be released by 01 June 2008.

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