| By Roastmaster on 8/9/2009 |
Portola Coffee News
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As a specialty coffee roaster, I have had the pleasure of spoiling myself with some of the finest coffees known to man. As a matter of fact, one of the most enjoyable things about being a roaster is sampling beans from all of the wonderful cooperatives and estate farms around the globe. Most all of them are really good and there are of course those that are exceptional, which ultimately end up in my inventory and seasonal offerings. What does this actually mean? Well, fortunately, and unfortunately, I have set a standard where drinking coffee may or may not be a pleasurable experience. This is the case for countless other as well who have had the pleasure of experiencing fresh-roasted coffee. This is not a problem when we are able to brew coffee for ourselves or when we are out and about and happen to be near a coffeehouse that we enjoy. But what about all of the other times?...
There is a phenomenon that I continue to struggle with – one that makes little sense, but continues to exist to this day with little to no progress over the last two decades. What I am referring to is the $3.50 cup of muck that plagues our current restaurant industry – and the highly-rated eateries are often no exception. Nothing is more catastrophic than the bland, bitter, and downright dirty flavors of “restaurant” coffee replacing the wonderful and lingering essence of masterfully prepared cuisine that existed just prior. I just don’t get it! Why would you choose a low-grade restaurant line of coffee when this may very well be the last thing that touches your customers’ lips? The idea is to end with a “Bang” – leaving a lasting impression that everything about your business is quality and nothing was overlooked or sacrificed. Make coffee a continuation of greatness and not a transition to discontent. And the food cost of handcrafted coffee over cruddy coffee is really not much of an excuse at all when considering the fact that it typically is the difference between $0.04 and $.10 a cup. People love phenomenal coffee. They buy it all of the time. Don’t dismiss the fact that you will sell four times more coffee if it is something worth paying for. My intent here is not to scold any restaurant that does not serve Portola Handcrafted Coffee, but rather to encourage those places to reward their customers with a high-quality, fresh-roasted coffee from someone…anyone…as long as it tastes amazing!