My Pourover Bar Fabrication

[seldomseensmith]

I hear what you are saying Tex, but the more you can eliminate variables during high stress / high speed busy periods the better your coffee will be. Something that seems to be a constant gripe of high quality shop owners is the questions of 'Is every drink we serve something we are proud of and would drink ourselves?'. The feedback I have read to this question is that during rush periods you can only be so consistent without losing customers because of lack of speed, there seems to be a fine balance there.

The only variability with the spoon method is that every time you change the roast level of the pourover coffee offering you might have to find a different spoon. From the sound of it he is going to slightly vary the water:coffee ratio based on the particular coffee he is serving at the time to make the best cup from that coffee?!? Complete guess, but a gram or two of any given coffee can alter the final cup quite a bit.

I agree with you 100% - eliminate variables whenever possible. I'm just not sure that someone sitting down with a bag off beans, a scale and a box of tins, is the best use of someone's time? I'd probably opt for a more hi-tech solution and buy a grinder that dispenses by weight.

From a bean counters perspective, it's a continuing variable cost versus a one-time fixed cost.

One of the problems here would be that we'll be offering 4-5 different pourover options, so we wouldn't be able to just load a hopper up with beans, even if the dosing was dialed in.

[seldomseensmith]

Not to get sidetracked off of the pourover, but what kind of espresso machine are you going to use in the shop?

La Marzocco GB/5 EE

[Tex]

Haha. Good point! The person who shows up at 4AM gets to do the bean counting / weighing for 30 minutes before the rush starts. That would be cool is there was a hopper type system you could situate above an industrial grinder that would drop a predetermined weight of beans into the grinder. Hop on that one Tex!

Doesn't Baratza have a grind-by-weight attachment for their grinders (admittedly it's not commercial grade)? And Compak claims their A-8 doses very consistently.

[Tex]

One of the problems here would be that we'll be offering 4-5 different pourover options, so we wouldn't be able to just load a hopper up with beans, even if the dosing was dialed in.

It ought to make for some very satisfied customers if you're offering that many options every day. Maybe I'll hit it lucky when I visit and you'll be doing a Geisha?

[seldomseensmith]

One of the problems here would be that we'll be offering 4-5 different pourover options, so we wouldn't be able to just load a hopper up with beans, even if the dosing was dialed in.

It ought to make for some very satisfied customers if you're offering that many options every day. Maybe I'll hit it lucky when I visit and you'll be doing a Geisha?

If you give me a heads up, perhaps that will happen. We are planning on offering standard options ($3.50-$5 green), as well as really expensive stuff. As a roaster, I'm really excited to have a market for Geisha-type coffees.

[Tex]

One of the problems here would be that we'll be offering 4-5 different pourover options, so we wouldn't be able to just load a hopper up with beans, even if the dosing was dialed in.

It ought to make for some very satisfied customers if you're offering that many options every day. Maybe I'll hit it lucky when I visit and you'll be doing a Geisha?

If you give me a heads up, perhaps that will happen. We are planning on offering standard options ($3.50-$5 green), as well as really expensive stuff. As a roaster, I'm really excited to have a market for Geisha-type coffees.

I wish you nothing but the best in your venture, BUT do you really believe the customers will be educated as to the value of what you're offering? If you're right, there might be a fortune to be made!

[seldomseensmith]

One of the problems here would be that we'll be offering 4-5 different pourover options, so we wouldn't be able to just load a hopper up with beans, even if the dosing was dialed in.

It ought to make for some very satisfied customers if you're offering that many options every day. Maybe I'll hit it lucky when I visit and you'll be doing a Geisha?

If you give me a heads up, perhaps that will happen. We are planning on offering standard options ($3.50-$5 green), as well as really expensive stuff. As a roaster, I'm really excited to have a market for Geisha-type coffees.

I wish you nothing but the best in your venture, BUT do you really believe the customers will be educated as to the value of what you're offering? If you're right, there might be a fortune to be made!

Well, we're opening in what we consider one of the most effluent and wealthy neighborhoods in the country. And it's also one of the biggest hot spots in terms of specialty coffee, which can be a good or a bad thing. But we feel like we're offering something unique/special/different from the other roasters/cafes in the area.

[Warrior372]

I am sure you will draw in a specific type of client that will appreciate your approach to coffee. There are a number of shops that offer $15-$20 dollar cups on occasion throughout the US. I guess the biggest thing behind that would be to never roast too much with it being so expensive and limited in quantity. You can always say you are out of something for the day if you run out of the high end bean you roasted. . . . . Intelli does it all the time. That is what helps drive supply and demand .

Did you say you are opening up in Brooklyn? If so, that is like food artisan central right now. Everybody makes everything themselves and the end result is usually a much better product than what you get form the big man. I am sure word will spread quickly as to what you are offering that no one else is.

[seldomseensmith]

I am sure you will draw in a specific type of client that will appreciate your approach to coffee. There are a number of shops that offer $15-$20 dollar cups on occasion throughout the US. I guess the biggest thing behind that would be to never roast too much with it being so expensive and limited in quantity. You can always say you are out of something for the day if you run out of the high end bean you roasted. . . . . Intelli does it all the time. That is what helps drive supply and demand .

Did you say you are opening up in Brooklyn? If so, that is like food artisan central right now. Everybody makes everything themselves and the end result is usually a much better product than what you get form the big man. I am sure word will spread quickly as to what you are offering that no one else is.

Yeah man, Park Slope Brooklyn, foodie central indeed.

[Tex]

One of the problems here would be that we'll be offering 4-5 different pourover options, so we wouldn't be able to just load a hopper up with beans, even if the dosing was dialed in.

It ought to make for some very satisfied customers if you're offering that many options every day. Maybe I'll hit it lucky when I visit and you'll be doing a Geisha?

If you give me a heads up, perhaps that will happen. We are planning on offering standard options ($3.50-$5 green), as well as really expensive stuff. As a roaster, I'm really excited to have a market for Geisha-type coffees.

I wish you nothing but the best in your venture, BUT do you really believe the customers will be educated as to the value of what you're offering? If you're right, there might be a fortune to be made!

Well, we're opening in what we consider one of the most effluent and wealthy neighborhoods in the country. And it's also one of the biggest hot spots in terms of specialty coffee, which can be a good or a bad thing. But we feel like we're offering something unique/special/different from the other roasters/cafes in the area.

I was watching a Food Network or Cooking Channel show about a mobile restaurant that serviced the Wall Street area. They were making a killing selling lobster rolls to the big rollers. I hope you can emulate their success!

[BoldJava]

...

Thanks man!!!

Our current plan is to dial in water/bean ratios, and pre-weigh beans for each individual cup. So we'll have a bunch of tiny ziplock bags, each with enough beans for one cup of coffee; we're only serving one size, 10oz. ...

I was struck with the amount of pourovers that flowed in good shops in Minneosta.  Though they had airpot coffee available, folks were ordering 8/12/16 oz cups -- usually a choice of two SOs and a decaf.

RE:  Cost.  Black sheep had prices up based on cost of greens.  They weren't eating their margins.  To give you an idea, I paid $6.50 for a Ka'u macchiato.  Prices flexed with the price of greens.

B|Java

[Tex]

I am sure you will draw in a specific type of client that will appreciate your approach to coffee. There are a number of shops that offer $15-$20 dollar cups on occasion throughout the US. I guess the biggest thing behind that would be to never roast too much with it being so expensive and limited in quantity. You can always say you are out of something for the day if you run out of the high end bean you roasted. . . . . Intelli does it all the time. That is what helps drive supply and demand .

Did you say you are opening up in Brooklyn? If so, that is like food artisan central right now. Everybody makes everything themselves and the end result is usually a much better product than what you get form the big man. I am sure word will spread quickly as to what you are offering that no one else is.

Old marketing trick from my grandpa: Tell 'em your out of stock now, but you'll have it at (pick your slowest day & time), if they want make sure they're first in line for the next batch.

A wily old Cajun, my grandpa!

[seldomseensmith]

...

Thanks man!!!

Our current plan is to dial in water/bean ratios, and pre-weigh beans for each individual cup. So we'll have a bunch of tiny ziplock bags, each with enough beans for one cup of coffee; we're only serving one size, 10oz. ...

I was struck with the amount of pourovers that flowed in good shops in Minneosta.  Though they had airpot coffee available, folks were ordering 8/12/16 oz cups -- usually a choice of two SOs and a decaf.

RE:  Cost.  Black sheep had prices up based on cost of greens.  They weren't eating their margins.  To give you an idea, I paid $6.50 for a Ka'u macchiato.  Prices flexed with the price of greens.

B|Java

We'll be doing this same thing. And we will print out our bean menu - for pourover and espresso - as often as necessary to display our rotating coffees and prices. We'll do it on nice cardstock, and tent it on the bar where people order. So somebody can order a macchiato, and choose their espresso based on the provided flavor profiles.

[Warrior372]

Do you follow the site JimSeven at all? Colin Harmon, a former WBC winner, gave a talk a little while back about what he would do differently if he had the chance to open his shop again. A lot of it had to do with menu and patron expectations. You might find it interesting. http://www.jimseven.com/2011/05/30/tamper-tantrum-live-colin-harmon/

This one is good as well: http://www.jimseven.com/2011/06/12/tamper-tantrum-live-my-talk/

Each is maybe 20 minutes.

[seldomseensmith]

Do you follow the site JimSeven at all? Colin Harmon, a former WBC winner, gave a talk a little while back about what he would do differently if he had the chance to open his shop again. A lot of it had to do with menu and patron expectations. You might find it interesting. http://www.jimseven.com/2011/05/30/tamper-tantrum-live-colin-harmon/

This one is good as well: http://www.jimseven.com/2011/06/12/tamper-tantrum-live-my-talk/

Each is maybe 20 minutes.

Thanks man, I'll watch them later tonight.