Presentation and Culinary Experience

"If you care about the steak then you must care equally about everything around the steak." This is something that is so true to me. I've heard it many times before but the other day I overheard it in the cafe and it got me thinking...

What is an amazing steak if the chairs are uncomfortable? Is the coffee just as good if the mug has smudges on it?

In every aspect of the culinary industry there are inherent expectations for certain items - beer and wine will be served in the appropriate glass, you will get a steak knife for your perfectly cooked and prepared meal. Coffee is no different except that the expectations aren't there yet, I don't think. This is one of many aspects of the coffee industry that need to grow if we expect the general public to accept and truly understand coffee as it should be - a unique and exciting culinary experience.



One way to increase expectations and create a quality experience is through presentation. The reason you are willing to go to a nice restaurant and pay $30 for a steak, green beans, potatoes and a glass of wine is because of perceived quality, among many other things (of course the steak tastes great!). I think there is very little perceived quality with coffee, because 99% of people grew up only knowing coffee as something pre-ground that comes out of a tin can.

Last month Kaldi's changed up some things for our traditional drink menu. We now serve all traditional drinks on a large plate with sparkling water, spoon, coffee and a little chocolate covered coffee bean (its a nice treat after your espresso). I've received a ton of positive feedback from customers who were already ordering from our traditional menu, we've also seen an increase in traditional menu sales. People see the presentation and are intrigued because they've never seen coffee prepared this way before. We have to raise expectations for coffee experiences otherwise it might as well be stale coffee from a tin can.

By presenting coffee in a way that you would be presented any other high end culinary experience you are giving the customer a greater expectation of quality. Sure the tulip art on a cappuccino doesn't actually matter to the taste of the drink, but it shows that the drink was made with attention to detail, with care. It raises the bar as to what the customer should expect when they order a cappuccino, it raises the expectation for coffee experiences.

Coffee Consumption II

During the first 40 days of logging each coffee drink, I enjoyed 39 cups of press brewed coffee, 30 double shots and 22 cups of chemex brewed coffee, among other things. The last 40 days I have been drinking more espresso brewed coffee, logging 60 doubles consumed for enjoyment...the total number including training and grind setting would be slightly absurd. A few reasons my espresso drinkin' increased:

Espresso is the best. Oh how things change.
We've got some espresso roast of El Salvador San Eduardo in the cafe, come by and let me pull you a double. It's delicious.
Maybe you've noticed too, it's hot out there, and the less hot liquid the better.


With that said I still love brewed coffee, and I want to drink more of it. I added an Aeropress to my home set-up a few days ago, tinkering around with brew methods and have been enjoying this one so far. It's a really nice brewer and I'm looking forward to getting some different recipes for it. Would like to get better results from finer ground/shorter steeped brews than I have so far.

Back on topic, coffee consumption for the the last 40 days. I really stuck to the new seasonal coffees at Kaldi's this month with the exception of some Honduras from Intelligentsia.

Brewed Coffee and Drinks:

Some Starbucks drip and espresso in there while sitting in the Phoenix airport for hours. The drip wasn't bad all things considered, it was fresh brewed too. But the shot....errhmm...


Daily Consumption:

Lastly, Mike Phillips on Fox News Chicago. What he says about coffee makers half way through is spot on. Do your best to disregard the anchors. Cheers!

FoaMMMM

So I've been skimming the tan foam and fines off my press for awhile, but never did a taste experiment to see the difference between a press that was left in tact, and one that was skimmed. So last week I did a blind taste test with five baristas from Kaldi's and one from Dunn Bros. I used Kaldi's Guatemala San Pedro, the reason I chose this coffee is because it is one I am very familiar with. I wanted to use a coffee that I knew the profile of, so that I could be sure I brewed the coffee exactly right, and so it would be easier to taste small differences in the brew methods.

I prepared both presses exactly the same: 18oz water, 30g coffee ground as coarse as possible. Combine in a press and stir the bloom after ~30 seconds, stir again at 4 minutes. One press I then covered and left alone, the other one was skimmed with a spoon taking out all the tan foam, gasses and fines from the top while trying not to remove any of the brew. I was honestly surprised at how different the brews were.

The press that was not skimmed was certainly more full bodied and a lot more earthy, with a muddied and slightly bitter aftertaste. Not surprisingly the skimmed press was much more clean and clear, with an increased sweetness. The blackberry acidity was more prevalent in the skimmed press and the aftertaste was pleasant, smooth and lingered on the palate. I think the most interesting thing we found was the skimmed press really built up to the finish. The coffee moved nicely through the palate and finished sweet, while the press that was not skimmed had a much more clouded finish that didn't leave the same desirable aftertaste.

I really suggest trying this at home, skimming your press will provide a much more enjoyable brew, and if you have any doubt just taste that tan stuff...eek!