Aldo Coffee Company

And Then There Was One

Frank's last shift is Wednesday afternoon. 

After he and Belle moved from Mt. Lebo to the Mexican War Streets we were a bit surprised he continued to commute here. But now, with a puppy to take care of, job interviews for a real career, and biking to and from Aldo proving an obstacle, he's moving on to work in closer proximity to Belle and home. 

For the first time in 5 years we will be Battista-free, which is sad news.

But the new kids are more than holding their own, earning compliments on their drinks every day.

As is the old kid: Lois, who's been with us since Day One, wins "Survivor: Aldo Coffee Best Baristas Edition".

As winner, Lois will get a million dollars. Provided we win the Mega Millions drawing tonight :-)

Somebody Is Always Going to Be Unhappy

We received a few comments on the blog about our "Insane Idea" post. And we've had numerous conversations about it in the shop.

Which is good, since getting feedback on ideas like this is the desired result.

Only thing is, the comments - both online and in person - are all over the place.

- People would be offended if we didn't try to talk to them about coffee.
- People would be annoyed if we did try to talk to them about coffee.
- People think we're shortchanging airpot coffee drinkers by applying this market index idea.
- People think we're shortchanging our coffee program by offering anything in airpots.
- People think we're indicting the quality of our single origins by offering a less expensive dark roast.
- People think offering a dark roast should be mandatory.

The Best Hedge Is Quality

Commodity arabica coffee has been trading in the $1.75-$1.83 per pound range the past month.  Analysts predict that maybe it'll drop down to the $1.60s once they have a better fix on Brazil's production. Or maybe not.

$1.80 per pound is roughly 20 cents higher than the C-market has been at any time in the past two years.  Usually C-market coffee has traded in the $1.40-$1.50 range, although it's floated around $1.60 for awhile before this last jump.

So we're talking about something in the neighborhood of a 20%-30% increase over what roasters are used to paying for commodity arabica.

What does this mean to coffee drinkers?  Here's a short (and general) overview of what we believe will occur:

How An Insane Idea Becomes Perfectly Reasonable

We're still working on the point of sale process and accounting end of executing this idea, but we like it.

This is somewhat a mashup of two things we want to do.  The first is to have a lower end dark roast (roughly just around 80 points, the cutoff for "specialty", but perhaps on the high end of "premium" grade) that we'll serve each morning in an airpot so the dark roast commuters can get their cup and be on their way.  

The second thing is something we're always pushing for - more ways to talk about coffee to customers.

Now, the dark roast consumers are the least likely to want to talk about coffee.  They know what they like, just give them that roasty flavor goodness and save your breath on the coffee education.

But what if the price for that cup was directly tied to the closing price of the NY Coffee Exchange (C-Market)?

EnCoffee's Take On Taste Subjectivity

Our post on Taste Subjectivity and Sprudge's wider distribution of same has spurred some interesting conversations, perhaps none more on target with our intent than this one from EnCoffee.

We especially like the close: 

We all tend to fall into ruts with regards to coffee or anything else in life such as the type of wines we drink, music we listen to or people we gravitate towards. Maybe it’s important to enjoy our favorites but also to consciously step out of our comfort zones occasionally and get a broader perspective as to what’s out there and to hopefully discover some new favorites we would have otherwise would have missed.

It's pretty easy to add a small adventure to your life every single day.  Try a new dish. Listen to a new band. Make a new friend.  The coffee you choose each morning is as good a place to start as any.

Givens

All else being equal, the group receiving superior training, technology and compensation will produce the better product than the group not receiving the above.

Where there is transparency throughout the value chain, there is less likelihood and ability to cut corners that detract from quality.

When workers receive a living wage, they are healthier, more productive and more engaged in ensuring a quality product.

When the entire supply chain has quality goals and everyone along the chain is empowered and accountable for reaching those goals, the result is a better product than one without goals or empowerment.

When better raw materials are used, the result is a better product.

The above applies for pretty much any product you can think of, none moreso than agricultural products.

So if you honestly believe your cup of commodity coffee is as good or better than one produced employing all of the above advantages, you might want to rethink your motivations for asserting such an opinion publicly. Because you look silly doing so.

The Coffee World’s Favorite Curmudgeon

File this under "Any press is good press."

Rich needs a PR flack to work on his image.  Probably wouldn't hurt to trim his eyebrows.  And hire an editor.  Maybe some hair color. Buy a hipper pair of glasses.  If you get him going, he can be as charming as say, Guy Fieri.

Unlike Andy Rooney, Rich doesn't really mind mashing up flavors in most foods.  Just not in coffee.

As far as the Sprudge quote ”the city where the 1990s never happened", well that's true if you're a Pirates fan.

An Argument for Taste Being Subjective

Last week in coffee circles there was a great discussion about what's come to be known as "sensory plasticity" or "desensitivity" - concepts that try to scientifically explain the roles of adaptation and habituation in how we register what we "taste". 

Without getting deep into the science, the gist of these concepts is that for people like us, who typically only consume coffee that's been roasted to a light or medium level, when we taste a dark roast, we'll be overpowered by the taste of carbon and may miss any nuances that lie below that primary flavor.

Conversely, someone who habitually drinks dark roasts may indeed find some nuances between different dark roasts, but when confronted with a lighter roast, will probably be put off by a taste of grassiness.

You may not be what you eat, but it seems the part of your brain that registers flavors is.

You Know What? We Don't Like Your Attitude Either

99.9% of our customers seem like happy, well-adjusted, friendly people.

Then there's that 0.1% that makes a small business owner want to run screaming from ever having to face the public again.

Market Volatility as It Applies to C-Market, Fair Trade and Specialty-Grade Coffees

Interesting info on market dynamics affecting current coffee crop prices from Mercanta, one of the premier buying groups/brokers for Cup of Excellence coffees.