Weekly cuppings. Too much? - Barista Exchange2024-03-29T15:06:57Zhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/weekly-cuppings-too-much?feed=yes&xn_auth=noHey guys
I just sign up for…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-04-08:1688216:Comment:8215922010-04-08T14:01:21.405ZPhong Tranhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/PhongTran
Hey guys<br />
<br />
I just sign up for Barista Exchange. Had a bit of time this morning and here I am.<br />
We do cupping on request here at our shops.<br />
Typically, three coffee every time. Each customers had their own three sets, their own spoon, water, and spit cup. We layout coffee sample before and after grinding. We created our own score sheet that help them understand cupping at a simpler terms (body, acidity, dry aroma and wet aroma, and a little bit of chemistry changes when water is added).<br />
<br />
It's a bit…
Hey guys<br />
<br />
I just sign up for Barista Exchange. Had a bit of time this morning and here I am.<br />
We do cupping on request here at our shops.<br />
Typically, three coffee every time. Each customers had their own three sets, their own spoon, water, and spit cup. We layout coffee sample before and after grinding. We created our own score sheet that help them understand cupping at a simpler terms (body, acidity, dry aroma and wet aroma, and a little bit of chemistry changes when water is added).<br />
<br />
It's a bit of work and expenses.<br />
Our shops are pretty busy most of time, so we do our cupping after hours or at a different location.<br />
We don't charge for this, so it was done strickly for marketting purposes.<br />
<br />
We did a few cupping on location as well. Recently we did one for a party of investment bankers - great fun.<br />
These people have money and well travel, they all understand the different geometry contribution of each country. Once they have explaination on how African coffees are different than South American coffees, they understood completely. at my last job. we did weekly…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-04-08:1688216:Comment:8213982010-04-08T05:07:57.190Zemily jacksonhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/emilyjackson
at my last job. we did weekly "cuppings". they were actually more llike "tastings", mostly because i do agree, that cupping, in the true sense, can go over the head of someone who doesnt already have a vocabulary for what they are experiencing. the possibilities are really endless with this. you can experiment with dose, grind, brewing method, water temp, etc. etc to show off what your business believes is the best method for showcasing your coffees for these tastings.<br />
if you sell brewing…
at my last job. we did weekly "cuppings". they were actually more llike "tastings", mostly because i do agree, that cupping, in the true sense, can go over the head of someone who doesnt already have a vocabulary for what they are experiencing. the possibilities are really endless with this. you can experiment with dose, grind, brewing method, water temp, etc. etc to show off what your business believes is the best method for showcasing your coffees for these tastings.<br />
if you sell brewing equipment, this is also an excellent opportunity to educate your customer about the proper brewing method for each piece of equipment. if you give a consumer a free lesson on how to brew the perfect cup, i bet that they will be a pretty damn loyal whole bean customer. my experience with facilitating the tastings was that most of the people who showed up were loyal whole bean customers who were excited about the prospect of trying new crop coffees , who brought their friends with them(who then became loyal whole bean customers ) and some others who just wanted a free cup of coffee. for the most part, i would say that they were profitable. there were weeks when no one showed up at all, but then there were others when we ended up selling 30 pounds of coffee and several pieces of brewing equipment after the tasting was over.<br />
also, we incorporated the tastings into the barista training program. each barista had to lead a tasting before they could graduate to being on the bar by themselves, working solo shifts etc. it was a way for us to gauge the baristas ability to talk about the coffee with confidence and be able to field questions without getting totally flustered.<br />
<br />
our cost was= one pound of coffee + one hour of labor = $15-17 depending on the coffee. Although I am not a business-…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-04-07:1688216:Comment:8207822010-04-07T16:37:44.376ZShellie Adamshttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/ShellieAdams
Although I am not a business-owner I would recommend doing a trial-run of the cuppings. I would do two weeks consecutively of the cuppings and gauge the turn-out. Perhaps doing the trial-run for free and asking the people who come what their plans of attendance would be. Come up with a figure per participant based on the attendance and costs. Whatever you would work out from that point I do not know.<br />
<br />
Also, under-charging with the possibility of donations might be a good idea.
Although I am not a business-owner I would recommend doing a trial-run of the cuppings. I would do two weeks consecutively of the cuppings and gauge the turn-out. Perhaps doing the trial-run for free and asking the people who come what their plans of attendance would be. Come up with a figure per participant based on the attendance and costs. Whatever you would work out from that point I do not know.<br />
<br />
Also, under-charging with the possibility of donations might be a good idea. Read the whole discussion thr…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-04-07:1688216:Comment:8207622010-04-07T16:24:05.143ZPaul Boyerhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/PaulBoyer
Read the whole discussion thread. Very informative for this newbie. Thanks for the link, Nick.<br />
<br />
<cite>Troy Lucas said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/weekly-cuppings-too-much?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A820575&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1688216Comment820575"><div>Nick,<br></br> <br></br> I agree with Ryan Wilbur in what he stated:<br></br>
<br></br>
"I think that teaching a customer to cup coffee is a bit arbitrary as opposed to just a general side-by-side tasting...…</div>
</blockquote>
Read the whole discussion thread. Very informative for this newbie. Thanks for the link, Nick.<br />
<br />
<cite>Troy Lucas said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/weekly-cuppings-too-much?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A820575&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1688216Comment820575"><div>Nick,<br/> <br/>
I agree with Ryan Wilbur in what he stated:<br/>
<br/>
"I think that teaching a customer to cup coffee is a bit arbitrary as opposed to just a general side-by-side tasting... More so, where could we be if instead of getting hung up on public cuppings we went crazy for teaching people how to make amazing coffee with slow brew methods?"<br/>
<br/>
I think as we, at LRC, progress in helping our clients develop their customer base and fan loyalty, we will likely be progressing to the "art of brewing" versus the "discombobulated process that is quasi-coffee-cupping with untrained professionals."<br/>
<br/>
Great discussion that developed at Coffeed.com.<br/>
Troy</div>
</blockquote> Nick,
I agree with Ryan Wilb…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-04-07:1688216:Comment:8205752010-04-07T12:09:43.449ZTroy Lucashttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/TroyLucas
Nick,<br />
<br />
I agree with Ryan Wilbur in what he stated:<br />
<br />
"I think that teaching a customer to cup coffee is a bit arbitrary as opposed to just a general side-by-side tasting... More so, where could we be if instead of getting hung up on public cuppings we went crazy for teaching people how to make amazing coffee with slow brew methods?"<br />
<br />
I think as we, at LRC, progress in helping our clients develop their customer base and fan loyalty, we will likely be progressing to the "art of brewing" versus the…
Nick,<br />
<br />
I agree with Ryan Wilbur in what he stated:<br />
<br />
"I think that teaching a customer to cup coffee is a bit arbitrary as opposed to just a general side-by-side tasting... More so, where could we be if instead of getting hung up on public cuppings we went crazy for teaching people how to make amazing coffee with slow brew methods?"<br />
<br />
I think as we, at LRC, progress in helping our clients develop their customer base and fan loyalty, we will likely be progressing to the "art of brewing" versus the "discombobulated process that is quasi-coffee-cupping with untrained professionals."<br />
<br />
Great discussion that developed at Coffeed.com.<br />
Troy This discussion on Coffeed.co…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-04-07:1688216:Comment:8205092010-04-07T06:30:52.068ZNick Chohttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/NickCho
<a href="http://www.coffeed.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=3069" target="_blank">This discussion on Coffeed.com took an interesting turn (I might say) and might help shed some light on a few relevant issues.</a>
<a href="http://www.coffeed.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=3069" target="_blank">This discussion on Coffeed.com took an interesting turn (I might say) and might help shed some light on a few relevant issues.</a> Paul,
We actually had people…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-04-04:1688216:Comment:8184132010-04-04T16:47:09.011ZTroy Lucashttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/TroyLucas
Paul,<br />
We actually had people pre-register via our Facebook site that way everyone else who was invited and thinking about coming could see when the even was full, and it filled up quickly. We only had room and materials for 10 people this time around. We didn't collect any money until the event had officially concluded. Our feedback from that night indicates it was a success, and we'll wait a bit and do another educational seminar soon, perhaps at a different location next time. Being a…
Paul,<br />
We actually had people pre-register via our Facebook site that way everyone else who was invited and thinking about coming could see when the even was full, and it filled up quickly. We only had room and materials for 10 people this time around. We didn't collect any money until the event had officially concluded. Our feedback from that night indicates it was a success, and we'll wait a bit and do another educational seminar soon, perhaps at a different location next time. Being a "roaster" allows that flexibility, but any coffee house working with a local roaster can easily set up events like these repetitively and perhaps focus on varying aspects of the coffees sampled.<br />
<br />
<cite>Paul Boyer said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/weekly-cuppings-too-much?xg_source=activity#1688216Comment817351"><div>So you had people pre-register and pay in advance for an event? How was your turn out. We're not in a major metropolitan area but we do stay consistently busy till close.<br/> <br/>
<cite>Troy Lucas said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/weekly-cuppings-too-much#1688216Comment817037"><div>Just held our first public cupping at one of our accounts this last week. We went over all the SCAA details but did the cupping with one sample of each coffee tasted in front of the person, and strayed from the standards a bit. Did 3 samples total, and everyone was able to do a sampling of their own, their own samples, own breaking, etc.<br/> <br/> We broke from the norm and made it a bit more sanitary simply because we thought that was a nicer presentation, but it definitely took a little more time to set up.<br/>
<br/>
This particular account just won a poll for "best coffee" in our community, so it was a very appropriate place for us to lead the cupping, and it definitely seemed to foster some great relationships between the owners and their customers.<br/>
<br/>
Afterwards, $5 of the $10 cost for the event that evening was used towards coffee purchases, and I think they sold about 5 pounds of the coffee we arrived with for the evening.<br/>
<br/>
One word of caution - we do this professionally as "coffee people", but I would maybe not do too many events, maybe not even a weekly event UNLESS your metro area is very populated and you always have ready participants. It is nice to leave a little mystery to the average coffee drinker as to what it is we coffee people do behind the scenes, but that's simply my opinion. I like presenting the romance of coffee, but leaving it a little mysterious, too :)</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote> So you had people pre-registe…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-04-02:1688216:Comment:8173512010-04-02T20:59:40.916ZPaul Boyerhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/PaulBoyer
So you had people pre-register and pay in advance for an event? How was your turn out. We're not in a major metropolitan area but we do stay consistently busy till close.<br />
<br />
<cite>Troy Lucas said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/weekly-cuppings-too-much#1688216Comment817037"><div>Just held our first public cupping at one of our accounts this last week. We went over all the SCAA details but did the cupping with one sample of each coffee tasted in front of the…</div>
</blockquote>
So you had people pre-register and pay in advance for an event? How was your turn out. We're not in a major metropolitan area but we do stay consistently busy till close.<br />
<br />
<cite>Troy Lucas said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/weekly-cuppings-too-much#1688216Comment817037"><div>Just held our first public cupping at one of our accounts this last week. We went over all the SCAA details but did the cupping with one sample of each coffee tasted in front of the person, and strayed from the standards a bit. Did 3 samples total, and everyone was able to do a sampling of their own, their own samples, own breaking, etc.<br/> <br/>
We broke from the norm and made it a bit more sanitary simply because we thought that was a nicer presentation, but it definitely took a little more time to set up.<br/>
<br/>
This particular account just won a poll for "best coffee" in our community, so it was a very appropriate place for us to lead the cupping, and it definitely seemed to foster some great relationships between the owners and their customers.<br/>
<br/>
Afterwards, $5 of the $10 cost for the event that evening was used towards coffee purchases, and I think they sold about 5 pounds of the coffee we arrived with for the evening.<br/>
<br/>
One word of caution - we do this professionally as "coffee people", but I would maybe not do too many events, maybe not even a weekly event UNLESS your metro area is very populated and you always have ready participants. It is nice to leave a little mystery to the average coffee drinker as to what it is we coffee people do behind the scenes, but that's simply my opinion. I like presenting the romance of coffee, but leaving it a little mysterious, too :)</div>
</blockquote> Just held our first public cu…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-04-02:1688216:Comment:8170372010-04-02T13:02:11.671ZTroy Lucashttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/TroyLucas
Just held our first public cupping at one of our accounts this last week. We went over all the SCAA details but did the cupping with one sample of each coffee tasted in front of the person, and strayed from the standards a bit. Did 3 samples total, and everyone was able to do a sampling of their own, their own samples, own breaking, etc.<br />
<br />
We broke from the norm and made it a bit more sanitary simply because we thought that was a nicer presentation, but it definitely took a little more time to…
Just held our first public cupping at one of our accounts this last week. We went over all the SCAA details but did the cupping with one sample of each coffee tasted in front of the person, and strayed from the standards a bit. Did 3 samples total, and everyone was able to do a sampling of their own, their own samples, own breaking, etc.<br />
<br />
We broke from the norm and made it a bit more sanitary simply because we thought that was a nicer presentation, but it definitely took a little more time to set up.<br />
<br />
This particular account just won a poll for "best coffee" in our community, so it was a very appropriate place for us to lead the cupping, and it definitely seemed to foster some great relationships between the owners and their customers.<br />
<br />
Afterwards, $5 of the $10 cost for the event that evening was used towards coffee purchases, and I think they sold about 5 pounds of the coffee we arrived with for the evening.<br />
<br />
One word of caution - we do this professionally as "coffee people", but I would maybe not do too many events, maybe not even a weekly event UNLESS your metro area is very populated and you always have ready participants. It is nice to leave a little mystery to the average coffee drinker as to what it is we coffee people do behind the scenes, but that's simply my opinion. I like presenting the romance of coffee, but leaving it a little mysterious, too :) Sarah, awesome reply...We're…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-04-01:1688216:Comment:8165882010-04-01T20:39:41.923ZJacob Casellahttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JacobCasella
Sarah, awesome reply...We're also starting to play with the idea of doing weekly cuppings or other "coffee events". How have you found people responding to the cupping ritual, is it overwhelming? We (the cafe manager and our head roaster) have been considering just using pressed production roasts rather than doing a traditional cupping--we're afraid of losing people on the scoring, or even proper spoon use. Have you found that's a problem?<br />
<br />
As to the time/money question, I'm fairly confident…
Sarah, awesome reply...We're also starting to play with the idea of doing weekly cuppings or other "coffee events". How have you found people responding to the cupping ritual, is it overwhelming? We (the cafe manager and our head roaster) have been considering just using pressed production roasts rather than doing a traditional cupping--we're afraid of losing people on the scoring, or even proper spoon use. Have you found that's a problem?<br />
<br />
As to the time/money question, I'm fairly confident that we'll sell enough coffee right after to cover both, even outside of the image enhancement & customer/employee training.