# To blend or not to blend?



## jachandler (Jan 26, 2015)

Hi guys,

I'm new on here and am going to open a café/coffee shop in the near future. I am looking to use our local roasters as we have been encouraged to keep things local, but I have nowhere to begin.

Should I ask for any specific blend or keep it to one type of bean?

And if so, what do you guy's, and the general public normally prefer?


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

What kind of cafe are you looking to open , somewhere , where the coffee is functional and food is your main driver or a cafe that aspires to have coffee at the forefront of its offer? I would be a little concerned it you trying to do the later and yet aren't able to make a decent cappuccino yet ....

So Where are you based? Can you get training ....

What machines do you have or want have ( super auto ? )

Do you have an idea of what you like to drink taste wise ( opinion will vary of here )

What kind quality are the local competition ? have you visited them ?

General public seem to like costa and stackbucks, people on this forum aspire to something better quality....


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## jachandler (Jan 26, 2015)

Food is going to be the driving force behind the business, however I would like to be able to drum up good coffee trade as well. It is going to be in West Wales. Our local roasters is going to provide training, which is what they do for anyone who sells their coffee.

We have a 3 month old wega 2 group machine with an old rossi rr45 grinder.

There are not that many actual coffee shops in our area, although there are 2 costa's in the nearest town which are always busy and eventually we would like to be a good alternative.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

If you are going to have a house blend you want it to be relatively inoffensive but with enough flavour to make a good milk based drink, as these are the most popular.

You biggest challenge in besting the chains is going to be keeping staff interested and well trained. A high percentage of coffee shops get training from their rosters but let the staff get sloppy.

Leave the beans in the hopper overnight? They are going stale

Leave the PF in the machine after serving a drink? Incredibly common, oils are making their way into the group, the coffee is being burnt and the smell and taste is infecting the surrounding metal.

Not wiping the group after every drink? (busier establishments may do this after every few, or have a good enough routine that coffee doesnt make its way out of the basket) Coffee grounds are burning and getting stuck in there, they will ruin every drink you make.

Not wiping out the PF after knocking out the puck? Again, burnt grounds in your next drink.

These are just a few of my pet niggles that I watch out for before ordering a coffee. For me it means I wont buy a coffee, and I'll have a builders tea (if I must stay) for most other people they will just think your coffee is unexceptional, drink it and move on. If you want to differentiate yourself from the chains such sloppy practices have to be looked out for.


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## jjprestidge (Oct 11, 2012)

Dylan said:


> If you are going to have a house blend you want it to be relatively inoffensive but with enough flavour to make a good milk based drink, as these are the most popular.
> 
> You biggest challenge in besting the chains is going to be keeping staff interested and well trained. A high percentage of coffee shops get training from their rosters but let the staff get sloppy.
> 
> ...


Those are some strange rules! You always leave the portafilters in the group to maintain temperature - everyone does this, including places like Colonna and Smalls. You remove when the machine is off to stop problems with the seals. If the hopper is sealed overnight there's little staling effect, especially if you're selling decent volumes. A short purge removes any grounds from the showerscreen (never seen anyone wiping after every shot!)

These all sound like home barista rules that you've extrapolated to the commercial environment.

JP


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## jjprestidge (Oct 11, 2012)

jachandler said:


> Food is going to be the driving force behind the business, however I would like to be able to drum up good coffee trade as well. It is going to be in West Wales. Our local roasters is going to provide training, which is what they do for anyone who sells their coffee.
> 
> We have a 3 month old wega 2 group machine with an old rossi rr45 grinder.
> 
> There are not that many actual coffee shops in our area, although there are 2 costa's in the nearest town which are always busy and eventually we would like to be a good alternative.


Who are your local roasters? There are plenty of mediocre roasters out there, so if you're planning on offering speciality coffee I'd do plenty of back to back tastings before making a decision. Training from roasters is often a bit crappy as well - if you're quality focused I'd get trained by someone with UKBC credentials or similar.

I'm happy to answer any questions, having set up a speciality coffee shop a year ago.

JP


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

jjprestidge said:


> Those are some strange rules! You always leave the portafilters in the group to maintain temperature - everyone does this, including places like Colonna and Smalls. You remove when the machine is off to stop problems with the seals. If the hopper is sealed overnight there's little staling effect, especially if you're selling decent volumes. A short purge removes any grounds from the showerscreen (never seen anyone wiping after every shot!)
> 
> These all sound like home barista rules that you've extrapolated to the commercial environment.
> 
> JP


 I read it as leaving the portafilter in the group after serving a drink without knocking it out. If it's knockd out and wiped then put back I can't see a problem?


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## jjprestidge (Oct 11, 2012)

Rhys said:


> I read it as leaving the portafilter in the group after serving a drink without knocking it out. If it's knockd out and wiped then put back I can't see a problem?


You're right - I misread. The rest of what I said holds true, though.

JP


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

jjprestidge said:


> Those are some strange rules! You always leave the portafilters in the group to maintain temperature - everyone does this, including places like Colonna and Smalls. You remove when the machine is off to stop problems with the seals. If the hopper is sealed overnight there's little staling effect, especially if you're selling decent volumes. A short purge removes any grounds from the showerscreen (never seen anyone wiping after every shot!)
> 
> These all sound like home barista rules that you've extrapolated to the commercial environment.
> 
> JP


As above, thats before knocking out the puck. I see this regularly when I walk into a quiet store, and the PF is removed from an idle machine and then knocked out, and then usually fresh coffee goes into a visibly dirty basket.

You right that a flush is a simpler way to clean the group, I guess the importance should be placed on a good routine to keep grinds from the sides of the PF and making their way up into the group gasket rather than on cleaning after the fact. Any kind of coffee that gathers around the group will obviously burn and infect subsequent shots.


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