Is there anyone out there???

System

Have been monitoring the site for the past week or more and not a single new post to read...

Mysterious :question:

mal.

Simon

Hehe g'day Mal, yeah things move a little slowly sometimes here, maybe it's cos we're so deep in thought and pondering the last post made that we're still recovering! Will try to think of something to post methinks

Koffee_Kosmo

I am here but always working Last 2 months its been up to 11pm days

admin

Yup been a bit quiet... guess that's the problem with a 'non-commercial' forum (more commercial forums have more active sponsors, who tend to be motivated to post more often!)... however I've found over the years that things tend to ebb & flow, so hopefully will have a few new topics to get the 'flow' side going again soon. On that note, we used to be very active on Lever machines (our Londinium thread was at one stage the busiest one on Google) - wondered if anyone's bought/worked a lever machine in a while?

Brett H

I have... and a Robur.  I reckon my issue is being time-poor.  I am want to wax-lyrical about s things coffeebut between my work, young kids and a family business I monitor more than I contribute to this site. Now if I was retired and say, for instance a much loved and lauded electronics/electrical wizard well I’d be threading new material for the young and naive (me... ish... not do young) so they get great learnin’ and enthused about entering dialogues. It’s true we ebb and flow here but we are here and we’re glad you are too!!

Unknown

Wonderful to hear from you all...  ;D Mal.

Unknown

on 1524820724:

Now if I was retired and say, for instance a much loved and lauded electronics/electrical wizard well I’d be threading new material for the young and naive (me... ish... not do young) so they get great learnin’ and enthused about entering dialogues.

Haha...  ;D Point taken. Trouble is, some of us older guys need to be pointed at problems so as to come up with useful solutions. A bit Old School in that regard, I'm afraid.  Mal.

mycuppa

Yep, many of us are too time-poor these days and there are also other reasons. Coffee has peaked in Australia.......and it's become boring for the well informed. The standard in Australia is arguably (along with our close allies in NZ) some of the best roasted coffee in the world (caveat, anyone can argue at length about purist espresso and it's many definitions). There are only so many times you can bang on about coffee topics - after that it's rather tedious and boring. I've got plenty to talk about but I don't wish to share these days as commercial and competitive pressures mean everyone's watching and only too eager to imitate someone else's hard work. I reckon the future of coffee in Australia is going to decline, so that should give us plenty to talk about. Escalated pricing warfare erupts as industry consolidation fails to move past the impossibly inflated egos of coffee company owners :stir More beverage giants think they can buy up coffee companies - give them my number please. :coffee: Micro-roasters hoisting up the white flag- too much capital is tied up in real estate, this damn sharing economy really sucks, utter crap cash flows and bad paying cafes doing the dodge on debts. :tearhair: Single serve portion control starts to get a greater foothold as consumers show their true, lazy colors - giving up the coveted masterchef experience.....all too hard and time consuming in the morning as their facebook news feed algorithm shows bizarre and stale content, so they waste even more time seeking a type of genuine social media engagement. :rofl: Cafes start to close down.......because they can't afford the rent, labour or compliance costs and suddenly developers/landlords stopped ridiculous rent-free incentives and the hipster coffee brands are not give out so much lovin....you mean I have to pay for espresso equipment.....surely no.........c'mon nobody pays for anything except for the coffee Bank (er. coffee company).  :head: Consumers begrudgingly accept commodity coffee.......marking the death of the millennial snob  :pan Suddenly, it totally uncool to know what a brew ratio is or how to spot channelling.  :coffee2: Somebody wins the World Barista Championship.......with coffee that tastes just like coffee..........  :doh:

Brett H

Crikey Jeff... There's 15 new threads righ........ Hold on, I've got a new Facebook message from George Cloon.............

mycuppa

Oh dear, I'm not finished yet Brett......just getting warmed up.

Brett H

on 1524831560:

Haha...  ;D Point taken. Trouble is, some of us older guys need to be pointed at problems so as to come up with useful solutions. A bit Old School in that regard, I'm afraid.  Mal.

Nothin' wrong with Old School!  Some of my own teaching practices are from the 1600's :O

Brett H

on 1524917964:

Oh dear, I'm not finished yet Brett......just getting warmed up.

Like that flash new roaster eh! I'm loving the beans btw... Short back or French Press they're a real treat!

Koffee_Kosmo

Today I purchased an Akubra - Bogart urban hat Does this mean it won’t turn me into a hipster Based on Jeff’s answer - My new impressive hat & I have a few short years to hipster up to a cafe or 2

mycuppa

Oh, did you partake in the special offer Brett - I did not see anything last week as it was just a blur...we sold more than a ton in the first couple of hours.......total insanity we think somehow it managed to break or hurt AusPost's parcel network with unexpected congestion.... You do know it was not specialty grade coffee, perhaps it was hidden in the small print An interesting experiment to gain insight as to where the market may move Brett........

mycuppa

on 1524918895:

Today I purchased an Akubra - Bogart urban hat Does this mean it won’t turn me into a hipster Based on Jeff’s answer - My new impressive hat & I have a few short years to hipster up to a cafe or 2

KK, a hat like that on a distinguished gentleman will only earn you more respect

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1524919172:

KK, a hat like that on a distinguished gentleman will only earn you more respect

Thank you for the kind words Jeff

Brett H

on 1524919017:

Oh, did you partake in the special offer Brett - I did not see anything last week as it was just a blur...we sold more than a ton in the first couple of hours.......total insanity we think somehow it managed to break or hurt AusPost's parcel network with unexpected congestion.... You do know it was not specialty grade coffee, perhaps it was hidden in the small print An interesting experiment to gain insight as to where the market may move Brett........

Hi mate... yep!  The beans went to work with me but I couldn't help running some through the machine before they went.  Nicely roasted beans are nicely roasted beans and lets face it.... we've all had specialty fancy pants beans roasted appallingly from other purveyors.  They were in short great and extraordinary value for money.

ThePiccoloChaser

Hello chaps. I'm going to Melbourne tomorrow.  Is there any recommended locations that sell coffee that tastes like coffee? Pip pip... chocks away  8)

_maatt_

on 1525005439:

Hello chaps. I'm going to Melbourne tomorrow.  Is there any recommended locations that sell coffee that tastes like coffee? Pip pip... chocks away  8)

Well, this is a bit late - but if you're after traditional espresso flavours try somewhere that runs Proud Mary Humbler blend - Proud Mary (duh) and Aunty Pegs in Collingwood, Double Dutch in Brunswick, my place [emoji6] and probably many others... Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

GaryatGala

Howdy everyone. I,ve been busy too. Since running my own business as a mobile coffee van proprietor, it's been a full on coffee journey. The first six months was the hardest, establishing the client base, knocking on doors and giving free samples. Thankfully, the experience of working in the coffee industry and mixing it with like minded fellow enthusiasts enabled me to give the best coffee possible, which resulted in people approaching me to events from anything from car boot sales right thru to 3 days flat tack at the V8 supercar round with a queue that started at 7am to 4.30pm each day. My favourite tool of the trade has always been the Compak K10 that has never complained. It is in my mind the tool that is crucial to that great tasting cup. 6 day weeks are the status quo. I try to at least have one day off, but that day off is usually spent maintaining the business. Cleaning and maintaining the van, taking apart the grinder, sorting out fridges, checking stock and endless hours applying for trading permits, following up on emails, organizing the calender etc etc. I still somehow manage to roast a few kg of coffee each week for friends who want decaf or restocking for the weekend. That's all I got time to say for now. Yes it does seem that time seems short and some of the guys who used to contribute here substantially are quite busy and have to use their time wisely. I really need to get rid of the first van...

Koffee_Kosmo

I’m very proud of your achievements Gary  :thumb: It’s super nice to hear from you again You just need to put on an Akubra - Bogart hat to look super Kool as well as having some of the best coffee in the West KK

Simon

That's awesome Gary, busy busy hey! Love the old school lit up 'Coffee' sign in the last pic, a really nice touch

askthecoffeeguy

on 1528211386:

Howdy everyone. I,ve been busy too. Since running my own business as a mobile coffee van proprietor, it's been a full on coffee journey. The first six months was the hardest, establishing the client base, knocking on doors and giving free samples. Thankfully, the experience of working in the coffee industry and mixing it with like minded fellow enthusiasts enabled me to give the best coffee possible, which resulted in people approaching me to events from anything from car boot sales right thru to 3 days flat tack at the V8 supercar round with a queue that started at 7am to 4.30pm each day. My favourite tool of the trade has always been the Compak K10 that has never complained. It is in my mind the tool that is crucial to that great tasting cup. 6 day weeks are the status quo. I try to at least have one day off, but that day off is usually spent maintaining the business. Cleaning and maintaining the van, taking apart the grinder, sorting out fridges, checking stock and endless hours applying for trading permits, following up on emails, organizing the calender etc etc. I still somehow manage to roast a few kg of coffee each week for friends who want decaf or restocking for the weekend. That's all I got time to say for now. Yes it does seem that time seems short and some of the guys who used to contribute here substantially are quite busy and have to use their time wisely. I really need to get rid of the first van...

hey gary great to hear that business is going well - congratulations on taking the leap! does that mean that you have two vans on the road going by the photographs? Cheers, Pat

GaryatGala

Paul, I do have a Nordic viking head gear and a Coffee Dude cape which I wear only for medieval fayres. Dont think fake tattoos, bull rings and tight black jeans that go brown when they disappear up my bum ole sits well with me .  :D The best I can do is a chequered shirt as the hipster "look". The coffee flag and flashing sign is the derigeur attractant at the shopfront Simon  ;D Every now and then it gets bumped off with my forehead when under stress. I started off with the Suzuki APV which was great at first, then realized it was getting a bit too small when we wanted to attend larger events, so we found the Volkswagon Transporter T5 which is a lot better for carrying supplies and hiding dead bodies, not to mention a bigger capacity 12 litre Wega as opposed to the 6 litre Expobar Compact from the Suzuki. The Suzuki is now currently on the market for sale on Gumtree Western Australia. We thought about hiring someone to run it but it complicates an otherwise simple business operation, so decided against it. Though we are busy, it is a very competitive industry, and toes are stepped on from time to time. A lot of time is spent applying for events which are the icing on the cake on the weekends. Current saturday footy fixtures only bring in little cash.

Brett H

Great to hear from you Gary!  Thanks for sharing your adventures!!  My Compak K10 has hardly been used since getting the new Robur but it sits plotting it's revenge and that revenge will be sweet!