Now that our 7.50 version is being released, we have finalized some re-vamping of the gift card system as well. Those of you who have looked at POS systems before probably realize that most gift card systems only allow you to take one card at a time or load one card at a time. In the real world, it's common to have a customer want to use three $.50 gift cards and cash to pay for a $3.50 drink.We have taken some serious time and re-vamped the system to make it work as smoothly as possible. You can now sell as many gift cards in one transaction as you would like, redeem up to five gift cards at a time and check the balance on the screen with one button. This is available in our 7.50 update and, of course, to anyone that purchases a new SP-1 For Coffee POS system!Loading a Gift Card:
The Coffee Brewing Equipment Company is on the verge of a major coffee extraction breakthough. Their new device is called the Milkthistle Non-Automated Coffee Brewing Device. Developed in a "Cosmic" rocket ship circling the globe, this device allows the barista to brew single servings of coffee in an environment where he/she has total control of all variables of the brewing process. Here is a photo of how it works:
P.S.- Any similarities to Zander Nosler and the Clover device are purely coincidental.P.S.S.- Please do not contact me today, I'll be in meetings with Dunkin Donuts to try and unload this thing! :-)
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I have posted a semi-detailed blog post on my wordpress site in regards to "Changing Espresso Technique." Be sure and check it out and please give me some input, that is why I put it up there.Thanks and have a good espresso!
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In the school of traditional thought concerning espresso, there seems to be a consistent focus on primary characteristics that attribute to the quality of espresso extraction. Undoubtedly, two primary factors in espresso quality are the equipment and the the person using the equipment. Needless to say, a high caliber machine only produces quality espresso when used by a well-trained, well skilled, and knowledgeable barista and vice versa. This seems to be common sense in our line of work. We see it mimicked in many other lines of work. Tiger Woods doesn't use cheap clubs when he's playing the masters, and a brand new Taylor Presenter acoustic guitar in the hands of an amateur musician does little to cover up their lack of mastery as they fumble around the fret board. While it seems to be a common understanding that the tools and the hands play an equally critical role in coffee, I can't help but wonder if there is a slight imbalance these days.We all know about the "demise" of Clover as a prevalent way to advance brewing methods. It was met with speculation from the beginning, yet it was relatively quickly established as a premier way to brew coffees. I even found myself tripping over my gaping jaw the first time I saw one of these sleek, sexy little machines in action at Intelligentsia a few years ago. The extraction characteristics were unique and fresh to the palate, and there was a certain amount of mystique to the cup. I often pondered after that interaction what coffees familiar to me might taste if they were "Clovered". I really don't find anything wrong with this, except that my perception of the coffee was based more on the novelty of the brewing method rather than the merit of the coffee independent of the hype that a 10,000 dollar, cutting edge brewing machine it was prepared on. I was far more enamored with the technology than the coffee quality. And I don't think that I stood alone in jumping on the wagon. Most of the magazines that I have been reading prior to this spring have been plastered with pictures of high end coffee bars sporting these expensive little brewers, sitting center stage on the front counter right next to the espresso machine. And I don't believe the equipment obsession is confined to Clover.We are all familiar with names like Synesso and La Marzocco. I would say that, of all the machines I have worked on preparing coffee, they are clearly the most consistent at producing the highest caliber of espresso that I have prepared. They are great machines with a wild amount of technology and thought to the barista's work infused into their design and general usability. However, I have encountered a certain level unwillingness to wander outside these machines when preparing espresso. In competing the GLRBC and USBC, I found many people completely unfamiliar with anything other than dual boiler machines. Many people had no concept of or ability to make adjustments for equipment that is less than ideal to create quality extractions. People marveled that, while I was competing, I was also not using a Robur as my primary grinder for competition. It was then that I began to wonder what, by definition, is a "skilled barista".Taking into account that there are many people who have less opportunity to play with all types of equipment than I do, I understand some of the wariness of people working on only top, cutting edge equipment to prepare their coffee on other equipment. But how much should we rely on a machine to define our coffee? Is it fair to say that we can only experience it correctly when we have the next greatest brewing/espresso machine? In no way do I want to undermine the pursuit of clarity and quality in our craft, but I do want to question what our primary focus is when assessing what we are doing as a coffee community to affect the overall quality of our craft. In reading "A Code" last week on Barista Exchange, the question was raised, "Should we give input to shops we visit who need help?" The most consistent answer was focused on growing the industry through teaching people the craft of the barista. Right now, Starbucks is communicating to our culture that coffee is only exclusive when it's brewed on a special machine. They are trying to quiet a whole culture of quality by communicating to people that the machine always wins. This is part of why super automatics have become so prevalent in chains; there is a false hope in machines that does not factor in the very artistic component of our culinary world. We could have machines make our coffee, our music, and our art, but without the heart and soul behind these things there is no emotional connection.Forgive me if I am nearsighted, but I appreciate the changes beginning in shops like Stumptown and Zoka who are going back to pour over stations and French presses. I appreciate hearing about people like Aaron Duckworth that require all their baristas in training pull fifty shots at 14 grams exact dose from sight and feel before getting on the bar. I really appreciate the wisdom of my coffee mentor who simply says, "A good barista is one who understand their equipment and can use whatever equipment is laid before them to create quality coffee extractions." Let's continue to grow in emphasizing the the high standards of skill in preparation so that people who are not in this enclave of culinary world will take note of our abilities as masters of an art form. And, most of all, let our effort be toward using both our hands and equipment in a way that the coffee speaks for itself.
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Digging two new single origin coffees as both press and espresso:Guatemala “La Virgen”Acid: 6Body: 7Texture: Carbonated, milk chocolate.Flavor: Spicy sweet seed fruits like cherry, strawberry and blackberry reminiscent of Harrar coffee from Ethiopia. Tinder box spices, with a milky cocoa body. Sparkly start with smooth sweet finish. Fairly simple and direct in flavor and presence, not huge but not small either. Intriguing departure from the normal Guatemalan profile of Huehuetenango or Antigua.La Virgen is grown at an elevation of 1200 meters in San Marcos, a municipality of Tajumulco.Kenya AA TassiaAcid: 6Body: 9Texture: Buttery and juicy.Flavor: When hot tomato soup and fresh (thai) basil pop out, followed by coconut and beef stew. The acid is citrus, lime and orange. A cinnamon flavor comes out as well giving it an almost cola like vibe. Lots of layers, very complex and deep.The Tassia Estate is located in a tropical savanna climate, with red loam (acidic) soil. The coffee is wet processed and sun dried on raised beds. Grown at an elevation of 1500 meters using shade grown Sysbania and Gravellia trees of which 80% were planted in the 1940’s. Tassia Estate registered as a private limited company in 1950 and operates the farm on a 5 year crop rotation cycle.
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That's right.This past holiday weekend saw the closing of a Starbucks right around the corner from us at Temple. We've heard reports this is in part of their 600 shop closings, but lets face the fact: Temple is the reason. Superior drinks, service, and levels of barista hotness. The Green Goddess aint got shit on us.
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We purchased the Bodum Santos Electric from my friend Shannon at Coffee and Crema of Greenville, SC.We took this with us along with our Kitchenaid ProLine Grinder and we have just had a ball with this Bodum. It makes a clean cup, but I do miss the body of a French Press. We have really enjoyed the Ethiopian Yirg Shannon sold us, it just wreaks of blue berries.Our little vacation to the mountains of South West Virginia (Jonesville, VA) has been fruitful. We have educated the masses on extremely fantastic coffees. Everybody just stares at our Bodum Santos!
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Hey e'erbodyYou should definately check out the "RIDE ON!!" event we at Temple, in conjunction with Barefoot, are doing. Its going to be hella sweet, and so awesome you'll probably have to change you pants a few times. Yeah. Do it.Plus, we can get burritos.jawesome.-bza
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15 miles from here a new Starbucks opened a few months ago. It's a drive-thru/walk-up/stand-alone shop in the parking lot of an existing strip mall. There had been a small and successful independent in the main portion of the complex that sold just prior to the Starbucks' opening. There's also a Tim Horton's (big Cdn chain) across the street.Last night I went in to the old shop to see how things were going. The new owner was there by himself cleaning up behind the counter. I asked for a double Americano.He shot the espresso into a decanter because his small cups (he sells 12oz, 16oz and 20oz) don't fit beneath his machine's group heads, then he poured it into my cup and topped it with hot water. All three portafilter handles were sitting on the drain tray.I asked if he'd mind some input into making better drinks than his new competitor, he said yup so I offered advice on preserving the crema and I told him the proven methods of tamping. Then we went through adjusting the grinder, steaming milk (all he had was skim) and we scratched the surface of latte art - which will be difficult for him when he's decanting single shots into the bottom of a 20oz cup.People will patronize the perceived underdog but only if they're getting at least an equivelant drink and service as the chains. With a few excellent exceptions, individual shops don't have much of an impact on the chains. I feel an obligation to help out guys like this. It sucks that the landowner offered Starbucks space in the same complex as the independent. It sucks that he dosen't know how to make espresso drinks. I just want to help the dude make it, I want him to live his dream of running a little cafe. I also want better espresso when I'm in his part of town!What's The Code? I guess The Code is to help out if you can make a difference...And if your help is welcome, of course.
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