“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” — Leo Tolstoy
May 2016 mycuppa Newsletter
Well, it's time for a makeover.
So both our web store and newsletter have been subjected to more than just a little nip & tuck.
The new mycuppa.com.au went live on the 22nd of April - a big project for our team over the last four months, rebuilding from scratch.
The new system provides additional features assisting our operational processes, improving accuracy and, more importantly, our speed across the stages from order to warehouse to freight providers.
We can take an order, pick, pack and dispatch within 5 minutes - a velocity that even Amazon can't match.
Customers can now view the freight consignment tracking ID for each order within your customer profile - a long-overdue feature.
The new system uses a customized version of Australian-developed software hosted and supported by Australian-based companies.
I'm often asked, "I don't want to spend much money, but I want a really good coffee experience at home?".
Or the other question we are asked "I'm sick of being disappointed by pods/capsules, and they are so expensive when I need to drink between 2 to 5 each day"
The challenge with preparing a quality espresso coffee at home is the potential to spend thousands creating a true cafe experience.
When you start with entry-level/basic equipment, before long, a case of wanting to upgrade strikes.
Here's where you can easily spend hours, days, weeks and months dreaming about that $3,500 Italian espresso machine or $2,000 conical grinder.
However, for many of our mycuppa customers, that sort of expense is wothwhile by easily justifying a return on investment when saving up to $2 or $3 per cup by making their own at home.
It's an investment that keeps on rewarding for many years.
But for others, outlaying $600 for a basic machine and another $300 for a simple grinder can be confronting.
So, how can you make a decent coffee without spending a fortune?
Coffee lovers seeking coffee at home on a budget should consider the humble stovetop (moka pot), an Aeropress, or even a plunger.
You can purchase these devices for around $50 or more, and they can produce deliciously brewed coffee with proper usage.
However, the only downside is that it's difficult to create the silky textured milk effect that most of us love in our cafe-style coffees.
For stovetops (or Moka pots), always look for stainless units with a copper base - just like your saucepans - wait to buy aluminum equipment.
Stovetops work best where an instant heat source is available, e.g. gas or induction.
The Aeropress uses a principle similar to a plunger; when you have the dosage, grind and hot water temperature right, it's truly magnificent.
Aeropress has a cult following - especially as a portable coffee maker for those who are travelling.
As Aeropress has a wider range of variables, it may take a few experiments to achieve a brew you like, and you can try lighter, fruitier coffees from Africa to produce refreshing zesty brews.
Of course, the secret here on all types of coffee brewing is to use whole beans that are freshly ground just before brewing, e.g. not using pre-ground coffee from a pack.
It may come as a surprise, but even freshly ground and sealed coffee can still oxidize within the sealed packaging more than 30 times faster than whole beans.
This means pre-ground coffee in sealed bags will grow stale within a few weeks.
Opened packs of ground coffee can stale in 15 minutes.
To achieve an optimal result, it is necessary to grind the whole beans to the appropriate size for the coffee.
Now, this is where it becomes difficult and most people abandon the idea - grinders appear expensive and messy and take up valuable space on the kitchen bench.
If you enjoy coffee, the money spent on a decent grinder is the best investment in kitchen appliances you will ever make - quality grinders last a long time.
Cheap grinders are not recommended (we think they are rubbish).
People trying to use spice grinders or the lowest-cost grinder they can find often wonder why the coffee they produce is terrible.
Sometimes, they even blame the beans or the roaster!
The particle size of ground coffee needs to be accurate and consistent to match the brew method/style.
Cheap grinders bash and smash the beans to produce particles that are too fine and coarse.
When you brew these inconsistent ground coffee particles, you end up with under and over-extracted coffee - it's barely OK, not enjoyable.
Hand grinders have become more quality-focused over the last few years.
They are cheaper, and some of the best designs retain less ground coffee than similarly priced electric grinders, reducing coffee wastage from purging.
But again, I stress this point - buy a proper, quality coffee grinder - spice grinders are unsuitable for coffee!
May feature coffee - Panama
Over the last two years, just about everyone in the coffee industry has been fascinated with Panama.
Their coffees have always been sublime, but the rare and exotic Geisha coffees have captivated the world's attention.
Panama Geisha has been dominating many competitions worldwide - barista, roasting, cup tasting, and the very best lots are scoring close to 100 points in blind cup assessments.
The challenge, of course, is that these highly prized Panama Geisha coffees are like $100 per kilo (or more) and in limited or exclusive supply - in reality, this is outside the realms of most coffee drinkers, so it's rather a distorted side of the market - much like caviar in fine dining restaurants.
Some Coffee Companies buy a small amount and then market the bejesus out of it, trying to enhance their profile or reputation artificially.
It's become a novelty, just like in the past when everyone thought Jamaica Blue Mountain was the top of the temple and let's not forget the perverse creation that was the dishonest marketing of Kopi Lewak.
Of course, over time, these fads will soon pass.
But what about the other coffees of Panama - why are they so damn good?
Panama, like Costa Rica, is losing some of its traditional farming land to property developers; therefore, the industry is shrinking in relative terms.
The era of mass-producing coffee volumes is over.
Farmers are putting extra effort into producing high-quality coffee since they must sell it at premium prices to support their farming business.
Otherwise, they may have to consider selling their land to developers or switching to a different crop that can generate more value.
We have always admired Panama coffees - they are smooth, rich and rewarding in a way that reminds you of the first time as a child you remembered tasting chocolate or sweets - absolute yum.
Superb caramel and toffee abound in washed Panama coffees - they are sweet and balanced with delightful acid that works beautifully with milk-based espresso.
Back in 2008 - 2010, I often used plenty of Panama Boquete in my blends because they were so much better in the cup, more consistent and reliable than just about any other coffee growing origin - always well prepared.
However, these days, with the high cost of Panama, Costa Rica, Sumatra, Kenya and many Ethiopian coffees, the use of prized coffee in blends is diminishing - instead, they represent opportunities to feature as premium single-origin coffees.
We have just 300kg of this fresh, superb micro-lot from Panama.
It will be available for a limited time through our Panama product in-store.
The Estate has featured many times in the Best of Panama competitions over the last six years, and this lot is a Caturra varietal grown at 1600 masl in an ideal microclimate of black volcanic soil.
It's this soil and climate that makes all the difference.
Experience poached apple with a caramel finish and delightful length at PANAMA.
During May, we will commence a trial of Fastway couriers to select residential locations along the Eastern seaboard of Australia.
As far back as 5 years ago, we had used Fastway for some time to deliver our Business customer freight, as residential consignments had always proved challenging back then for all courier services.
The service has improved considerably and may provide comparable transit performance to Express at a competitive price with standard freight.
Getting your orders to you as fast as possible remains our priority.
An important point to note is that cut-off times for Fastway collection will be earlier at 3 pm each weekday, whilst AusPost remains a 4 pm cut-off each weekday.
