espresso (57)

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Coffee shops are beloved neighborhood establishments that draw in people from all walks of life. The calm lighting, cozy atmosphere, and scent of coffee coalesce into an inviting allure that keeps your coffee shop busy from dawn to dusk. Throughout the life of your coffee shop, you will have equipment that becomes too old to keep up with the demands of your business. Four pieces of coffee shop equipment most likely to need an upgrade are detailed below.

Espresso Machines

Your coffee shop creates hundreds of gourmet espresso drinks a day. While you clean and perform regular maintenance on your espresso machines as often as is needed, they will eventually begin to malfunction due to prolonged use. More to the point, espresso machine manufacturers are constantly improving upon their previous models. The espresso machine you purchased two years ago just might be a few models behind with regards to improvements and technology. You should always inspect the marketplace for new espresso machines that will improve the taste of your coffee and the speed at which it brews.

Cash Register

Although the term “cash register” is antiquated, that doesn’t mean your point of sale system has to be antiquated as well. Long gone are the days where you have to learn and fumble through a point of sale system that has manual buttons similar to that of a typewriter. The point of sale systems on the market today have been created using cutting-edge technology to expedite digital purchases, precisely calculate sales totals, and communicate with other digital systems. Updating your point of sale system means that you can complete sales orders quicker, keep the line moving smoothly, and make your customers happy with their speed of service.

Refrigerated Display Case

Every coffee shop offers sweet treats and soft pastries that are often organized in a refrigerated display case. Refrigerated display cases possess the same cooling compression system as normal refrigerators as well as bright lighting and extensive amounts of shelving. The presence of these different parts leaves refrigerated display cases prone to becoming outdated quickly as sleeker and more energy efficient models are created.

Commercial Microwave Oven

Your commercial microwave oven warms cookies and muffins for your customers. It is an essential piece of equipment in your coffee shop that will need to be updated every few years due to daily wear and tear.

While you’re in the midst of updating your coffee shop equipment, don’t neglect your coffee shop furniture. Updating the tables, chairs, and benches in your coffee shop can improve its interior aesthetic and your customers’ comfort.

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Opening a coffee shop is a terrific way to run a business and get regular customers. The best coffee shops are intimate, friendly, and above all else, serve great coffee. You’ve likely been in countless coffee shops that make it look easy. While running a coffee shop can be highly enjoyable, it’s not something you can do in your sleep (without coffee!). Here are five major things not to forget when running a coffee shop.

Quality Beans

Going to a coffee shop is more expensive than brewing coffee and other drinks at home. Therefore, when customers come to your shop, they’ll have the expectation of quality. For coffee, that starts with the beans. Make sure you source ones that are reputable and provide a great taste. Your patrons won’t mind paying the extra price if they’re ensured that it’s worth it.

Electrical Integrity

You don’t want your coffee shop to be lit so brightly it hurts your customers’ eyes. You also don’t want it so dim that they’re falling asleep. You want to strike an appropriate balance. Look for a licensed electrician such as Degree C Pty Ltd who can provide the best quality service possible.

Varied Menu

There’s a reason why coffee shops don’t just sell coffee. Customers also like things like tea, juice, and pastries. You want to give them as many options as possible. Not only that, but you should also make sure they’re of the best quality possible. Loose leaf tea and homemade pastries are a great idea.

Bathroom Quality

A lovely coffee shop’s reputation will be ruined if the bathrooms aren’t so lovely. You need to make sure you maintain this as much as you can. Beyond general cleanliness, it should also be stockpiled with supplies. Have a sign in there that urges customers to inform staff of any issues.

Customer Service

Your coffee shop needs to be a place that customers feel welcomed at. If there’s any hostility amongst the staff, it will reflect poorly on you. Make sure that all your staff members are properly trained in how to handle customers politely and enthusiastically. You want to bring in their business on a regular basis and have them thrilled to see you.

We hope this has given you a great idea of how to run a coffee shop. You need to make sure that you are committed to every aspect. By following this guide, you can have your coffee shop be the talk of the neighborhood.

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Our drive through shop is upgrading to a 2 group semi-auto and we are needing to sell our Franke Evolution.   We bought it new, and it has had all the regular PM, and has been on a filter/softener the whole time.  We also just completed a full maintenance, tuneup, and bench test by a certified tech.  It's in great shape and ready to go.  Would like to get $6,500, but am open to offers.31139459264?profile=original31139458868?profile=original31139458886?profile=original31139459883?profile=original31139460261?profile=original

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Whip it up with a cup of Devo

When the mocha comes along, you must whip it. Put on your red dome stair-looking hat and admit that you are not men, but Devo. Well Mark Mothersbaugh, former front man of Devo, coffee lover and now entrepreneur of Mutato Muzika is all wrapped in one.He’s been at the grind of new wave music since the 80’s with the well known group and now his music can be heard in commercials, cartoons and movies. He loves the vibe of music and the one coffee gives him. And how appropriate is that; now doing music for coffee commercials. “I love coffee,” Mothersbaugh said, “I started drinking it late in life; only interested in the aroma for the first 40 years of life.” Dinking and smelling it brings him wonderful memories from childhood as it can for many people. Taking him back to the 50’s and 60’s when they had percolators for brewing. “Even today I respond in a Pavlovian way that memory,” he added.Residing out west, he lives in a perfect area for a coffee lover, no obsesser. He likes it all; black and strong or milky and sweetly flavored. He’s in close distance to many places from the short walk to short drive for the bean. He lives one block away from Peet’s, Coffee Bean, Starbucks, and Primi. It’s only a 6-10 mile drive to small coffee houses and cafes where they have custom beans and may roast on site. “Long live café,” he said. He spreads his love of the bean with co-workers as they recently added a Nespresso machine to the Mutato Muzika’s kitchen.He enjoys different roast levels and makes sure there are enough choices available at work; even tasty choices for the decaf drinker. Mothersbaugh is a lover so much that he enjoys it as a flavor in food. Espresso crusted steak or roast perhaps? Coffee cake with actual coffee in the batter maybe? Espresso brownies I’m sure. It even goes as far as he will eat handfuls of straight up beans from the bins at the store when he shops. THAT is a true espresso obsesso. Find out what he’s up to and what’s brewing at http://www.mutato.com
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6' Naked Barista pic!

Now that I have your attention! We see many projects where the specifications are vague and the drawings show little to no details for how to build a Barista Bar. I'll come back and update this in more detail and we will fully disclose our construction. It has taken me 7 years as MillRock CEO to evolve the MILLROCK Barista Construction to something we are proud will exceed all expectations for performance.

Stainless steel is already recycled and at the end of our days the bar will be recycled once again.

All too often we see the undercounter refrigerator supporting a collapsed bartop...or the UCR worse yet, is the Bar top!

We see operators with the espresso machine at eye level straining to apply any force to the tamp on their toes.

We see bars where the espresso machine has NO room in-front of it for a pitcher to be slammed.

Broken granite...stained corian cracking...plastic laminate chipped and peeling...The list goes on.

I promise I will come back and really make this a worth while blog post with relevant photos of our construction and what drives us to support your cafe, literally.

hmmm maybe our first Barista Mag ad campaign will be "Naked Barista" with a shot of you, on your Millrock bar, in your Cafe, NAKED! & Sara can do the Black Bar censoring...I think this crowd might be up for it!

Seriously, We need to communicate our construction and we want you to be successful; whether we build your cafe or shop your cafe.

Our Engineers will answer any construction questions...our Cafe Designers will answer any space planning questions & I'm still looking for a great double espresso 02379!
Ciao,
Shaun

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Close to opening...

Well just when I thought things weren't going to work out then ended up working out after all. I finally got all the plumbing and electrical done, I was putting the sheet rock up last night and mudding and taping (always fun) and even installed 1 of the 3 LCD tv's in the main dining area. Carpeted the lounge area to get ready for the furniture which they tried to deliver yesterday and wouldn't fit!! So now I have to go and pick out new furniture, that sucks. I am getting very excited to share my place with everyone and hopefully they will make it their place, we have some great music coming so it is going to be a fun time!Merry Christmas to everyone!BrianCyber Infusion
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Over the weekend I heard that CMA (Astoria/San Marino/Argenta) Sales Manager Flavio Urizzi suffered chest pains while he was in Ireland as a sponsor/judge for the Irish barista championships. He had to undergo some surgical treatment but is now resting comfortably and will fly back to Italy today or tomorrow. Flavio has always been a great ambassador for coffee and of course for Italian Espresso machines. I was looking forward to seeing him at the FHA in Singapore, although he now wont be there our thoughts are with him. Hoping now he can rest and recover and get back to doing what he loves as soon as possible. All the best Flavio- get well soon!
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Does Good Coffee Need Sugar?

I blogged on this after a customer asked this question this week. She had been told that Good coffee will never need sugar. Read below and tell me what you think....A great customer of Star Gardentown Cafe - Toowoomba - was told that ‘good coffee does not need sugar’, is this true? I have to say that there is no definite answer to this one. There are times where it is a well defined ‘Yes’ and others where you wouldn’t dream of it. I guess the first question that needs to be answered is - are you putting sugar in your coffee to mask an undesirable flavour? - If this is the case, find somewhere else to buy your coffee, or learn to make it the right way!So, are you putting sugar into it just mask an undesirable flavour? If so there may be a few reasons. Has that coffee shop that you frequented for a long time one day dropped the ball in terms of the quality of coffee they serve? The biggest mistake is blaming the coffee itself. Rarely will the coffee be bad. There is a roaster somewhere that put alot of love into that blend and somewhere along the line, a barista or staff member has dropped the proverbial ball and ruined what might have been great.Take Di Bella coffee for example. They have just taken great honors in Australia’s Golden Bean awards for 2009, yet, one of my local cafes makes their coffee taste like the worst coffee ever made! The poor roaster has no control when he/she sells the beans, yet would go out of business if they refused to supply any cafe that didn’t do them justice. The making of the coffee in your local cafe is only the small final step in a much larger history in your cups life. The process - Grown, picked, fermented, sorted, bagged, shipped, roasted, blended, shipped to the cafe, ground, extracted and drank, - is lengthy enough that somewhere along the line something can foul the end result. You will find that in the roasting process, no faults should be detected and then passed on to the consumer. A good roaster will never roast a sub-standard green bean and pass it onto their customers. Likewise, a good roaster will frequently ‘cup’ their coffee to ensure that the end result in their roast is what they expected.So what can a barista/cafe stuff up? - Heaps - There is literally tons of ways to ruin a good bean in the final stages of making a coffee.* Is the whole bean stale? Does your cafe buy too much or not sell enough. Is it sitting on the shelf for way too long, it is exposed to excess amounts of air?* Once ground is it getting used straight away? Think about it - Once ground, there is A LOT more surface area for air to contact and start the deterioration. A good barista will grind to order, giving you the freshest tasting cup.* When was the espresso machine cleaned last? This would have to be the biggest fault in why your coffee is bitter, and hence why you need to sweeten it with sugar! Cleaning with chemical over night is essential (domestic machines don’t need this frequency), back flushing the system hourly if not more and cleaning up as mess (washing out equipment) is made can alter the flavour of the cup. A messy machine will kill your coffee.* How long did the extracted shot sit around until it got drank/milk poured into it? Time kills as well. and,* How long was the actual extraction of coffee? Did the barista really know what they were doing when they started making your drink?So these things - plus a whole lot more - can ruin you cup of Joe in a cafe but espresso coffees are only one way of making a good cup. What other factors can make you add sugar in the home or through other processes like siphons/plungers etc?….‘Good coffee ‘ is a wonderfully diverse medium that knows no limitations. Major factors like what extraction method - Espresso, siphon, plunger, pour over etc - will usually dictate what sort of origins of coffee are used in the process. Different countries, broken down into regions and further into farms will produce unique flavour profiles somewhat like wines. Some origins may produce naturally sweet flavours, some dry. Others will be sour and yet still some can be combinations. An African coffee can be really sweet (Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Kenyan AA) and not need any sugar as they have distinct floral and fruit nuances. In saying that though, an African coffee might give you an intense explosion of these flavours with just a small amount of sugar added. Extract an African coffee through an espresso machine and you will draw out a lot of the beans acidity making it tart on the tongue. Extract the same bean through a siphon or pour over and all that ‘pop’ of acidity will be mellowed and almost non existent, giving you great floral nuances as the beverage cools down.So, to answer Yes, to the question posed, some coffee’s like African coffee’s can be good with a bit of sugar. Just like a good chef always seasons food with salt and pepper to draw out natural flavours, a little sugar can increase the pop of flavour on your tongue when drinking coffee. A good chef will adjust the seasoning to sit the dish, adding more at the table before even tasting can tip it over the scale and start to ruin the flavour. If you are in a good coffee shop, trust your barista and try the coffee first, they might know that the blend they are using is great as it is, that milk enhances the flavour and that sugar will drown out the delicate nuances that await your palate Being that you picked a good coffee shop as well, chances are that the same barista loves what he does and he cleans his machine and knows what he is doing. Don’t pass judgment on a coffee before you taste it, sip it without added sugar first and then adjust accordingly.If you happen to be a extra tall, extra caramel, half shot coffee drinker, than chances are sipping on an espresso shot will taste awful. Intensity of flavour is obviously going to alter your preference to the final cup you drink. A good barista will know if his/her blend goes better in milk based drinks compared to straight shots. We at Star Gardentown Cafe try to offer alternatives for espresso drinkers. We know that we designed our blend for the 80% of our customers that drink milk based beverages. Therefore, we offer single origins and blended alternatives for the coffee geeks drinking it strong and black.In the end it comes down to personal preference. The biggest advice we can give though, is that if you are getting a coffee that requires more than one sugar, either find another another shop or learn to cut down on your sugar intake. Who knows, you might enjoy the flavours that you are masking (and cull your dentist bills). So, does good coffee need sugar? - Yes if you want a small amount to help draw out natural flavours, - no, if you are just using it to mask terrible coffee.
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We're into our fourth auction for Coffee Kids and we were able to import one more machine, so we've got a total of three more up for auction over the next few weeks. The machines came into the store last week, so check out a video of the features:
If you're interested in purchasing a unique and excellently performing collector's item while also contributing to a great cause, please help us raise some cash! You can find more details and a link to the auction at:
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It is self contained cart - fully equipped with refrigerator- water pumps, #4-5 gallons water tanks, 1-8gallon-reservoir tank- pressure pump. all in good condition.Espresso machine- Lasanmarco - Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine-With 2 Spirt Brewer Heads.Oversized Nickel plated Copper boiler - Copper for resiliency, flexibility and heat conductivitySuper-fast TOGGLE steam and water control valves providing remarkable speed and ease of use.Two head espresso diffusers, with frothing wand for cappuccino.Electric: Voltage 220, Amperage 15, Wattage of Heat Element 3500Boiler Capacity: 12 (liters)Weight (lbs) 133Dimensions: 18.5"H x 28.5"W x 21.5"D2 different commercial grinders for regular and decaf-and a backup 1-Bunn 2-FranckieSmall Ice maker - NOE brand - makes 12-S-M-L size cubes in one minute.All accessories, knock box- tampers(2) - cups- stainless steel containers - shot glasses, cleaning supply- For appointment and more information call 425-269-4326
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Mid City Caffe Opens

Mid City Caffe OpensAnother fancy coffee place, thank goodness!By CARISSA DIMARGOUpdated 3:00 PM EDT, Mon, Aug 17, 2009After several delays, Mid City Caffé finally opened Saturday at 1626 14th St. N.W., a floor above the quirky (read: hot pink) Miss Pixie's Furnishings and Whatnot.We're kinda holding our breath to see how a second-story coffeeshop will fare on 14th, but if they fail, don't blame the coffee, which comes from Durham, N.C.'s Counter Culture Coffee. The coffee company brings in beans that are fair-trade, sustainable and harvested at their peak.Along with plenty of other local coffee purists (Nick Cho, we're lookin' at you), Mid City Caffé will use only two methods of brewing, French press and pour-over, both made to order, reports Prince of Petworth.Pastries and bagels come in from local bakeries. Indulge in chocolate croissants, spice cake and a changing assortment of other goodies. Once the weather cools down (as if that will ever happen), consider snagging a spot on the outdoor patio. WiFi is free -- snag a personal French press and ride the buzz while you surf the intertubes.Hours: Mon.-Fri. 6 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat. 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun. 9 a.m.-7 p.m.Find this article at:http://www.nbcwashington.com/around-town/food-drink/Mid-City-Caffe-53443817.htm
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barrista

still looking for information, is there an asosication for exchange between the United States and North Africa, namely Morocco. I have launched a nice little coffee shop and i am a beginner though i have 4 people working, i still need to learn myself how to be a real good coffee shop owner and i need training, any ideas please . morocco is in North Africa, very close to Spain
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Free pastry or free wi-fi???

Okay - so like many of you, I'm on Facebook, and I saw the Starbucks Free Pastry Day event happening for today.I think this is great marketing, and Starbucks hit a home run (with me at least) when they did the Vote Promo last November (anything to get people to vote is a-okay with me!). But, today - I was going to go into the Starbucks in my neighborhood (S. Beverly Drive - Beverly Hills, CA) but then I started to think about what I really wanted.Did I really want a free pastry? Or was the fact that it was "free" the only real draw for me? The other major issue was that Starbucks doesn't offer complimentary wi-fi. I know this is the case for many coffee houses, but to tell you the truth - it's a must have for me.I'm happy to "take a coffee break" (as I'm gently urged to do every 2 hours here at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf), patronize them with another purchase - and enjoy the valuable benefit of being able to sit outdoors, enjoy the sun, the people watching, and get my work done. It totally trumps the free pastry in my mind.I also am on Twitter (okay - I'm a social media junkie...). There was an equally clever offer from It's A Grind Coffee (@ITSAGRINDCoffee) when I began following them. They responded with this compelling offer: Hi, thanks for the follow! I hope you'll check us out at www.itsagrind.com Enter "Twitter$5" for $5 off you favorite coffee.Here you have two call-to-action items: visit the site AND get $5 off your favorite coffee. Love it!The ability to harness social media (and not just to tell people that you're waiting endlessly for the person in front of you to get their stinkin' laundry out of the dryer so you can put yours in...) and position your message as strategically and specifically as you want it to be, is something that I think most of us will eventually come to appreciate.I talk to people all the time that say "this Twitter/Facebook/Youtube crap is totally taking over our lives and disconnecting us from true human interaction". To that I say "and I suppose you're still totally against that 'voice mail' stuff too, huh?".I see mammoth businesses, like Starbucks, understanding and harnessing the power of social media for the benefit of their business - but also to generate other responses as well (like voting) - and I know applications like splick-it (okay, sorry, shameless plug!) are able to bring that kind of marketing muscle to the little guys with nary a whiff of technological hassle or huge upfront costs. And that's happening today.After all, it's still about choices. Do I want to receive a text-message telling me about a special offer from my favorite coffee or tea house? Maybe. Can I opt-out of receiving such messages? With almost everything out there (FBook, Twitter, etc.) - yes. But, I can also choose to take advantage of those things when I want to - and like today - make the choice. Pastry or wi-fi?I chose wi-fi.
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Seattle Coffee Gear Logo From Friday, June 19 through Friday, July 24, Seattle Coffee Gear, a Coffee Kids supporter, will hold an auction for five Limited Edition Giro D’Italia Giotto semi-automatic espresso machines. One machine will be auctioned off per week with all proceeds benefiting Coffee Kids.The machines, created by Milan-based Rocket Espresso, celebrate the Giro d’Italia, a 1,521 mile bike race through the Italian countryside. The Giro d’Italia along with the Tour de France and World Cycling Championship make up the Triple Crown of cycling.Limited Edition Giro D’Italia Giotto Rocket Espresso has created just 100 of these machines based on their popular Giotto Premium+ machine. All feature a Maglia Rosa-inspired pink manometer, individually numbered badges and the names of all 92 winners of the Giro D'Italia machine-engraved on the side.Seattle Coffee Gear has imported five of these limited edition machines for the auction. Visit Seattle Coffee Gear to place your bids and learn more about the machines.
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