Archive for the 'Opinion' Category

The wine model doesn’t work

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

I think everyone in coffee knows deep down this is true. The wine model only works for wine, we can’t transplant it to coffee and expect some immediate understanding and increased sales of quality coffees.
First and foremost - we don’t drink coffee like we drink wine. Broadly speaking we buy wine in two [...]

Who is to blame for bad coffee?

Monday, January 5th, 2009

I’ve written a lot recently with an industry readership in mind.  This post I write with the consumer firmly in mind.  This isn’t about exonerating lazy cafe owners and baristas, or excusing the chains or making allowances for restaurant coffee.  Anyone who loves or even likes coffee will often complain about how bad a lot [...]

5 Predictions for 2009

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009

I suppose I consider my previous predictions (with your support) reasonably successful.
Just for fun I am going to make another 5 predictions and we’ll wait and see how they turn out!
1).    Coffee packaging takes a big step forward
Think for a moment about how many kilos of espresso are brewed every day.  Think about how many [...]

Interview on Common Grind

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009

Just a quick post for those of you partial to podcasts. Should you desire you can listen to me ramble on (in a very caffeinated way) after the Taste of Sweden event last month. There is obviously more to the podcast than me (thanfully!) so have a listen here:
Common Grind Episode 5

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Becoming a customer again

Monday, December 29th, 2008

If there is one thing that people behind bars and counters are guilty of it is forgetting what it is like to be a customer. They develop and “us vs. them” mentality with their own customer base.
To give an example of this in effect I want to talk about how many businesses react to [...]

James Hoffmann’s coffee blog. I was the World Barista Champion 2007, and am now focused on Square Mile Coffee Roasters based in London.