Great Java » Coffee

Is it Branding or the Roasting?

The Great Java — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:10:44 +0000

If you are a coffee lover like me you probably don’t like the fact that the popularity of coffee has more to do with product branding than the experience of the drink (or the quality of the bean or roasting). Since I’m always thinking of business opportunities on the web (in a grand delusion to escape corporate America) I’ve been intrigued by a few coffee companies (web and local) have used different forms of branding, causes, etc. to take this great commodity and make a decent profit.

Someone recent gave me a bag of this coffee, A Land of a Thousand Hills, which will be brewed tomorrow for me and the wife (and a carafe to take to work friends). The thing that intrigues me is the work to build a message and niche branding behind the coffee. I’ve often considered private labeling a local roaster and selling on the web, but haven’t found the right niche.

People love the coffee, but they also love the look of the bag and the story of the coffee. In this case there is an Environmental, Christian, Help Rwanda Message. Start helping by buying the coffee. Most people don’t realize that coffee is what keeps many people in these countries fed.

These guys have a great niche and story… And we’ll see about the quality of the beans tomorrow.

Update: The roast was Italian, and the bean sized varied. Like a Sumatra the smaller beans were fairly charred. I expected to taste mostly a roast profile rather than a varietal one (starbucks effect). The grind had an unusual distinct smell I couldn’t place until I drank it. To my surprise I didn’t really taste a dark carmel roast flavor but something that tasted like green tea! I have to say it is the most unusual coffee I’ve had. Not being a fan of green tea, it’s not my “cup of tea” so to speak. One of my co-workers (with no prompting from me) said, “Is this tea or coffee?” I showed them the beans to dispel their unbelief! I’ll have to ask my local roaster for some background on Rwandan coffee. Thanks Therian for sharing some interesting Joe with an interesting message.

No Thanks McDonalds, Not Even if it is FREE

The Great Java — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:30:56 +0000

McDonalds is really wanting to get in on the coffee game. How do I know? All the local stores are doing “Free Lattes” all day on Friday. Free? Can you imagine if your local Starbucks had free Lattes? The police would have to direct traffic in front of the stores. We stopped to see if we could get a Redbox movie (with a free code) and getting a FREE Latte seemed right up our alley as Mr. & Mrs. GreatJava. My wife didn’t get much sleep last night, so she ordered a decaf. The clerk responded with “We don’t do decaf lattes”. What? Really? I wondered if what she meant was, “Lady, there is no real coffee in this, and therefore no caffeine”. My wife ordered the beverage which was prepared quickly.

We got in the car and my wife took one sip, which was followed by a “blaaah!”. Keep in mind, my wife is a well-trained coffee snob, so I figured I should try it. I opened the lid to find a few bubbles. Yes, bubbles not foam. It was near white in appearance, and had a faint coffee smell to it. Committed at this point, I take a sip. “Yuk.” Was it the lack of espresso, missing foam, or temperature? Nope, it was just gross. It tasted like someone warmed up some milk, blew a few bubbles in it with a straw, and mixed in a meagerly teaspoon of instant joe. Wow. McDonalds, you spent a lot of money on this product rollout, testing, and free samples. You’ve missed the boat by a mile – I suggest you stick with the burgers and keep your day job.

I’m Sorry Trader Joes.

The Great Java — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:07:12 +0000

I like a lot of your products! I want to like your coffee.

Comes in fun cans
Less than $8/lb average
Quite a few varieties
Quick and easy (minutes from home).

It just seems stale to me. I’ve tried a few cans over the last year. The aroma when opening a coffee container says a lot, and your coffee is pretty quiet. I suppose darker roasts have enough of a caramelized roast flavor to make up for the complete loss of varietal flavors for some people. To me it is just terribly boring – they all taste pretty much the same to me.

I can only guess the canister isn’t as good as the valve bag?

Update 4/22/08 : Tried a very dark roast (yeah, I’m punishing myself). I have only seen beans that crumbly and oily when I forgot to turn off the roaster. I threw them away. I always wondered what that would taste like, now I know. Don’t bother.

A Solution to my Latte Art Problem

The Great Java — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:36:03 +0000

I’ve had a lot of practice at this, and I’m still not very good at it. Is it the quality of the foam or pouring technique issue? We had our friends Brian and Angela over this Sunday and I made a couple of lattes. One was “abstract art”, the other a “scorpion” (so they were not successful). It is fun trying.

I’m not sure my wife would let me put this on the kitchen counter…

Cheap Espresso

The Great Java — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:34:10 +0000

This week I was asked twice – how can I make a good espresso based drink without spending a thousand dollars. Well… There is the local coffee shop, but they’ll take you for $3 everytime.

So I run over to CoffeeGeek to see what is new in the machines that are cheaper than Silvia (what I use). Here are some good looking machines in the $300 range

Francis X3
This one is a couple hundred less than Silvia. You have to love the looks. I’d still just save up for Silvia but… if $300-400 is your max it is worth a look. The detailed review is quite good.

Innova Arc
At $299 it has to be worth a look. It gets a good review for what it is and at half the price of Silvia… If you make mostly milk-based drinks take a look.

Solis SL-70
Clearly the ugliest of the bunch but gets great reviews. I have a Solis grinder I use for regular coffee and it just keeps going. Sounds like you need to pickup a new portafilter for good shots. Again – the price is about $300.

Of course I have to say – remember the grind. In reality getting one of these makes grind all the more important. On the cheap grinder front… Welll…

Gaggia MDF will get you the grind you need for $200

Solis Maestro might suffice – but spend the extra $60 on the Gaggia

So let’s see. We could grab a solis maestro and grinder and have a passable setup for about $430. That’s about 100 drinks at the local shop. I think I’d consider a Gaggia and the Innova if I was wanting to be cheap – still at the $500 range total. When you consider Silvia is $600 alone… Well it’s a good way to start and learn.

eJava and Wine shop

The Great Java — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 21:20:27 +0000

There is a new shop in town in South County, e-Java and Wine. I went to visit it today. It is located in an old License Bureau (huge – 4K sq ft probably). They painted the walls, hung a few pictures, and threw burlap green coffee bags over the old service windows in the back. There are a couple of PC’s for public access and free wi-fi. The majority of the store is dedicated to adult beverages (_beer and _wine mostly) – all on QuickTrip type shelving. In the back corner is a small coffee bar with a super automatic machine. There are a few tables along the edge of the building, hidden by the shelves. There were some bins of coffee beans, priced pretty reasonably ($7.50/lb). It doesn’t look like a coffee shop at all. Looks like a_liquor shop with a coffee bar in the back. The prices for coffee are very high, most higher than Starbucks. I ordered an Americano, knowing with a super I’d get a decent drink if the espresso blend was any good. It was only fair. The barista (if you could call the person that) asked me, “that has two shots in it right?” – Hmm…. After I was handed the drink she advised me to take a sip to see if she “messed it up”. They don’t open until 8:30 AM and close at 10PM (on the weekends, even though next to the theater). They only sell adult beverages to go, no serving drinks – it is a_liquor store. These folks aren’t going to make money on coffee. They make a big deal about free wifi but I can get that up the street at Panera/Breadco with a much better atmosphere and better/cheaper coffee. If they don’t get a a lot of people in the area looking for high priced eclectic booze I don’t think they’ll make it…

Coffee IS good for you!

The Great Java — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 23:54:09 +0000

We knew this all along. Here is a study on the antioxidant levels in coffee with some pretty interesting information. Maybe some of those people that gave up coffee for teas (because of the high level antioxidants) should reconsider. I need a “coffee is good for you” page.

CoffeeFest – Chicago 2005

The Great Java — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 01:32:06 +0000

Went to CoffeeFest a few weeks back (http://www.coffeefest.com. It was a good time learning more about the specialty coffee business and drinking free espresso samples all afternoon. Saturday Kim and I did a cupping seminar where they taught all the basics of cupping coffees. It was very well done and enjoyed it.

Starbucks and Transactions

The Great Java — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 20:11:15 +0000

Geeks only. Made me giggle.

http://www.eaipatterns.com/ramblings/18_starbucks.html

Ascending Glory Descended

The Great Java — Mon, 17 May 2004 23:32:12 +0000

Well I didn’t think it would last but…. this was quick.

News report I heard said it was under captialized. I think there were a lot of other issues but that will kill a new struggling business quite fast. Plus hard to get investors as a non-profit.