Buying the RIGHT coffee for your coffee machine
Here's the scenario: you have just invested in an office coffee vending machine or filter coffee machines for the office and now you need to find good filter coffee or beans to get that cup of black gold. What beans or filter coffee are you going to use - really good coffee or "cheap and nasty"? It's an analogy similar to buying a Porshe...are you going to fit the manufacturer recommended tyres or buy second hand retread tyres from Joe at the side of the road. Silly right?
Not really. Our workshop sees a good number of machines in for repair because their owners have used inferior coffee. Now you and I wouldn't drink wine that has become corked; milk that has gone off; or Johnny Walker that has a "Made in Kazakshtaan" label (yes, the spelling mistake gave it away!)...would we? Yet many of us are happy to accept coffee peddled by inexperienced coffee roasters on the pretext that they actually know what they are doing!
We also get called in to companies where "the coffee in the coffee vending machine tastes terrible...can you help us?" Of course, these requests are treated with urgency because we know that the scene on arrival at the company is one that can only be likened to "The Night of the Zombies!" Yes, coffee is critical...and yet so often, in the quest for "cost savings", companies search out the cheapest coffee (or should I refer to it as "stuff") that they can get. It doesn't have to be that way and here are some suggestions as to what you can do to get good coffee at a good price
1. Buy from a reputable supplier
Stands to reason. Established coffee roasters and packers have been around for some time - there must be a reason! Anyone can buy a coffee roaster and set themselves up as suppliers...but what experience do they have? Do they know what they are making? The process of roasting a bean requires more than a machine and some beans. Minor variations in roast temperature or the roast time, can have quite an impact on the taste profile. Just like Darren Brown, the well known expert on human behaviour knows, the result may be an unconscious or conscious unpleasantness that leads staff and customers away from the coffee machine or coffee establishment - never to return. It's not something to put to chance.
So buy from a supplier that has a reputation. Most will be supplying well known coffee franchises and the buying process here relies on serious "cupping" sessions; reviews of production facilities; distribution capability etc. All the things you'd want but haven't the time to asses yourself.
2. Look at the product being offered
What are you getting? Do the coffee beans come in an unbranded silver packet? Is the packet made of a laminated foil that is thick enough to prevent oxygen moving into the coffee? Does the packet have a brand - one indication that the supplier has invested in their own product! Is there a one way gas valve that will allow carbon dioxide out and stop oxygen entering? All of these are visual clues even before you get to taste the product.
3. Ask for references and for volumes produced
If you are unsure, your best bet is to rely on others to confirm the supplier is good. Ask for a few references or look to see where else it may be sold. Retailers can also be a good bet as complaints or slow sales (both a sign of consumer rejection) will eventually lead to that brand being removed from the shelves.
Always ask the supplier about their production facility and how much coffee they roast a month. You really don't want to be a guinea pig do you? Buy from a supplier who has an established business and supplies a tonne or more coffee a month (and while we assume honesty will prevail here, there are a few dubious characters out there whose sales pitch may include an over-exaggeration or five!...so take care).
4. Watch the consistency of what is delivered
The biggest telling factor of inexperience is change in consistency of the coffee and it's taste. In one man operations, where invoicing, ordering, packaging etc happens as the coffee roasts, attention to detail will soon disappear and you'll get darker roasts; lighter roasts; poor seals on packets; variation in weights etc. Not good for your staff or customers. Keep checking!
5. Is price all important?
We live in tough times and so there is a need to focus on cost savings...but it's more than that isn't it? Are we not all looking for good value coffee rather than "expensive" or "cheap" coffee? A "cheap" coffee is just that, but a good value coffee is one that offers satisfaction in BOTH taste and price. We suggest that you look at the other points above to arrive at the "value" even before you decide on whether it tastes good ...and do seek value because life is really too short to be drinking bad coffee!
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