COFFEE NOTES JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Happy 2021 to all of our readers! Although many of us are still confined to our homes, we’ve already seen some encouraging signs that the world is progressing well on the journey back to normality. In this edition of Coffee Notes, we’re looking at the wonders of digital and technological innovation and how they stand to help operators in 2021. We’re also giving you a break from Covid in order to take you through the rich history of coffee in Britain. Finally, we wanted to teach you some ways to expand your appreciation of coffee, as we give you a lesson on making latte art and offer some advice on how you can refine your coffee tasting palate at home. Enjoy, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you are looking for any support with your coffee solution in the first quarter of 2021.
We are delighted to announce that Starbucks® by Nespresso has won Product of the Year 2021 in the ‘coffee pod’ category of the world’s largest consumer-voted award for product innovation. For more information on Starbucks® capsule solutions for your business, please get in touch.
Winner Coffee Pod Category. Survey of 9,865 People by Kantar
3-MIN READ
HOW DIGITAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION IS HELPING OPERATORS IN 2021 All across the globe in almost all walks of life, the ease of access to digital technology and online media has been enormously influential during the coronavirus pandemic. As we enter 2021 in the middle of another national lockdown, it will continue to play an important role for operators looking to boost footfall and sales when they’re able to re-open. Social media is an invaluable digital tool that can support cafés — most significantly as a form of online communication. It can help to keep operators in constant contact with their customers, offering updates on the current situation and reminding them that the café is still there, ready and waiting to serve them all their favourites and offer an experience they can’t get at home. Social media also allows operators to engage customers with all-important stories about their products, ingredients, sourcing, and even team members in a way that isn’t always possible in person. For operators who invest time and energy into managing their social media accounts and creating this type of ‘virtual’ community, they can maintain a connection with customers that will help to build loyalty, trust and drive footfall — especially when it’s time to re-open. The continued development of convenience-oriented technology within cafés has also brought about new levels of engagement. Now that almost everyone has a smartphone in their pocket, cafés can make effective use of QR codes as a method of connecting with customers. For example, the NHS Track and Trace app provides a seamless process to check into a venue to help track the spread of coronavirus without the hassle of filling out forms, delivering a level of comfort and safety to those who visit. Much like with social media, QR codes can also be paired with content (including video) to tell stories
and further expand brand messages beyond a poster, allowing operators to say more. They can even redirect to social media pages to boost their following and engagements. When it comes to technology that offers convenience to customers, very little has been more impactful than the widely implemented use of contactless payment, fast-tracked by some operators as a result of the pandemic. Although it was introduced long before 2020, it could be argued that this has been the most important use of technology during the past year, with these speedy payments helping to manage queues, prevent bottlenecks and crowding, and provide a safe way of paying that reduces the chance of infection by avoiding the need for cash handling. While the beginnings of 2021 have remained a challenge for us all, keeping on top of the latest digital trends and innovations can help reopening cafÊs keep their processes as streamlined and simple as possible. We’re looking forward to when everybody is up and running and when we can enjoy our favourite coffee in our local cafÊs again.
4-MIN READ
HOW COFFEE CHANGED BRITAIN Britain’s coffee history is one as rich as the coffee beans themselves, with roots that can be traced all the way back to the 17th century. As we navigate through the extraordinary times we find ourselves in, we thought it would be a nice change of pace to take a look back at the journey that first brought coffee onto our shores.
9TH CENTURY
LEGENDARY ORIGINS The story of coffee starts in the hills of north-east Africa. Legend has it that in the 9th century, an Ethiopian goatherd noticed that his animals were particularly frolicsome after nibbling a certain bush. Upon tasting the plant for himself, he began to feel significantly more energised and found that “poetry and song spilled out of him.” Other historians attribute coffee’s discovery to imams or monks who were able to stay alert while praying through the early hours of the morning after consuming coffee beans mixed with water. However coffee first came to the attention of humans, it certainly makes for a good story!
16TH CENTURY
THE SPREAD OF COFFEE CULTURE Coffee beans reached Constantinople by the 16th century where they became a staple in the Ottoman Empire’s hospitality culture. Coffeehouses served as a space to meet and relax over coffee, then seen as one of the world’s first non-alcoholic social beverages. Coffeehouses were also active trade hubs in the region, and so it wasn’t long before the coffee bean trade began to gradually spread west…
17TH CENTURY
ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND Coffee beans arrived in England sometime in the early 17th century. The product that arrived was likely akin to modern-day Turkish coffee, although it would have been drank using stale coffee grounds due to its long journey from production hubs in Mocha, modern-day Yemen. Despite its bitter taste, coffee was praised for its energising effects.
1652
LONDON’S FIRST COFFEE HOUSE In 1652, Armenia servant Pasqua Rosee opened a coffee stall in St. Michael’s churchyard to serve to his employer’s guests. Rosee’s shed became so popular that he earned enough to upgrade to a store. By 1663 there were 83 coffeehouses in London, which had largely overtaken taverns as the preferred spaces for businessmen to socialise.
1670’S
FREE-THINKING SPACE Coffeehouses were uniquely egalitarian, with men of all backgrounds gathering to talk business, news, politics and discuss ideas. King Charles II was so concerned about the free exchange of opinions in coffeehouses being a threat to his throne that he ordered their closure in 1675 (although he quickly overturned this wildly unpopular decision).
RECENT HISTORY
DECLINE AND RESURGENCE After enjoying several hundred years of popularity, changing tastes in Britain (combined with a devastating outbreak of coffee rust in British colonies) saw tea overtake coffee as the country’s drink of choice in the second half of the 18th century. However, in recent years coffee has begun its ascent back to the heights of popularity that it once knew, with the surge of international chains, the independent coffee culture scene and the ‘coffee waves.’ Who knows, perhaps one day coffee will reclaim its throne as the country’s favourite beverage!
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5-MIN READ
LATTE ART: A SKILL WORTH LEARNING While cafés are closed, now is a great time to think about the ways you can improve your coffee finishing talents or those of your team. One skill, which is worthwhile for every barista to pick up, is mastering latte art. It may seem like a daunting task at first, but rest assured that with enough practice anyone can create beautiful patterns on top of their expertly crafted lattes to surprise and delight customers. Take a look at our handy guide below, where you’ll learn the steps to make three popular patterns: the dot, the heart and the rosetta! IT ALL STARTS WITH PERFECT MILK … - T he first step in making latte art is to be sure that the steamed milk you’re using is the right consistency to style. We are looking to make ‘micro-foam’ — small bubbles throughout the milk that create a smooth appearance and a light shine.
- Measure your milk to the relevant line on your pitcher.
- Fully submerge the steaming wand into the milk.
- Turn on the steam wand.
- Once you hear a ‘paper tearing’ sound, aerate for 3–4 seconds.
- Remove the pitcher.
- Exhaust the steam wand.
- Make sure to keep the wand angled out.
- With your steamed milk, be sure to ‘groom’ the milk by swirling the pitcher, incorporating micro bubbles throughout. Lightly tap the pitcher on the counter to pop large bubbles. - Prepare your espresso. - Free-pour the milk into the centre of the cup in a slow, steady stream. It should be about the width of a pencil. - Once the cup is half to two-thirds full, follow the directions below for your design of choice.
THE DOT - The best place to start! - O nce the cup is half to two-thirds full, tilt the spout of the steaming pitcher forward, as close to the liquid as possible. - P our the remaining milk, creating a small ‘dot’ of foam.
THE HEART - O nce the cup is half to two-thirds full, tilt the spout of the steaming pitcher forward, just above the surface of the beverage. - A s a circle of white foam starts to form on the surface, slowly move the pitcher from side to side using your wrist, spreading the foam over the top of the espresso. - S tay in the centre of the cup and use only small, controlled wrist movements. - W hen the milk nears the top of the cup, tilt the spout of the pitcher back and draw the stream of milk straight back through the centre of the pattern (away from you).
THE ROSETTA - O nce the cup is half to two-thirds full, tilt the spout of the steaming pitcher forward, just above the surface of the beverage on the far side of the cup. - A s a circle of white foam starts to form on the surface, slowly move the pitcher side to side using your wrist. Continue this motion as you pull the pitcher towards you until the milk nears the top of the cup. - S lowly tilt the spout of the pitcher back and draw the stream of milk straight through the centre of the pattern (away from you).
5-MIN READ
COFFEE AND YOUR SENSES Making beautiful latte art is certainly a treat for the eyes, but would you know how to describe the different tastes and textures of the coffee itself? Practising and developing sensory skills is worthwhile for those working with coffee at any level. Not only does it help to develop a further appreciation of unique blends and roasts, but sharing your knowledge and passion with customers is great for enhancing their overall experience! Grab yourself a cup and read on... FLAVOUR VS. TASTE Did you know that they’re different? The two are so intertwined that they’re difficult to separate, but learning to differentiate between them can be hugely beneficial in furthering your appreciation of coffee. Let’s test this out: take a sip of coffee while holding your nose. You won’t taste any of the chocolatey, nutty overtones that you might expect, but you’ll still feel sensations across your tongue. Now, let go of your nose and try again. With your nose released, you should be able to enjoy the true flavours of your coffee. Flavour is your brain synthesising both aromas and tastes into a combined, overall experience.
TASTE + AROMA = FLAVOUR Taste (gustatory perception) happens inside the mouth — mostly on the tongue. The small bumps on our tongues (papillae) contain taste buds, the receptors that transmit tastes to our brain. Most papillae are found on our tongue, but we have them all around our mouth, which is why we encourage you to slurp coffee when tasting it! Taste buds
allow us to perceive the five basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. Not only do they detect these five sensations, but they also tell your brain how sweet or salty something is. In addition to these basic tastes, gustatory senses also include the ability to perceive the mouthfeel or the temperature of our food or drink. Aroma (olfactory perception) is even more powerful than taste. Our nose contains olfactory receptors that react to aromatic compounds. We each possess around six million of these receptors (fun fact: a dog has around 300 million!). While our mouths only distinguish five basic tastes, any smell that enters our nose triggers the olfactory bulb in our brain that maps out a complex web of different aromas, allowing us to identify a trillion different scents. And with coffee being made up of such a wide array of aromas, the greatest challenge when it comes to tasting it is understanding how to break them down.
Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer on how to best develop your sensory skills, but we think the best way to start is to take it step by step. 1. S MELL :
What does your coffee smell like? Is it fruity? Nutty? Maybe it’s got a hint of chocolate in it.
2. A CIDITY:
Take your first sip and concentrate on the acidity. Is it tangy, and does it produce a lively sensation on your tongue like a citrus fruit? Or is it smooth, more like eating a banana?
3. M OUTHFEEL :
How does the weight of the coffee feel in your mouth? Is it light and delicate, or velvety, rich and creamy?
4. F LAVOUR:
Remember how flavour is taste + aroma? Think about the smells as you focus on what you taste. Try and find close comparisons to other food and drinks you’ve eaten!
5. F INISH:
Finally, is there an aftertaste? Does the flavour dissipate quickly, leaving a clean, dry feeling? Or does it linger, making your tongue feel coated?
Actively focusing your senses — and identifying specific and relatable descriptions — is one of the best ways to develop these skills. Doing so frequently will aid your understanding of coffee and help you bring a whole new library of knowledge when recommending blends and roasts to your customers! If you want to learn more about coffee and start your training in becoming an expert barista, follow the link below to sign up to the Starbucks® Global Academy.
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Nestlé Coffee Partners offers a range of brands and solutions to fit your customers’ requirements. If you’d like to talk through any of what you’ve read and explore how we can help you leverage the insight we’ve shared this month, or if you’d simply like to catch up over a socially distanced coffee, we’d love to hear from you. We’re available on +44 (0)203 124 1029 (Option 2) or at StarbucksSupportEMENA@nestle.com