Coffee Appreciation

So any of you aeropress geeks got yourself one of these yet http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/hands-on-coava-coffee-disk-filter-aeropress-20101228/

I like the idea but making me of a pain to clean does put me off a bit!

Vairy in'erestin. I'll be on the lookout for that but, yeah, more hassle with cleaning would need to be justified by better tasting coffee which could very well be the case so it's worth a go. I vaguely remember seeing a metal filter being offered when I ordered my aeropress but I can't remember the shop I bought it from as it was many years ago now when it came out. I don't think this is new

hasbean seems to have them in stock at the moment...

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/Coava-Aeropress-Disk.html

Nice one, if whoever's organising this can PM me their number, I'll give you Neil's details and you can see if you can come to an arrangement.

tell neil to call richie about the bowls - i think he's ignoring me...

Any people working in the industry here?

I'm doing a report on this whole artisan coffee lark for CNBC.

So mainly looking at whether there's any actual profit to be made from it.

Or if you've got any suggestions on who might be good to talk to (basically doing my research for me).

Planning on speaking on camera with someone from Prufrock (100 yards from the office - ideal), a roaster, possibly an internet equipment dealer like Coffee Hit/similar, and maybe an analyst or some shit. Open to alternative suggestions.

But not hippy.

Paging bombcup.

Yeah.. PM bombcup

I've been asked a couple of times if I work in the industry. I don't, but maybe I look the type? Who knows. But it suggests to me that fewer people are going into these third-wave coffee houses and taking a keen interest/ asking nerdy questions than one might have expected.

It would have to be done in an official Monmouth Coffee capacity from me, and they turn down 99% of their media opportunities.

Try Jack Coleman, he might be up for it.

http://colemancoffee.com/

Nice one, could well be an interesting chap to talk to, ta.

And yep - I hear you about turning down media requests re. monmouth, see it all too often unfortunately.

But not hippy.

banned

not THAT hippy, I meant it in a general sense about left leaning sorts into hallucinogens from the 1960s.

Cos I thought they wouldn't know their coffee.

You're alright.

banned

Read an interesting piece in ethical consumer magazine earlier, looking at high street coffee shops. Top was AMT, 100% fairtrade, no kit kat's n'all that. Bottom was starbucks.

Reckon many Indies probably would top them all if included, hard to survey them all tho.

I would love to make/import Aussie iced coffee here.

If Starbucks and Emmi can sell their crap in Tesco why can't IC, Ice Break, Big M, etc?

Importation of milk is probably out of the question so how do I start an iced coffee company?

You'll need a freezer and cash.

I have this and

They're all really shakey these surveys. Selling exclusively Fairtrade doesn't make a company more ethical. Fairtrade is a very successful brand, they guarantee the NY commodity exchange price plus a bit to cooperatives that take part.

Highly quality focused independent roasters often wish to deal with individual farms rather than co-ops so they don't qulify for Fairtrade, also they can not afford to pay the massive fees to use the Fairtrade brand. Quality roasters will pay a price dependent on quality, sometimes at auction and regularly many times the baseline Fairtrade price.

There's not enough speciality coffee being grown to satisfy demand so prices are sky-rocketing. Simply adding a premium to the NYSE price regardless of quality is not a sustainable model. Paying a price according to the quality of the product ensures reinvestment in agricultural practices and workers' welfare without the need for an extra party dipping in to the pot.

Starbucks actually have a great welfare program and good buying practices and have probably done more to further the cause of coffee growers than anyone else. The bad guys are the ones who put their contracts out to tender, awarding the contract to the lowest bidder.

Check that shit out ^. Old school LFGSS :)

They're all really shakey these surveys. Selling exclusively Fairtrade doesn't make a company more ethical. Fairtrade is a very successful brand, they guarantee the NY commodity exchange price plus a bit to cooperatives that take part.

Highly quality focused independent roasters often wish to deal with individual farms rather than co-ops so they don't qulify for Fairtrade, also they can not afford to pay the massive fees to use the Fairtrade brand. Quality roasters will pay a price dependent on quality, sometimes at auction and regularly many times the baseline Fairtrade price.

There's not enough speciality coffee being grown to satisfy demand so prices are sky-rocketing. Simply adding a premium to the NYSE price regardless of quality is not a sustainable model. Paying a price according to the quality of the product ensures reinvestment in agricultural practices and workers' welfare without the need for an extra party dipping in to the pot.

Starbucks actually have a great welfare program and good buying practices and have probably done more to further the cause of coffee growers than anyone else. The bad guys are the ones who put their contracts out to tender, awarding the contract to the lowest bidder.

cheers, good to know - will see if the ethical consumer bit is online on their site and post it up for you to look at if you like.

Read an interesting piece in ethical consumer magazine earlier, looking at high street coffee shops. Top was AMT

Try their froffee. It's iced crack.

Most train stations have an AMT but it's sometimes hidden away - at Euston it's near the high numbered (I think) platforms on the left as you face the big display boards. In Liverpool St it's obvious enough (near platform 4ish), not sure about other stations.

I like AMT. For a chain I think it's alright.

http://www.qype.co.uk/events/517198-The-Coffee-Revolution-Wiltons-Cafe-Hackney-London?utm_campaign=2011-03-09-NewNewsletter-en-uki-889&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=content-2&

Bombcup, interesting stuff about the fair-trade lark. I'm interviewing the exec director of the ICO at the end Of the month so will be keen to hear how he plays it..

CYOA You might want to come down to The People's Supermarket on Saturday between 2-5pm as there are some very interesting speakers and representatives from the Fairtrade industry, including Harriet Lamb OBE, Executive Director of UK Fairtrade, and Dr Alessandra Mezzadri, expert in global trade, alongside Fairtrade producers on tour from Ghana, Uganda and Malawi.

I think (but have to check) the guys Square Mile will even be there.

Thanks very much, actually someone pointed that out to me a while ago but it had completely slipped my mind.

I think I'll pop down.

I also was told, but forgot, about last nights screening of Black Gold.

Not doing very well so far am I?