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Permalink Reply by Greg Aliff on March 8, 2012 at 8:47am

For reference my blog is www.nextlevelcoffee.com.  It's been a 3 year on again off again type project.  

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Permalink Reply by Andy Kwon on March 8, 2012 at 10:21pm

I'm really not aware of many coffee blogs, but I recently scoped out the one by Brett Pavia (http://coffee-culture.posterous.com/) and I love how they list the machinery and include a lot of photography. Really good stuff.

I guess one thing that'll set you apart from other blogs, is to add negatives of the shop.

Third-wave coffee communities are still not really mainstream, so everyone is generally supportive of each other and we all try to highlight the positive components. But what's the place lacking?

Speak to the barista. Does he/she seem knowledgeable? Most baristas are trained to just follow a method of production, but do they really know what they're doing? You'd be surprised to find that a lot of baristas cannot talk coffee beyond the bare fundamentals they've been taught at the store. I'd probably ask about their pedigree... what's their experience level, how they got started... "I noticed you don't distribute the grinds. What's the store policy on that? Do you believe it makes a difference?" Occasionally, I'll ask, "Do you own a machine at home?" and the number one response I get is, "Oh, I can't get into it like that."

Also, a critique of the espresso would be great. Was the barista able to pull a good shot? What flavors did you find? How does it rank? How was their routine?

Maybe a overall review score that tallies a bunch of factors from taste, menu, atmosphere, customer service, latte art, etc.

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Permalink Reply by Greg Aliff on March 9, 2012 at 8:37am

Thanks Andy.  I was working on a rating system some time ago but forgot about it until your reply.  I want to review and interview the owners of the top shops in and around the Atlanta area.  I'll include some of your suggestions in my ranking criteria. 

Andy Kwon said:

I'm really not aware of many coffee blogs, but I recently scoped out the one by Brett Pavia (http://coffee-culture.posterous.com/) and I love how they list the machinery and include a lot of photography. Really good stuff.

I guess one thing that'll set you apart from other blogs, is to add negatives of the shop.

Third-wave coffee communities are still not really mainstream, so everyone is generally supportive of each other and we all try to highlight the positive components. But what's the place lacking?

Speak to the barista. Does he/she seem knowledgeable? Most baristas are trained to just follow a method of production, but do they really know what they're doing? You'd be surprised to find that a lot of baristas cannot talk coffee beyond the bare fundamentals they've been taught at the store. I'd probably ask about their pedigree... what's their experience level, how they got started... "I noticed you don't distribute the grinds. What's the store policy on that? Do you believe it makes a difference?" Occasionally, I'll ask, "Do you own a machine at home?" and the number one response I get is, "Oh, I can't get into it like that."

Also, a critique of the espresso would be great. Was the barista able to pull a good shot? What flavors did you find? How does it rank? How was their routine?

Maybe a overall review score that tallies a bunch of factors from taste, menu, atmosphere, customer service, latte art, etc.

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