By now, for coffee professionals and café owners, there is a better than likely chance they’ve heard the phrase “Coffee is 98% water.” Does this really mean anything? If so, what action does it illicit from people?
As the Specialty Coffee representative for a commercial water treatment manufacturer, I work with café owners, coffee roasters, coffee equipment manufacturers, equipment distributors, service techs and baristas every day. Without question, the single largest problem I find across all of these groups is the negative side effects that water has on their equipment and coffee.
It’s seven in the morning. You are tired, as you have every right to be at this hour. Maybe you’re a little grumpy, but you’re at your favorite coffee shop so you are happy anyway. You’re about five people back in line and you want this coffee. In fact, you need it. Slowly you make your way closer and closer to the register and your mouth is watering as you imagine how delicious that first sip is going to be.
From Seattle to New York, Chicago to Houston, and numerous cities in between, specialty coffee has enjoyed tremendous growth in market-share over the past decade. As public interest continues to soar in American cities, more and more young, creative, and incredibly driven people are becoming passionate about coffee. These days it’s not uncommon to meet people who have followed this passion and made a career for themselves as a barista, even with bachelors and masters degrees hanging on their walls.For many,
Specialty coffee, craft beverages, local baked goods, and just about all things “artisan” are in high demand these days (Even toast!). It doesn’t matter if you are in a big city like Los Angeles or you are in a small town outside a suburb of Tulsa, you’ve likely seen a small locally owned coffee shop crafting, or at least selling an array of artisan goods. Each year, thousands of would-be entrepreneurs, tired of working for someone else,
In many popular coffee regions around the United States, iced coffee is treated as an afterthought. In a lot of cases it is even looked down upon by baristas and coffee purists. The reason? “Iced coffee is bitter, and just plain tastes bad.” But why? Could it be that baristas only focus their attention in the direction of traditional hot brewing methods? What if the same level of though and care were put into iced coffee?