Coffee, Flying Banzini style
How to make and serve coffee has been quite a debate.
We all agreed that we wanted better coffee than one typically gets from a drip-o-matic coffee machine so that was out the window immediately.
Next, we considered the full line of espresso machines with all their capabilities. These are really expensive machines and at our core, we are not a coffee shop. It’s important that we have excellent coffee but I do not think that we will sell the volume of coffee that is required to justify the investment.
Then I investigated commercial “one-cup” options. Like Kuerig or Tassimo except on a commercial scale. I was not able to find any good options. And, in my opinion, Tassimo et al do not make good coffee. At the risk of offending all my friends who love their Tassimos, I have never had a good cup of coffee out of a home brew, one-cup machine. The exception is Nespresso which makes fantastic espresso.
Now what?
What we have decided on is individual French Press. Your coffee beans will be fresh ground, placed in a press, and be filled with on demand boiling water. It’s fast. And, it’s excellent coffee. We will also serve tea this way. Loose tea leaves into a press, topped with on demand boiling water.
Stage two of my plan is to start roasting my own beans. I have a friend who roasts his own beans at home in small volumes. As he points out, as soon as a bean is roasted it begins to lose its flavor. Coffee is best made from beans which are really fresh. For now, we will start with supplied beans but I may move to a small roaster for the back parking lot and begin roasting a daily supply.
And that’s how we are going to serve our coffee. Apologies to latte and espresso lovers.
It is in keeping with my underlying philosophy — keep it simple. Do a very few things but do them very, very well.
Dave
The Big Banzini
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Full disclosure: I roast beans as a business and think the sun rises and sets on my method of brewing coffee.
I had to comment on the one-cup coffee: Have you considered an Aeropress? Much better quality of coffee than a french press and due to its construction, far less likely to result in breakage.
I will investigate this as I am still looking for the right solution.
Take a look at the different filter options, too. There are a variety of reusable steel and fabric filters that can be used with the press. The paper ones are fine, though. Clean up is really easy — one of my favorite aspects! Michel-Ange Cafe used to offer pressed coffee — they’re just over on the ground floor of the GCTC.
Er, posted too soon. Meant to add your “just coffee” stance makes you a man after my own heart, as I’ve always said if I ran a cafe it would have a one-word menu.
I used an Aeropress at work for a long time before getting a K-cup. The Aeropress did provide great tasting coffee, but the convenience of the K-cup won me over. I’d still recommend the Aeropress though.