Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

A scary coffee story

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Rocky
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Nobody should get too upset because they had a good coffee from Zaraffas outlet at Muckadilla and someone else had a crook one from the outlet at Wackeroo. In fact I wouldnt even be surprised if the bloke in front of me in the queue had a bad coffee and mine was fine. You get that variation from store to store and on occasion, even coffee to coffee - and thats without even thinking about individual coffee preferences. Its a bit like restaurants, isnt it - the chef changes and it goes from good to bad overnight.

    Leave a comment:


  • adjiland
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    This is a forum for everyones opinion the comment i made is my opinion simple as that, i made the comment about the baristas opinion was made in reference to a previous post re industry opinion on zarrafas and that is his honest opinion.

    Leave a comment:


  • Bosco_Lever
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Originally posted by 595C52515459565C380 link=1334384898/18#18 date=1334696629
    Each to their own opinion and taste preference
    Exactly, that is why I have been polite and diplomatic. DSKi was melodramatic, but nevertheless, very accurate.

    Originally posted by 595C52515459565C380 link=1334384898/18#18 date=1334696629
    In my work i did a lot of travelling all over the place
    I do a lot of traveling, not just on the Gold Coast, but throughout QLD and Australia. Yes, it is hard to find good coffee, and I have shared many a cup with clients that was below par. I will not offend a client by saying their cherished coffee place serves rubbish. The Gold Coast has little to offer in the way of fine food, it is all glitz and glamour (there are a couple of exceptions). I have lived here for three years, and in "COMPARISON" to what is readily available in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide; it is a murky backwater. Before anyone jumps up to defend this, please note this a view shared by many of my friends, family and colleagues; all who travel extensively, and APPRECIATE fine food.

    Originally posted by 595C52515459565C380 link=1334384898/18#18 date=1334696629
    A friend of mine is a experienced barista at a leading coffee chain and when we have a coffee he always says to go to Zarrafas at Nerang he also buys his beans for home as well from Zarrafas.
    I do not need such a friend to recognize good coffee, and I do not find this sort of credential to be a credible reference point. If your friend was a state or national champion (not in coffee chain competitions), then it might be a valid point. Having tasted their product in a number of stores, including the one mentioned, I would not buy, nor recommend the product to a coffee connoisseur. As a business, they do have their merits, and are a better proposition than many others.

    As a side note, it is easy to see if a place is above average when it comes to coffee. Judge them by the type of milk they use. Many good coffee establishments go out of their way to source  milk from boutique dairies.
    As an example, when in Adelaide, a sure sign of good coffee is the presence of "Tweedvale" milk in the fridge.

    A coffee chain is simply that, a chain of stores serving identical beverages from identical products. Some do make average coffee that is totally acceptable from an industry point of view. Please do not elevate their status, especially stores whose sales are mainly based on syrup drinks.

    Many of the site sponsors serve coffee that can be classed as very good to exceptional. Zarraffas do not, and should not have their virtues extolled.

    Leave a comment:


  • adjiland
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Each to their own opinion and taste preference but i also stand by my experience of Zarrafas at Nerang Gold Coast. In my work i did a lot of travelling all over the place and found it hard to find a good coffee and what i have tried at this store is above average. A friend of mine is a experienced barista at a leading coffee chain and when we have a coffee he always says to go to Zarrafas at Nerang he also buys his beans for home as well from Zarrafas.

    Leave a comment:


  • dski
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Originally posted by 4F4A4447424F404A2E0 link=1334384898/5#5 date=1334440369
    i have tried numerous coffee shops on the gold coast and disagree that Zarraffas cofee is at best average.

    Average is being extremely generous to Zarraffas that Ive tried. They specialise in making sugary drinks wih a multitude of artificial crap in them. They are just another chain that specialise in mediocrity. Another triumph of marketing over substance.

    The number of bad franchises in Brisbane makes me weep!

    (excuse the melodrama)

    Leave a comment:


  • Bosco_Lever
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Originally posted by 4D687F606D31090 link=1334384898/6#6 date=1334466641
    adland wrote on Apr 15th, 2012 at 7:52am:
    i have tried numerous coffee shops on the gold coast and disagree that Zarraffas cofee is at best average. The Zarraffas coffee that i have  tried as late as yesterday i would say is well above average and the shop was tested at the time as the cars in the drive through were backed up and the shop was full inside and also their beans are very good a bit dear but good tasting and fresh.


    I agree, there are two zarrafas that I visit when Im in the area, and have been impressed almost every time. Its the only chain store Ill frequent.

    I am forced by my teenagers to visit Zarraffas coffee. Others may find their products acceptable, but I stand behind my rating. I have had an insight into their operations as well.
    I know what I like in a coffee and will recommend establishments that provide an exceptional cup. Sadly this is not the case here. To be honest there are very few establishments on the Gold Coast that rank highly. This is a view shared by people in the industry who know a thing or two, and have a defined palate.
    To have their coffee described as average is actually a compliment. To describe it as anything better is an insult to the multitude of establishments around Australia that provide exceptional coffee, day in day out.

    Leave a comment:


  • Bosco_Lever
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Originally posted by 767473737C707B702621150 link=1334384898/12#12 date=1334549717
    If anyone has any info on this type of fridge and storage
    I know of many different establishments from bakeries, patisseries to wholesalers that start with a simple system at first, then expand from that starting point.
    Well insulated rooms with an air-conditioner work well for storage of goods at 18-20degrees. It can be a simple 3x3m room to keep chocolate and other goods at 20degrees, right through to specially controlled fridges. I have found air-conditioners can be used efficiently to maintain temperature and humidity. Bear in mind most of these establishments will turn the stock over quickly, say every month, so exposure to extremes of heat, sunlight and humidity is more damaging than trying to maintain a perfect environment.

    Leave a comment:


  • DavidW1960
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Originally posted by 072C2929450 link=1334384898/9#9 date=1334546246
    so as to not dry the corks out. The better wine fridges keep the humidity up around that level.
    Ah yeah - I remember wine with corks in it - havent seen anything but screwtops for a while though. And not cheap wine either.

    Leave a comment:


  • iaindb
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Originally posted by 373532323D313A316760540 link=1334384898/12#12 date=1334549717
    If anyone has any info on this type of fridge and storage. Id like to have you PM me as we are currently looking at ways to store as Rocky is right a couple of days in storage outside of the right temperature range will stale and start greasing quite quickly.
    Im not pm-ing you because Im not the expert, and "share the knowledge" but I did work with small industrial sized dehumidifiers and airconditioners for power electronics purposes. In our case, if you let too much humid air in, big-fella inverta go bang bang, and cost little fella lotsa money and maybe his eyes and ears too...

    There were a couple of factors that probably apply to coffee beans, depending on how anal you want to be:

    1. temperature != humidity. Dewpoint lowers as temperature lowers, and if you keep airconditioning a sealed system with occasional humid air intakes, youll eventually raise the humidy to condesning point (100% relative humidity) even if its 2 degrees. This is where the dehumidifier comes in. (And why you get ice in a non-frost-free freezer)

    2. speaking of air-intake, you have to limit the effect of opening the door - we used multiple doors, but you could do something like plastic curtains as well as doors, or a top-opening fridge or drawer. Youd have to maintain stock rotation though.

    3. Keep the fridge close to the temperature of your air-conditioned room to stop condensation when you take the goods out (assuming ~22degrees is a good bean storage temp) as wherever there is a temperature difference you run the risk of condensation.

    4. air flow - youll need internal convection if you stack it full as a chocka block fridge will cool but not effectively remove the water. Even worse, if you pack air-tight bags of browns in a humid room and then refrigerate them, youll get dew forming inside your bags (ouch!)

    This may be as easy as a frost-free chest freezer with an add-on thermostat set to 20 degrees, not sure. Hope that helps

    Leave a comment:


  • CaffeSilipo
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    I apologise for the incorrect statement in regards to the wine fridge. Just did some research on that and Bill is right on that one. They do go up to 75% Humidity for the cork reasons.

    I have learnt something new today, and now Im having a good day.

    The reason for my ignorance lays in the fact I was told Merlo had a purpose built Fridge of the specifications of a wine fridge for holding beans quite some time ago.

    If anyone has confirmation on this Id love to know exactly. That is where I first learnt of this storage.

    Obviously it lies in the fact that the temperature range is more acceptable than the outside temp. I have just had some dealings with someone that also has a fridge built like this for chocolate.

    If anyone has any info on this type of fridge and storage. Id like to have you PM me as we are currently looking at ways to store as Rocky is right a couple of days in storage outside of the right temperature range will stale and start greasing quite quickly.

    Thanks,

    Richard

    Leave a comment:


  • Rocky
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    It really IS a case of using your common sense and handling your bean according to the conditions with which you have to contend.
    Here in Central Queensland, bean simply has to be stored in a cool place otherwise it quickly goes greasy and stale. That means the fridge. My pack of bean leaves the fridge only long enough for me to get what I need for my pour (about 15 secs) and I find brown bean holds well for up to 5 weeks.
    I recently posted a thread about storage of bean in wall-mounted cylinders in a local cafe. Close inspection revealed this fortnight-old bean was greasy and slightly stale.
    Not too many universal rules unfortunately - we all have to work it out for ourselves.

    Leave a comment:


  • iaindb
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    which is probably why they were advised to use a normal fridge. If you take it out when youre customers are in and your aircons are on, your condensation will be minimal to none. I can tell you the heat in my office at 8am in the morning during the wet season is unbearable. When I take my cold water out of the fridge, water doesnt condense on the outside (unless its a super hot day but thats because the air-con is underrated).

    Leave a comment:


  • Bill
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Originally posted by 646661616E6269623433070 link=1334384898/8#8 date=1334532705
    The reason for this is wine fridges have de-humidifier in them, which doesnt cause moisture.
    Sorry, but as a wine lover, I can tell you thats totally wrong. Wine fridges are designed to keep the humidity high - at least the better quality ones are anyway. Its well known that wine needs to be stored in 70%+ humidity so as to not dry the corks out. The better wine fridges keep the humidity up around that level.

    Leave a comment:


  • CaffeSilipo
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Hi Dabbler,

    Thank you for supporting the site sponsors such as your referral to Caffe Silipo.

    I know that it can be frustrating listening to other people just starting out with what there suppliers tell them, but as a few others have said, it is best to listen to their supplier whether you agree or not.

    I applaud you for trying to educate someone you felt needed help and your advice was correct, coffee is best stored in a cool, dry, dark environment and as Dennis has said a wine fridge is a great way if the heat is high. The reason for this is wine fridges have de-humidifier in them, which doesnt cause moisture.

    Unfortunately the heat does get quite high in a lot of the shops we supply and if there is no wine fridge available a fridge can suffice.

    To answer Laughin@fate question. The reason coffee should not be stored in fridges/freezers etc. is the fact that upon removal the beans gather moisture.

    Natural enemies of coffee are heat, direct sunlight, water(moisture) and oxygen.

    Try an experiment and keep 100g of coffee beans in heat(such as sun hitting it), fridge/freezer and room temp(cool dark place) and youll find out which is best, second best and of course bad!

    Leave a comment:


  • LaughingAtFate
    replied
    Re: A scary coffee story

    Originally posted by 3C393A3A343D2A580 link=1334384898/0#0 date=1334384898
    Now for the extra scary bit.
    Merlo staff had advised them to store beans under refrigeration.I must of given them a really strange look because it was at this point lost them. It was okay to tell them extra info and they seemed guininely thankful for it, but there was no way in the wide world I could *contradict* Merlo.
    Im sorry, but at this point you lost me as well...

    Why is it so horrible to store your beans in the fridge? :-? Were told constantly that to keep them fresh, they need to be in a cool, dry and dark environment. That sums up the fridge pretty well in my eyes. Especially in warmer climates.

    Leave a comment:

Working...
X