# Caravan Coffee



## AL1968 (May 3, 2015)

Just like to give a shout out for Caravan Coffee, and particularly Holly Buttress. Ordered some Acme cups arrived next day. Unfortunately one was broken immediately replaced without any hassle, again arrived next day. A pleasure to deal with, rare example of superb customer service these days, so thank you.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Good to hear. I went in person and picked mine up. Spent £80 and to be honest I was a bit disappointed that they couldn't be arsed to serve me, would rather sell a coffee than a shed load of Acme, and when I asked about brew ratios (I bought beans too) the 'barista' had to go and get the manager. Still, happy with the cups!


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## AL1968 (May 3, 2015)

hotmetal said:


> Good to hear. I went in person and picked mine up. Spent £80 and to be honest I was a bit disappointed that they couldn't be arsed to serve me, would rather sell a coffee than a shed load of Acme, and when I asked about brew ratios (I bought beans too) the 'barista' had to go and get the manager. Still, happy with the cups!


As so often happens it's all down to an individual, people who care are like gold to Company's, they are the reason we choose to buy in many instances. "People buy people'.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Very true. I've often heard business types saying "staff are a company's most valuable asset". Why don't management actually see it this way though? (Totally off topic! )

We were having a day out in London anyway and I turned it into a bit of a coffee tour so I thought I'd take the opportunity to collect so I avoided getting broken ones or needing to be in. Had to carry 6 cups and saucers around half the day though! I was keen to try caravan having heard good things but wasn't overly impressed with the experience (or the beans) but maybe I was just unlucky. But then if you haven't been there you need to realise (which I didn't) that Caravan is huge - more like a university canteen than a coffee shop, so they're big, busy and as a result zero atmosphere compared to normal coffee shops.


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## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

i always like to think a company is only as strong as its weakest link!

all it takes is one customer's interaction with said member of staff and the business name can be dragged through the ground!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Should you really judge a cafe's by the level of knowledge that is deemed obligatory on here ?

Home barista's work flow , doesn't always translate to busy cafe workflow . This is why machines are volumetric and grinders on demand. There are part time staff , perhaps it's their job while studying , who knows .

Its a shame when you don't get a barista that you can geek out with , but for alot of them it's a job , not a passion , and we are a bore ( i know i am )

If the coffee is tasty , sometimes that's all i want ...


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## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

Looks like they're just getting the website ready for online ordering,

I'll add them on my list of roasters to try


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

MWJB has said before it doesn't matter too much if the person on shots doesn't know about brew ratios and the finer details of extraction, as long as there's someone more knowledgable overseeing things and tasting shots to make sure the shots stay within the parameters. Despite what a lot of people want to think, once a machine and grinder are set up/dialled in, grind, tamp, pull shot, do milk are pretty mechanical processes. The person doing them doesn't necessarily have to know if a shot tastes better at 1:1.6 or 1:2 or stopped at 29 secs or 36 secs.


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## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

Fevmeister said:


> Looks like they're just getting the website ready for online ordering


They've been getting the website ready for online ordering since 2013


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## robashton (May 9, 2015)

I had a barista at a fairly well known place in Bristol serve me one of the best coffees I had in 2013 and they didn't know very much (at the time, they were new).

But somebody else had dialled in and they knew that if they pulled a shot and it was outside the set parameters that it was to be thrown and re-done, did the job for sure. We talked about the local music scene instead of geeking out about coffee; strange as it might sound coming from me it's not all about the geek sometimes.


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## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

jeebsy said:


> They've been getting the website ready for online ordering since 2013


ahh


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

hotmetal said:


> Good to hear. I went in person and picked mine up. Spent £80 and to be honest I was a bit disappointed that they couldn't be arsed to serve me, would rather sell a coffee than a shed load of Acme, and when I asked about brew ratios (I bought beans too) the 'barista' had to go and get the manager. Still, happy with the cups!


I was sorry to read about your experience because the three times that I have been to Kings X Caravan have all been a positive experience. I have always gone to the back and sat near their brew bar and if they aren't too busy are happy to chat. It was my first visit there where the barista wrote down for me her version of an aeropress recipe because I had enjoyed it so much - and I still use it with good results for me. Sometimes baristas don't get the home espresso process.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Yeah I think it was just busy. I'd go there again if I was in the area, but maybe not make a trip. I was watching the guys at the back from a distance while I waited (and waited) for someone to sell me the cups, but I didn't chat cos they looked pretty absorbed in what they were doing. Had a good selection of kit in there.

I wasn't particularly looking to talk coffee with anyone, but I thought if I was buying beans it would be good to ask them what recipe they recommend. I did get that info from the manager in the end. So all was well, I was just a bit surprised overall, and maybe taken aback by the huge canteen setting. I'm certainly not wishing to tarnish their rep - I think their reputation stands for itself. Was just my impression on that visit.


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## jamfit (Apr 27, 2015)

AL1968 said:


> Just like to give a shout out for Caravan Coffee, and particularly Holly Buttress. Ordered some Acme cups arrived next day. Unfortunately one was broken immediately replaced without any hassle, again arrived next day. A pleasure to deal with, rare example of superb customer service these days, so thank you.


That's funny I sent them an email about how to buy from them and in there response they didn't mention any other option apart from picking up in person ? How did you place your order can I ask


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## Phil104 (Apr 15, 2014)

You are right about the scale of the Kings Cross place - it's more like a restaurant that does great coffee rather than the Caravan in Exmouth Market, which is on a smaller scale - and more like a coffee shop that does food.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Yeah I haven't tried the market one - must give that a go.


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## Jon (Dec 3, 2010)

Went there today. Lovely espresso.

Service had that "I'm too cool to be friendly" vibe so many good coffee shops sadly have.

In other news I sat opposite someone I'm sure was that Greg bloke that use to mope his way through Dragon's Den.


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