Originally posted by Talk_Coffee
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Absolutely... freshly ground from a dedicated grinder is the only way to go and as such, quality sourced and well roasted decaf is something that any decent cafe/restaurant should be proud of serving to those who want it.
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I don't know about the special location that you describe (and I won't ask on a forum) but once your business opens please feel free to invite me and if the location is reasonably reachable from my location (Melbourne, Australia) then I'd happily drop in to sample your wares.
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Sure it's reasonably reachable.....if you consider the opposite side of the country reasonably reachable.Originally posted by ax72 View PostI don't know about the special location that you describe (and I won't ask on a forum) but once your business opens please feel free to invite me and if the location is reasonably reachable from my location (Melbourne, Australia) then I'd happily drop in to sample your wares.
Originally posted by pwillems View PostI'm in south west WA.
Java "Reasonably reachable" phileToys! I must have new toys!!!
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Part of the issue with that is that most decaf drinkers may not necessarily know why the majority(?) of decaf sucks.Originally posted by Journeyman View Postnvest and stick up a "Fresh Ground Decaf"
I do wonder whether advertising a "low-caffeine blend" (in addition to listing decaf on the menu, and using the decaf beans for both) might be more attractive, as people may look at it and think "Hey, decaf is balls but maybe this low-caffeine blend will give me the best of both worlds". Or is that dishonest?
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That would be like serving 2% as skim milk.Originally posted by Dragunov21 View PostPart of the issue with that is that most decaf drinkers may not necessarily know why the majority(?) of decaf sucks.
I do wonder whether advertising a "low-caffeine blend" (in addition to listing decaf on the menu, and using the decaf beans for both) might be more attractive, as people may look at it and think "Hey, decaf is balls but maybe this low-caffeine blend will give me the best of both worlds". Or is that dishonest?
Why not just be honest and say you have a great decaf, freshly ground that they will struggle to pick as a decaf?
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Because there is a stigma attached to decaf that I would imagine might be difficult to break due to the fact (guess) that most people wouldn't know why decaf usually tastes bad (I know I'm repeating myself but you did ask). I know all the basic theory and still never made the connection. I think it would be hard to condense the information you're trying to communicate into something digestible for people walking in glancing at a chalkboard or what have you.Originally posted by Talk_Coffee View PostWhy not just be honest and say you have a great decaf, freshly ground that they will struggle to pick as a decaf?
Isn't skim milk lower-fat than 2%; fat-free even? In that case, I would view the practice as unethical because people think they're getting fat-free milk and would in fact be consuming something they specifically didn't want, but I wouldn't find it dishonest to advertise "low fat milk" and use skim/0%.
I don't think anyone's going to order "low-caffeine" and be disappointed that it doesn't have enough caffeine in it. If you advertised it as half-caf then that would be a different matter.
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Sounds reasonable seeing even decaf has minor amounts of caffeine AFAIK. I don't see anything wrong with rewording to overcome prejudices, particularly those based on poor practices in the past. (and provided you're not simply repeating said poor practice and conning the buyerOriginally posted by Dragunov21 View PostPart of the issue with that is that most decaf drinkers may not necessarily know why the majority(?) of decaf sucks.
I do wonder whether advertising a "low-caffeine blend" (in addition to listing decaf on the menu, and using the decaf beans for both) might be more attractive, as people may look at it and think "Hey, decaf is balls but maybe this low-caffeine blend will give me the best of both worlds". Or is that dishonest?
)
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Hi pwillemsOriginally posted by pwillems View PostHi All. I am setting up a coffee shop and am selecting my equipment. I expect to go through 2 kg to 3 kg / day. I'm no expert barista (yet), so need a bit of help.
My choice for the espresso machine is the Expobar Ruggero mainly because it gets good reviews, is fairly well priced and looks bloody fantastic. Are there other machines in thes same kind of price range that I should consider ($5k to $10k)? Next, based on 2 kg to 3 kg / day, should I get the 2 GR or 3 GR? Finally, there are 2 versions of the Ruggero, heat-exchanger or multi-boiler. The multi-boiler is a grand or two more. Is it worth the extra expense? I want to offer my customers excellent espresso, but will only pay the extra money if it will make a significant enough difference that my customers will notice it.
Next, for the grinder. I'm liking the Mazzer Kony Automatic. Based on 2 kg to 3 kg / day would you expect that to be the grinder I need or should I look at the Robur?
Cheers.
Further to chokkidog's excellent post, my favourite W Pth cafe did 400 coffees in a 3 hours with a 3 group Linea. There is a reason they are most Cafe's pet workhorse. I seriously doubt that any other cheaper machine could get close to that throughput. One barista, two waiting staff all flat out (they do food as well).
The decaf question: A decent decaf usually gets about 10 to 15% of the trade (based on a few cafes still owned by friends "in the trade"). A poor decaf will get zero repeats and is lucky to get 1% over the long haul. If you have not chosen your coffee yet, I would try every decaf you can lay your hands on to obtain the higher figure. Based on grind retention and lack of usage, I would suggest you look at the Mahlkonig Vario gen2 (Swiss made domestic grinder) for decaf. Stale decaf is a simple sales killer, especially for larger groups.
Other than that, PM me if you are coming to Perth and perhaps I can give you a few contacts to "pick brains".
TampIt
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".....did 400 coffees in a 3 hours with a 3 group Linea. There is a reason they are most Cafe's pet workhorse. I seriously doubt that any other cheaper machine could get close to that throughput....."Originally posted by TampIt View PostHi pwillems,
Further to chokkidog's excellent post, my favourite W Pth cafe did 400 coffees in a 3 hours with a 3 group Linea. There is a reason they are most Cafe's pet workhorse. I seriously doubt that any other cheaper machine could get close to that throughput........TampIt
Cobblers. This stuff isn't magic and LM doesnt have a magic wand that no one else has.
For a start, almost every other brand model espresso machine *is cheaper*, because LM's chosen market strategy has been from way back to place itself "up there".
That doesn't mean their machines can handle the pace while the others cant. Their pricing is a market positioning statement and nothing to do with whether they can make more coffees in a shorter time.
Secondly. A particular model of anyone's pet equipment brand doesn't make the coffee, the operators ("baristas") do.
An operator that can make a 3 group Linea sing, can make any other brand model espresso machine sing as well as long as it is a model that can handle that kind of pace (full size models from many other quality manufacturers for a start, not "compact" models), and the operators are familiar with the model they are thrown into the deep end with.
Thirdly. Plenty of cafes doing similar numbers on other brand / model machines.
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Must have been one real gun barista to turn out 400 in 3 hours, regardless of how many groups s/he had.
I call bollocks unless there was a doser full of coffee, 1L jugs and questionable quality/consistency.
Best bet as per previous posts. Talk with your coffee supplier and take their advice. They will have experience as to what's appropriate for your requirements. No value in buying a Ferrari if the only service agents around only know old Holdens...
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Sheesh.......... all this bashing!!
Don't want to defend anybody .......... but.......
if the shots were all splits then it's only 200 pours, not 400, giving 54 seconds for each pour.
The volume of water might be a more critical factor as 400 x 30 ml or 200 x 60 ml = 12 litres, or 4 litres / hour.
So could a Linea, with a 5 litre brew boiler and 6100 watt element keep on top of that sort of output?
I dunno............ leave that up to youse experts.
In the following video a coffee is started every 17.6 seconds (average), with a total of 17 coffees in 5 minutes.
And they aren't split shots.........
Granted, a second machine is on milk duties but that's probably more about workflow.
Australian Cafes - Putting Slayer to the Test on Vimeo
That sort of output might be less achievable on a lot of single boilers.
I dunno............leave that up to youse experts.
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