Coffee

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by fordomatic

Already that price here in Canberra, I get a small double flat white. Went to Ona in Fyshwick. Small coffee, $5.20, extra shot, $1.50 and as I don't like the blend they use now I opted for their "original blend", $1.50 extra.

I am a coffee snob, but I literally said no thanks and walked out.

Coffee is my drug, but I won't pay over $5 for one......... yet

12 years ago it was $3.50 for a small double flat white, now it's generally $4.70ish, i'm ok with that.

Coffee, I order has been around $4.50-$5 for as long as I can remember, always been that extra charge for Soymilk.
Tilleys in Lyneham was our go to place while in the ACT.

[Ross 1]

Originally Posted by fordomatic

Already that price here in Canberra, I get a small double flat white. Went to Ona in Fyshwick. Small coffee, $5.20, extra shot, $1.50 and as I don't like the blend they use now I opted for their "original blend", $1.50 extra.

I am a coffee snob, but I literally said no thanks and walked out.

Coffee is my drug, but I won't pay over $5 for one......... yet

12 years ago it was $3.50 for a small double flat white, now it's generally $4.70ish, i'm ok with that.

Prices are slowly creeping up in Wellington cafes, I like the coffees from my machine so I don't buy too many but my favourite is a coffee cart at the side of the road. One of the best coffees in town and still $5nz for a reg. flat white with an extra shot.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Ross 1

Prices are slowly creeping up in Wellington cafes.

Loved Cuba street.

[Ross 1]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Loved Cuba street.

Cuba St is still pretty cool and still has a lot of great cafes and coffee stops, great way to spend a Saturday morning.

[gaz084]

When you can buy a good hamburger with the lot for $8 paying that for a coffee is ridiculous.

[jaydee]

When I was on a tour through Japan 2 years ago on a bus, I'd always make the driver stop at a roadhouse type place that sold Starbucks.
Pretty much the only decent coffee I could find.
Their pastries were always good too.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by jaydee

When I was on a tour through Japan 2 years ago on a bus, I'd always make the driver stop at a roadhouse type place that sold Starbucks.
Pretty much the only decent coffee I could find.
Their pastries were always good too.

Remember on a cruise to Steward Island from Oz, 4 days at sea drinking what must have been desalinated water coffee (or it was plain bilge water) the minute we landed, it was straight to the local chippy who happened to make the best (best cod n chips I've ever had too).
Didn't have any NZ currency so brided them with $15AU for a capp and a soy mocha, didn't care we needed it.

Cruise ship coffee is crap.

[.:4:.]

Proper passionate coffee shoppe owners are a funny bunch. One of the buildings i worked in the coffe shop owner was extremely proud and i was in good with him. He was an honest bloke, so upfront by saying the 1st coffee of the day is crap. Meaning untill the machines have warmed up theyre not as good. Still not bad, but not as good as his usuals. So he opened at 6am, and often if it was one of the 1st for the day they'd be free. This blokes food was top notch too. He employed 2 trained chefs, not just a few young sandwich mechanics. So on a couple of occasions during peak service if there was an electrical break down, if i was about he'd collar me and ask for help, then in true fashion price. If it was a 2 minute job with no parts id wave it. If it needed parts then yeah, an invoice. So, when id do a freebie, grease the wheels so to speak, coffees were now free, id get atleast 1 free lunch and subsequent lunches i was on the list for 50% off. A couple of times saving peak service time id be gifted lunch and go to the prefab case, so the glass refigerated thing with food prepared earlier only to be told no no no no no. Then have a sitdown menu thrust in my face. Decide what i wanted off that, only to get told in a very hospitable way, the chefs will whip you up something you will like. So i suspect the chefs werent allowed too much creative freedom, because they'd argue as to who did the cooking. So being a tradie in work gear covered in dust and crap getting a free next level lunch. Those were the days. So the prefab stuff in the case, it was made on site, but was good yet about $9.50 for a sandwich. The sitdown menu started at $20. So free or 50% off was a heaps good discount.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Proper passionate coffee shoppe owners are a funny bunch. One of the buildings i worked in the coffe shop owner was extremely proud and i was in good with him. He was an honest bloke, so upfront by saying the 1st coffee of the day is crap. Meaning untill the machines have warmed up theyre not as good. Still not bad, but not as good as his usuals. So he opened at 6am, and often if it was one of the 1st for the day they'd be free. This blokes food was top notch too. He employed 2 trained chefs, not just a few young sandwich mechanics. So on a couple of occasions during peak service if there was an electrical break down, if i was about he'd collar me and ask for help, then in true fashion price. If it was a 2 minute job with no parts id wave it. If it needed parts then yeah, an invoice. So, when id do a freebie, grease the wheels so to speak, coffees were now free, id get atleast 1 free lunch and subsequent lunches i was on the list for 50% off. A couple of times saving peak service time id be gifted lunch and go to the prefab case, so the glass refigerated thing with food prepared earlier only to be told no no no no no. Then have a sitdown menu thrust in my face. Decide what i wanted off that, only to get told in a very hospitable way, the chefs will whip you up something you will like. So i suspect the chefs werent allowed too much creative freedom, because they'd argue as to who did the cooking. So being a tradie in work gear covered in dust and crap getting a free next level lunch. Those were the days. So the prefab stuff in the case, it was made on site, but was good yet about $9.50 for a sandwich. The sitdown menu started at $20. So free or 50% off was a heaps good discount.

Yep, a good coffee place doesn't discriminate to what clothes you wear.

Sometimes after work in Sydney, getting back after lunch service had finished, (covered in sh*t) I would often wander across from the ol mans building (Darling Park) and be offered a great sit down cooked late lunch by one of the cafe owners there.
His staff would go out of their way to make sure patrons enjoyed the meals. Coffee was well above standard for Sydney.
Haven't been there since CV but hope they have all managed to keep the cafe alive.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Yep, a good coffee place doesn't discriminate to what clothes you wear.

Sometimes after work in Sydney, getting back after lunch service had finished, (covered in sh*t) I would often wander across from the ol mans building (Darling Park) and be offered a great sit down cooked late lunch by one of the cafe owners there.
His staff would go out of their way to make sure patrons enjoyed the meals. Coffee was well above standard for Sydney.
Haven't been there since CV but hope they have all managed to keep the cafe alive.

Darling park? If its the same one, ive worked there before for the office of murrays coaches. Also i know the electrician who does the emergency lighting system as its the comander system, so a very 90s computerised monitored system thats extremely tempremental.
The bloke who'd give me discounts, his coffees were very good but not the best. The place next door did better coffees but didnt do food unless it was toast. And my apprentices i did encourage to get in good with my guy. And a few did. So i gave the heads up that next door sold better coffee with a stern warning. Coffee from next door is fine, but take a walk to the loading dock. My guy if he catches you, the discounts will be cut off like a deseised hand. And also tarnish all my greasing of gears.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Darling park? If its the same one, ive worked there before for the office of murrays coaches. Also i know the electrician who does the emergency lighting system as its the comander system, so a very 90s computerised monitored system thats extremely tempremental.
The bloke who'd give me discounts, his coffees were very good but not the best. The place next door did better coffees but didnt do food unless it was toast. And my apprentices i did encourage to get in good with my guy. And a few did. So i gave the heads up that next door sold better coffee with a stern warning. Coffee from next door is fine, but take a walk to the loading dock. My guy if he catches you, the discounts will be cut off like a deseised hand. And also tarnish all my greasing of gears.

Don't think Murrays were in these three buildings, just Commonwealth and Rabobanks. The place with the beautiful upstairs park set between them.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Don't think Murrays were in these three buildings, just Commonwealth and Rabobanks. The place with the beautiful upstairs park set between them.

I think its the same place going off the advertising on the buildings. Murrays had maybe a quarter floor.

[.:4:.]

The best way to get a deal on coffees is simple,. Find a place you like, get social with 1 or more of the staff. You know find out one of their interests. Even if its not something that interests you, still every other time ask hows their interest. So become more of a person then just a customer.
So its reverse customer service. It doesn't always work, but when it does you either get a higher quality service or discounts, like a large for the price of a small etc. Worst case you get greeted by name which is nice compared to a hi what would you like?.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

The best way to get a deal on coffees is simple,. Find a place you like, get social with 1 or more of the staff. You know find out one of their interests. Even if its not something that interests you, still every other time ask hows their interest. So become more of a person then just a customer.
So its reverse customer service. It doesn't always work, but when it does you either get a higher quality service or discounts, like a large for the price of a small etc. Worst case you get greeted by name which is nice compared to a hi what would you like?.

You wouldn't have a " brown nose " by any chance!

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by slowsnake

You wouldn't have a " brown nose " by any chance!

Nah, i could sell salt to a snail, so i charm my way into deals.

[prydey]

I pay $46/kg for my beans (from merlo in Brisbane).

1kg of beans will make around 100 drinks, give or take (assuming around 20g for a double shot, most are less).

Factoring in the price of milk it's about $0.70/drink (200ml per drink).

There is a substantial mark up on coffee bought ready made. A $2k set up might sound expensive but if you drink a lot of coffee you'll pay it off in no time.

Plus it tastes better when you make your own.

[Ross 1]

Originally Posted by prydey

I pay $46/kg for my beans (from merlo in Brisbane).

1kg of beans will make around 100 drinks, give or take (assuming around 20g for a double shot, most are less).

Factoring in the price of milk it's about $0.70/drink (200ml per drink).

There is a substantial mark up on coffee bought ready made. A $2k set up might sound expensive but if you drink a lot of coffee you'll pay it off in no time.

Plus it tastes better when you make your own.

We did the math as well and it works out at 80c NZ per coffee for us, but we drink a lot of coffee, so as you say a $2k machine is worth it. Our last machine and our current one were both $2k and they have counters on them, the last machine made 17k coffees in its lifetime, approx. 7 coffees a day for 7 years.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

The best way to get a deal on coffees is simple,. Find a place you like, get social with 1 or more of the staff. You know find out one of their interests. Even if its not something that interests you, still every other time ask hows their interest. So become more of a person then just a customer.
So its reverse customer service. It doesn't always work, but when it does you either get a higher quality service or discounts, like a large for the price of a small etc. Worst case you get greeted by name which is nice compared to a hi what would you like?.

Can not say, I've ever bought coffee based on the price in a cafe. I'm happy to pay for a great coffee and will always tip but they will certainly know if we don't like it. The fact you mention large and small suggests you are not a coffee snob.
On complaining about coffee, I like the customers who buy coffee (or a meal) drink all of it, then complain they weren't happy about with it. You don't like it, don't drink it and tell them.

[FTE217]

yer but when on the road which is often you can't make your own
Agree though obviously having the coffee machine at home makes for a price competitive cuppa.
Pods in bulk for me, no more grinding for I find the pod coffee taste quality is just as good nowadays.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by FTE217

yer but when on the road which is often you can't make your own
Agree though obviously having the coffee machine at home makes for a price competitive cuppa.
Pods in bulk for me, no more grinding for I find the pod coffee taste quality is just as good nowadays.

Nothing wrong with a plunger and No 4 Harris Black, better than most off the track servo's!

[PooDog]

Originally Posted by FTE217

yer but when on the road which is often you can't make your own
Agree though obviously having the coffee machine at home makes for a price competitive cuppa.
Pods in bulk for me, no more grinding for I find the pod coffee taste quality is just as good nowadays.

Agree trouble is I like a strong coffee and it's a mission to find a good pod ....quite like the Podista double shot , Jeds extreme and the Robert Harris Italian can get them on special at supermarkets in NZ for 50c each which is quite economical

I've got into this bad habit of every time I go out I've gotta take a coffee and like you say pods are quick and easy no mess , just every now and then dismantle the milk container and chuck all the bits in the dishwasher....easy as

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by FTE217

yer but when on the road which is often you can't make your own
Agree though obviously having the coffee machine at home makes for a price competitive cuppa.
Pods in bulk for me, no more grinding for I find the pod coffee taste quality is just as good nowadays.

Just to spend some more of your money FTE, I present you with this........

https://sydneytools.com.au/product/m...SABEgJy9PD_BwE

[DFB FGXR6]

I was gifted a barista course a couple of years ago at Market Lane Coffee in Melbourne.

https://marketlane.com.au/pages/bari...urse-melbourne

When you break it all down, there is a lot more to a good coffee than you will imagine. I have to admit, I was a bit intimidated standing behind a professional grade machine and steamer. Was a lot of fun it certainly helped me when I returned to my little machine at home.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I was gifted a barista course a couple of years ago at Market Lane Coffee in Melbourne.

https://marketlane.com.au/pages/bari...urse-melbourne

When you break it all down, there is a lot more to a good coffee than you will imagine. I have to admit, I was a bit intimidated standing behind a professional grade machine and steamer. Was a lot of fun it certainly helped me when I returned to my little machine at home.

Actually, this is a very good thing to do if you are new to making your own coffee. Even a basic barista course will give a good insight into making your own coffee. It's all about being able to diagnose and adjust until you like what you drink. Without some basic knowledge this can be make or break for some and the machine ends up in gumtree...

YouTube can be used as a resource but with so many opinions you can end up more confused and frustrated than when you started.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by prydey

Actually, this is a very good thing to do if you are new to making your own coffee. Even a basic barista course will give a good insight into making your own coffee. It's all about being able to diagnose and adjust until you like what you drink. Without some basic knowledge this can be make or break for some and the machine ends up in gumtree...

YouTube can be used as a resource but with so many opinions you can end up more confused and frustrated than when you started.

One of the most interesting things we did was splitting a shot between 3 glasses, so the start then middle and final stages of a single shot. We then tasted each stage. This was to show how important each stage of a shot was in getting to a nicely rounded flavor profile.

[.:4:.]

A few years back i installed the electricals for 2 coffee machines at a place on king st in sydney called the mecca. So its on king street but under the grace hotel thats on york st. Anyrate. 3 phase machines, the machines were the bees knees at 60k each. This place sold a proper coffee and had a solid client base. They were open early on saturdays but that was for the cycling groups who met up there pre cycle. So im not entirely sure if it was the super expensive and awesome machines made better coffee, or if the staff were just good at making coffees and the machines were just a flex.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

A few years back i installed the electricals for 2 coffee machines at a place on king st in sydney called the mecca. So its on king street but under the grace hotel thats on york st. Anyrate. 3 phase machines, the machines were the bees knees at 60k each. This place sold a proper coffee and had a solid client base. They were open early on saturdays but that was for the cycling groups who met up there pre cycle. So im not entirely sure if it was the super expensive and awesome machines made better coffee, or if the staff were just good at making coffees and the machines were just a flex.

The machines won't be the reason. Commercial machines are expensive because they need to be reliable and pump out coffee after coffee while maintaining temperature etc.

Good coffee is more about the grinder and the guy at the controls. The grinder is actually more important than the machine and the guy at the helm needs to understand what makes good coffee good. A lot of baristas wouldn't know the first thing about good coffee.

Unfortunately the bulk of the industry is about quantity over quality and many of the consumers don't care. They'd rather a coffee 2 minutes quicker than wait for something decent.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by prydey

The machines won't be the reason. Commercial machines are expensive because they need to be reliable and pump out coffee after coffee while maintaining temperature etc.

Good coffee is more about the grinder and the guy at the controls. The grinder is actually more important than the machine and the guy at the helm needs to understand what makes good coffee good. A lot of baristas wouldn't know the first thing about good coffee.

There's one boss of a coffee place around here who loves to overheat the milk (maybe doesn't effect normal milk) when I see him at the counter I back away until I see one of his younger crew get behind the counter.
When he overheats the soymilk it kind of curdles, then he wants to present it in a glass, the whole thing is a mess, all separated not unlike a 70s lava lamp.
He's a nice Italian bloke and the food is excellent but he has no idea how to make coffee.

[prydey]

Like most things, there is an important theory element behind the practical outworking of a job.

It's easy to train someone how to operate a piece of equipment, regardless of industry but until they know the reasons behind why you do something, they will only ever be an operator rather than a tradesperson.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by prydey

Like most things, there is an important theory element behind the practical outworking of a job.

It's easy to train someone how to operate a piece of equipment, regardless of industry but until they know the reasons behind why you do something, they will only ever be an operator rather than a tradesperson.

I thing the word " barista" is a truer word to use for a dude who makes coffee, certainly not a tradesman!
In fact the coffee roaster is an artisan, he is the reason for the taste or flavour, the barista is not even a craftsman!