admin wrote:
By definition most industry people who are interested enough to participate in coffee forums are purists and [dare I say it] a bit geeky about their coffee. Is this good for the general customer [because it forces them to extend their coffee boundaries] or is it getting so purist that it's putting 'real people' off? A
No question Admin, people who frequent coffee forums are pretty geeky, some more so than others, there are the seekers of advice on buying coffee appliances, i.e. Sunbeam, Breville etc, these seem to arrive on site and ask the old question (how can I buy a machine and grinder for about $200) that will give me similar results to a $3000 machine and grinder, the threads seem to go on for ever, a good percentage of answers coming from other newbies who seem to become instant experts but are in fact saying stuff all. And of course there the dedicated geeks who do in fact seek the perfect cup and are not afraid to seek informed advice, and open the purse strings in an effort to achieve their goal. I don't think the current situation of the industry is is either forcing people to extend themselves or putting them off. Our visitors examine my set up with polite interest, certainly enjoy the coffee, and regard me as as some sort of eccentric. I have never had the experience of someone seeing the light and immediately rushing out to buy a top end machine and grinder. So are purists putting people off, I doubt it, but neither is Joe public feeling any need to extend his/her knowledge of the brew, its a cup of coffee for goodness sake.
