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Coffee, Culture, and Music
Music has long been a big part of coffee house culture for many people. The morning brings about the need for energizing comfort in a cup, and the evening brings the desire for social interaction, and a little local culture for many coffee house patrons.
Naturally, we like to focus on coffee quality as the high priority around here, but how many play host to local or traveling musicians? A shop here built their name as sort of a venue, and the coffee quality came later. Reverse order, if you ask me, but still… far better to be late than to have missed the boat entirely.
I often enjoyed the “culture” found in a bustling coffeehouse warmed with the sounds of a one-man(or woman) folk band, or a jazz/funk/experimental quintet, or anything in between seemingly breaking the social ice, not offering even a chance for it to form. Everyone is there to have a good time, and everyone knows it. Everyone also knows that the air will (usually) be smoke-free, and that the likelihood of a loud drunk ruining the fun is extraordinarily slim, at best.
The undefined, yet undeniably present cafe culture in the United States is what drew me to the specialty coffee scene years ago as a young teen. Back then, I didn’t know anything about the coffee. What I did know is that all of the retail spaces that made me feel at home had one thing in common. That one thing was coffee. This only further fueled the spark of respect I inherently possessed for the beverage. Eventually, this respect blossomed into a desire to learn, to understand, to know, and to spread the enjoyment of quality coffee.
How does this all relate? For a lot of people, they are not drawn in by the bean, but by the culture surrounding it in certain retailers.
We’d like to know. Is the availability of live music in a coffee retailer much of a priority for you? Honestly, it is no longer a high priority, but I still enjoy going to a shop that not only knows how to serve a good cup of coffee, but also plays host to numerous musicians looking for an audience.
If you find that it is, or was, a priority for yourself, where did it begin? Where do you go now?
Cafe Gallo (and Brown Coffee Co.) mentioned in the San Antonio Current.
I happened upon this just today, so don’t shoot me for being a month late!
Amuse-BOUCHE
(tasty little dish)
By Elaine Wolff
Café Gallo proprietor Jason Garcia – an alum of Le Rêve and Biga – would like to shake up some of your locally grown food assumptions: Coffee doesn’t have to be roasted within an inch of its life to be flavorful, e.g., and bolillos don’t have to be white. more…
Very Cool!
I’d like to see more local journalists highlight the best coffee businesses in their area. I know Austin has done something kind of like this (with a rating, though not really much in the way of columns).
Even though I’m a month late, congrats to the Gallo! (and to Brown).
On Professionalism and the Necessity of Tasting
Last week, I walked into a coffee retailer for the sole purpose of socializing over a cup of coffee. I walked up to the counter, and asked which coffee was freshest (obviously, it is not a cup-at-a-time establishment, as most aren’t). Then I asked what it tasted like. The barista couldn’t tell me.
I see this as a big problem. Dan mentioned a situation that can touch on this a bit in the forums (though not about tasting).
When you go to a restaurant, and you see a particular dish that strikes your fancy, you may ask your waiter to describe it for you. You may also ask his opinion and if he would recommend it. Nine times out of ten, the waiter will do a sufficient job of describing the dish, as well as his personal evaluation.
So when I see a barista who is not only serving the product, but actually MAKING the product as well, who cannot even describe to me what sort of a flavor experience to expect, I consider there to be something very wrong. There exist some baristas who will say, “Oh, I don’t drink coffee.” And others who will say, “I don’t know, I don’t like coffee.” And there are those who do the minimum and just repeat the flavor descriptor off of the packaging from the roaster, their boss, or something other than drawing from their own experiences.
Are we to just accept that the person serving our beloved cup of coffee actually cares less about this product being served than the consumer who, by comparison, is supposed to know very little by comparison?
For the life of me, I cannot understand why someone who does not drink coffee would ever want to work in a position serving coffee to others. And what’s more, I have an even more difficult time understanding why a business owner or manager would ever consider hiring someone who will not be able to describe what they are serving, much less ever care for its quality.
So, maybe this is a little bit of a rant. Either way, we are professionals. A professional does not do only the minimum. A professional does not stop at “good enough”. A professional knows their craft inside and out, and has an enormous respect for the materials they work with, and the work that went into them. It is for this reason that I believe that a coffee professional must taste everything they serve. They must do cuppings on a regular basis. They should take notes (mental or tangible), and experiment with variables until perfection is attained(an impossible feat, which ought to tell you something about the nature of a professional).
When a customer comes up to you and says, “Tell me about this coffee,” you should be able to draw upon a wealth of stored information. Flavor descriptors, brewing parameters, where it came from, how it was processed, its varietal/cultivar, the roast level, who the roaster is (if applicable), and any and every other detail you can retain that the customer may be interested in hearing.
I recently lead a cupping with a shop here in Lubbock. They had never done one before, but I am told it was a very enlightening experience, and these baristas gained a new respect for their craft. This lasted for less than an hour, and it had a huge impact, and I’m sure that this enthusiasm will be perceived by their customers. People like buying from businesses who know their products better, can communicate better, and who have a love and passion for what they do.
I would consider it a good idea to hold a weekly staff tasting lead by an experienced barista, manager, owner, or whoever can help further the education and spark a little excitement into those present.
Quality is not a goal. It is a methodology of striving towards an unreachable end.
Now Hiring: Coffee Slingers in Oklahoma City, OK
I know this is a Texas industry site, but our neighbors to the north don’t seem to get enough love. We don’t mind sharing occasionally.
Found on their Myspace page,
Also taken straight from the Texas Coffee People forums,
What is a coffee slinger?
A craftsperson, Barista, the unsung hero.
You want to sling coffee? you must love all things coffee. You drink more double espressos each day than most people drink in a month. You believe that the pursuit of coffee perfection is your goal and just may be attainable.
You want to work full or nearly full time. You want to change the world one mind.-blowing cup of coffee at a time. You want learn to make exceptional espresso and silky steamed micro bubble milk and watch customers faces as they light up with extreme excitement at your handcrafted creation. Its an art! You want to tell everyone to try a truly well crafted espresso and then they will know why it is so good.
We want you! Join the crew and train to become a Coffee Slinging Barista. We train hard 4-6 weeks before you are certified as a Barista and we demand perfection in every drink every time, every day. We pay good with a few little extras, treat you like a future coffee rock star, give you good hours, free coffee, respect accountability and ongoing coffee training to empower your soul and your mind.
If you are all of these things and more then we need to make beautiful coffee together. We don’t take any applications.Here is what to do: Write a 300-400 word essay/diatribe/dialogue about why you are the future coffee slinging Barista we are looking for and why coffee is important to you.
With a Resume
E mail to CoffeeSlingers@hotmail.com
And we will call you in for an interview
Coffee Slingers Coming soon
Sounds promising! Best of luck to Coffee Slingers. Check out their Myspace page.
Texas Coffee People + Barista Exchange = <3
+
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T exas Coffee People now has a group in the Barista Exchange community. Even if you don’t want to have anything to do with Texas Coffee People… you should at least join Barista Exchange. It’s such a great networking and community resource for such a small and budding industry.
Starbucks intended competition = coopetition?
SLATE presents,
Don’t Fear Starbucks
Why the franchise actually helps mom and pop coffeehouses. (click)
It appears that having Starbucks move down the road from your coffee retailer may not be such a bad thing afterall.
I’ve been saying for a long time that Starbucks has done more good by “enlarging the pie” than they have harm by misleading customers with drink titles. For many people, Starbucks is their first experience with Specialty Coffee. Starbucks is common enough to not seem overly intimidating for the average consumer, but is socially elevated enough to give the impression of being something above average.
With their marketing success, and exponential growth rate, having a new store moving in near your retailer can be a scary thought. This article gives a brief insight as to why it may not be such a scary thing.
I do, however, feel that it is important to point out that the focus is on quality, and only quality.
Perhaps the Barista Guild of America is right. “Quality as the primary means of success.”
SLATE: Why Starbucks actually helps mom and pop coffeehouses by Taylor Clark
Joe Mama’s Coffee House: Amarillo, TX
I didn’t get an email for this one, as I’ve been aware
of the arrival of this shop for quite a few months.
I met the owner in person when he came to Dallas to
watch the 2007 SCRBC, so this shop has been a long
time coming.
It just opened recently.
They run a 4 group Linea, and offer a lunch menu that
includes some award winning barbecue.
I’ve been told that they have received multiple compliments
already about having the best coffee in town. Kudos to them!
(or if you happen to live there), I’d recommend a stop.
Ray is a great guy, and is driven for quality.
It’s been added to the list of retailers.
Joe Mama’s Coffee House
4112 S.W. 50th
Amarillo, Tx 79109
(806)457-8700 main
((806)457-8701 - fax
Email: joemamascoffeehouse[AT]yahoo.com
Joe Mama’s Coffee House: Amarillo, TX
I didn’t get an email for this one, as I’ve been aware
of the arrival of this shop for quite a few months.
I met the owner in person when he came to Dallas to
watch the 2007 SCRBC, so this shop has been a long
time coming.
It just opened recently.
They run a 4 group Linea, and offer a lunch menu that
includes some award winning barbecue.
I’ve been told that they have received multiple compliments
already about having the best coffee in town. Kudos to them!
(or if you happen to live there), I’d recommend a stop.
Ray is a great guy, and is driven for quality.
It’s been added to the list of retailers.
Joe Mama’s Coffee House
4112 S.W. 50th
Amarillo, Tx 79109
(806)457-8700 main
((806)457-8701 - fax
Email: joemamascoffeehouse[AT]yahoo.com
Joe Mama’s Coffee House: Amarillo, TX
I didn’t get an email for this one, as I’ve been aware
of the arrival of this shop for quite a few months.
I met the owner in person when he came to Dallas to
watch the 2007 SCRBC, so this shop has been a long
time coming.
It just opened recently.
They run a 4 group Linea, and offer a lunch menu that
includes some award winning barbecue.
I’ve been told that they have received multiple compliments
already about having the best coffee in town. Kudos to them!
(or if you happen to live there), I’d recommend a stop.
Ray is a great guy, and is driven for quality.
It’s been added to the list of retailers.
Joe Mama’s Coffee House
4112 S.W. 50th
Amarillo, Tx 79109
(806)457-8700 main
((806)457-8701 - fax
Email: joemamascoffeehouse[AT]yahoo.com
Barista Exchange (late on this, but better late than never!)
Matt Miletto of Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup, and the American Barista and Coffee School (ABC’s) has put together a brilliant community site for the exchange of ideas, education, and, get this, baristas!
This gives the individual barista a way to travel the world in order to experience new concepts in great coffee by working as an “exchange barista” (like an exchange student) at another cafe. Travel is not required to be a member, and traveling internationally is certainly up to you.
I’m a member!
View my page on Barista Exchange
And if you are a barista, shop-owner, or a roaster or consultant(like me!), you can join in on the fun. Think of it as a Myspace… just for the coffee industry. Brilliant!
Our very own Aaron Blanco(The Brown Coffee Co. has also joined, and I believe Mike McKim of Cuvee Coffee Roasters has joined as well.
If you work in the coffee business, YOU NEED TO JOIN THIS SITE!
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TX-Coffee Partners
EspressoTrainer.com