Take The Time to Make Better Coffee.
I often joke that if you come to my house or if I invite you as a guest to our office, that I make Fort Wayne’s Best Cup of Coffee. It’s a simple formula that I share when I tell others my ‘secret.’ The secret to making the Best Coffee is three basic principles:
- BEST INGREDIENTS: In this case — filtered water and freshly roasted and ground coffee.
- CARE: I pre-wet the filter, get my water to 205 degrees, bloom the grounds by wetting them and waiting 30 seconds, and then I…
- USE THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF TIME: Making coffee by the pour-over method takes more time, but it produces a better flavor. I fully encapsulate the grounds, with just a hint of water above the grounds to let them float but not scatter. I can move the stream up water up and down to control the amount of foam being created. This is something a machine can’t do.
That’s it. It’s easy, but it takes some attention — rather than putting the process on auto-pilot. I spend 6 minutes making coffee this way. 6 minutes to make Fort Wayne’s Best Cup of Coffee. A machine takes 2 minutes to prep. 4 short minutes is the difference between the Best Cup of coffee, or an average cup of coffee. That’s it. The secret is, anyone can do this. The truth is, most won’t. My vision rests on being the one who will.
I want the same for our business. If I started a coffee company, I would want it to be the best in town. I would care less that McDonald’s gives away their coffee for $1 or that Starbucks has whipped frappes, lattes, or mocha whatevers. I would make the best coffee and charge accordingly. It might even be called, The $4 Pour Over.
Some casual coffee drinkers might say, “Who would ever pay $4 for a coffee? That’s ridiculous.”
Others would note that, “They have the best coffee in town. They care. They know their stuff. Best coffee by far!”
It wouldn’t appeal to everyone. It would appeal to people who think as I think. Our customers would have acquired a taste for the best flavor and freshness. Our team would have a desire to make and present it in the best way.
I’m not in the business of converting people to my way of thinking — just serving them at the highest level I know how. Whether it’s coffee or concrete, I want to use the Best Ingredients, Care, and Use The Right Amount of Time.
