Become a coff ee connoisseur… learn

THE beans Spilling

Dominic Ide on how he has achieved success as owner and director of Pallets Tea & Coffee House in Beaulieu, Hampshire

Pallets is something of a legacy business. “It was my grandmother’s and was a gift shop when she had it – then it was my brother Spencer’s.

Today, I own and run it,” says Dominic Ide.

“We didn’t have any funds so we had to magic up a way of putting it together.

I found bits and pieces from my brother’s

Southampton. Friends donated things and I made furniture out of wooden pallets – hence the name.”

The result is a visually stunning cafe, full of reclaimed and upcycled furniture, in the heart of the New Forest. But it’s

“Understand what it is that you want to do, what it is that your customers want and from there, home in on something you can do really, really well. For us,

Creatures of caffeinated habit

to provide exceptional, sustainable

“Understand what it is that you want to do, what it is that your customers want and from there, home in on something you can do really, really well. For us, that’s coff ee”

bitterness. It’s been proven time and

“Our house blend,” continues Dominic, “has smooth, nutty notes to complement proportioned. So there are three levels this balances it out nicely. You get a lovely chocolatey, nutty, almondy

“I’m biased of course but I really do

Dominic is mindful, though, not to force new and unusual products on customers unnecessarily. “I’m not a big fan of saying ‘do you want to try our

“So nice to see you again!”

Manager and Head Barista Jass Goodman always welcomes customers with a big smile

Coff ee artistry

Jass Goodman (far left) is the expert in coff ee art, says owner Dominic Ide – she can make hearts, lions and even a phoenix

person as soon as they walk in the door, because the chances are it doesn’t mean anything to them.

“We’re all sceptical of new things and creatures of habit. But if you know your customers well, you know the ones who The art of the perfect cup

The personal touch is clearly key for Pallets. Dominic believes that the employees behind an establishment are as important as the product itself.

“Your customers return because of the people who work at your venue. They’re such a crucial ingredient. to be passionate about both people and the product you’re serving. Everyone who comes through that door needs a big smile, and it’s got to feel natural.

What, according to Dominic, makes art. Jass Goodman, Pallets Manager and Head Barista, he says, is quite the pro. “She can make lions, or a phoenix. It’s very impressive and people love it. But a lot of them don’t know that those patterns

£3.7bn

Market size, by revenue for 2021, of the Cafes & Coffee Shops industry

Source: IBISWorld

then the golden orange loop on the foam, the crema – that’s where the bitterness

All the tea in China

Pallets widened its off ering with its select choice of the fi nest teas

have a large range of cakes – a lot are from our new venue, The Beaulieu

Bakehouse. But we wanted to cover the breakfast, brunch and lunch markets, too, which is why we serve things like paninis and sausage rolls.

“We started out making sandwiches, but the labour side was too much. But you can make paninis ahead and keep them chilled. Then when you toast them, they taste delicious and fresh. They are hugely popular, especially the

How to start up a second venue

Last year, Dominic opened up a second business, The Beaulieu Bakehouse. looking to expand?

“Don’t do it by yourself. I don’t necessarily mean having a business partner but to have a support network – friends, partners, parents. People who can help ground you again.

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve gone through, bar becoming a dad. The stress of opening a business while running another is something else. It’s like holding onto sand and it’s much easier if you have people with hands underneath yours who are catching it and putting it back on the top of your pile.

“Hire cracking people. Make it very clear what you expect from them. They’re your foundation, they’ll be holding everything up for you. With them in place, your time is less restricted.

“The biggest problem I’ve found has been dealing with all the unexpected things that crop up every day – machinery everything – and then your mental for a business. Because without you in a happy place, your business won’t be in one, either. At the end of the day, your business is a part of you.”

ARt-isAnal coffee

Adding that fi nishing touch to your coff ee is defi nitely a case of practice makes perfect, but for those of you new to coff ee art, here are some quick steps to getting started

1. Start by adding the desired amount of espresso to a cup, giving it a gentle swirl to even out the crema. 2. Next, steam the milk to 65C, giving the base of the jug a good bang before pouring. 3. Holding your coff ee cup at about 45 degrees, slowly pour a small

amount of milk into the cup from a slightly higher than usual distance. This ensures the milk sits underneath the coff ee and creates a base layer. 4. Bringing the milk closer to the coff ee and pouring slightly faster, begin to draw your design:

The Heart

A good one for fi rst-timers, as you begin to bring the milk closer to the coff ee, aiming for the centre of the cup, you should begin to see the milk rise to the surface. A slight left to right shake of the hand and you’ll see the pattern form. Finish the design by pulling the pour through the shape (away from you) and towards the lip of the cup.

The Tulip

To create this social media star, fi nish making the base then, using a stop-start technique, pour a small amount from the lip of the cup, closest to you, move it to the centre, then stop pouring. Repeat several times and each pour will push the previous shape away from you. After several pours, pull the milk through all the shapes to the opposite lip.

The rosette (AKA THE LEAF)

A coff ee house classic, the rosette begins by drawing the heart, then once the heart begins to take shape continue to pour using your wrist to create a left-to-right motion as your pour moves from the centre of the cup to the lip nearest you. Finally, pull the pour through the design to the opposite lip.

The Bear

Make a small heart but don’t pull the milk through. Then stop pouring and make a smaller heart closer to you, which sits under the fi rst heart. Put the cup down and, using a spoon, scoop two small amounts of milk and dab into your coff ee to make up the ears. Finally, using an etcher pen, dip it into the crema and draw the face.

Download this page and print out this guide for your barista team to use and share with customers:

A guide to coffees

From around the world

How does the location of the beans affect the taste?

Columbia

Columbia has a reputation for wellbalanced beans. It’s the third-largest producer, after Brazil and Vietnam, responsible for 12% of the world’s coff ee. But unlike these two countries, Colombia grows almost exclusively high-quality arabica. Similar to top-end Peruvian coff ees, people note a medium-body, rich taste, fruity fl avours and citrus-like acidity. It’s relatively mild and works best with light and medium roasting. Colombian coff ee can be single-origin (meaning it’s traceable to one farm) or part of blends.

ETHIOPIA

It’s said that coff ee was fi rst discovered in Ethiopia by Kaldi, a goat herder in the 9th century. He noticed that after eating the berries from a certain tree, his goats became so energetic that they did not want to sleep at night! As such, it’s considered the birthplace of the coff ee plant and coff ee culture. Many argue that coff ee from here is the best in the world. A prevalence of organic, sustainable and ethical practices also make it popular. It’s known for being fruity and fl oral, with lighter acidity, light to medium body and complex notes.

INDIA

India is most commonly associated with tea, not coff ee. But the plant has been growing here since the late 17th century. The story goes that an Indian pilgrim to Mecca – known as Baba Budan – smuggled seven beans back to India from Yemen in 1670 (it was illegal to take coff ee seeds out of Arabia at the time) and planted them in the Chandragiri hills of Karnataka. Grown in its southern region, coff ee from India shows a moderate body and acidity. Flavours can include hints of cardamom, clove, pepper and nutmeg, and hints of tropical fruit.

Myanmar

Although coff ee has been produced in Myanmar (formerly Burma) since it was introduced there in 1885, the country has only become a global player in recent years. This can be attributed to investments in high-quality, specialist crops. About threequarters of Myanmar’s coff ee is arabica, grown in the higher altitudes in the north. It has a sweet, round-bodied fl avour and medium acidity. Expect hints of dark chocolate, hazelnut and plum. The earthy qualities make it comparable to Indonesian varieties.

Vietnam

Coff ee was introduced to Vietnam by the French in the 19th century. Today, the industry here employs 2.6 million people and has helped to pull many people out of poverty. Vietnamese coff ee refers to more than the beans that are grown here: it’s also about how the coff ee is made. It’s a certain style, made using a unique dripper, known as a phin, that steeps the coff ee before fi ltering it into a cup. It’s also traditional that coff ee here is made with condensed milk and served over ice. All of this means a sweet, rich and strong drink.