Coming out from lock-down, the UK has bought more coffee machines for the home than ever before. Sage appliances (as an example) had a spike of 500%. As 150+ UK households will know, we also partook in retailing Sage machines. Blindly heading towards the abyss of the Covid pandemic, we thought that any little thing that we could do to survive was key. It turned out that we can sell Sage machines as long as they are cheap. As per the previous post, I am aware that we are all consumers, and one day, I might write something along the lines of the psychology of “coffee the universe, and everything”. (A little Headline borrow there from Douglas Adams).
Here’s the picture. You have been at home for months. You managed to get a coffee machine (when they were eventually available) and then started to buy some decent coffee. You learned how to make nice espresso and texture milk. Your latte art was a work in progress.
Finally, you can go out and have a coffee with a friend. You go to a familiar shop order a flat white and get a long, thin, under-extracted shot of espresso, with milk that resembles lactic-mashed potatoes more than a silky, creamy texture. It’s drinkable, but if you were at home with your new machine, you would have made it differently. The coffee shop is at maximum stress. They are living with the uncertainty of even being able to break even at the moment. We don’t have a full team to do everything well. The dog ate my brew scales.
What do you do?
Will coffee at home be a force for better coffee?
Will Coffee shop coffee have to evolve and improve as a consequence?
I hope so…
What side are you on?
