Archive for July, 2011

Teaching your customers

Sunday, July 17th, 2011

My bank taught me something interesting recently. It taught me that to get anything done, to get some decent service, I have to be a bit of an asshole about it.

It seems that if I am nice, friendly, chatting and flexible then I don’t get great service. I don’t particularly enjoy being an asshole, but it undeniably got results.

I am sure I am not alone in this experience, it might be your bank or another service provider or retailer.

The next time that you complain about your customers it might be worth checking whether they might just be acting in the exact way you’ve trained them to.

Just a thought….

Posted in Opinion | 28 Comments »

Tamper Tantrum Live – David Walsh

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

This one ought to get some conversation going! David combines a great presentation with a fascinating and captivating topic. If you are passionate about coffee I challenge you not to be even a little excited about the possibilities David raises.

This is required viewing:

Posted in Opinion, Video | 16 Comments »

Read this

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

I don’t often post links to other blog posts on here. I guess maybe twitter, combined with less blog posts out there, equals less for me to post.

However, this is definitely worth a read. Written by Sebastian (of Phil & Sebastian) about his experiences in Colombia recently, I think it offers a new perspective on things there and is impressively informative without being dry.

Reflections on Coffee in Colombia

Comments are closed on this page, as any responses should be left on their blog.

Posted in Green Coffee, Origin | Comments Off

Tamper Tantrum Live: Gwilym (Susan) Davies

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Another talk posted – and this one on a different subject. If you can look past the lipstick (I know, I know – is that even possible) there is a question we need to answer. Not for the sake of forced and awkward equality but instead to make sure we’re drawing and benefitting from the widest possible talent pool and, as an industry, being driven forward as hard as we can.

The dress aside, I think he makes a good point.

Thoughts?

Posted in Opinion, Video | 8 Comments »

More London Gastronomy Seminars

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

Something unrelated to coffee, but if you are in London then something super interesting. I’ve posted in the past about LGS events, because I think most coffee people are interested in all aspects of food and tasting.

There are two upcoming events and you’ll want to make it to both if you can:

6.30pm Friday 8th July – Multimodal Flavour Perception
Venue: Senate House, Malet Street, WC1

Charles Spence and Barry C Smith will explore the neuroscience and philosophy of tasting with some practical demonstrations, and explore the role the brain plays in the pleasures of eating.

How can you not want to come to this? More info here. Tickets available here.

7pm Wednesday 13th July – The Miraculous Egg
Venue: Westminster Kingsway College, Vincent Square, SW1P

Some of you who might be aware of the weekly egg consumption at the SQM HQ, and will find no surprise in how excited I am about this one. For those raising a concerned/curious eyebrow – the egg is incredibly fascinating (and delicious) to me. The range of recipes that use it – the range of textures of which it is capable – are astonishing. This will be very interesting.

More details here (scroll down), and tickets available here. Hope to see some familiar faces there this week.

Posted in Food Chemistry | 2 Comments »