Super Solenoid

Pictures from my trip to Brazil.

So, I was pretty bad at updating while I was in Brazil…

In my defense, my internet connection was usually shaky, and typing on an iPad totally sucks. 

I did, however, write a couple of blogs about my experience, and you can find them, and some pictures here:

Part 1

Part 2

If people have particular questions about what I learned, please feel free to ask. My inbox is open. 

I can’t believe I’m actually leaving for Brazil tomorrow…

I will update as often as I can.

Table Service

I’m not sure if this is just an issue where I live, or maybe just an issue for me, but I suspect it’s more of an industry wide thing.

I’m really quite sick of counter service. I still love coffee, and drinking it, and having it made by other people, and even paying for it, but I’m tired of every cafe feeling the same, and a majority of it has to do with the fact that there are almost no cafes in New Zealand doing table service. 

I get that it isn’t efficient in terms of staff, but I think if you’re trying to sell a premium product, you should be offering premium service to go with it. We, as an industry, are trying to convince people to pay more than they have ever paid for coffee. Unfortunately, I don’t think quality alone is enough to convince them of that. I actually don’t think it should be enough.

You could find the most famous chef in the world to cook me dinner, and I still wouldn’t pay more than $15 if I had to wait around in line, find my own table and pay at the counter before I sat down. Why should anyone pay $12 for a cup of coffee if the experience is exactly the same as the one they had when they paid $3.50?

appliedcoffeetechnology:

Not that kind of cupping, Linkedin.

(Source: revanite, via appliedcoffeetechnology)

Pictures taken by Daniel Minson @mintydan

So…

Turns out if you work for a coffee company, and you write a proposal explaining why it’s a totally awesome idea for them to send you to Brazil, they might just accept it. That’s right, I’m going to Brazil! I’ll be spending a week on the Coffee Science Origin Trip, and then another two weeks working on Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (because WWOOFing on FAF is so much fun to say). Expect A LOT of blog updates about my trip, and some seriously photo-heavy posts in October/November.

Ah well, a morning with weak coffee is still beaucoup better than a morning with no coffee.

— (via thatcoffeehouse)

(via thatcoffeehouse)