cestrin
New member
In essence, my question is how do YOU determine if a coffee shop has good or bad coffee? Do you order a coffee black? Espresso? Cappuccino? What is your go-to drink to determine if a coffee shop is good?
What do you look for in the coffee when you go to a new coffee shop?
- Thread starter cestrin
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namballe
New member
you can "Smell" a good coffee shop/cafe before even entering the place. a waft of coffee aroma should be present in the general vicinity of the location. my go-to drink would be to first try a cup of their house roast. then, if i like it, any of their other drinks.
I usually try a cup of the brewed coffee before I decide to try a specialty drink.
If a customer already knows what good coffee is, he or she will go into a coffee shop and order the coffee the way they like it.
If it's good, they'll know it after the first sip. And if it's not good, they'll know that too.
You can't determine if the coffee in a coffee shop is "good" just by going in and ordering one coffee. A person has to have repeated good experiences in order to really say that a coffee shop has "good" coffee.
And good coffee isn't good enough - great coffee is what most of us are looking for!
Rose
If a customer already knows what good coffee is, he or she will go into a coffee shop and order the coffee the way they like it.
If it's good, they'll know it after the first sip. And if it's not good, they'll know that too.
You can't determine if the coffee in a coffee shop is "good" just by going in and ordering one coffee. A person has to have repeated good experiences in order to really say that a coffee shop has "good" coffee.
And good coffee isn't good enough - great coffee is what most of us are looking for!
Rose
CoffeeJunky
New member
To me, Most of the coffee shops just decent coffee. I normally look if they offer single origin coffee. If they do, I assume they are decent coffee shop. If they don't, I would just order their freshly brewed house coffee.
John P
Active member
If their espresso machine has clean wands, pf in group heads, they are grinding by the drink, their beans do not look oily, and their shots appear appropriately pulled, I will likely order an espresso. If there are not customers in front of me to assess, a question such as, "What's today's espresso?" Can be enlightening or terrifying.
If they manual brew Single Origin coffee, especially if they roast their own, I will order a cup of that... paying attention to roast. I will not order batch brewed coffee nor coffee/espresso from over roasted beans.
If things do not look promising, there's always iced tea.
If they manual brew Single Origin coffee, especially if they roast their own, I will order a cup of that... paying attention to roast. I will not order batch brewed coffee nor coffee/espresso from over roasted beans.
If things do not look promising, there's always iced tea.
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CoffeeJunky
New member
John would be one of the tougher customers to satisfy.... 
Flori
New member
i agree, john would be a tough customer . i usually try their espresso as well. if that passes up, then i can say they are good.
flori
blogger, coffeeloversofworld.com
. i usually try their espresso as well. if that passes up, then i can say they are good.flori
blogger, coffeeloversofworld.com
John P
Active member
Do a great job, and I am an awesome customer.
If you can't manage the fundamentals of your craft, get out the profession.
If you can't manage the fundamentals of your craft, get out the profession.
- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #9
John, I really want to come to Caffe D'Bolla now! Your employees must be highly skilled!
I usually try their coffee black to determine quality of a store. If the baristas know what they're doing that also helps determine what I order. The reason I asked is because most people just take a picture of their pretty cappuccinos. I just feel like coffee with cream/sugar/milk dilutes the product and doesn't allow for the true coffee experience. Maybe that's just my purist side coming out since I learned to drink coffee black.
Recently I've been watching espresso machine reviews and after people make a cappuccino they usually just say, "Yeah, that's good!" I haven't seen one where they really say, "This is good but it could use x, y, or z" or "This sucks!". I've had some espresso shots recently trying to decide on if I want to invest in a grinder/espresso machine and don't yet know how to tell a good espresso shot from a bad one (maybe on extreme ends of the spectrum but not ok from great). Any advice on what to taste for would be appreciated!
I usually try their coffee black to determine quality of a store. If the baristas know what they're doing that also helps determine what I order. The reason I asked is because most people just take a picture of their pretty cappuccinos. I just feel like coffee with cream/sugar/milk dilutes the product and doesn't allow for the true coffee experience. Maybe that's just my purist side coming out since I learned to drink coffee black.
Recently I've been watching espresso machine reviews and after people make a cappuccino they usually just say, "Yeah, that's good!" I haven't seen one where they really say, "This is good but it could use x, y, or z" or "This sucks!". I've had some espresso shots recently trying to decide on if I want to invest in a grinder/espresso machine and don't yet know how to tell a good espresso shot from a bad one (maybe on extreme ends of the spectrum but not ok from great). Any advice on what to taste for would be appreciated!
John P
Active member
cestrin,
Thank you!
We don't have any employees. We like the Japanese/European small artisan shop model.
I agree with you on the coffee, although most coffee is horrid, so it needs something, or in most cases, should be avoided entirely.
We are primarily espresso based (Americano, cappuccino, macchiatto, etc.) and our coffee is brewed by the cup on the siphon, served in-house, and black only. We roast seasonal micro-region and single farm coffees on site in small batches, and buy everything based on quality in the cup closely followed by sustainability (from both an agricultural and a business perspective).
If you are bored, this is a few articles about us HERE.
When it comes to machine/grinder purchases, the grinder is the single most important piece of equipment in your brewing arsenal. So for espresso (barring a used commercial you pick up on Ebay and buy new burrs for) your lowest good espresso grinder is at about $450-ish for the Baratza Vario, others such as the Mazzer Mini are a few hundred more or the Compak K3 Touch, is a hair less, though not quite as good. The $200-$350 ish grinders are not adequate espresso grinders, and really should not be considered lest you are prepared for voluminous frustrations and the unavoidable fact that you will end up spending a greater amount of money to upgrade your lousy grinder. When it comes to machines, it all depends on what you want your outcome to be. Lowest price, non-PID machine that is a good value is the Gaggia Baby, first quality component, PID machines are in the $1300 price range and manufacturer depends on preference of look, function, and, sometimes most importantly -- the vendor. (Do your own research here) After about the $2500 price point, there are diminishing returns. The best investment at that point is in hands-on training, which will yield you far greater results in your espresso than spending an additional $1000 on a machine will.
When it comes to espresso, good and bad are a matter of fact, particular taste profiles are a matter of preference. When you have a good shot of espresso, you'll know it.
Best of luck on your journey!
Thank you!
We don't have any employees. We like the Japanese/European small artisan shop model.
I agree with you on the coffee, although most coffee is horrid, so it needs something, or in most cases, should be avoided entirely.
We are primarily espresso based (Americano, cappuccino, macchiatto, etc.) and our coffee is brewed by the cup on the siphon, served in-house, and black only. We roast seasonal micro-region and single farm coffees on site in small batches, and buy everything based on quality in the cup closely followed by sustainability (from both an agricultural and a business perspective).
If you are bored, this is a few articles about us HERE.
When it comes to machine/grinder purchases, the grinder is the single most important piece of equipment in your brewing arsenal. So for espresso (barring a used commercial you pick up on Ebay and buy new burrs for) your lowest good espresso grinder is at about $450-ish for the Baratza Vario, others such as the Mazzer Mini are a few hundred more or the Compak K3 Touch, is a hair less, though not quite as good. The $200-$350 ish grinders are not adequate espresso grinders, and really should not be considered lest you are prepared for voluminous frustrations and the unavoidable fact that you will end up spending a greater amount of money to upgrade your lousy grinder. When it comes to machines, it all depends on what you want your outcome to be. Lowest price, non-PID machine that is a good value is the Gaggia Baby, first quality component, PID machines are in the $1300 price range and manufacturer depends on preference of look, function, and, sometimes most importantly -- the vendor. (Do your own research here) After about the $2500 price point, there are diminishing returns. The best investment at that point is in hands-on training, which will yield you far greater results in your espresso than spending an additional $1000 on a machine will.
When it comes to espresso, good and bad are a matter of fact, particular taste profiles are a matter of preference. When you have a good shot of espresso, you'll know it.
Best of luck on your journey!
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