Coffee as a Deal Maker
Being Self-Employed (or a freelancer, Entrepreneur, Solo-preneur, or countless other titles I’ve heard people refer to themselves as – some of which aren’t really suitable to be posted on here), I meet a wide range of people in a whole host of different situations and locations.
Sometimes I’m the customer, other times I’m the supplier. Sometimes I’ve arranged the meeting, and other times, someone has asked to book some of my time.
I’ve read a fair few books, articles and essays related to where the dynamics of where you meet people compared to what you are looking to achieve from the meeting – if you’re looking to sell a service or product, it’s often best to go and visit the customer at their workplace (it gives them more security in their own environment, and they are more likely to buy), if you’re looking to buy a service or product, having the meeting at your workplace often gives you more confidence and ability to intimidate and get more of what you are looking for from the deal. However, I frequently met with Senior Managers and I was more than happy to bet the contract on the fact that they had read similar reports in the past.
Now, I hear you ask what this has to do with Coffee…
Having the meeting in a neutral location (like a Coffee House!) was often touted as a great idea. It allows both parties to meet somewhere which is more social, allowing them to drop the structure that appears in offices. It’s also a great way to sneak out of the office earlier – especially if you have to travel more than five minutes away, get your dose of Coffee from somewhere other than the Staff Kitchen, and also creates a more relaxed scene. The Coffee house was put forward as the best place to meet in, as the features such as the tables and chairs are more informal, allowing both parties to become more relaxed, and hopefully etch out a more beneficial outcome.
IIIIIITS CHRIIIIIIIIIIISTMAS!!!
Currently sat in my local Coffee shop, heard this on the music system, and it now finally feels festive. Weird how those two little words can make everything change hey!
Anyway, being the highly organised person that I am, I’m considering to start my Christmas shopping as I write this (December 21st), and feel that I should sort of start it. Luckily, my brother and mother are coffee addicts. So I’ve just bought their presents whilst ordering my drink. Not bad hey!
One that I’ve found is the $5 free Voucher with a 12 Pack of Starbucks Via Ready Brew for the US, and in the UK, you’re able to load the voucher with an amount from £5 to £150 – a great idea with the current weather and postal problems.
Perhaps look at that Coffee Machine you know they’ve always wanted (I know this would be what my parents would like the most…I think they’re being a bit optimistic myself…) – or just a packet of their favourite brew (You could get the 12 packets from Starbucks, and get yourself a free voucher in the States…of course, the giving is the best part!)
In the UK, Limini Coffee offer a range of courses – ranging from Latte Art, through to running your own Coffee Shop, so if theres that budding Barista in the family, get them down!
Above all, make sure you enjoy yourself. It’s a time for indulgence, so go ahead – have those six coffees (which are good for you), over-eat, and promise yourself in the New Year you’ll go on a diet – I won’t tell anyone if you don’t!!!
Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
How to Use Cold Coffee
In this recent cold spell in Europe, I’m starting to drink more and more coffee than ever before. And I’m not just drinking it – I’m holding cup after cup of it.
This got me thinking of ways that I could use the cold coffee – not necessarily the steamed and foamed drinks, but often the basics – Americanos, Instant or Percolated Coffee.
So far, I’ve got a…err….varied list- ranging from heating it up again (either using a Microwave, or splitting it into two cups, and topping each up with boiling water), using it to make Coffee Cake, or even making Frappes.
Heating the drinks up may be a short term boost – it’s less waste, and faster (very good if I’ve been caught on the phone with a customer or door-to-door salesperson) but the flavour does seem to be a bit lower due to either diluting the strength, or the flavoured oil burning a bit.
Making Coffee Cake is great for three reasons. 1: Coffee. What’s not to love about that! 2: It’s cake….again, what’s not to love about that! And 3: It’s fun to make. Baking a cake will keep me as warm as a cup of Coffee, but it’ll also be a great treat to go with my drinks each day. But each of these takes a long time, and quite a bit of coffee to make (well, if you like it with a similar strength to mine!) so I’d have to either waste a lot, or make some more up on purpose to waste. It also doesn’t taste right if you’re using a flavoured Coffee syrup.
Frappes may seem like the ideal solution, and indeed, it’s the most common thing I do. When I was in the Scouting movement, my leader kept saying to have drinks that are close to the temperature outside – because the closer your core temperature is to this, the less you’ll feel the cold. Of course, unless you have hypothermia, in which case I’d suggest calling a Doctor or Medic.
What do you often suggest doing with your unused Coffee?
Photo Courtesy of: Dyobmit
Coffee House Atmosphere
I’ve recently gone back to my parents for Christmas, and noticing a difference in the attitudes, atmospheres and people in each place I’ve been so far…and considering I’ve only been back for one day, and visited three different places already – excluding the Airport.
The first was a small chain store (BB Coffee and Muffin), inside a shopping centre. As you’d expect with Christmas shoppers, it was quite busy, and people were in quite a bit of a rush. Considering I’d ordered the same size Latte here as I’d done for the rest of the day, I’d drunk this cup in a very short period of time – didn’t enjoy it very much for this reason, but felt warm inside (if you’ve been watching the weather in the UK recently, it’s a bit cold!), which is a bonus!
The second was a small restaurant my family are regulars at. Had a Latte again, and enjoyed this much more. It might have been the roaring fire in the building, it may have been the superb dinner I’d just eaten, but it might have been the fact that I was just much more relaxed. And, being more relaxed, I enjoyed the Latte more.
Where I am writing this at the moment is a Starbucks. It’s quite different to each Starbucks I’ve been in before, it feels more like your old local pub – the barista’s are very relaxed, chatty, and recognise people quite easily – considering it’s very near two of the busiest Motorways in the UK, that’s quite impressive. I did push the boat out here – I got a lovely big Frappe, with lots of whipped cream, so it’s not going to give me the same warming feeling that the Lattes would have, but it does feel quite nice inside here.
What do you think makes a great atmosphere? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.
Photo Courtesy of: ASurroca
Coffee and Diabetes
Coffee has long had bad press in regards to health issues – the caffeine in it is linked to addiction, dehydration, panic attacks and the advice to pregnant and lactacting mothers is that they should avoid drinking it as much as possible.
But recent studies have shown that there is getting to be more and more positive reasons for drinking your daily cup of Java – not only does it help fight heart disease, headaches, asthma and Parkinsons, a recent study that has been published shows that it’s able to reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes.
The tests, which were carried out on Lab mice found prone to develop Diabetes have shown that the sample group given coffee (compared to Water) displayed signs of improved insulin sensitivity, and did not develop high blood sugar levels. The research also found that coffee has beneficial effects combating fatty liver tissue.
Past tests have also shown that drinking Coffee reduces the likelihood to develop diabetes. Women have been found to be more responsive to change compared to their male counterparts. When drinking six cups per day, the test subjects were (over eleven years) twenty two percent less likely to develop diabetes, compared to those who drank no coffee.
The main type of diabetes that Coffee is found to be especially useful in protecting against is Type II. Of course, combating this disease (one of the leading causes of death in the United States and across the world) can often postpone the offset of type II diabetes in the majority of people.
Photo Courtesy of: Untitled Blue
Coffee to go?
We’ve all had the problem at least once. Do you take your coffee to go, or do you drink in-house? A lot of it might depend on how much time you’ve got (I know when I was studying, it was normally a rush from home to my lecture, which had started twenty minutes ago!), but what if that’s not a time restriction?
First off, lets look at what you’re drinking. I’m sure if you’ve got thirty minutes for your drink, rather than being late already, you’d be able to find something a bit more…exciting. You could have a look at the menu, debate trying something new, and then consider what would happen if you didn’t like it (quite simple, order something you know you’d prefer!) If you’re in a rush, you’d probably be a bit more likely to order your favourite, in a snap second judgement.
What you’re drinking out of might also be different – a few places I know serve out of the paper cups, which I detest – especially in Winter. Cold hand, plus very hot coffee is quite painful, especially through a thin paper cup – even with an extra layer of cardboard around it – it’s not as bad if I’d have one of the wide range of thermal cups that are available – but it might ruin it a bit if I was drinking a frothy drink.
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not take a ‘proper’ coffee cup outdoors when I’m walking around. Last thing I’d want to do is drop it and lose my precious java, as well as a cup – hence the thermos cup firmly planted in my hands most days. What’s your preference when you’re out and about? Sitting down in-house, or drinking on the move?
Photo Courtesy of: Adam NFK Smith
Home Brewing: Stove Top Brewing
Stove Top Moka Pot
Based on the idea of brewing Coffee with steam pressurized water, these ‘Moka pots’ are more common in Europe, these small machines (or machinetta in Italian – another name for the devices) were first patented in 1933, and the design hasn’t changed much since then.
After filling the boiler with water, and adding the finely ground beans of coffee to the basket, the well sealed unit is then placed over a medium to medium high heat on the stove. The steam builds up and the pressure eventually forces the boiling water rapidly through the valves, up through the beans, and into the collecting chamber. You’ll be able to tell that it’s ready, as the machine starts to gurgle – meaning that the water is almost empty. As with the percolators, the coffee shouldn’t boil, and with practice, you’ll get to the point where you can estimate the time it’s ready.
Compared to Drip machines, the taste will vary greatly depending on the bean variety, the heat used and firmness of the beans, the quality you can get is very high – as the water gets very hot (often well above 100c) but doesn’t boil with the beans, the caffeine and flavour is extracted much more effectively, so you can get a stronger brew. Because of this they are sometimes referred to as ‘Stove top Espresso makers’ – which is true. They often produce coffee of a similar quality, and adding a small amount of sugar or carbonated water to the water chamber will often produce the same Crema that is produced in traditional espresso machines!
The machines require periodic replacements of the seals and filters, and a check to make sure that safety release valve isn’t blocked. Aside from this, making sure that the machine is cleaned well with hot or boiling water after it’s been used will remove the oily residue from the Coffee brewing process – but make sure you don’t use any soaps or detergents which would strip away the protective coating.
Photo Courtesy of: INeedCoffee / CoffeeHero
Coffee Mills and Grinders: What for What?
There’s two popular ways of creating your own coffee mix – Mills or Grinders. The mills are cheaper, as they slice the beans, but they can leave the beans in a less even grind, and can also leave the coffee with a slightly burnt taste, if they’re being ground for too long. Grinders are more like a pestle and mortar, in the way that they are very simple, and grind things evenly. There’s Wheel grinders, which are cheaper but spin very fast but noisy. The Conical burrs spin slower, are quieter and offer a lower likelihood of clogging, but are more expensive compared to the Wheel Grinders.
However, at the end of the day, you’ll be able to work out which will suit your needs best over a short period of time, depending on what type of coffee machine you have and what you like to drink.
Getting the right beans at the right size and texture can make the difference between a memorable cup of coffee (for the right reasons) and a memorable cup of coffee (for the wrong reasons!)
The choice of grinds will depend greatly on what you are drinking – for a percolator or cafetiere use a coarse grind so that the oils in the beans will be released, but not too fine that they will burn quite easily.
When you’re using a filter machine, it can vary depending on the type of filter that is on the machine. For example, a cone-bottomed machine will use a fine grind, compared to a medium one for flat-bottomed machines. This is because the way that the water will flow over the beans and the type of filter device used can change the flavours and brewing strength that is achieved.
For an Espresso, you want the grind to be as fine as possible. The small quantity of water that is poured through the amount of beans needs as high as possible surface area to absorb as many of the oils (which contain the flavours) as possible, and having the grind very fine means that there’s a lot more area that the water will pass through.
Photo Courtesy of Ray Larabie
