# Filter coffee offering for a coffee shop



## bdt (Sep 13, 2011)

With our coffee shop opening (hopefully) fast approaching, I've been more thought to our filter coffee offering and realised it's an area that I'm not so strong on, shall we say, as admittedly I've put a lot more thought and practice into our espresso based coffees.

What I need ideally is a filter coffee that can be pre-prepared and ideally kept hot for fairly long periods without compromising quality noticably. I don't anticipate that I'll need to produce huge volume but it needs to be pre-prepared so it can be served quickly (eg - for takeaway customers who are short of time, etc).

I discussed this with a supplier fairly recently who advised to stay away from hot-plate type machines as this would stew the coffee and to stick to a "thermos flask" type container to store brewed coffee in as this would keep it warm without continuing to heat the brew.

Any advice from someone in the know would be much appreciated though


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

Have a look at the offerings from Marco and Bunn:

http://marco.ie/brewers.html

http://www.coffeehit.co.uk/bunn-infusion-coffee-brewer/p876


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## bdt (Sep 13, 2011)

Cheers. I think pricewise and volumewise something like the Marco Filtro or Bunn 392 would be ideal but am just wondering about the quality from these. I see both seem to use a hot plate to keep warm - is this likely to cause a problem with the taste after being kept hot for a certain period of time and if so, roughly how long until it starts to degrade?

Another possibility is using some kind of manual method and then storing a vessel which insulates to keep warm opposed to actually heating the coffee. Have never heard about this problem with hot plates before but to be fair I haven't researched this issue much either.


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

Speakeasy use the Shuttle brewer for their batch brewing and I have always been impressed by their offering. They feature a choice of two brewed coffees and rotate them every week.

If you are after something a bit smaller you could look at a Technivorm or similar as available from Coffeehit.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

I'd go with the big names in bulk brewing such as marco and bunn. The equipment isnt cheap but when properly dialed in they will hold coffee well. However, my (limited) understanding of these things is that after much more than an hour it needs to be discarded and rebrewed to retain quality. Can probably go longer if you'd accept a quality drop.


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## bdt (Sep 13, 2011)

I suppose it would also be a case of gauging how much is likely to be used to minimise wastage. In fact, costing the estimated wastages into my prices wouldn't be a bad idea either.

I wasn't aware of Marco before but had certainly seen Bunn recommended. I think either of these would do the trick


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## Barry Cook (Feb 14, 2012)

We run a "Filter of the Day" through a bog standard Bravilor filter, but get it off the hotplate straight into an airpot to stop it over-brewing. We also have a single cup filter for customer's who take a liking to particular blends/origins.

BUT, we have recently started using the Aeropress, which more and more customers are taking. It may take a few more moments to make, but it makes a great bit of theatre if it's somewhere where the customer can see you making it. We love it as it really does make a very different taste.


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## bdt (Sep 13, 2011)

That's a really good point. I've made a point of designing our bar layout so customers get a good view of the barista making the drinks. If you're going to put that extra bit of care and attention into what you do, I think it's really important that the customer sees this in action.

Haven't tried an Aeropress yet but that certainly sounds worth a go. We're really tight for space too so there's an abvious benefit there too. Cheers for the tip


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

bdt said:


> Cheers. I think pricewise and volumewise something like the Marco Filtro or Bunn 392 would be ideal but am just wondering about the quality from these. I see both seem to use a hot plate to keep warm - is this likely to cause a problem with the taste after being kept hot for a certain period of time and if so, roughly how long until it starts to degrade?
> 
> Another possibility is using some kind of manual method and then storing a vessel which insulates to keep warm opposed to actually heating the coffee. Have never heard about this problem with hot plates before but to be fair I haven't researched this issue much either.


I notice that Marco actually offer different versions of the Filtro aimed at different settings. There is a model that does not use a hot plate but instead drips directly into a vacuum serving urn. Might be worth a look?

Also, not sure whether you have seen it but there is an interesting article here on experiences offering single serving brewing in a coffee shop:

http://tappedandpacked.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/%e2%80%9cbrewed-coffee%e2%80%9d-is-it-time-we-had-a-rethink/


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

When i went to speakeasy 6 months or so ago I was a bit confused when after asking for filter coffee my cup was filled from what I assumed was an auto drip machine. It was actually a Marco shuttle urn thing just insulating the coffee. It tasted great which reassured me as at the time I associated batch brewing with chains and questionable independents.

I think I still prefer the 'drama' of one cup brewing and I think for joe public trying real coffee for the first time the service element can go some way to offsetting the higher prices charged compared to the chains that charge under £1 for a cup of filter coffee. Offering both options is a good way to gauge the levels of activity that your customers want to pay for.

I do think that bulk brewing is great in some ways though. One thing that would bother me if I was the Barista doing the brewing behind a bar is that you brew a cup, hand it over and there would always be an element of doubt as to whether it actually tasted how you wanted it to. I've brewed enough cups with the 'same' parameters to know that sometimes something will go wrong but you aren't sure what. At least with a bulk brewer you know exactly what you're serving and can periodically check if it's still up to scratch.

One of the downsides as Mike has mentioned before is that dialling in a bulk brewer inevitably means a lot of waste! Swings and roundabouts I guess 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2


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## bdt (Sep 13, 2011)

jimbow said:


> Speakeasy use the Shuttle brewer for their batch brewing and I have always been impressed by their offering. They feature a choice of two brewed coffees and rotate them every week.
> 
> If you are after something a bit smaller you could look at a Technivorm or similar as available from Coffeehit.


Cheers, just had a nosy at that Technivorm and that looks an interesting piece of kit. Doesn't have too big a footprint too which is good for the limited counter pace we've got left to play with


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## bdt (Sep 13, 2011)

lookseehear said:


> When i went to speakeasy 6 months or so ago I was a bit confused when after asking for filter coffee my cup was filled from what I assumed was an auto drip machine. It was actually a Marco shuttle urn thing just insulating the coffee. It tasted great which reassured me as at the time I associated batch brewing with chains and questionable independents.
> 
> I think I still prefer the 'drama' of one cup brewing and I think for joe public trying real coffee for the first time the service element can go some way to offsetting the higher prices charged compared to the chains that charge under £1 for a cup of filter coffee. Offering both options is a good way to gauge the levels of activity that your customers want to pay for.
> 
> ...


The good thing is that the equipment needed for one-cup brewing such as Aeropress or cafetierre is small and relatively inexpensive. That's something I'd like to offer to customers who are prepared to wait a few minutes and pay a little more for. The 'bulk brewing' - and I use that term loosely as we're not talking about huge quantities here - is that it's good quality, quick and cheap to produce meaning I can sell it at a lower price than espresso based drinks and still maintain a good profit margin.

Some good suggestions here guys. Many thanks for the help


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

I am not sure where you are located Bdt but it might be worth a short tour around some of the coffee shops in London offering batch brewing and single serving brew bars like Speakeasy, Tapped and Packed, Workshop and even Monmouth. They all have slightly different approaches so you might get some ideas.


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## bdt (Sep 13, 2011)

I'm up in Dundee but will definitely seek a few of these places out the next time I am down. I actually had a look for Monmouth Covent Garden when I was down for Cafe Culture in the Spring but was very short of time and the Mrs ended up overruling me and dragging me off somewhere else instead


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

jimbow said:


> I am not sure where you are located Bdt but it might be worth a short tour around some of the coffee shops in London offering batch brewing and single serving brew bars like Speakeasy, Tapped and Packed, Workshop and even Monmouth. They all have slightly different approaches so you might get some ideas.


Whenever I've had filter from Monmouth it has been brewed using a Melitta type cone for each cup.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2


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## jimbow (Oct 13, 2011)

Agreed. Most of the places I suggested have very different filter offerings - they certainly do not all do batch brewing. Speakeasy do batch but offer single Serving too. They also offer V60 and Espropress as onsite DIY brews.


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## radish (Nov 20, 2011)

How do Speakeasy differentiate between batch and single serve in terms of price and coffees offered - is your choice driven by speed of service?


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## Barry Cook (Feb 14, 2012)

bdt said:


> I'm up in Dundee but will definitely seek a few of these places out the next time I am down. I actually had a look for Monmouth Covent Garden when I was down for Cafe Culture in the Spring but was very short of time and the Mrs ended up overruling me and dragging me off somewhere else instead


Sounds like you might be ashamed to say where you went


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

6/8 in Brum have only just launched a Chemex offering. Prior to that their 'filter fridays' weekly brewed coffee offering was from Marco batch brewers, it involved 2 Has Bean single estate coffees (e.g a Kenya next to a Columbian) and they allowed an espresso shots worth of each for you to make your mind up on buying a full 300ml-ish cup.


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

garydyke1 said:


> 6/8 in Brum have only just launched a Chemex offering. Prior to that their 'filter fridays' weekly brewed coffee offering was from Marco batch brewers, it involved 2 Has Bean single estate coffees (e.g a Kenya next to a Columbian) and they allowed an espresso shots worth of each for you to make your mind up on buying a full 300ml-ish cup.


I love that idea!


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

I've had batch brew coffees from several reputable cafes in town and I'm always impressed - I would chose a cup of this over an americano every time. Couldn't tell you what model they've used but it's always been Marco or Bunn.


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