Gourmet Coffee Snob

I’ve had this (possible) allergy for as long as I can remember, but whenever I drink my morning coffee, and also whenever I eat chocolate (especially dark, bitter chocolate), I immediately start sneezing. It’s not painful or anything extreme, but it happens like clockwork. It goes away as soon as I stop eating/drinking, and there are no other side effects. Anyone have this, or have heard of something similar?

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So you have decided on starting a coffee shop! Congratulations! In my coffee shop business plan package, I go into more detail regarding equipment but due to space here, I am only going to give you some basic ideas of what to consider when looking at your equipment needs.
First of all, do yourself a favor and DO NOT buy any used equipment unless you know the exact age, where it came from, who used it, and that maintenance records are verifiable. I am only referring to anything with a motor or compressor. Used sinks, tables, counters, etc are fine as long as they are in decent shape. All other equipment, be VERY careful!
Even if you get it from a friend, you might be assured by them that the equipment was maintained properly and often, however did they get it used and can they get that guarantee from whom they bought it from? And how old really is it?
As you may have guessed, I fell into this trap and had things breaking down when I did not expect it shortly after I opened my coffee shop. Yes even my espresso machine. I was in a bad spot then! Luckily I had access to a one group machine for backup and a local guy was able to fix the other fast but you may not be as lucky.
I eventually upgraded to mostly new equipment when, but this can be avoided by getting new equipment at the start. You will be glad you did it, trust me!
Equipment Needs
Cash register or POS computer? – A computer POS (point of sale) system is good there is no doubt about it. These are the ones that have the touch screen monitors and such. However, they are probably (and arguably) best for analyzing your sales and inventory only, and not much more. They do not speed up your customer line.
If you want one of these guys, be prepared to pay about $5000 for a base system. The price goes up for multiple terminals and printers, monitors, a kitchen printer, etc.
In my opinion though, a POS fast food register that has price look ups (PLU) and department categories is sufficient for most coffee shops. Try to get one that allows you to download the information to your computer. Most have this feature today. It may, however increase your manual inventory and sales tracking if you have to put this info into your accounting software and spreadsheets manually but it can be a big money saver. If you get in the habit of entering the figures daily, you will not have a huge amount of data entry to do at month’s end. You can usually get these types of registers for about $800 or so.
If you end up opening other stores, I think the touch screen computer POS may be the way to go then because it will make your management and inventory control much easier, and you can link all of your stores together and control them from one place.
Espresso Machine
This is the Mack daddy of the whole business, your life blood. DO NOT SKIMP ON IT! However, having said that there is the line of overkill you do not need to cross either. I say, two group maximum, if you need more power or want a backup, get a one group as well.
The feasibility of a three or four group is great but it’s difficult to get more than one person working on them due to spacing of the group heads, etc. Ordinarily, you do not need more than one person pulling shots and making the espresso beverages anyway. It is almost impossible for one barista to use all four groups at one time so you be the judge! However that may be up to debate if you get REALLY busy. However, a two group is always my choice.
There are three basic types of espresso machines: Semi-Automatic, Automatic or Super Automatic. Well My choice is always the automatic because you can program them to cut off a shot at 23 seconds, or whatever you choose but still do it manually. The semi-automatic requires manual shut off by the operator.
The super automatic machine will grind the beans, tamp, pull the shot, shut it off and even discard the used grounds. Yes, I am serious. I believe you lose a lot of ‘art’ when you use one of these. You’d be surprised at the amount of people that love to see a barista set up and then pull a great shot. These super autos are also big bucks. But if all you want to do is move your cattle call through the line, this is the machine for you!
The boiler capacity should be large enough for a big rush, 9-14 liters should be sufficient. You do not want to run out of steam or hot water in a rush and with a smaller boiler that will happen! Trust me on this from experience!
Buy a machine based on the availability to get parts and service locally. Do not buy based on price alone, or ‘coolness’ or ‘features’ of a machine. They are all good these days. Features will not mean anything if you cannot get local service on your machine.
As far as water softeners, the choice to get a whole water system softener is going to depend on where you are located. In central Texas, the water is VERY hard but I chose to not soften my whole water system, just for the espresso machine. If you are not familiar with hard water, this is what causes lime build-up. It’s a white, crusty looking build up that will kill your $5000 or 10,000 espresso machine. It clogs up the piping that in time, builds up to the point of the water not being able to get through. Then your machine needs to be completely taken apart and de-limed. Not pretty and not cheap!
You will most likely have to have a complete de-liming performed several times over the life of your machine, however if your water is very hard and you do not soften it for your espresso machine, you will most likely have to have it de-limed at a minimum of once per year. This will get time-consuming and expensive, even if you learn to do it yourself. I had my one group de-limed for about $900 so do the math. Avoid lime scale build-up by getting a water softener.
Espresso Grinders
You will need one for decaf and one for regular espresso. There are several manufacturers and models. I will tell you though to be sure it’s automatic and has a doser/coffee hopper. They make a doserless model that grinds right into the portafilter and though this is freshly ground espresso, it does not work well in a rush! The units with a hopper allow the hopper to fill with ground espresso and have a lid to keep out the air. The bigger units have a bigger hopper and vice versa. Also, these have a bean hopper that you can get about 2 lbs of espresso beans in.
Bulk Coffee Grinder
These are the types you see in the food store bulk coffee aisle. Be sure to get the full scale version, not the shorter one. The only difference I can see is the taller one is easier to get a bag under to grind beans for customers. The shorter one is not! Try to have one grinder for regular and decaf, and another for flavored coffee if you will serve it. Using the same for all three will make the regular and decaf coffee taste like the flavored coffee. This grinder will need proper maintenance and burr replacement after so many hours as well. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on this.
Coffee Maker (drip)
Be sure to buy for your volume. Automatics are best as they are plumbed to a water line. Pour over units will you need to fill manually! The air pot brewers are the better fits because they brew the coffee directly into the air pots. There are single unit models and double unit models. You will save a lot of time especially in a rush, with a double brew unit.
Pastry Case (refrigerated and non)
There are several different sizes. Take your floor space into consideration but also buy for capacity and visual display. A nice, attractive unit that holds and displays a nice array of pastries is key for merchandising. Dual zone cases are a good idea because they let you have part cold, and part room temperature (dry case) pastries that do not need to be refrigerated.
Blender
There are several models to choose from but some have features you just won’t need. Be sure to get a commercial blender. Consumer units do not have the heavy duty types of motors that commercial units have. That means they will break down a lot faster than a commercial one! I would suggest you give Vitamix a look here.
Sandwich Prep Unit
These come in single, double and triple door units. Of course, plan for your overall room but your needs as well. The larger units have more capacity inside the unit, but the bigger plus is the prep top area that has more compartments to put meats, vegetables, etc in. If you are planning on a regular deli and Panini service, I would say the double door unit would be good. You may even get away with the smaller one!
Under Counter Refrigerator
Do yourself a favor and get a double door unit. These are basically like the sandwich prep units but without the top compartments. The inside capacity should be big enough to hold a good portion of your dairy, as well as opened soy cartons, smoothie mix, bottled water and soda (if you do not have a larger unit or merchandiser for water and soda. Plan accordingly.
Storage Refrigerator
This is for the back of your shop. This will be your commercial refrigerator in the back area to house your back stock of refrigerated items such as milk, as well as your baking ingredients, food items, etc. There are double and single door units.
Ice Maker
Getting an ice maker that can make an average of 600-1000 lbs per day is good. It will give you enough and still be able to make more within 24 hours. In a busy shop, you’d be surprised how much ice you can go through: sodas, fruit smoothies, frappes, frozen chai.
Freezer
You will need one of these to keep your ice cream, and other food ingredients that can and need to be frozen.
Oven
Get this based on your baking level. A ¼ size may be too small and a full size may be too big. The median unit is a ½ size and has 3 racks.
Convection oven? Most pastries, pies and other baking can be done well in a convection oven. That is an oven that has a blower wheel that disperses the heat evenly and faster throughout the oven. Therefore your baking time is usually cut in half.
Panini Grill
Cast iron (non-ceramic) with ribbed plates are the better units. With the ribbed, rather than flat plates you will get the ‘grill marks’ on the bread and that always looks impressive. I recommend a double plate unit so you can effectively grill up to four Panini at once if you have a large order
Three Compartment Sink
This will be essential per most health departments for wash, rinse and sanitize. If you have a commercial dishwasher, it usually overrides the 3 bay sink. However, most restaurants have both. You don’t need a big one, just one big enough to get your biggest ‘washable’ piece of baking or cooking hardware into.
Hand Sink(s)
Check your health department requirements because you may need a hand sink every so many feet or based on how many employees you have, or based on your floor plan. These are sinks only big enough to wash your hands in and that is it. That is why they are so small.
Furniture
Pick and choose what is in between comfortable and not. This will help you avoid squatters that love to stay all day. Ordinarily, people in your store is a good thing but not if they are taking up space and just being comfy! This will include your tables and chairs, as well as couch, wing hairs, etc. If you are an eclectic coffee house, good finds can be had at Goodwill and other resale shops.
Phone
Just get one that you can hear when it rings! A cordless phone is a great idea.
Radio System
If u can, get extra speakers and have one in at least all four corners for best sound quality.
Credit Card Machine
This is the swiper w/pin pad – If you accept credit and debit cards, this is essential. Usually they are purchased from your credit card processor. Leasing one of these is usually a rip-off. Try to buy it outright.
Prep Tables
These are stainless steel or aluminum and great to make a kitchen prep area. They clean easily too. They come in various heights and widths, with or without a backsplash and usually have a shelf underneath.
So there you have some information to get you started on planning your equipment needs for staring a coffee shop. Be sure you take your floor space into account when figuring the sizes of your equipment. Also be sure you account for your anticipated customer volume. Early planning is key to having the right equipment to begin with.
Tony DiCorpo is a coffee shop owner, operator, barista and entrepreneur. He is also a coffee shop business consultant. He has authored many articles on the specialty coffee business and a business plan package that can be found http://www.tonys-coffee-shop-business-plan.com

gourmet coffee for your coffee cup

Another recent additions to flavored coffee range has been produced in order to fulfill the market of coffee lovers. These coffee lovers have their continues cravings for new variety in coffee to satisfy their taste buds. That is why there are so many choices of different flavors that you can choose from.

Almond flavored coffee is only by adding the flavor to your coffee. It is not as difficult as you might have thought it to be. The secret to getting the right flavor is to know when to add the flavor and how much to add. It is one of the most distinguished flavors that’s is available. That’s why there are many types of almond flavored coffee alone.

Though it is famous among coffee drinkers, there are people who think that coffee basically has its own natural flavor which is delicious, should not be flavored. Of course there are people who prefer to have their coffee just with cream or sugar, these people however have to accept the facts that everyone has their own taste and preferences. There two different school of thoughts here, while there are many who feel that that ordinary black coffee on its own is not tasty enough so prefer it flavored, and sometimes others think that it the original taste of the coffee is much better and more original.

How Almond Flavored Coffee is made?

Coffee beans is usually being added flavor immediately after roasting. How it is done is the freshly roasted beans are being exposed to flavoring (organic or inorganic) for a short period of time for it to absorb the wishful flavor. As for almond Flavored coffee however, the beans are being exposed to natural or chemical flavors to achieve the desired almond flavor.

There are so many ways how flavor is added to the coffee. Some coffee fanatic will add almond syrup to the roasted beans to accomplish the coveted almond flavored coffee while others will add fresh ground almond right before the coffee grounds are brewed. Not everyone will like to add fresh ground almond because it does have as much flavor as the almond syrup, since it might not blend itself well enough into the coffee grounds.

Almond Toffee Crunch

Another favorite is by adding both almond and toffee flavors to the rich almond flavored coffee. It produces a very unique taste of sweetness from the toffee and nutty flavor from almond. It seems like there many people have grown to like the taste of almond and toffee for a change from the regular black coffee.

Chocolate Almond Coffee

Chocolate, being liked by many, has also being added to almond flavor coffee, this added richness to almond flavored coffee. So ordinary coffee drink has been made into a different twist of flavor again.

Almond flavored coffee is achieving popularity and has many fans because of its unique flavor and many different blends. In case you would like to make your own almond flavored coffee, it is an easy procedure. What you need to know is what to add to the coffee beans or ground coffee in order to transcend the taste that you desire.

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Coffee for many households has now become a daily routine to wake themselves up in the morning. Many people have a sense of belief that without the daily cup of coffee that they would not be as alert and functional. While the sense that coffee has an ability to create better alertness in the morning research in fact indicates that a non-coffee drinker is actually less groggy and more productive and alert than their coffee drinking counterparts.
So if coffee doesn’ t actually wake you up as suspected by coffee drinkers then why do people still drink coffee in the morning. Well partly is because it has become habit and due to coffees addictive nature they have also now become dependent on it. They have created a false sense of belief in their minds that without coffee they would not be as functional or productive.
If you want to give up coffee and create a healthier life for yourself then here are a few tips to get you going.
1. Wean yourself off coffee. Because coffee is addictive you may experience withdrawal symptoms like headaches, nausea, irritation, fatigue and even depression. If you are currently drinking several cups of coffee a day you will want to start by cutting that by a cup a day over a short period of time. If you drink only a cup a day then cut that by either the amount of coffee you use to make it or reduce your cup size. The idea is to get your body acclimatized to the reduction in caffeine you are consuming daily and make it easier to eventually get rid of the addiction.
2. Go Decaf. A great innovation in coffee has been the availability of decaf coffee. While this is not necessarily the best option to take you can use decaf coffee as part of your process to stop drinking coffee. This way you can still be drinking the same number of cups of coffee as before but you will replace some of your regular coffee cups with decaf and gradually increasing the number of decaf cups over time until it fully replaces all your regular cups of coffee.
3. Replace your drink of choice. You don’ t always have to be drinking coffee. Why not replace it to another warm drink like tea. Green tea for instance contains less caffeine then coffee and have also been known to have antioxidants that is beneficial for your well being.
4. Create a new morning routine. Instead of running to make your cup of coffee in the morning create a new morning routine. Maybe put on your sneakers and start your morning with a jog. You will find the cool morning air hugely beneficial to waking yourself up as you are feeding oxygen to your brain and awakening it for your day.
5. Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is hardly conducive to starting the day on a fresh note. By getting enough sleep at night somewhere around 7 to 8 hours you will find that when you wake you won’ t feel as tired.
It is not far fetched to live without coffee and you can do it easily with some of the simple steps above. You will find that without coffee in your system you will actually be more awake and productive in your day.

gourmet coffee for your coffee cup