Comments on: Checkmate.

By: In the News « Brave Little Roaster

In the News « Brave Little Roaster — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:52:07 +0000

[...] certainly found other posts on Ryan Wilbur’s blog Ghost World more enlightening, but this one on (extreme) quality compromises in the name of customer service was a good reminder that even the [...]

By: true

true — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:47:27 +0000

To end the week on an up-note, we just brewed up a vac pot of the Ndaroini so we can work up clover specs. I’ve been so happy with the auction lot coffees, and I think this one even has a slight edge on the Gaturiri. Wonderful stuff. Thanks, intelli, for another great coffee.

By: 21streetcoffee

21streetcoffee — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:16:42 +0000

Very timely post. At the beginning of this week I was finishing up some dishes and while walking back to the front of the store I overheard “large blahblah with 4 shots of espresso”. I heard my barista say “we can’t do that”. I trust my people so I just went with it. The customer said “against the rules, huh? I’ll have the costa rica then with 4 shots”. I jumped in and pulled two doubles and then dumped them over his flecha roja and he was on his way. I really don’t like putting espresso in any coffee. The guy always orders the most expensive coffee on the menu and then adds 4 shots to it. Whatever. Didn’t think anything of it and went about my day. So another customer came in and asked about the esmeralda. I’m like “it’s really great but you should only order it if you can sit down and have it here”. My wife happened to be there and made a joke about the customer being right etc so that I didn’t come off sounding snobby and I tell the customer that we like to recommend how a customer enjoys their drink but of course they can do what they want. About an hour later 4 shot most expensive coffee guy comes back and orders an esmeralda… to go, then starts dumping cream into it (probably about 1/3 cream since we brew 10oz esmeralda). I stutter out a “but but but…” and he smiles and says “it’s for someone else, she said she wanted cream in it”. Hope she enjoyed her coffee flavored milk. It probably didn’t taste like anything. Then I realized that when he came in earlier he tried to order a 16oz esmeralda with 4 shots in it! I just let it go… deep breaths.

By: anthony lau

anthony lau — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:00:20 +0000

I had to hold myself back today. We’re lucky that we don’t do syrups at all, let alone condiment stands.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:57:42 +0000

My favorite part is “I have it all the time!” Peets is carrying Esmeralda?! WOW sweet ?!@##$

By: Ben Kaminsky

Ben Kaminsky — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:47:41 +0000

It’s kinda like that time at ritual, when a manager from Sbucks insisted on “helping” Owens, Ford, Drew and I profile the Biloya for SFN because she “had a clover at her store and knew a lot about roasting”.

Thank you Sbucks manager lady, your input was invaluable…

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:00:46 +0000

Just hope they don’t blog about it.

By: ghostbarista

ghostbarista — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:27:04 +0000

It definitely helps to think of the good stories and brilliant moments. I’ve really worked on letting things go the last couple of days. Loosening up. Not on quality, but on caring about what people are ordering. Being as uptight as I’ve been lately hasn’t helped anything. If anything it’s gotten me into trouble. By relaxing and enjoying myself more, it’s definitely helping me enjoy the “Wow. They got it!” moments.

By: true

true — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:13:04 +0000

I feel your pain. The first Esmeralda we sold last month went into a to-go cup, into which the customer heaped a few shots of simple syrup and an ounce of cream before tasting it. We have one shop-made syrup, vanilla, for lattes. One customer always gets a Flecha Roja with a shot of vanilla. Sure enough, one Esmeralda with vanilla, coming up. On the flip side, I gave a vac-pot demo with the Esmeralda for the local Slow Foods chapter yesterday. It was sublime. One older woman keep on trying to get my attention. Finally, she asks what flavoring I put in the coffee to get it to taste so flowery. “It’s really just the flavor of the coffee coming through.” No, really– what did you put in the coffee. After assuring her that is how the coffee tastes by itself, she smiles, turns to her friend, and says “I just never knew that coffee could taste like that…”