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filter application for cafe

askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
edited January 1970 in Coffee Industry related subjects
Ok so I'm thinking of ijntroducing filter coffee to my cafe - but I'm not settled on the idea as its a lot of work for potentially not much reward

Also I don't do things by halves soif I was going to do it it would have to be good - but I'm not convinced I have the time or inclination to ensure that this happens

What do others think?  What are the potential pro's and con's?

Cheers,

ACg
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Comments

  • Koffee_KosmoKoffee_Kosmo
    I dont think the general public have the pallet or appreciation for this type coffee Pat Also the general prep including clean up will be a chore in itself unless its designed properly in a self contained prep & brew area KK
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  • hazchemhazchem
    as KK mentioned, possibly not of interest to the 'general public' right now. That said, i have witnessed in the last 12 months at my local an increasing number of pour over drinkers, many of whom started with pointing at the pour over setup and asking "what's that?" While I don't work in a cafe, if I were looking at options for filter/brewed coffee I'd be giving the Clever Coffee Dripper a good hard look. Great results in the cup IMO without having to really worry about how you pour in the water. Steep time can free you up for a couple of minutes to do something else. Possibility of getting the customer involved "when the countdown timer goes off just sit this on top of your cup" Another consideration is that cost of entry is quite low for selling filter coffee, relative to espresso. While it still might take a while for you to generate full ROI if it doesn't work it won't have cost much. I would argue you could also charge a little more - liquid volumes are higher than espresso AND you'd be offering special single estate coffees that cost more to source. Right?  ;) I think if you have it on the menu, set up where the punters can see it'll sell. Not a million kilos a week or anything, but it'll sell.
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  • blanyonblanyon
    In my mind it comes down to space and work flow. Are you able to accommodate a "brew area" in your cafe and do you have the time to allocate to it to make it work. Personally I would love to see more cafes doing it but I would be in the minority, however if you were to show people how easy it is to have great coffee with limited equipment then you may be able to grow a nice little sideline selling the beans and equipment for people who want their coffee at home etc. Brett
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    Thanks guys I already stock around eight SO beans at any one time - which I mostly don't charge extra for,  but I use them to make espresso coffees, piccolo, and long blacks etc And no, I don't have a dedicated brew area - my idea would be to equip the customer with a pour over device, and a side of temperature controlled water, and then to get them to complete  the equation themselves We definitely have enough coffee aficionados who would be interested, as I've had requests, but my main reasons for introducing it now would be: A) I feel like we're finally on top of our espresso game, in that I'm happy with what we're putting out, and B) I like to drink this style of coffee myself and I'm ready to broaden my palate as far as filter coffee is concerned I've thought about getting a Bunn Trifecta - but can't really justify the expense at the moment So I thought I'd try filter to build demand, and to get a better return on my specialty product Also, our take home sales of packaged coffee beans are good -  but most folks want one of the blends (as opposed to SO) - and a filter application could potentially help to move more SO product... Cheers ACG
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  • blanyonblanyon
    On the bunn trifecta have a look for Tim Wendelboe's comments on its usefulness before you spend your hard earned. He seemed to think they would be good for consistency across barista but he felt he was able to get better coffee from an aeropress. Brett
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    Thanks Brett I've had a play on the Bunn and admittedly I struggled to get a coffee out of it that I would like to drink but I think this was in part due to the quality or lack thereof of the beans I was using By contrast pour over techniques are capable of producing very good coffee with minimum fuss - and more importantly it's the kind of coffee I'd like to drink - so I'm assuming that by extension I could interest my customers in filter coffee as well
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    Ok I've done some research and in hindsight petting the customer make their own coffee is not such a hot idea, unless that is we provide timers with each table Not definite but looks like I'm going to settle upon the 'clever coffee drippers' with a built in release valve - and I'm in the process of ordering some from the states even as we speak
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  • takeaimtakeaim
    Pat, i'd steer clear of as much customer involvement as possible! Yeah it'd be great to involve them and be a part of the process but sometimes as a customer you just want to relax and  be served and although filter brewing is a simpler process in comparison to espresso they'll stuff it up more times than get it right. If you really want to involve them give them a timer, when it goes off tell them to sit the CCD on the cup - but even then you might be asking for trouble. I'm currently looking at options for one of my cafes and the CCD is looking like the least time consuming for the barista as they dont have to watch/work it like pourover. Once the variables are set for an ideal brew, extractions can be replicated by other staff. Have you spoken to 5 senses about buying CCD's from them?
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    thanks andreas, I've already purchased some CCD's from five senses - although, I'm a little miffed that the same item sells in the states for considerably less, but I'm yet to find a favourable postage rate from the states...  oh well its a great little item and it should pay for itself in no time... yeah, I'm rethinking the whole customer interaction thing - initially I was going to bolt some ceramic grinders to the tables, and supply a timer, as suggested, but it seems like a lot of work, and would be labour intensive - as no doubt a staff member would need to supervise etc having said that some of my customers have considerably more experience when it comes to pourovers than what I do - although that's about to change as I have about 50kg of green beans from CS's - and I'm pretty happy with my results from my KKTO roaster - so I'm cranking out some wicked roasts at the moment to complement the flavours produced by the CCD I'm also creating a purpose built bench space to house the filter units - which should be ready in the next day or two - but I wont be introducing filter coffee until I'm completely satisfied with the results, and am able to replicates them in a commercial environment BTW had a lovely coffee at Atomica the other day! Cheers, ACg
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    Ok... Clever Coffee Dripper it is with great results, and here's how we do it: 27g of SO coffee roasted to just before second crack and ground coarse Pre-wet paper filter and drain excess moisture Measure 220ml of water and leave off the boil for 30sec Add coffee to paper filter and cover with water - stir and wait 30sec to allow coffee to bloom, then top with remaining water Wait another 2 1/2 minutes and then drain into a preheated coffee glass or similar The idea is that you extract 180ml of coffee from this process without having to sift through the sludge at the bottom of the filter to produce a clean, crisp, and fruity coffee with some nice wine flavours So far have been really happy with the results and customer feedback has been fantastic I experimented with a lot of variables to wind up with thus combination and I'm happy to elaborate for those who are interested suffice to say that I had a profile in mind that I wanted to produce, and this combination of ingredients and applications produced the desired result What methods are others using? P
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  • WotBWotB
    For a cafe application, you might want to look into re-usable filters, such as cloth, mesh, or otherwise.  There are differences in the cup, it's not as wasteful as paper, and sometimes paper introduces off-tastes as well. Filter coffee needs exposure to show its merits.  What better way than by demonstration?
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  • takeaimtakeaim
    So Pat, did you end up introducing filter coffee at Foxy Brown? It's obviously been too long since i've popped in.
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  • Koffee_KosmoKoffee_Kosmo
    on 1304334051:
    So Pat, did you end up introducing filter coffee at Foxy Brown? It's obviously been too long since i've popped in.
    I believe from what Pat posted that, Yes he has set up a filter coffee station at Foxy Brown & he home roasts himself special SO offerings KK
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    yes  indeed filter is well... if not a hit then at least a regular feature of our coffee offerings ... now to get my home roast setup in a workable fashion in my new abode so it doesnt set of the smoke alarm and or scare the dog!
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