I thought I would take a different perspective with this blog. I spend a lot of time reading about something I really love, coffee and the coffee business. As you may well know, I am involved with the commercial side of Whole Latte Love. In checking out all the online forums, magazines and Websites dedicated to the coffee industry and people involved in it, I get a good perspective on emerging trends in our field. There is always lots of information on machines, coffee and even opinions about topics as unconventional as “rate my naked espresso extraction.”

I have come to realize there are many ways to make that delicious coffee and espresso. Using different preparation methods can give the final product distinct and unique characteristics. Some people stick with just one brewing method and others may experiment with many preparation techniques. There has been a new trend where people are using all these “new” coffee brewing techniques to satisfy their desire to produce the best cup of coffee possible. These methods may involve brewing a single cup or, in some instances, more than one serving. Some of these new brewing techniques are easy and others are a little more difficult, as far as the level of involvement in hand crafting the products is concerned.

The neat thing is that some of these “new” methods have actually been around a long time. These methods may be known to some of you and perhaps you have even looked at them and thought “that would be fun.” There are a number of videos and articles about the benefits of one of the trendiest brewing methods, the manual brewing technique. You may have even seen this preparation method at your local coffee shop.

We have always sold French presses, typically used to manually steep and extract coffee. It is still one of my favorite ways to brew coffee. But, there are other options available to coffee lovers. I was curious if you, our customers, are interested in us carrying more of these new products. We are currently thinking about carrying Chemex, Melitta, Hario as well as devices for a method called “siphon brewing.” I have been lucky enough to take classes at the coffee trade shows, where these new equipment and different brewing methods were being used. In these classes, we had a chance to try out and discuss a diverse range of products. I really liked the resulting drinks. All of these new methods produced cleaner coffee, with great mouth feel and easily distinguishable characteristics. To simplify, each coffee was smoother and just better tasting than regular drip coffee.

Of course, all of these methods involve more time and craftsmanship to produce, in my opinion, a superior cup of coffee. I wanted to open my blog up for discussion and see what products you may be interested in us carrying. Of course, if we carry these products we would look to educate our customers on how to use and enjoy their new equipment. I look forward to your responses. It will be nice to get your feedback, so we can look into giving you more great brewing options and the knowledge to make them work well for you.

Mark
Whole Latte Love Commercial Department