: The Basics of Buying a Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop

As mentioned in the introduction to this manual on How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop, the consumption of specialty coffees and teas outside the home is at an all-time high, with new European-style coffee and tea shops opening daily across the United States. 

But, as competition is cutthroat in this growing segment of the beverage industry, it is doubly important that you choose a site that offers long-term potential for building your profit margins and staying ahead of the competition.

Choosing the Best Location 

Your choice of location will depend on a number of practical considerations, including available budget and findings from your market research about potential customer profiles, demographics, local competition and traffic patterns. Other, more subjective factors, such as your “vision” and perceived image of your establishment, will also play a part in your final decision. 

One of the most important (and often overlooked) factors to have in mind when selecting the ideal location for your coffee, espresso, and tea shop is the volume of foot traffic that passes by your shop. Retail coffee and tea outlets depend on impulse, “walk-in” trade for their day-to-day survival. Available flow of foot traffic should, therefore, be central to your decision about where to locate your shop. Here are a few possible sites that are likely to generate foot traffic and, thus, potential customers for your coffee, espresso, and tea shop: 

• University campus 

• Shopping mall 

• Supermarket 

• Service station 

• Large office block 

• Hospital or medical center 

• Municipal building  

• Bookstore 

• Transit center 

• Bus stop 

• Train station 

• Airport 

• Busy sidewalk 

• Library 

• Gym or fitness center 

• Concert hall 

• Theater 

• Art gallery 

• Convention center 

Before you start looking at specific sites, you will want to consider what type of operation you want.

Turmeric Coffee Latte Recipe

Makes: 2 

Preparation Time: 5mins 

Total Prep Time: 7mins 

Add a golden twist to an aromatic and spicy latte with turmeric.

Ingredient List: 

- 2 cups almond milk 

- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 

- ⅓ teaspoons ground ginger 

- ⅓ teaspoons ground cinnamon 

- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 

- 1½ teaspoons instant coffee 

- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar 

Instructions: 

1. Add the almond milk, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla bean paste, instant coffee and            coconut sugar to a small pan and on moderate to high, heat and using an                immersion blender of balloon style whisk, whisk until frothy. 

2. Continue to heat, until the coffee is good and hot while taking care not to boil. 

3. Pour the coffee into two cups and serve.

Coconut Water Ice Coffee Recipe

Makes: 1 

Preparation Time: 2mins 

Total Prep Time: 2mins

This naturally sweet and super refreshing ice coffee uses coconut water which is known for its high levels of nutrients and antioxidants.

Ingredient List: 

- 1 cup coconut water 

- ⅓ cup coffee concentrate 

- Ice

Instructions: 

1. Add the coconut water and concentrate into a glass and stir well. 

2. Top with plenty of ice and enjoy!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY COFFEE FRESHNESS?

WE ALL WANT THE BEST POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE FROM OUR COFFEE. OBVIOUSLY, THIS MEANS IT OUGHT TO BE FRESH. THAT SOUNDS GOOD, OF COURSE, BUT WHAT EXACTLY DO WE MEAN BY FRESHNESS? 

The implication is that at one point in time, coffee is fresh but it loses that freshness and becomes stale. Ultimately, we’re talking about a taste in the coffee that changes from good to less good because it changes over time. Each coffee drinker probably has a different standard for what level of staleness is unacceptable. That standard is based on their past experience, their level of sensory acuity, and any number of things that might influence their sense of freshness. 

So, for a well-trained coffee geek, staling may be noticeable a week or two after roasting, while for a less discriminating consumer, it may be two to ten months before they notice (or care) about a change in the taste due to staling. 

Thus, there is no absolute definition, so we must discuss the issue with some generalities and wiggle room. The next step is to consider freshness in light of coffee chemistry. We’ve established that roasting has an immense impact on coffee but it actually extends beyond the end of the actual roast. The bean not only passively changes but chemical reactions continue to occur. Some researchers have attempted to correlate these chemical changes to sensory response. 

While some insight has been gained, there are so many factors to account for that we only have a glimmer of the whole picture. During roasting, many gases, or volatile compounds, are released or generated. The end of the roasting process doesn’t mean the volatiles are no longer present. You know this intuitively because anytime you smell coffee, you smell a gas that’s been released and is no longer in the bean. 

In the first twenty-four hours after roasting, the bulk of gases, composed mostly of carbon
dioxide, are released from the bean. Over the course of several months, more and more volatiles escape from the bean structure, which is why coffee smells less intense over time. These volatiles that you smell are volatiles that you won’t be drinking. 

Thus, the loss of these volatiles is a primary cause of staling. Since the volatiles are trapped in the bean and must diffuse out, the size of the bean particles play a significant role on their evolution. Smaller particles, with more surface area relative to their volume, offer much shorter distances for the volatiles to travel. If coffee is ground just after roasting, 26 to 59 percent of the carbon dioxide (and undoubtedly other volatiles) will be released immediately, with the larger value coming from smaller bean particle sizes that have a larger surface area to volume ratio. 

The other primary cause of staling is the oxidation of compounds within the bean. While lipids (fats and oils) have been the main purview of coffee oxidation research, other molecules react as well and are surmised to play a role. Independent of the identification of specific oxidation reactions, the data demonstrate that coffee exposed to oxygen stales quicker than coffee not exposed to oxygen. 

An indirect factor in coffee staling is ambient temperature. Higher temperatures increase the rate of chemical reactions. Thus, the warmer the room, the faster gas evolution and oxidation will occur. Also, higher levels of water activity (essentially, the amount of water available to participate in chemical reactions) hasten staling. In other words, exposure to humidity will allow coffee to absorb moisture, permitting bad things to happen. 

While many a coffee geek suggests light is detrimental to coffee freshness, there is no evidence to support this in the literature. However, as some wavelengths of light contain enough energy to break chemical bonds (think UV and some plastics), it is reasonable to moot that light can play a damaging role. 

Researchers working on coffee staling chemistry have identified a number of volatile compounds that either correlate with negative aromas or with negative aroma experiences. Unfortunately, there is no agreement on any one compound or even the ratio of two compounds that guarantees a successful measure of staleness. Part of the challenge is that the roast profile, roast level, and coffee origin all influence the volatile composition and thus makes finding definitive staling compound proxies difficult. 

Interestingly, very few experiments that test the taste of coffee freshness (without any chemistry component) seem to exist. Some use untrained panelists (i.e, regular consumers) as their assessors while others use trained panelists to collect more refined data. As there are so few studies from which to draw conclusions, there isn’t much of a story to tell. Moreover, each study had a very unique purpose; generating data to help populate this section of the book was not one of them. 

Thus, the next paragraph is going to be a bit vague. Average consumers, it seems, have a hard time telling the difference between coffees that are fresh or just a few weeks old, whether they were stored on the shelf or in the freezer. In other words, sometimes they can tell a difference and sometimes they cannot. This suggests that coffees that are less than a month from the roast date are probably perfectly acceptable to most consumers. 

On the other hand, with coffee far from the roast date (nine or eighteen months), a trained panel can easily describe differences between the coffees. Whether those differences are important (it was descriptive data, not preference data) was not evaluated. 

A trained panel also seems to be able to identify coffees that were stored under different conditions or are of different ages starting around three weeks from the roast date (there was no statistical analyses in these reports, so it is difficult to be definitive here). It is certainly evident that some people can identify the changes in coffee as it ages. 

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer as to what “stale” means in terms of days after roasting, nor do I think there ever will be one. Since the change in taste depends on sensory acuity and personal preference, the answer will always lie with the drinker.

TOOL UP

 

Automated Roasters 

There are basically two types of automated home roasters around: air roasters and drum roasters. If you want to generalize about flavor, air roasters tend to develop the brightness of a coffee, while drum roasters tend to develop the body. Some brewing methods, such as espresso, might be better suited to coffees with more body than brightness, but feel free to throw the rules out the window and play around. The roaster you choose will depend very much on your budget, space and what’s available where you are

Air 

Air roasters, such as Nesco and FreshRoast machines, work much like popcorn makers (see page 98 on how to repurpose an actual popcorn maker for coffee roasting), blowing hot air onto the beans to cook them. They’re generally quite small, can finish a roast in around ten minutes and are relatively cheap, with low-end models retailing for around $100 to $200. Air roasters tend to be more “set and forget,” so if you want to experiment with temperature adjustments these may not be your best option. Also, keep in mind that an air roaster can be affected by line voltage—if it’s sharing an electrical outlet with other appliances, it may lose power and slow down your roast. They might also roast slower, or faster, depending on the ambient temperature

Drum 

Drum roasters tend to be bigger, can roast larger batches of coffee, and allow for a lot more control than air roasters. Behmor, Hottop and Gene Café are some examples of home drum roasters, but there are a lot out there. They’re generally slower than air roasters, taking around fourteen to twenty minutes, which is a bit closer to the commercial beasts you’ll see at cafés and artisan roasters. This means you have more chances to adjust the temperature and roasting profile. Machines start at around a few hundred dollars and go right up to the thousands. Generally, the higher the price, the more control you’ll have. Drum roasters are also known to be more durable than air roasters

Manual (and DIY) roasting 

There are plenty of good home roasters around, but you don’t want to invest in a top-of-the-line roaster only to find out that you find roasting dull and frustrating. Luckily, hobby roasters have established all sorts of creative ways to roast their coffee without resorting to bulky or pricey roasting machines. You might want to try these methods out first to see if roasting does it for you. Manual roasting can take anywhere between ten and twenty minutes, and tends to result in a more full-bodied flavor, though you’re more likely to be left with an uneven roast, where some beans are darker than others

Oven 

This is perhaps the most accessible of all roasting methods: all you need is a flat, perforated pan—the kind you might use to bake pizza or bread—and a conventional oven with reasonably reliable temperatures. If you don’t have a perforated pan you can always just punch some small holes in a regular baking tray. It’s then just a matter of spreading the beans evenly on the tray and popping them in the oven to go through their six roasting stages.

Pan Roast 

This is old-school roasting. The beans are put into a light skillet, which is covered with a lid or some aluminum foil. Then the work starts: you have to shake the pan constantly without taking it off the heat, tossing the beans and listening out for the first and second cracks. Another option is to use a wok (or even a heavy cast-iron pot) and stir the beans constantly with a wooden spoon. You should use an oven thermometer to keep track of the temperature. These methods are harder than the oven method, but if you can master them you’ll most likely get better results. It’s also a good skill to have in case you’re ever stranded in the forest with just a fire, a skillet and some green coffee beans (with your only alternative an ancient can of instant)

Stovetop Coffee 

Roaster or Popcorn Maker You can get your hands on either of these for as little as $30 or less, and it makes for a much more even roast than the oven or skillet method. Just throw in the beans, put it on the stove and turn the handle as the beans roast. This is much like the wok or skillet method, except that the crank makes for an easier and more thorough stirring of the beans. If you use a thermometer to keep an eye on the heat (just drill a small hole in the top where you can place the thermometer) then you should be able to get a good result. These pots often have flip-up lids so you can peek in and judge the color of your beans. Plus, if you don’t like it as a coffee roaster, it still makes darn good popcorn

Hot-Air Popcorn Maker 

The old popcorn maker strikes again, this time in electric form: it’s basically an imitation air roaster. It takes the same amount of coffee beans as it would popcorn kernels, so you’re looking at very small batches. You should only use models where the hot air goes into the chamber through diagonal slots in the chamber wall. If the hot air comes from the bottom of the chamber then it’s a no-go. As with the stovetop version, if you’re a bit handy you can install a thermometer in your popcorn maker by drilling a hole in the top. The hot air even gets rid of a lot of the chaff, which should come floating out of the chute—though you will still need a colander for cooling. 

Heat Gun 

Also known as the “dog bowl” method, this involves aiming a heat gun at a metal bowl of coffee beans while stirring them with a wooden or metal spoon. A heat gun is essentially a hard-core hairdryer (but don’t use it on your hair, trust us), and is available for less than $100 at a hardware store. This process imitates a drum roast, and the heat of the gun can be adjusted at any time, giving you more control over the temperature. If you want to take this method a step further, you can actually use an old bread maker instead of a metal bowl, which spins the beans around for you: there are lots of online guides on how to do this, but be aware that this kind of repurposing can be a hazardous game, so always put safety first. 

Vanilla and Salted Maple Cashew Nut Coffee Recipe

 

Makes: 1 

Preparation Time: 3mins 

Total Prep Time: 3mins

A salty, sweet combination of creamy vanilla and maple syrup with a pinch of sea salt, all blended with a handful of cashews for a hint of nutty flavor

Ingredient List: 

-1½ cups strongly brewed coffee (chilled) 

-½ cup unsalted cashews 

-1½ teaspoons maple syrup 

-⅛ teaspoons vanilla essence 

-Pinch sea salt 

-Ice

Instructions: 

1. In a blender, add the coffee, nuts, syrup, vanilla and sea salt. Start blitzing at a low speed and then gradually increase to a high speed, until smooth, this will take around 40 seconds. 

2. Pour into an ice-filled mug and enjoy.

Business Logo and Business Cards of Coffee Shop

Once you have come up with a name for your coffee shop, you will want to develop a logo. A logo should include your store’s name and an image that represents it. Many shop owners use a sketch, drawing, or photo of the store itself. 

You will need to consider the font or typeface for the lettering and colors. Because this will be such an integral piece of your marketing, do not scrimp. Look into hiring a professional to design your logo. You will probably put the logo on every single piece of your marketing items, so you want this to look good!

Business Cards

Long before you open, you will want to design and produce your business cards. These can be a fairly inexpensive and convenient way to market your new shop. There are many good design programs out now so that you could try to design these by yourself. You do want to make sure these look professional, though, so even if you do most of the work yourself, you may want to employ a graphic design for artistic input. 

Whether you use a designer only as a consultant or for the whole project, there are many sources for finding these artistic individuals. If you have an area college with an art program, you might try contacting the school to see if anyone is interested in bulking up his or her portfolio. Many of these students are entirely capable of producing professional designs even though they have not had much on-the-job experience. 

Many designers also do freelance work. Contact one of the professional design organizations, such as the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), to see if they can provide you with a directory of freelancers. The AIGA can be contacted at: AIGA, 164 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010, 212-807-1990, www.aiga.org. Also, look at www.sologig.com for freelancers. If you are designing your own business card, be sure to keep the following design principles in mind:

• Alignment 

• Contrast 

• Repetition 

• Proximit

Contrast needs to be obvious or it might look like a mistake. For instance, you can bold all your headers in a brochure and keep all the other text as regular text. You also can unify a design and create contrast with repeating graphic elements. Think about using bullet lists, for example. 

Alignment communicates connection between the elements of your design. When designing a business card or brochure (or any other promotional piece), think about the paper as a grid and place your elements on the grid, trying to balance them and create a pleasing design for the eye. Do not be too constricted by the grid; be bold and place some elements outside of it (angle a picture of your shop, for example) to create visual interest. Proximity creates a focus for your business card by creating relationships between elements. After you have designed a card, try the squint test. Hold the piece at about arm’s length. 

If all you see is gray, you need to work on proximity. Try to use these elements in all your graphic designs. Also, think about color. Two and four-color jobs are more expensive to print, while a nice, clean black and white design might serve just as well. Because a business card is so small, you want to make sure you do not try to include too much information, and it is very important for it to be eye-catching (otherwise the person you hand your card to is just going to throw it to the back of their desk drawer with all the other business cards in there). 

Remember, simplicity is often best. Use an image for the focal point of your card and make sure to include pertinent information such as the store’s name, address, phone numbers, website, and email addresses. Once you get all this information on the card, there is little room for anything else. While many people prefer the simplicity of a 1- by 2-inch card because it fits easily into cardholders, others prefer a folded card because it draws people’s attention and seems a little more sophisticated.

Coco Cowboy Coffee Recipe

 

Makes: 1 

Preparation Time: 5 mins 

Total Prep Time: 10 mins 

An indulgently thick coffee drink enhanced with the delicious pairing of coconut and chocolate.

Ingredient List: 

- 1 cup canned coconut milk (unsweetened) 

- 1 cup fresh strong brewed coffee 

- 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Instructions: 

1. Into a small saucepan, add the coconut milk, simmer while whisking until the mixture begins to foam and steam. Take off the heat. 

2. Pour the coffee into a mug and pour over the foamed milk. 

3. Drizzle with lots of chocolate syrup and enjoy.

How to Become a Genuine, Certified Roaster!

A GOOD ROASTING 

You don’t have to be a roaster to be a great barista, but knowing a bit about how your coffee is roasted can give you a new understanding of the power of the bean. You’ve probably been to a café where a huge coffee roaster is on display, churning away to its precise instructions (if you haven’t, you should—it’s pretty impressive). 

Like much of the coffee industry, this process was hidden for a long time but is now opening up to professionals and amateurs alike. Raw, green coffee beans, as you’ve probably figured out, aren’t much use (fad diets aside). 

They have to be roasted to make them consumable and to unlock all those delicious coffee flavors. As the roasting temperature increases, raw coffee is transformed (chemically and physiologically) and each tiny adjustment affects the final brew’s flavor. When it comes to specialty coffee, roasters meticulously control the process to tease out a spectrum of flavors— it’s about getting the most you can out of a bean.

Technically, you can become a specialty roaster by just roasting specialty coffee and selling it (a little like being a DJ—it’s impressive and all the cool kids are doing it, but there’s no certification process to go through before you can call yourself one). 

 There’s really no way to know a great roaster from a so-so roaster except by trying some of their coffee and seeing if you like it. That’s not to undermine those really talented roasters—it takes a great palate, a lot of practice, some bang-on intuition and a fair number of scorched batches of coffee to get the knack. 

The Roasters Guild, an official trade guild of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, has established a certification for roasters—both experienced and just starting out. Roasting is considered an art, rather than just an industrial process

The Roasting Process

It’s easier to monitor quality when you’re producing something in smaller batches, and small-scale “artisan” roasters are becoming more and more common, experimenting away in backyards and café storage rooms. 

Rob Forsyth, president of the Australian Specialty Coffee Association, has been in the business for around forty years and says he’s seen the number of cafés roasting their own beans—and offering them for retail sale—at least triple in the past five years, so there must be something in it. The roaster controls the transfer of heat to the beans by adjusting airflow, gas levels, drum speed, charge weight and the biggie, time. 

Each tiny adjustment can make a huge difference to the final flavor. Roasters use sight, sound and smell to judge how the coffee is coming along, watching it change color, listening out for the loud “cracks” (the sound the beans make as the heat causes them to release gases) and inhaling all that lovely (cough) coffee smoke

There are many ways to describe the roasting process, but it goes roughly along these lines: 

Drying: The beans steam, changing from green to a brownish yellow, and might start smelling a bit grassy, or like burlap or bread. 

First development: Beans start to give off that familiar coffee smell, turn light brown and begin to smoke. 

First crack: Beans make a loud crackling sound, the sign that the beans’ fibers are splitting and they’ve started to roast. 

Second development: From here, the beans start to expand and darken as they caramelize. Depending on taste, the roast can be stopped at any time after the first crack reaches its crescendo, and most single-origin roasts are best stopped between this stage and the first few rustles of the second crack. 

Second crack: The second crack is like a last warning, where timing becomes essential. It’s quieter than the first crack, more like the sound of crinkling paper. As the second crack gets louder and smoke fills the air, the beans become very dark. 

No! Stop! Too far!: The beans are burnt. Any coffee made from these will taste a bit like rubbery charcoal.

Ordering China, Glassware, Flatware,Utensils, and Miscellaneous Items

 

As a general guideline, you are likely to need 8-, 12- and 16-ounce sizes of coffee mugs; 8-ounce cappuccino cups with saucers; espresso cups and saucers; double espresso cups with plates; demitasse cups and saucers; other specialty coffee cups; bone china tea cups and saucers for serving tea; plus a range of different sized glasses for cold drinks and juices. 

If you also sell alcoholic beverages, you will need to serve them using the appropriate glassware, such as brandy and liqueur glasses and 0.5-, 1- and 1.5-ounce shot glasses. Additionally, you will need to purchase a range of matching china plates and bowls and silverware, in line with your side-snacks and dessert menus. 

Pay particular attention when choosing the design of the dessert plates, dishes, and parfait glasses. Remember, presentation often will result in impulse orders for an extra portion of dessert, so it pays not to scrimp on the purchase of eye-catching dessert-ware. Bear in mind that breakages will be highest for key items of chinaware, such as espresso cups and dessert plates; order extra stock accordingly. 

Also, keep in mind that dishwashers and other machines all work at different speeds and that not maintaining enough stock will slow down service. Too much stock, however, will cause you to store items in the shop, tying up cash. 

Figures will need to be adjusted depending on the menu and how many uses you can have for the same piece of China or flatware. Apart from standard flatware for serving snacks and desserts, you also will need to stock up on specialty flatware such as small espresso spoons, long latté spoons and large spoons for scooping foam. 

Do not overlook the importance of attractive containers for your countertop or refrigerated food displays. For example, if you are trying to promote your signature “hand-baked” pastries and muffins, you will need to invest in attractive 49 display chinaware, cake plates, or baskets. Other miscellaneous items and utensils you may need to purchase before opening your coffee, espresso, and tea shop include:

• Knockbox for used coffee grounds 

• Multi-level rack for syrups 

• Cinnamon and nutmeg shakers 

• Honey dispensers 

• Baskets for individual creams and sugars 

• Steam milk thermometers 

• Espresso pourers 

• Steaming pitchers (32- to 48-oz.) 

• Cream thermos 

• Muffin tongs 

• Dessert or cake servers 

• Cutting boards 

• Dry and wet measuring cups 

• Measuring spoons 

• Prep knives 

• Cookie flippers 

• Ice cream scoops 

• Chocolate graters 

• Plastic sealable containers 

• Bean blending containers 

• Steel scoops for green coffee 

• Individual teapots and tea cozies 

• Whipped cream dispenser (with extra chargers)

Worksheets 

The following worksheets, provided courtesy of the Small Business Administration, will aid the coffee and tea shop manager greatly in estimating start-up costs and expenses. 

How Much Money Do You Need? 

To help you estimate the amount of financing you will need to get your venture off the ground, use the following checklist. Keep in mind, however, that not every category applies to your specific business. Estimate monthly amount.

WHAT DO I CALL THIS ROAST LEVEL?

 

AS WE FIND OURSELVES CARING MORE AND MORE ABOUT COFFEE, WE REALIZE THE ROAST LEVEL OF THE COFFEE IS IMPORTANT TO US. SO, WHEN WE GO TO BUY COFFEE, HOW DO WE TELL THE SELLER EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT? UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS A BIT MORE COMPLICATED THAN ANYONE FEELS IT SHOULD BE.

Simply using light, medium, and dark doesn’t make sense because of the lack of agreement of what they mean; one person’s medium is another person’s light. Moreover, light can encompass quite a range of colors. Names like city, full city, French, and cinnamon are just as nondescript, as there’s no standard for what color they actually correlate with. 

Terms like strong, bold, deep, and heavy are even more egregious, as they either refer to the concentration of the brew (strength) or could possibly refer to its viscosity. Clever marketing brought us these terms and every coffee professional wishes these words would vanish from the roast level lexicon. Much to my dismay, I’ve never come across any terminology that works particularly well for describing roast levels. Is there a more objective method that could be used? Yes. In fact, there are several, all of which are imperfect and all of which are distant and somewhat meaningless to the typical coffee drinker. 

We can be referential to the stages of roasting, and talk about roast level as the time before or after first or second crack. To an experienced roaster and especially to one familiar with a particular coffee (different coffees roast differently, as you’d expect), this is a fairly useful method of communicating roast level. However, as the length of the roast and events within the roast are, by definition, dependent on the roast profile, using the cracks as reference points are only useful if there is some knowledge of the profile. 

Another method that is often used by scientists is weight loss. As the roast progresses, not only does the bean expand, nearly doubling in size by the end, but it loses a lot of weight as moisture evaporates and solid matter is converted into volatile compounds that leave the bean. 

Very light roasts will lose around 12 percent of their weight while very dark roasts can lose as much as 30 percent of their weight. The minor drawback to this system is that weight loss depends on initial weight, which is heavily influenced by moisture content. While most green coffees tend to be in the 9 to 12 percent moisture range, not all of them are, and if not stored well, their moisture content can change. A coffee with a higher moisture content will have a greater weight loss than one with a lower moisture content because more water (and the weight it added) will be driven off.

Did you know? The first webcam was built in 1991 by computer scientists to keep track of how much coffee was in the coffeepot in the Trojan Room, a computer lab at the University of Cambridge.

This is fairly minor problem for small roasters because even in the extreme case, the final weight loss between a high to low moisture content coffee will be pretty small. On the other hand, roasters who roast very large quantities of coffees or roast particularly dark may end the roast by quenching the coffee with a fine mist of water. 

While the expectation is that the water evaporates immediately, thereby cooling the coffee quickly, some water may remain and add weight back to the beans. In my opinion, the biggest problem with this as a tool is that training consumers to calibrate colors to weight loss may never be very successful; people just aren’t used to thinking of weight and color as parallel ideas. 

The last method that can be used to talk about roast color is the actual amount of lightness! More specifically, we can measure the amount of light reflected off the bean or grounds and assign an arbitrary number to that particular amount of reflectance. This is already a common practice in the coffee industry, and the arbitrary numerical scale already exists. 

All one needs to make sense of it is a spectrophotometer, a machine that measures the reflectance or transmittance of a specific wavelength of light, and the coding that translates the number to a color. The latter part is simple, as one can create and even buy already-made colored discs that correspond to the numbers. 

The hard part is that spectrophotometers are expensive machines and usually only larger companies purchase them. Just as tricky is the consumer side of things, much like with weight loss, few consumers are going to learn which number corresponds to which roast level. In the end, there is no perfect way of conveying roast level to someone else without showing them the bean. So, we’ll just continue as we always have, using the tools we have on hand. Hopefully, someone will come up with something better someday.

Caramel Macchiato Recipe

Makes: 1 

Preparation Time: 3 mins 

Total Prep Time: 8 mins

A totally delicious classic, as good as your barista would make.

Ingredient List: 

• - 16 ounces whole milk 
• - ½ tablespoons granulated sugar 
• - ½ teaspoons vanilla essence 
• - 2 ounces freshly brewed espresso 
• - Caramel sauce

Instructions: 

1. Into a small saucepan, add the milk and sugar, simmer while stirring until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the vanilla essence. 

2. Take off the heat and whisk the mixture until foamy. Pour into a coffee mug. 20 

3. Slowly pour the espresso over the milk and finish with a generous drizzle of caramel sauce. 

4. Enjoy straight away.

Installation of Coffee- and Tea-Making and Related Equipment

The U.S. specialty coffee and tea industry is relatively young, and retailers of upmarket beverages are constantly having to familiarize themselves with the changing complexities of their business. The same applies to the suppliers and installers of specialty coffee- and tea-making equipment that also have to negotiate an ongoing learning curve. We recommend, therefore, that you build in extra lead time for the ordering and installation of your specialized equipment. 

Milk Dispensers/Ice Cream Freezers 

In the flurry of pre-opening activity, do not forget to organize any additional pieces of equipment necessary for the smooth running of your operation, such as milk dispensers and cream freezers. Many suppliers offer contracts for the use of equipment that are worth considering when you also guarantee to purchase their products exclusively. Ice cream freezers, milk dispensers, and various other kitchen equipment, such as water boilers, are available on contract. Your sales representative will have all the information about the necessary equipment. These arrangements may be very beneficial for small coffee and tea shops that have limited capital. Whatever your financial situation, do a thorough, careful investigation into the terms of the service contract. 

Organizing Public Utilities 

Notify public utility companies of your intention to be fully operational by a certain date. Allow plenty of lead time for completion. Some of these companies may require a deposit before they will provide service. Every company and city has different policies, so be sure to investigate yours thoroughly.

Phone Company 

Two external phone lines are recommended, with some sort of intercom, handheld radio system, and/or paging system throughout the shop so you can speak from your position to key areas for any information that you may need to communicate. A discussion with your local phone company business office about your needs will reveal your many options. You also may wish to consider the installation of a music intercom paging system. Above all, be sure to place local emergency numbers at all phones. 

Gas and Electric Companies 

All major items of equipment need special hook-ups that can only be completed by trained technicians of either the gas or electric company, or by authorized representatives. They should be contacted as early as possible to come and evaluate the amount of work required. In many cases, they will need to schedule the work several weeks ahead of time. 

Many gas and electric companies offer service contracts for purchase. If available, it is highly recommended that you purchase them. Equipment that is maintained to manufacturers’ specifications will last longer and operate more effectively and efficiently. Set up a loose-leaf binder to contain all the information on your equipment and its maintenance schedules. Included in this binder should be warranties, copies of receipts, brochures, equipment schematics, operating instructions, maintenance schedules, parts lists, order forms, past service records, manufacturers’ phone numbers, a chart showing which circuit breaker operates each piece of equipment, etc. Keep this manual up to date from the very beginning. Become aware of your equipment’s needs and act accordingly. Train your employees thoroughly in the proper use of all equipment, and it will serve the establishment well for many years. 

Water 

Running a specialty beverage operation means that you cannot take any risks with the standards of water supply to your brewing equipment; the quality and purity of the water that goes into your tea and coffee is of vital importance to the overall success of your business. Water is different in all parts of the country due to the type of chemical particles it contains. Water that has been subjected to a chemical treatment plant may contain a high level of chlorine. Bear in mind that the chemical particles in the water can have a particularly bad effect in the brewing of fresh coffee and tea. Your state’s department of natural resources can give you information concerning 44 the water’s chemical makeup in the local area. 

Several companies now have filtering devices on the market that attach directly to the water supply lines. Discuss your particular situation with your state’s department of natural resources and the sales representative for your coffee and tea suppliers. 

Securing Other Essential Services Locksmith 

A registered or certified locksmith must be contacted to change over the locks as soon as you occupy the shop building and at intervals thereafter. Also, ensure that the locksmith periodically changes safe combinations. 

Fire and Intrusion Alarms 

Every beverage and food outlet should have two separate alarm systems. A system for fire, smoke and heat detection, and one for intrusion and holdup. As a side note, the installation of an alarm system will increase the value of the property, and a 24-hour monitored system may make you eligible for a rate reduction of 5 to 10 percent with your insurance company on the insurance premium. 

Dishwasher Chemical Company 

Contact all the dishwasher chemical suppliers in the area and meet with their representatives. In most areas, four to five companies will be able to provide the dishwasher with the service it requires. Several of these companies will monitor the entire system, making sure the machine and staff are working together for maximum efficiency. Clean cups, saucers, and serving accessories are an absolute necessity for any beverage outlet. Do not gamble on the outcome by not using an expert. 

Sanitation Service 

In most counties, a private business must provide its own garbage pickup. Receive quotes from all the sanitation companies in the area. Prices may vary considerably depending upon who purchases the dumpsters. You may wish to get advice from your local health department to help you make your selection. 

Parking Lot Maintenance 

Parking lots will need periodic maintenance besides the daily duty of light  sweeping and picking up of any trash. Painting new lines for the parking spaces should be done annually. Blacktop surfaces will also require a sealant to be spread over the surface periodically. Winter climates will require snow removal and possibly salting and sanding of the lot. Most of these services may be purchased under contract.

Plumber 

A local plumber will be needed to handle any miscellaneous work and emergencies that may occur. The plumber must provide 24-hour emergency service. Make every effort possible to retain the plumber that did the original work on the building. 

Electrician 

As with the plumber, it would be a great advantage to retain the original electrician who worked on the premises. An electrician will be needed when equipment is installed or moved. If it has not been done already, the electrician should check and label all the circuits and breakers in the building. The electrician also should be on 24-hour emergency service. 

Refrigeration Service 

The most important consideration when choosing a refrigeration company is how fast they can respond to emergencies. The company must have 24-hour service. 

Exterminator 

Exterminators must be licensed professionals with references from other similar beverage outlets they service. You may wish to consult the health department for their recommendations. Exterminators can eliminate any pest-control problems such as rats, cockroaches, ants, termites, flies, etc. The company selected should be signed to a service contract as soon as possible. This is not an area to cut corners or try to do yourself; it will not pay in the long run. 

Plant Maintenance 

If your coffee, espresso, and tea shop contains large, expensive plants, you may need the services of a plant maintenance company. A professional plant-care person can provide all the necessary services to protect your investments: watering, pruning, transplanting, arranging, etc. Contact plant-care companies in the area to get their opinions, quotes, and references. They must be made aware that they are working in an environment where toxic sprays may be used only with the approval of the health department and, even then, very cautiously.

Pick a Bean, Any Bean

If you’re feeling a bit lost as to where to find your beans, the best place to start is at your favorite café. Ask for advice from your local barista or roaster: 

    they’ll have spent enough time with their beans to be able to give you a few hints, and might even supply you with some for tasting. You can also source your beans, whether roasted or green, from a variety of online stores. 

        Don’t Follow Price While specialty coffee is generally more expensive, and better quality, than commercial coffee, keep in mind that within the category of specialty coffee the pricier doesn’t always mean the better. 

        Island coffees, such as those from Jamaica and Hawaii, are generally more expensive, not because they taste better, but because production costs are higher and there are fewer of these beans available.

ask for advice from your local barista or roaster: they’ll have spent enough time with their beans to be able to give you a few hints

Know What You Want Specialty coffee tends to be sold either as an “espresso” or “filter” roast, so you should know how you’re going to brew your coffee before you pick the beans. Filter roasts are lighter and allow more complex flavors to shine through, perfect for the gentle process of filter brewing. 

Espresso roasts tend to be darker and richer, meaning flavors can survive the highpressure brewing process of an espresso machine. Remember, milk is not a friend of specialty single origins. It can drown out the more subtle flavors in a coffee, so for lattes and cappuccinos you’re better off with a robust blend, or at least a stronger, fuller single origin such as a Brazilian. Keep an Eye on Freshness When buying coffee, look for a roast date on the bag. 

There’s a lot of debate around when coffee is at its best, but the general consensus is that it needs to rest after roasting for anywhere between one and four days, that it reaches its flavor peak between five and ten days after roasting, and that it is okay for up to three weeks from the roast date. But as always, the only way to really know is to try—some coffees might peak earlier or later, so it’s more about the bean and the roast and the way you intend to brew it. 62 Buy Whole Beans Grinding your beans is like putting them into hyper flavor-release mode, which means they will peak and start to go stale extremely quickly— we’re talking a few hours. 

Within a day of grinding, the coffee will have lost much of its complexity; within a week you’ll have a pretty dull flavor. You’re most definitely better off buying a grinder and grinding as much coffee as you need for each cup. Still, if you really, really don’t want to bother with a grinder, just make sure you’re getting the freshest ground coffee possible. 

LOVE YOUR BEANS After going to such lengths to choose the right coffee beans, you really want to take care of them properly. Of course you can buy specialized coffee storage canisters, but it’s not essential, as long as the coffee is protected from air, heat and moisture. Buy only what you’ll use in one to two weeks and, ideally, store in an airtight glass or ceramic container in a dark and cool spot. 

Don’t keep coffee in the fridge or freezer, no matter what anyone says; the beans will absorb the moisture and smells of the fridge, ruining the flavor, and making your double ristretto taste just a bit like last Thursday’s pizza

White Chocolate Iced Mocha Recipe

 

Makes: 1 

Preparation Time: 3mins 

Total Prep Time: 3mins

Creamy, chocolatey and delicious, what more can you say!

Ingredient List: 

- 2 tablespoons white chocolate sauce 

- 2 tablespoons cold brewed coffee 

- 1 cup whole milk Ice Whipped cream (to serve) 

 Instructions: 

1. In a large jug, combine the chocolate sauce with the cold brewed coffee and milk. Stir to          combine. 

2. Add the ice. 

3. Pour into a mug and top with whipped cream.

So Where’s my coffee bean?

Knowing the origin of a coffee gives something of an (albeit, extremely broad) indication of what the flavor will be like, which is why most beans are sold with the beans’ origin written in big letters on the packaging. 

Each coffee-growing region, from Kenya to Colombia, is defined by its climate, the prevalent plant varieties, and the processing methods used—all elements that significantly affect the final flavor. 

Experts mostly agree that basic attributes can be pinned to certain regions, within which there are, of course, innumerable possibilities. So, here is your absolute basic guide to which regions produce which kinds of flavors. Don’t get too attached, though: the more you taste the more you’ll realize that there are plenty of flavor surprises to be found.

Central America 

As a group, Central American coffees are known for balance. Think cocoa flavors, a fruity background and a soft sweetness with varying levels of acidity. This area has been producing commercial coffee crops for a while, and reputations for quality vary from country to country. 

Guatemala: 

Guatemala is renowned for specialty coffee, consistently supplying top-notch beans with a wide range of flavors. Really good Guatemalan coffees have a moderate body and are bright, clean and powerful, with a taste range that includes chocolaty, spicy and smoky as well as delicate, floral and buttery. 

Mexico: 

Mexican coffee is known for being light-bodied and mild; it’s naturally sweet, so good for darker espresso roasts. There isn’t a particularly strong focus on specialty coffee in Mexico yet, so well-processed beans aren’t always easy to find. 

Panama: 

Somewhat ignored for a while, these days Panamanian coffee has a bit of a “next big thing” aura around it, with a lot of attention being given to the intensely floral “Geisha” variety of coffee bean produced there. Specialty coffee farms in Panama are known for having some of the more fair labor laws and wage standards in the region, producing bright coffees with strong fruit and floral notes. these days PanamaNIAN coffee has a bit of a “next big thing” aura around it. 

South America 

Long synonymous with the coffee industry, particularly the big-hitting Brazil, coffees from South America have been more generally described as having a clean mouthfeel and lively acidity, and for being slightly sweet. Though long the home of massive commercial coffee crops, there are plenty of smaller farms in South America shifting the focus to specialty. 

Bolivia: 

Bolivia is producing some wonderful specialty coffee that is often delicate, bright and sweet with subtle fruit flavors. They can also develop more nutty and chocolaty roast flavors. 

Brazil: 

Brazil is the biggest coffee-producing nation in the world, with huge commercial crops as well as some excellent, quality single origins. Top Brazilian beans are known for their power, subtle flavor variations and balance, so they’re great for blending and produce a mild, clear, lowacid coffee, with possible milk chocolate, cherry and sassafras flavors. 

Colombia: 

The Colombian coffee industry has been particularly well run for a long time, with a strong federation of growers (and excellent marketing). Because of this, their coffee is particularly consistent in quality and is, for the most part, very clean tasting, balanced and big-bodied, with a range of flavors that at its finest can be cane-sugar sweet with tropical fruit notes. 

Peru: 

Grown at high altitudes, Peru’s best coffees are notably bright. They’re clean and mostly wet-processed, acidic with touches of fruit or floral. These coffees are often lively and rounded, rather than overpowering. Though recently, some specialty coffee suppliers have struggled to find highquality beans in Peru

Africa and the Arabian Peninsula 

This region is coffee’s natural homeland, and thought to have some of the most exciting specialty coffees around. These distinctive beans have sweet flavors ranging from mellow and wine-like to zesty and citrusy. 

Ethiopia: 

Ethiopia, the home of Coffea arabica, has a special place in the coffee industry. Wet-processed Ethiopian beans tend towards clean, floral flavors, while the dry-processed beans are thicker and have a distinctively rich and complex flavor profile. Ethiopian beans are a particular favorite of many coffee-lovers, and knowing that some of this coffee comes from the oldest coffea trees in the world only adds to this country’s cred. 

Kenya: 

Kenyan coffee, known for its acidity, has an excellent reputation for both its industry practices and quality. At its best it produces a complex coffee that is particularly fruity, with berry tones, a sharp, full body and rich fragrance. Also, some spice, sweetness and wine-like qualities are possible. 

Rwanda: 

Rwanda has long been a large producer of coffee, but these days it’s an interesting case of a specialty coffee industry booming in the wake of huge (and tragic) cultural and industrial shifts. The top specialty coffee in Rwanda is more balanced and less fruity than Kenyan but still has an acidic kick, with floral characteristics and sometimes a tea-like finish. 

Yemen: 

If Ethiopia is the home of the coffee plant, Yemen is the home of the coffee industry. This is the country that brought coffee to the rest of the world, and its current crops are known to have a distinctly rustic, musklike sweetness. Unfortunately there isn’t an enormous amount of care taken in the coffee picking and processing here, so it can be a challenge to find a high-quality cup

Islands 

In the coffee world, the “island” category generally includes Hawaii and the Caribbean. Beans from this area are rich and full-bodied, with nutty and earthy flavors, smooth in acidity with a slightly dry finish. These coffees are often preceded by their reputation as being the best in flavor and quality, however as the coffee-tasting culture shifts towards more experimentation, good Hawaiian and Jamaican beans become just two of a wide range of interesting flavors on offer, rather than crowning the top of the list. 

Hawaii: 

The Kona coffee of Hawaii was just about considered the epitome of “good” coffee—though there’s some argument as to whether this is deserved. Our local brew enjoys excellent conditions—volcanic soil, afternoon shade, light and frequent showers. Beans are mostly mild, clean and balanced, but the really great ones can be rich, fragrant and fruittoned, occasionally with some vanilla flavors. 

Jamaica: 

You may have heard Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee pitched as the world’s best, above even Hawaiian Kona. Unfortunately, what some coffee producers sell as “Jamaican Blue Mountain” isn’t quite that; rather, trading on the trend, it might be just a small amount of Blue Mountain blended with cheaper beans. Jamaican beans are mild and full-bodied, complex but balanced. Considered glorious by some and flat by others, you’ll need to taste some and decide for yourself whether true Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee deserves its reputation—and hefty price tag

Asia and Australia 

As always, it’s hard to generalize about these completely different nations, but Asian coffees—from India to Indonesia—have a reputation for being dense, exotic and a little earthy. 

India: 

India’s first coffee crop came from beans smuggled out of Yemen in the late seventeenth century, and it now exports many wet- and dry processed coffees with a wide variety of flavors. One interesting variety is India’s “monsooned” coffee: the beans are stored in a warehouse open to the monsoonal winds, which causes the beans to double in size and develop a golden color. Known to have a strikingly musty, smoky, low-acid flavor, it’s worth trying if you’re after something quite different. 

Indonesia: 

These beans are known to be dark, rich and savory—almost meaty. They’re full-bodied with a mild acidity, but with long-standing, diverse growing styles used on different islands, flavors can range from fruity, earthy and musty to bright and floral. Here, there is also focus on semi-dried coffee, which makes for a uniquely clean, balanced cup. 

East Timor: 

Timorese coffees have a lot of feel-good benefits to them, since most of the sales directly benefit the organic farmers’ co-ops, rather than exporters. Beans are known to be rich and deep, often featuring notes of leather and tobacco. 

Australia: 

Australian coffee is generally quite mild, has a medium to low acidity and is sweet and chocolaty. Their beans aren’t really big in the specialty market right now and are sometimes accused of having a lack of complexity.