Coffee Forum
frame
› ›
After the old forum software breaking in a way that we were unable to fix, we've migrated the site to a new platform.

Some elements aren't working as we'd hoped - some avatars didn't survive the transition, and we're still having issues with attachments that weren't added as inline images, but we're hoping to have that all sorted out soon.

Special Coffee Professional

adminadmin
edited January 1970 in Off-topic
Emily Oak - on the board of the World Barista Championships and one of our regular contributors, has written a great piece on the current controversy over the role of the coffee purist vs their customers - with her permission, I'm going to serialise it [in a couple of posts] - I think it brings up some very interesting issues:

"What is my job as a specialty coffee professional? Apart from the obvious
Share on Facebook

Comments

  • adminadmin
    second instalment [remember it was to be read as an article for the mag.]: By no means do I expect anyone else to practice the same level of scrutiny on every brew, nor will I think less of you for not wanting too. What I do want is for you to understand how truly amazing and delicious and diverse good coffee can be and that it is far more complex than just your morning caffeine hit. If that is what coffee means to you, then at the very least I want you to enjoy every sip and maybe just maybe my enthusiasm might rub off on you. I also want you to understand how much awful coffee is still being consumed all too regularly. If you want to talk to me about why I love and sometimes obsess over coffee, what I think good coffee is and how to achieve it I
    Share on Facebook
  • blanyonblanyon
    Love the article, I find it difficult to have a conversation with customers regarding coffee without going over their heads. Generally their attitude is that the machine does all the work and I just push buttons when I start getting any more complex than that I often get glazed eyes looking at me so I have simplified my responses. I find this a double edged sword as you do get people to understand a little more about what you do but because you have simplified it they still think it is easy and simple. Maybe its just that I'm not in a shop and generally don't get to converse with people for long don't know.
    Share on Facebook
  • adminadmin
    Third [& final] installment - by the way, most of you will have realised, I meant to entitle this: Specialty Coffee Professional! "I do believe that we, as an industry are guilty however, or sometimes feeling the need to over-explain what we do and how good it is and getting a bit preachy for our cause. I guess the question to ask is why? Why do baristas want you to drink your coffee without sugar or even try a brewed coffee without milk at all? Why do we profess the altitude and origin and processing method of each estate coffee we serve? The answer I believe, is that coffee has got very good really quickly. A rapid acceleration in quality, transparency and availability in the last 10 years has lead to a re-emergence in brewed coffee and new approaches to espresso extraction. This has opened the door to alternatives and exploration of roasting and processing, discovery of new flavours and experiences and more than anything a much, much better taste in your cup.  When we find it we want to tell you about it. This is because we want to share the excitement and enjoyment rather than assuming you can
    Share on Facebook
  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    I love it that the stakes are getting increasingly higher in the coffee industry with more and more emphasis upon quality control and varied forms of preparation - if you can tap into the speciality coffee market with integrity and a knowledgeable palate - I think there is a great dynamic which can be established between the barista / roaster / cafe owner, and the public For my part I'm happy to dispense my coffee wisdom to those who are of an enquiring mind and keen to improve their own knowledge, just as I am constantly refining what I do, and the products that we use, to get the best possible result But do i bother telling the average customer that we use 20g standard baskets for every coffee that we make, or that the milk is biodynamic and unhomoginised? No... I would rather wait for them to make their own value judgement on the coffee that we serve, and let that be a lead-in to further discussion Great work Em, btw - totally respect all the behind the scenes effort that often goes un-mentioned and un-rewarded to generate a fantastic end result...
    Share on Facebook
  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    to me coffee now is where wine was at say 15 years ago - back then when I was working as a sommelier in some of  the country's finest restaurants, if I tried explaining what I did to someone who wasn't a wine buff, well... I wont tell you what words were most often used to describe my profession, but I bet you can have a good guess the task now I believe for coffee professionals is to use all the tools in our armoury to generate the best possible result, and to convey this information to the customer in a way that doesn't sound stuffy, elitist, or too formal at the end of the day its what's in the cup that counts and this speaks more loudly and more forcefully, and to a wider audience, than anything I could say to a customer keep it fresh, keep it real Pat  
    Share on Facebook
  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    I give the customer credit for voting with their feet - if they like what they're experiencing they are likely to return and tell other to do the same If the coffee is made with passion by someone who knows what they're doing and are clearly dedicated to their profession, then this enthusiasm becomes contagious and rubs off on the broader community, which then, fingers crossed becomes self perpetuating! Sure there's plenty of ordinary coffee out there but there's also an increasing number of well informed individuals who will not tolerate an inferior product - and this to me is the most exciting part of the industry - the ability to tweak and constantly refine what we do and build upon an existing knowledge base, and to share this passion with the customer!
    Share on Facebook
  • DoubleRistrettoDoubleRistretto
    well said ACG - hear, hear! dR 8)
    Share on Facebook
  • adminadmin
    thought I'd re-raise this one, as it relates to a discussion that Dry Bean has raised in response to 'Third Wave' stuff [on have your say]. A again apols that it's misname Special, rather than 'Specialty' but once you've named a thread you can't change the title & I don't want to lose everyone's comments so far [which would happen if I started it again].
    Share on Facebook
Sign In or Register to comment.

Coffee Forum

@ 2026 The Coffee Forum, All rights reserved.

Policies

Privacy Policy

Social