Big tips for walking trade show events:
1) Bring snacks, like nuts
2) Bring water
3) Know why you’re there
4) Seek out hashtags ahead of time
5) Volunteer at the event, for an exhibitor, or at an after party

Time 1:40
Zack Lyman (ZackLyman.com Instagram @ZachLymanPodcast)), lover of Hot Wings and Dr. Pepper, employee at DiedrichRoasters.com
I met Zack in Portland, “I walked up to you and I was like Steve Martin” because I was wearing a 7-piece all white bunny suit
2:50 How can people get the most out of a trade show?
Zach Lyman says: (1) know what you’re looking for. Or let me know sort of what you want to know. (2) Don’t be embarrassed, ask, we all need to learn. (3) I’m here to educate and have fun, don’t be scared to say hi.

Time 6:00
Lee Gordon (Instagram @LeeGordon), from Urnex likes to walk the floor and get a lay of the land. Then circle back to what he wants to see. Great idea, especially if you don’t have time to see everything.

Time 7:30
Derrick Wessels (Instagram @coffee_derrick) from Beagle Coffee is BACK!
1) I’ll work a booth to cover flights.
2) I don’t bring business cards, I bring swag like hats. Sarah Allen (9 mins) is queen of swag-hats.
3) Ship your winnings home.
4) Things can ship en route there, be very careful.
5) If its within 10 or so hours to drive, it may just be easier to drive. Like if you need groceries.
6) SNACKS, Bobos Bars from Boulder. Levi’s fav is almonds and string cheese. Something about that lighting and talking makes ya thirsty!
7) Beware of stains on booth counters, things are dirty.
8) How do you change your mind-set? Concentrate on breathing. Some people listen to music in their headphones. Some speakers look at the room from all angles.

14:00 planning outfits to wear on the trade show floor. Easy to move around, water resistant clothes if possible.

Thanks to my friends and FreeMusicArchive.org artists Daniel_Barbiero_-_06_-_Emanation & Monplaisir_-_15_-_Bass

February 2019 visited this gem of a cafe in Arkansas. Just a little nerd chat about coffee.

Coffee fermentation under pressure???

Elika: "Oh, man. Titles are hard. To give you an idea. "USBrC '19 V3.6" is my presentation title. Granja La Esperanza, Cerro Azul I also realized I said Shayne and I switched positions 3.5 years ago, but it was 1.5 years. I'm a liar."

"Never settle for good enough" Visit www.OnyxCoffeeLab.com and thank me later!

A magician walks into a bar in Trondheim, Norway, orders an Aquavit cocktail, twirls his mustache, then meets me, Levi. "Let’s talk Aquavit…… the Nordic spirit"

1:40 Bargician!
2:20 0:50 Aquavit ‘water of life’
2:40 potato based spirit, barrels of aquavit
5:35 Joe Patrick, @Bargician

Recipe time

Iced Aquavit Cocktail
4 oz cold coffee
0.5 oz Cointreau
1 oz Aquavit
Ice

Hot Aquavit Cocktail
0.75 oz Cointreau
1 oz Aquavit
6 oz drip coffee
Orange zest

7:40 taste it as it’s cooling
9:05 tea? Coffee? Roast?

Special thanks to Joe Patrick, @Bargician on Instagram and Danny Blaha @DLBlaha. Music by Todd Janes for writing and perfroming “Free Drip Friday”

Fun Aquavit recipes and history:

http://imbibemagazine.com/north-shore-negroni/

http://www.shopredandbrown.com/red-brown-recipes/2015/06/02/viking-aka-aquavit-negroni

https://www.lifeinnorway.net/aquavit/

ACP 070: Try This Hot Mojito?

TIME 1:00 Wine needs to air-e-ate? Mellow out? What’s that word!
Some interesting notes from Decanter.com:
Clément Robert MS, head sommelier and wine buyer at 28-50 wine bars, recommends giving a wine 60 minutes, on average, to aerate.
‘If you were, for example, in the presence of a fragile wine, like an old vintage bottle, then I would not risk aerating it too much. I would probably open it in advance and try to find the right type of glass.’
In the case of most white wines, Steven Spurrier says, ‘because they don’t have tannins, the need for aeration is rarely necessary.’
TIME 1:50 “I love my coffee at like 120 degrees”
TIME 2:00 “I’ve been in hot tubs hotter than that”
TIME 2:15 Temperature reveals a lot about the coffee, such as the extraction. At a ‘lower temperature’ (say, 120-140) different flavors will come through such as (1) sweetness, (2) clarity of fruit flavors, (3) perception of oil, (4) acidity.
TIME 2:40 “The closer a beverage is to your body temperature, the more you can taste of it”
TIME 3:20 “Milk based drinks that are hot have a texture to them, so enjoy them sooner" before the texture is gone
TIME 3:50 The anatomy of the espresso machine is beautiful
TIME 4:40 The “Perfect Manhattan” dilutes over time in a wonderful way. The boozy body will mellow and entertain your palate in a different way.
TIME 5:20 Rockford Roasting Coffee, hot cocktails on the espresso machine. A hot Mojito on the espresso machine? Nuts! Direct message me on Instagram for the recipe =] @Audio_Cafe
TIME 6:00 As cocktails get hot we found less booze/spirit was needed. Such as a Hot Mojito, there was no soda water to thin the spirit and the hot water added significant aroma of rum
TIME 6:30 Part of taste is smell and when its hot it will get into your nasal cavity faster
TIME 7:00 Hot Margarita with Miller High Life? Yes.
TIME 7:50 Drinks will cool down quicker than they will warm up…. Hot beverages will cool ‘faster’ because they don’t have a heating element assisting them. Cold cocktails usually have ice sitting and helping.
TIME 9:15 There isn’t a lot of holding drinks at hot temps in the cafe world. Coffee cup “MiiR” MiiR.com
TIME 10:00 Coffee served at 3 degrees difference. Obviously brewing temperature is a huge factor.

Note from our legal department: *No water was harmed during the boiling process of this intro and outro*

Also, can you believe this episode took me 3 hours to edit? Insanity, why do I do this to myself? Well, because of great people like Derrick Wessels (Instagram @Coffee_Derrick).

Fun forum about temperature:
https://forums.egullet.org/topic/111478-proper-chilled-cocktail-temperatures/

Derrick Wessels (Instagram @Coffee_Derrick) owner of Beagle Coffee in Colorado. This episode was recorded on a pullout couch the day before US Coffee Champs Denver, December 2018. “This is a podcast, we talk about coffee” why have I never used this before? Its so simple =]

TIME 1:00 how can you balance so many things like travel and work and roasting coffee?
1) Derrick uses 4 different calendars to manage his life
2) He pre-packs his daily needs in his car. Always plan to finish all your daily tasks before you return home again. Driving home to grab something you forgot kills your schedule.
3) He pre-plans meals “Meal prep” to allow him time to relax while between gigs, no need to run around for food. High protein meals is a must.
4) Just waiting in line for food can take a whole hour.
5) 2 jobs, roasting job, travel to compete in 4 types of competitions (latte art all over the USA, Coffee Fest presents both America’s Best Cold Brew & America’s Best Espresso, US Coffee Champs Barista Championships, plus regional events).
6) A lot of people don’t have the motivation pushing them to learn new things.
7) Balancing multiple jobs helps break up the work day. “It’s all a different flow” “the high energy doesn’t let you think about being tired.” Barista vs bartending shifts have different energy.

TIME 6:45 Natural progression from barista to bartender, some of the differences are fairly obvious.
1) Bartenders will spend more time on each drink
2) Bartenders are known for more in depth customer service
3) Bartenders have a wide variety of ingredients and though they may not love making a Mojito they won’t shy away from it
4) No one is going to judge you for getting a sweet cocktail, but at a cafe it feels that way
5) Bartenders like to pre-prep their ingredients. They place items as efficiently-close as they can.
6) Proper bar design, aesthetic is nice, but focus on efficiency

TIME 8:00 HECK YEAH, “Iced Vanilla Lattes”
How can you expect to provide a good experience for a drink you’ve never even had?

TIME 9:35 the gateway mocha

TIME 10:00 Prep as much as you can ahead of time
From bar to barista, signature drinks… Make as much of your drink in front of a judge as you can. Prepare your station, be efficient. Extra little movements add to minutes of waiting time for customers in a long line

TIME 11:00 Bar design
Ambiance vs access
Immediate access fridge so the barista doesn’t have to even move their feet.

TIME 12:30 Do you taste your batches?
Smelling is 1 thing, but tasting and even swallowing is very important.

TIME 15:45 temperature
Time and temperature effect coffee
As milk drink beverages sit they change wildly, the texture leaves which is big.
“Educate through curiosity”

TIME 19:30 you must try the entire menu
You don’t have to finish it, but be a part of your customer’s world

TIME 21:00 How did you break your nose?

Music sample brought to you via FreeMusicArchive.org, artist: The Dirty Moogs, track: Julies An Android. Chosen for its fun vibes and for the lyric “She woke me up it was late on Saturday night..”

"Seasonal Flavors" From Barista Magazine Oct/Nov 2018 Issue

1: Barista Magazine October/November 2018 article, some additional fun flavor combinations that go with coffee specifically
2: Way easier (fast, cheap) to experiment with beverage, than to bake/create a new food item
3: Use the Flavor Bible if you want to combine ingredients
4: If you do work with a bakery, ask them what seasonal items will be coming out, or how to pair with their offerings. Maybe you can cross train people at the bakery? Maybe the chef will let you come work with them and develop new ideas? Or maybe they want to be inspired by what you are doing as well

Instagram handles: @BaristaMagazine & @Audio_Cafe

Inspired by the “Cooking With Syrups” article in May 2018 issue of Fresh Cup Magazine, this episode is really about leveraging ingredients to pair items together and sell a tasty treat along with that delicious beverage.

Links:
https://www.AudioCafePodcast.com/67
https://www.Twitter.com/Boyrista
https://www.Instagram.com/Audio_Cafe

Cafe mentioned:
https://www.Facebook.com/HurricaneCoffee

Magazine where full article is:
https://www.FreshCup.com

More info about Sequim Washington and Lavender Festival:
http://www.lavenderfestival.com/2018-sequim-lavender-festival/

Last weekend Lee Carter and his dog Zero drove over to my place in Madison, Wisconsin to chat for a bit. We saw some dive bars. We had some bar food. Then when we spent an hour relaxing and talking about beverages. Lee Carter is the co-founder of Five Watt and Big Watt Beverage Company in Minneapolis, MN. Enjoy the chat between 3 friends.

Recipe - The Year of the Chai: 2 oz Oregon Chai Extra Spicy Super Concentrate, 2 oz carrot juice, 6 oz Oatly Barista Edition, steam together, top with ground all spice.

For pictures of the mystery location, visit http://AudioCafePodcast.com/66 or @Audio_cafe on Instagram

Join myself and Andrew Gomez as we chat about a home barista party. Recorded suuuper late at night after many enjoyable alcoholic beverages.

At the intro I mention this cold brew cocktail: “The Cold Brew Rock-Slider” 0.5 oz DaVinci Gourmet Cold Brew Concentrate, 0.5 chocolate liqueur, 1 oz Baileys Almond Liqueur, 3 oz Oatly, ice.

‘King of the Hill’ barista event: tickets are $1, all the tickets go into a hat, 2 names are drawn, the winning pour is on ‘the hill’ as the current ‘King of the Hill,’ 2 new challengers come up and pour, if the King of the Hill gets 1 of the 3 votes from the judges then its still king, if a new pour wins then it becomes the king, this goes on till a set time (that is unknown to judges/competitors) has ended.

Great way to run through a large amount of people. The nature of the random names being drawn makes it fun, but also you will need to have better lead time in announcing the next 1-3 sets of people, so they can make their way to the front and be ready.

Special thanks to Juniper the corgi, for running around in the background and barking (photo -https://www.instagram.com/p/Be1BvgQhLES/?taken-by=audio_cafe)

Real time recording as my friends come over and create some fun coffee cocktails. This miiiiiiiight get silly.....

Cocktails we will create in this episode:
1) Bourbon and Cold Brew:
Just splash some DaVinci Gourmet Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate and water over your whiskey any way you take it
2) Lunchbox or ‘Cafe Disaronno’:
Inspired by "The Lunchbox" cocktail, using cold brew. The orange juice brings out the wonderful complimenting bakers chocolate specific to this cold brew concentrate. 0.5 oz DaVinci Gourmet Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate 1 oz Disaronno 4 oz orange juice Serve on ice with orange wedge garnish
3) Cafe Boulevardier:
0.25 oz DaVinci Gourmet Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate 1 oz bourbon 1 oz sweet vermouth 1 oz Campari Chill and stir with ice, serve 'up' with orange zest, cherry garnish optional
4) Cafe Cola:
Cynar Americano Cafe: 0.25 oz DaVinci Gourmet Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate 05 oz Cynar 4 oz cola
5) Cafe Sazerac:
0.125 (1/8th) oz DaVinci Gourmet Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate 2 oz Sazerac Rye 2 dashes Peychauds bitters Give glass an absinthe rinse, build cocktail in separate glass with ice, chill then strain into fresh glass. Garnish with lemon zest and peel.
6) Salty White Russian:
0.25 DaVinci Gourmet Hawaiian Salted Caramel 3 oz DaVinci Gourmet Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate (diluted) 1 oz Titos vodka 1 oz Baileys Served on ice, salted caramel treat on rim as garnish

Cold brew coffee cocktails! Obviously coffee goes great with bourbon, but what else? Listen in as Levi creates 6 cocktails with some of his closest friends.

TIME 2:20 - Who is the Kurt guy?
TIME 2:55 “Who drank all the Fernet? Who drank all the Baileys? ….Adam he makes my drinking look like childsplay”

TIME 4:35 This is where you drink the first cocktail, the first cocktail.

TIME 5:05 “We *slurrrrrr*…” “Did you eat all the ice cubes out?”

TIME 5:10 As you can tell by my inability to talk without slurring and recall what was actually in the cocktail, I was indeed smashed. That combo is something I will play with in the future - but for now - let’s meet my friend Danny the pilot….

TIME 5:45 “Check check, can you make more money if you turn the GAIN up?” Danny Blaha.

TIME 5:52 Danny and I drink together a lot, so naturally when he visited last weekend I had to make him this strange cocktail… also he brought a knife? No, that was just a butter knife.

TIME 6:00
Levi: What do you think of this cocktail? Danny, put down that knife.
Danny: The pain makes me know that life is real. Um, that’s a good way to start?
Levi: yeah, it lets people know you have nothing to say at all. What do you think of this cocktail?
Danny: When you decided that you wanted to make it, I was a little concerned when you took Disaronno, cold brew coffee and orange juice out of your refrigerator. Um, it scared me a little bit.
Levi: I didn’t have Disaronno in my refrigerator, but yes I understand your fear.
Danny: Yeah. *Indistinguishable grunt* Like I said three flavors you just don’t think would go together. But I do think it tastes like one of those orange chocolate balls that you have to hit on a table and it splits into pieces. Maybe that was only cool in the 1990’s but there you go. It tastes good and it goes together, orange and chocolate it good.
Levi: orange and chocolate are amazing together. Orange and coffee are okay together but certainly most places don’t put those together. This is cold brew of course. I think Disaronno goes really well with coffee. I’ve made a similar cocktail with Disaronno, Almond syrup, espresso, shaken with milk and ice.
Danny: you make a lot of cocktails that are really bitter, that’s kind of your go to. I like this one because its NOT bitter. You put a lot of bitters into cocktails, its very common for you, but this doesn’t have that. I like your cocktails that are higher in citrus.
Levi: Joey my coworker teases me because for like 6 months I put lime into everything I made.
Danny: Do you cook it for 6 months? Because when you cook…. you definitely take your time.
Levi: you make it sound like I cook completely stoned, but really I just like to take a few days.
Danny: is it done cooking? Oh is it charcoal black now? Mmmm tasty.
Levi: get out of my house….

Time to try the Cafe Boulevardier. Which was actually the very first cocktail we built that day. When I am tasting I start with the more bitter and move to the sweeter. It’s hard for me to go from sweet to bitter, do you ever do tastings like this?

TIME 8:40
Cafe Boulevardier…
Levi: our first try, Kurt, wanna say what we got?
Kurt: We have ourselves the Negroni, Boulevardier, BREW-vardier? I don’t think that’s too bitter.
Levi: I’m not sure the coffee-note is the right note for this. Sweet enough. What is tough is all I taste is garlic from my lunch.
Kurt: I like the ending note, its all coffee.
Levi: We did 1 oz of sweet vermouth, 1 oz of Campari, 1 oz of bourbon, and then just a 1/4 oz of a cold brew super concentrate. Yeah right now this aftertaste is really great, should we do an orange zest or any herbal element like mint?
Kurt: I don’t think so, I think its done.
Levi: recipe #1 is done, its in the banks!
Kurt & Levi *CLAP*

TIME 13:30
Cafe Cola Cynar “big mistake”
Kurt: so its Cynar, cold brew,a nd Coke
Levi: the big mistake we had made?
Kurt: was adding white rum, then dark rum, all bad.
Levi: the big lesson here is to start simple, then layer in more flavors on top.
Kurt: yeah. So the recipe is 0.5 oz Cynar, 4 oz Coca-Cola, 0.25 oz cold brew.
Levi: on the nose its a lot of coffee, the Cynar and the Coke are balanced together. The cold brew again is the lingering aftertaste. BAM.

TIME 14:30
As I taste a drink I pay attention to the BIG categories in flavor: sweet/sour/bitter/umami/salt, then also very important is the “Exact-flavor.” There is ‘good’ verses ‘meeting the standard of identity.’ This Cafe Cola is such a simple recipe and I already knew about the idea of a “Cynar Cola,” its actually on the bottle of Cynar, so I used that recipe idea as a baseline. I also already knew I like Cold Brew and “Cola” SO we knew instantly this idea would work. Where we went wrong was trying to make it even more unique and adding rum…..
Also, I pay attention to temperature and texture of course.
Look, we saved you a painful step of experimentation! But if you do have a build on this, let me know what you found tasty.

TIME 16:15
Levi: I don’t know about you but between the note sleeping and closing down bars the last 2 nights, I’m pretty tired….
Kurt: we did a play on the Sazerac because we wanted to add some cold brew in to incorporate all the flavors. We have varying opinions on how much coffee to add at the moment, I think we are going to have to revisit this when we have the proper Sazerac Rye instead of Woodford Reserve Rye. We took down the Peychauds bitters from 4 drops to 2?
Levi: Let’s talk about this, we have been thinking about all these drinks, but we start from Googling a recipe to have a starting point. On this one specifically I thought the cocktail would be bitter enough and if we added a coffee flavor it would take it to a more bitter realm. Piece of advice - when you are making cocktails with friends always listen twice to their advice because there is usually a lot both said and ‘unsaid.’ If there is cold brew in a cocktail then it needs to be fairly apparent.
Kurt: We are like 2 hours into this session.
Levi: we started with brainstorming crazy ideas and wrote them all down. Then we did a grocery list. Then we talked through the brainstorming and groceries. I ate a bunch of garlic, then we did the grocery run,
Kurt:

19:05
Salty White Russian:
That moment when you realize you’ve been day drinking and are trying to explain things... This one was much harder to type up and talk about because, as mentioned, I had been day drinking allllll day. Then during production you can likely tell that I have been drinking along.

Cold Brew coffee used was a brand new launch from DaVinci Gourmet. To learn more visit DaVinciGourmet.com.

Music by “The Dirty Moogs” title - “Im Alright Instrumental”

INTRO: Part 2 of interviewing Bryan Reynolds from Anthem Coffee and Tea in Tacoma Washington. Last episode we talked about how you personally need to cast a vision for your employees to learn and model back to your customers. We also left off with a quote from a visual artist who worked with Bryan, talking about the great ambiance in the cafe, here is Bryan’s response to that quote.

TIME 0:50
Levi: how did you build this culture?
Bryan: it stems from his parents modeling this to him growing up, there was never a stranger to his parents, everyone was a guest. I wanted to make a cafe that had a different focus on customer service because my own first experience in coffee as a customer was an uncomfortable one. You can walk someone through the ordering process in a loving way, giving undivided attention and serve them well. Make the product worth coming back.

TIME 3:05
Levi: “We wont be held accountable for how much we have done, but for how much we have done of what he asks us to do” the take away from that in a cafe would be if we want to make something cool like a fancy wall, how is that really going to improve the customer and employee experience? Do you have a lesson to share?
Bryan: the first time we adopted a virtual punch-card system to ‘bring people back’ but it ultimately it created an entitled customer for a number of reasons. We learned from that and changed it to a pre-load punch-card which has worked even better. We have had many other things that we wanted to do but never even launched. But as long as we learn from this and ‘fail forward’ then we are being made stronger. Its far more of a risk to not try than it is to take a risk.

TIME 8:15
Levi: “I know God will not give me anything I cannot handle, I just with He didn’t trust me so much” your first big fear must have been starting Anthem, but what is the next biggest fear that is around the corner for Anthem?
Bryan: success can lead to failure just as much as remaining dormant can, what scares me is if we coast if we let off the gas pedal. I’m constantly keeping myself tethered to the core values helps from becoming distracted. There’s 60 of us on this team, there’s a lot of moving parts. Which is why we focus on “Better before bigger.” And it leads to ‘how do we make little things like waiting in line better?’ that question led to them creating a Anthem Coffee IOS app. A [customer] line is a good sign because it means there’s something worth waiting for, but finding a way to skip the line ads value to some customers.

TIME 13:05
Levi: what is your 85/10/5 rule?
Bryan: in the book Leading on Empty, the author unpacks this idea, there is 85% of what other people should be doing for you, 10% that you can train leaders to do, and 5% that only you can do. If you don’t take care of you then you can’t take care of others. I love conflict because what’s on the other side of it, which is unity. From the book “Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing You Passion, by Wayne Cordeiro.

TIME 17:40
Levi: who introduced you to coffee?
Bryan: I was saving money for an engagement ring, so I started working at Cutters Point. I used to drink sweet sweet beverages (Black and White Hot Chocolate with Toasted Marshmallow) then a barista accidentally threw some shots into the drink (turning it into a mocha) and it was game-over, I loved the way it balanced the flavor and I was hooked from then on.

TIME 19:05
Levi: the White Chocolate Mocha is the ‘Gateway Mocha.’ What did you think of that first sip?
Bryan: I don’t drink sweet drinks as much, but I love an Espresso Macchiato, its like a mini-vacation for me. I love tasting different black coffees.

TIME 19:50
Levi: decaf or tea?
Bryan: I would go decaf. There’s something about the smell of coffee, it takes you away. My wife will brew a pot of coffee just for the smell in the house.

OUTRO
Glad you listened to these 2 episodes, some topics we covered that I enjoyed learning were: giving employees light responsibilities to free your time up teaching them lower risk tasks and testing to see where they’re sweet spot is. The small tasks is really part of setting up the “85/10/5% rule” and finding others to help handle 95% of that your workload. Do you remember that story of a customer loyalty program that had outstanding usage but went bust?

Well its time to say goodbye, I’ll let Bryan send us off with this inspiration and challenge “Better before bigger.”

Music in this episode by The Dirty Moogs, via https://starfrosch.com/hot-100/artist/the+dirty+moogs

Hello welcome - I have been talking to a few industry-pros about working IN and not ON your business. To help deep dive a bit let’s spend some time hearing about how Anthem Coffee and Tea went from having an over-worked owner to a healthy and expanding cafe.
Some topics we will cover that I enjoyed learning were: giving employees light responsibilities to free your time up, what is the 85/10/5% rule and finding others to help handle 95% of that your workload, a story of a customer loyalty program that had outstanding usage but went bust, and throughout the 2 part interview you will hear Bryan refer back to his clear vision and mission statement for his cafe which has clearly helped him stay focused while showing his employees how to win at customer service.
 

TIME 1:05
ANTHEM INTRO

TIME 2:45


Levi: Asking about the guiding principals….
Bryan explains how he wants his team to show ‘heroic hospitality’ which brings people back. Also talks a little about his exact role as the owner which is to be a role model, help grow sales, and that people are being served well.

TIME 7:35


Levi: Anthem is a good example of a cafe that has co-workers who appear to be friends
. Bryan explains: the line between customer and employee is blurred because the heroic hospitality is contagious and spreads to the customer base. Having this is a clear vision is a foundation.

TIME 8:50


Levi: when Anthem started did you think you would have an employee stay with you for 10 years?
 Bryan explains: finding the right employee who resonates well with your culture and core values will allow you to invest in that employee and grow them. “You have to identify people who have similar strengths and abilities and them replicate yourself in them so that you don’t stay a prisoner to the J.O.B. you created. I want to create jobs, I want to create opportunities for people, I don’t want to be the ceiling.”
Bryan also shares a warning if you get too hands off the business too soon, before you have modeled the culture that you want, then it will likely fade away into its own culture (good or bad) and not the vision you had.

TIME 12:20


Levi: “Solitude is a chosen separation for refining your soul, isolation is what you crave when you neglect the first” how did you get to that first point where you were able to step away for an hour/day/week and what do you wish you had don better?
 Bryan explains: he personally experienced burn-out at year 5. Then inserted a ‘pattern interruption’ in his life to help him gain clarity. Why are we afraid to leave our cafe? Is it because we fear to lose control? In order for our employees to win in the cafe requires that we show them exactly what winning looks like. Once we have trained our team correctly we can trust that we can take a step back.

TIME 17:55


Levi: “I drove hard on all cylinders, not realizing that being an entrepreneur means that everything you initiate by default you must ad to your maintenance list” What was the first task that you handed off first, how can a cafe manager test with small things first before handing off too much?
 Bryan explains: 16personalities.com is the starting point, beware of weaknesses so we know where to put people. Involvement equals ownership, getting people involved helps them become more responsible and the best thing is when they see a current process we use at the cafe they know of even better ways to streamline it.

TIME 22:20


Levi: Where did your shirt design “Let is happen naturally” come from? 
Bryan explains: it was a way to recognize when things were starting to bubble up or perhaps getting harder. It was a phrase we used as a team so we made it into a shirt. Also at that time we were using a lot of pour-over coffee brewing and were excited by that.

TIME 24:45


Levi: quoting Carlo “One thing that impressed me was Bryan’s desire to build a hub for the community……….”


OUTRO


Next episode Bryan will talk a little about his parents modeling customer service and a loyalty card that was supposed to ‘bring customers back’ but created an entitled customer. Sound good to you?

Music by The Dirty Moogs, via https://starfrosch.com/hot-100/artist/the+dirty+moogs

In August 2005 I flew into NOLA, on the flight from Seattle we could see the massive glowing storm in the Golf of Mexico. On one side of the clouds the sunset was painting it a gorgeous orange, but it was a thick cloud that quickly turned black and opaque. Looking out from the small airplane window I watched the cloud burst into electric blueish-purple as lightning strobe’d like a warning light. A fore-shadow and forecast of what was going to happen. Also a reflection of the very people who live in New Orleans. Fierce, strong, on one hand a guarded people that take care of themselves, and on the other hand very expressive of who they are through the arts (arts not just in galleries but also sculpted on top their buildings, painted on their bodies, heard in their voices as they sing on the streets, art they carry - worn deep into the wrinkles on their faces)
    Ten years after visiting NOLA and flying out the Monday before Hurricane Katrina, I came back. And this is where I found Lauren the owner of Solo Espresso. This is her story.

SOLO ESPRESSO [Lauren Morlock, 1301 Poland Ave]
    Interview with bits of second track “memories” to break up interview

OUTRO:
For all the photos, including tattoos, barn doors, and the water line of where Katrina rested inside the cafe/house, visit AudioCafePodcast.com/61
See you next year?


TIME 2:00
Start interview with Lauren from Solo Espresso
Short Intro, bathtub in the bathroom in the back. Start simply.

TIME 3:40
One step at a time, slow build / slow start as a pop-up. Follow opportunities as they come.

TIME 4:15
Good point, contact these machines and see if there's a machine in the area around you, they may not be online on a website like Craigslist. Also, some owners contact the manufacturer to sell the machine rather than ever posting online.

TIME 6:00
Bike or skate the coffee, so New Orleans and authentic. Don’t forget to tell all your friends, make sure you invite them out or they will put it off.

TIME 7:15
Slow start, but it can build form there and get legit. Also gives you time to discover what and how you really want to do this.

TIME 7:30
Do things as you can afford to do them. What would it feel like to have a cafe and no debts? When I bought my coffee stand I felt I needed a certain machine and went into debt for it, I regretted that.

TIME 7:45
First question, before starting a cafe, have you worked in a cafe before? Working in a cafe is a great piece of homework before buying a cafe. Lauren worked in coffee for 18 years before opening her shop. She worked at Starbucks in 2000, back when Starbucks did cuppings and was investing heavily in their baristas. She took advantage of getting training from different companies. After 15 years of working in a cafe you can pick up so many things about the cafe you want to own. Then, the next step IS finally opening a shop.

TIME 10:40
Why was opening your basement to all of NOLa the logical next step?

TIME 14:00
NOLA local tells his story of leaving New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. That he couldn’t swim, that his sister saved him.

TIME 14:50
Here is an attitude here, a polished and tough/raw aesthetic here. Dark stained room but not a dark space. Minimalist, but not empty. Its special. “I think it’s special because its my spot. Everything literally has a story.”

TIME 16:00
Shop-dog. Shanobie? Hamming people up for the pets.

TIME 17:00
Same NOLA man, James Pierce, shares about his mom, dead for over 10 years and he still misses her. She lived to 84, switching from 3 cups of coffee a day to decaf, 10 kids, a bunch of grand kids.

TIME 19:00
Flyer-ed the city when they started their cafe, that’s how they found the woodworkers/builders/carpenters that led the build-out for the cafe. Hint: you know you have a cool cafe when people want to help build-out your space and turn into friends.

TIME 21:30
“I woke up like 3 4 in the morning and didn’t have shoes…”

TIME 22:10
Getting the cash to start, a little bit of borrowing cash to put in the electrical/equipment/etc. Started with $10k. “Don’t you want a bigger space? This is only 450 square feet.” “With internet, we are so small and I feel that this shop is so intimate I’ve seen so many awesome things happen by not having internet. Conversations being made and people being introduced.” All the customers are accessible. “If someone wants to steal internet or bring their own, I’m totally fine with that.” “I have worked in a lot of cafes where someone has sit there for an entire day and game, or download from Napster, or porn” interesting balance when it is your actual house.

TIME 26:30
Security for small shops, cool customers who live close, pad-locked room between cafe and house, give the robber whatever they want because a cafe can re-coop money but not a cool barista or life, give them what they want and get them out of here, sometimes you have to watch little kids that come in and are super cute, we have a dog here just hanging out for security.

TIME 29:35
Jean-Baptiste Ulrick the taxi driver teaching me how to speak New Orleanian “You gotta eat them T’s”
 
TIME 30:10
For the neighborhood cafe, its almost rude not to come in to the neighborhood cafe, its a great place for the neighbors to meet each other. The power of thought, not being naive but don’t manifest bad things like a robbery, we have wasp spray and smart employees. “Don’t try to fool with us”

TIME 34:30
“Tomorrow we’re having Indian food and you invited me back, but it wasn’t come back to the shop, it was an invitation to come back to the neighborhood and a welcoming hand to the community. It was very cool and powerful because that was a moment that will never happen again in any other shop, its a moment that exists just here.” It creates great word of mouth and for advertising, leveraging their followers. “We do a food pop-up every Saturday” “Its nice to have an established food pop-up” create a demand for variety of food offerings. Started offering pop-ups to cross-promote with other vendors in the area. Also, microwaves are the devil. “I used to live at my shop too”

TIME 38:30
Tell us about the name Solo Espresso, it seems more like a name, because you’ve been using the phrase “When we started solo” which could just be a phrase, or mean more… names can change over time.
“We started as Dark Times Coffee” as a reference to the voodoo and other darkness that we celebrate here in New Orleans. People in New Orleans have all gone through so much darkness… because it can be a really heavy city to live in, among all the brightness.” The inspiration came from a trip to Peru, and an epiphany to only serve coffee (no flavored syrups, food, or blended drinks). We originally started with just espresso, then there was an expanding demand for other drip coffee and pour overs, then growlers for cold brew.

As stated in the podcast, this was recorded and unedited in real time while day-drinking. As a matter of fact, these very show notes are being typed while drinking. What started out as a joke conversation last night, “Hey, what would it be like if there was a cafe who had the sole purpose of being a first date location for online dating?” After a night and morning of drinking, why not talk more about this and record it, without playback, or editing?

These are the talks that baristas have with other baristas after hours...

Topics: Name of cafe? “Ghost Roasters” the multi-roaster concept. How do we handle tips? Different rooms for different online dating sites like Bumble/Tinder/OK Cupid/ POF/et cetera. Should the staff be single or taken?

People of interest mentioned: Christain Ott, Alexandra LittleJohn, Panda in NYC

INTRO
    Do you go on cafe or bar crawls? This fall in Madison, Wisonsin I got to do the CaffeineCrawl.com event, big event with a lot of logistics and moving parts. Lots to organize, great exposure for local cafes and super fun for the local community. For me as an attendee it was a great chance to see the whole local scene at one time, stopping into shops that I haven’t been into before.
    This episode can be thought of as an extension of the Yelp (episode 54) podcast we did, making a special event and getting people out to see you.

TIME 2:55 : Local coverage…
    Sadie from CaffeineCrawl.com took to getting local coverage for JBCCoffeeRoasters.com and all other cafes, reaching out to all media know about. It was important to have a killer after party to end the whole day off on a great note as a whole group of coffee crawlers, all were invited.

TIME 3:35 : Levi’s comments…
    If you’re going to setup an event you may not be able to get TV coverage, but what about at least setting the event up on Facebook/Yelp/CouchSurfing/MeetUp/Twitter #YourTown/other sites like local paper? This is SO IMPORTANT.
    Think of the next thing, what is the next event you want to promote? The Crawl had a TNT, then after the TNT a local bar to grab drinks? Make sure to leave off with a “Thank you for visiting our cafe and don’t forget about our next event…”

TIME 4:45 : Cafe-Collaboration…
    When planning make your first goal to have shops shine in the way they feel comfortable and proud of and is unique to them. Make sure that the samples being served are totally delicious and wonderful, also test to make sure the team can make multiple samples back-to-back-to-back.

TIME 6:00 : Levi’s comments…
    Work ON your business not just IN your business.
    As Sadie talks to cafes she learns about different roasters who want to have a small pop-up because they don’t have a local retail location. Like JBC, hosting a party because they don’t have retail space at this time, it was perfect for them to open the roastery and welcome people in.
    Serve a drink you’re proud of and make sure the other spots aren’t serving that drink as well.

TIME 7:10 : Putting together routes...
    Pair businesses that work together well, could be a few surprises along the way, especially little snacks to eat. Craft beverages and foods fit together. This is a chance to meet the makers in the background of the local community.

TIME 8:40 : Levi’s comments…
    If you make an event will there be an over-arching theme such as “Coffee in the spring” or “Coffee drinks made without dairy” or “Meet the makers”? Think about what you can do that is super special. What about 1980’s theme, each location playing their favorite ‘80s tunes all day?

TIME 9:50 : How to prepare, catering to customers…
    You need 10-15 minutes of great intro to your cafe for people to listen to, you will repeat this the whole day so practice it!
    Bridge the gap of enthusiast and pro barista. Meet customers where they are at, whether you’re a hip 4th wave or a Java Jive Cafe with free wifi.
    Good chance for someone to see what the community can offer them, this is a chance for people to pick their new favorite cafe in town.
    Encourage guests to ask if someone has questions. Leave plenty of time for the community to chat. Important for everyone to feel comfortable and welcome.

TIME 12:50 : Levi’s comments…
    This is a great chance for you to make an elevator speech for your business, from there stretch it to a 10 minute pitch.

TIME 14:10 : Columbus Ohio recap…
    Old and New contrast, things that don’t seem to fit can be special, even for their contrast. Some may even say that “the obstacle IS the way.”
    
TIME 16:35 : Levi’s comments…
    You can make cafes that don’t really ‘fit together’ and make it work, collaborate, rising tide raises all ships.
    That next weekend after an event like this be sure to have a post-event hangout for all the staff(s) who worked the event, re-give a briefing of your speech and best practices you noticed. After all, this event is as much for you as it is for the people who are attending it.

TIME 17:30 : How can you be a great cafe to work with?…
    Being accessible is key. Check your email, be alert when serving drinks.

TIME 19:35 : Levi’s comments…
    Prepare, have everything setup the day or week before so you can attend to last minute details and also be promoting the actual event the day before, rather then not at all after the fact.
    Have fun. Check in with everyone face to face that is working the event to see if they are alright. Appreciate them, make sure they are supported. Drink the drinks they are working on and provide feedback like “I think people are really going to like this part of your presentation.”
    
TIME 21:10 : National drink trends…
    Nitro coffee on Draft, bridging the gap between craft beer and coffee. Impressive baristas working hard to master niches. Coffee/Cocktails (like gin with coffee).

TIME 24:00 : Levi’s comments…
    Get out there and host something special for everyone. Don’t be afraid to try something totally different. Contact other businesses in your area and get something special going, who knows where it will lead to =]

MUSIC : The Dirty Moogs, Clause. Podington Bear, Now Son. Podington Bear, Movin On Up. Podington Bear, Now Son.

MUSIC (Podington Bear: Gravy)
Topic

    1) Tulsa, coffee crawling
    2) Meeting baristas
    3) Get out there and try stuff
    4) Samuel Smith
Insight:
    1) Ask baristas ‘where should I go next’ us yelp
    2) Cold Brew nitro with vanilla and cream
    3) Maple Soda uses shelf stable ingredients that don’t expire or dial in

Reason to interact:
    1) Map of the places I went
    2) Maple Soda and Sparkling Green Tea recipe
    3) Photos of the drinks

Hello, Tulsa Cafe Crawl
What to look for on Yelp to find cool cafe
    1) Stars 3-5
    2) Number of reviews and photos
    3) Keep track on your favorites list
    4) Checkout podcast #54


Time 2:18
    Visit the show notes for ISI Whipped cream recipes. I’ve seen some sped-up extraction recipes.
    How can you tell if its real ice? …It melts.
Time 3:45…….
    Different levels of carbonation for different brands
    Real Maple or Honey does change the mouth feel, LINK to brands and their level of carbonation. Sometimes a high level of carbonation is great because some recipes have a lot of other ingredients competing for the total volume of the drink itself.
Time 4:44
    Espresso Tonic recipe, Levi uses just a hint of espresso in his recipe to allow for coffee to be the background flavor, rather than having it dominate the flavor profile.
    Thought - why don’t we look at espresso as a background flavor?
Time 6:50
    Owl Puccino signature drink, the name plays into what the cafe used to be called. What about a signature drink called the Al-Puccino, and it can be made with almond milk?
Time 8:30
    Foolish Things Coffee Company, don’t be foolish, ask questions.
    Oak Aged Cold Brew Float - was cool, you can use a brand like Time & Oak to get those flavors. They used local ice cream but not enough, lost the woody-flavor but like the idea and it was fun.
    Cold Brew Soda with Blueberry Shrubs at Starbucks.
Time 13:00
    Do the next thing, hop on Yelp and find a cafe then ask the barista ‘where should I go next?’ and they may direct you to some wonderful place or party that only the locals know about. I also use Yelp to bookmark places I will visit in the future when you’re in that town.
Time 15:30
    Why don’t we list the barista that came up with that signature drink like they do at fancy bars?

Time 1:10 - Levi talks about the Reversed Irish Coffee recipe, his new favorite coffee cocktail.
Time 4:40 - “Where is the industry going with beverage recipes, to mocktails?” Talk a little about bottomless portafilters and the MAVAM espresso machine. Also the DaVinci Gourmet Iced Coffee syrup was mentioned for restaurants that don’t have an espresso machine.
Time 5:40 - There is no new origin or ingredients on the market, like the past the stories that spice traders would make up to keep from finding their spices. Barista Meets Barman presentation in TOTC, you have just one machine and one area to make things for coffee. For a bar there may be multiple bar stations.
Time 7:10  “What I like about going to a cool cafe is that I know I’m going to get a beverage from someone who loves beverages." Baristas are being more and more serious and well studied on their craft.
Time 7:30 - “How do we come up with an idea for a new syrup?” is asked and Levi talks about challenges with that.
Time 8:10 - Booze Milkshake recipes you say? I’m in but it really is work, even though it sounds like a total dream.
Time 8:25 - Peach Chipotle coffee recipes? Peach Chipotle White Mocha? Sprite-Asada recipe? How are you thinking about recipes with coffee in them, do you have to use a whole 1-2 oz shot or do you use just a little espresso in your recipes? Have you tried an Espresso Tonic with just a little (0.25 oz) espresso in it? What are you assuming incorrectly about approaching coffee recipes? Why don’t you pull all of your ingredients out and look at what you have?
Time 10:30 - EOFire.com question “If you woke tomorrow in the same world but you knew no one, what would you do?” has helped me come to new ideas. Look at what you can create when you forget all of your assumptions about hurdles. As the book title says, “The Obstacle is the Way”
Time 12:25 - Fruit Loop Frappe “It looks like a clown went to art school”
Time 13:25 - Why not try to do that crazy business idea? What are you doing to up your game as a barista? That is where I met great people like Laila Ghambari. One of my coffee epiphanies came from just different dosing of espresso weight then tasting the difference.
Time 15:55 - “Super Natural” natural opportunities in life that you can turn into learning or opportunities. Laila taught us all the basics. Caffe Ladro in Seattle used a head Coffee Trainer, a manager at each cafe, then also a Coffee Educator to each of the 11 locations so each location has the same coffee experience.
Time 18:30 - Coffee books with bizarre recipes, trying all the recipes was really fun. Gilligan’s Island Latte, Marzipan Latte, making fun drinks like that.
Time 19:40 - using the perfect brown bananas. Bananas actually are an easy and great analogy for learning about flavor, green/yellow/brown banana. Red Velvet Mocha recipe.
Time 21:10 - Do the weird unexpected twists, such as using dynamic texture or dynamic temperatures together. Chia seeds can be hydrated into a Chia Chai Soda, Chia Chai Aperol Spritz recipe (is it carbonated? I think I spoke incorrectly there oops!).
Time 26:10 - The big take away of look what you can add to these businesses, be scrappy on how to start out, an make sure you properly evaluate your talent.

Some of the highlights from this podcast will include:

People are the biggest thing in your business, the right people bring in all the best opportunities.

Levi talks a little about oatmeal coffee? Yum or no?

How do you convince people to work in one area over another, such as the register over the espresso machine? Conflicts disguised as opportunity, a conflict brings up a topic that clearly needs to be addressed.

What its like to start a cafe, get married, and go back to school all at the same time. It's very hard but it can be done if you focus and have support. On the flip side having a cafe during a divorce, how do you turn this around.

What its like to work from 4:30A to 6:30P to get your cafe up and running on its feet? Its better to have a more time to work ON your business rather than always be working IN your business.

What its like to attend and speak at a CoffeeFest.com event 6 times per year.

What to look for when opening your first coffee house? How do you pick the right location? What should you change at a cafe if you buy it and are the new owner? Does it help to grow up in an entrepreneurial household? How do you move from being a barista to being a cafe owner? How do you find a business that is missing you?

Summer, 2015, Levi and Corey sit down to talk about how coffee shops should use Yelp to get new customers. Levi uses the app several times per week and used to have an account for his own coffee stand.

This episode you will learn about the overall strategy you should use when starting a Yelp page, how to reward fans, dealing with negative reviews, and rewarding your staff for a job well done.

2:55

If you want to know what it looks like when a New Orleans resident takes over a cafe space from a big chain that had intense colors and wornout floors, you should look up Pulp And Grind on 644 Camp St in the Warehouse District. Look them up on Yelp, or visit this episodes show notes to finout what-the-fuss is going on with those Bagel Bombs they’re cooking up.

3:30

While we were there Becca made me some chai she’s working on, we tried some of their juices….. Woohoo! But… (music stop) I don’t exactly have a recording of that. Because. We accidentally locked our phones and bags in the back room. With the backup keys….. ooops.

4:20

Flashforward with me now past all of that and to us leaving, where you get to hear us leaving with those same keys we accidentally locked in the back room! From there we got a ride from one cafe to the next spot.

8:20

High Volt Coffee, lifted counter space. We tried 3 different drinks, (1) Bulletproof style coffee with butter and coconut oil, (2) Coke with espresso and vanilla syrup, on ice, (3) semi green banana, almond milk, espresso, cocoa nibs, ice, agave.

14:00

District Donuts location - did you hear my excitement about the Maple Sriracha doughnut?

15:45

Revelator Coffee, totally got lost on ‘637 Tchoupitoulas’ before running into Brandon Paul Weaver. Very sleek space, minumalist, very limited and specific menu.

17:00

Thanks to a special barista from Spitfire Coffee

New Orleans is an old city, 1920 larger population than today, 384,000 residents. NOLA being a very traditional sport where things don’t change quick, its richly STEEPED in traditions and character. 

Backup and thank Byron, Spitfire Coffee off St Peter for making my list. That part of the city has buildings older than America itself.  

20:00 what was that cocktail Brandon?

20:30 Freshcup Bethany PDX

No I did not visit Cafe Du Monde… Also Spitfire is awesome.

This episode is a sneak peak into what it looks like to work with Levi in designing your beverage menu. This is just the start of the talk, where I interview the client. Its a real call, but only the first call, not the follow up. This is beneficial to you if you need some inspiration for your menu, also we chat about hemp milk and mocktails. If you need help with beverage, contact Levi[at]Boyrista.com for more information.

TIME 1:50 "What different trends do you see in the USA and abroad?"

1) The Australian coffee market may be 10 years ahead of the US market, maybe because of the high concentration of Greeks and Italians?

2) In Australia we see more dark/syrupy/chocolate but full of flavor coffee, not as much light roast or citrus/fruit/acidic centric coffee.

3) China appears to be quality focused, everything used has to be absolute highest quality beans.

4) America loves single origin coffees.

TIME 8:20 "How long is the waiting period between when you hear a customer wants Bare Coffee before they actually have Bare Coffee in their shop?"

1) We have an automatic system, if an order is set it can ship out nearly instantly.

2) Other customers can take about 3 months depending on their own internal systems. It seems that the Australian market is faster, just a different market.

3) If a customer has an agreement with their current roaster then there is that waiting period.

4) We don’t sell it to everybody that comes a long, you wont find out coffee in 7-11. We’re looking for people who want to be our customer.

5) We also have a system called Bare Buddies (lawyers/accountants/webdesigners). We offer this because we want our customers to be around longer, not to add another sale or source of revenue.

TIME 13:20 "What services that you offer to smaller cafes are the biggest help or biggest surprise to cafe operators?"

1) There’s only so many coffees you can make and sell in one day. Have you scaled up to see just how much you can sell within a day, or how much traffic/customers you can facilitate? There are so many other ways you can make money rather than selling just lattes. When there’s 30 cafes in a strip on a street, how do you differentiate or what do you do to keep open? You need passion - but likely you already have the passion, what you likely need to do is to learn how to make a profit. Usually cafes focus 95% on just the coffee and forget about the other peices that support it as well, and that can be an oversight.

2) Outsource where you can, put in some of the items that are higher margined or higher ticket.

3) Think about renting out a boardroom or space for freelancers to have a landing space to work out of. Now there is a person who chas thought about maximizing the offerings that their cafe can give. And my view has always been to charge for top-top-top quality wifi.

TIME 20:00 "What are your plans for the next 6-months and next 6-years?"

1) We’re moving into China, its a tough space to get into, but they love Australia. Perhaps setting up a roastery there.

2) We will be rolling out some new cafes as well, that we are really excited about.

3) The next 6-years? Wow, that’s a big question. The coffee industry is strong but always changing, how can we know where its all headed? Will Starbucks focus more on the home and will that change everything? Who knows. 

TIME 32:20 "How should we be educating our customers before they enter our doors?"

1) Starbucks has been great for educating the marketplace for us. We want educated customers.

2) But we definitely need to become more efficient as a workforce serving our customers.

• Chance to work with friends
• Enjoy working in a space (the USA) that is still blooming
• A chance to apply skills from other industries and take into the coffee industry

• Not specific to coffee, they’re always let by passion but don’t always identify the main goal whether that’s pure profit or a passion to be within the industry
• It needs to be business first and passion second, because at the end of the day the passion stops when the money runs out.
• Why is it you want a cafe rather than any other business. The key is when someone says “I wanted to run a great business and I love coffee.
• Or do what Richard Branson did, hire to your weaknesses so you can focus on your strengths

I was just at a TNT event in Milwaukee (thanks Stone Creek Coffee for hosting!) and ran into a listener who is not in the coffee industry. He was telling me about how much fun he is having at this TNT and how glad he was to have seen a simple poster hanging up by the door that told him about the event. He then went on to tell me my next podcast needs to be on this exact topic of "Why Your Cafe Should Host a TNT: and since customer service is so near and dear to me, Andrew, your wish is my command, enjoy.

• Timeline:
• 1:00 "What's more important, the coffee or the customer?"
  • You can be proud of your products, but if you're snobby about it then you've missed the point of serving people
  • You can humbly tell people that you think you have the very best coffee or products. Always be ready to share WHY you think you're the best, sharing through education NOT arrogance. Can you celebrate your industry with your competitors? If no then you may be arrogant

• 4:00 coffee from someone who loves coffee
• 5:00 have taste testing, if you think you have the best coffee in town then put your money where your spout is and offer refunds for not serving great brews
• 8:20 how do you prepare you staff to talk to customers, do you script answers for your staff? Jack Groot: "We would give them the education and information they need and then let them share it in a way that they felt was correct for the customer."
• 11:00 Would you use Kickstarter to start a business, how do you feel about debt?
• 15:30 Should you open a cafe where there are no other coffeehouses? Should you open a cafe if there s a Starbucks near by? What should I do if Starbucks is opening by my coffeeshop?

Thanks Jack!

Who is the most important person in your business, you, your staff, or your customers?

I was chatting with Matthew about what the 5th wave of coffee may be, then he opened up and shared his vision of a better world. A world where every piece of the coffee experience is market by excellence. This is definitely a silly poke of fun at the idea of artisin register skills but don't overlook this key piece of the customer's experience with you (or your brand). Everything we do can be better!

I asked Christian Ott to give us all the reasons to go down to coffee origin. Hopefully this will convince you (or your manager) to fund an eye-opening trip to the coffee producing country you love! Also, let's be real, there's some great points here to consider my friends.

Kenny Buckley is a friend of mine and is the Executive Chef at Airways Brewing in Kent, WA. I reached out about cooking with coffee, he gave me some advice, then we hopped on a call. No recipes in this episode, just mouth-watering-ideas that are surprisingly easy to employ.

Complete details at www.AudioCafePodcast.com/42

This is not a complete description of the Starbucks Reserve location, but select observations from visiting it between Christmas and New Years. If you don't like Starbucks then you may not like this episode ;-]

I am looking forward to seeing these ideas utilized in foodservice soon. For the complete list of ideas (16 of them) please visit www.AudioCafePodcast.com/41

Don't do anything drastic, being slow at this time of year could be perfectly normal. Let's talk about some of the reasons why I noticed my coffee stand was slow.

After your employee has been let go how do you manage the staff and customer left behind? Especially if these employees or customers have become friends and fans of the person who is no longer there? What can you tell employees after someone is fired? What can you not tell them? Drew Pond from Stone Creek Coffee isn't a lawyer but he does have some incredible advice for all of us.

After you come to the conclusing that an employee must be let go, here are some steps to take to ensure you maintain the best relationship with them as possible. Huge thanks to Drew Pond from Stone Creek Coffee in Milwaukee Wisconsin for sharing his advice on the subject.

The topic of letting someone go is very hard in a small business or retail environment. Hopefully you can mend the relationship and help your employees find the best fit possible within the company. Before deciding to fire that employee or friend, here are some practical steps for unlocking their potential.

GordieBufton.com joins us to share his own insights from years in hospitality.

Gordie (GordieBufton.com) used to valet expensive cars and had to make his customers feel safe instantly. Here he is to share examples to help us all do better at the drop of a hat.

This is an interview with a real Portland Oregon family that has spent the last 2 years selling their three cafes and trading them for a life on the road in a 21 foot RV criss-crossing the United States and visiting cafes. Living the DREAM! Here they share about why they wanted to do this, some of their favorite places, the upsides and draw backs, and what a 'typical day' looks like for these RV cruisers. After listening to this interview if you're excited by what they are doing I suggest you check out their website (www.DonNiemyer.com), then watch the documentary Tiny House.

As always you can reach me on Twitter @Boyrista or at the homestead: www.Boyrista.com

Surround yourself with experts, but make sure they don't tilt your vision too far. Remember, its you who has to visit that cafe over and over again, not them. Listen to advice, but also listen to your gut.

David Donde is on the quest for the perfect coffee while mainting an authentic and generous livestyle. Inspirational interview from someone who lives every moment.

From helping his mom close two businesses, to saving a coffee stand by purchasing it in 2010 and selling it in 2012 - Levi has learned first hand what it means to be an owner. Here Levi shares why he works so hard to help business owners make great drinks and build their profits.

Recently I was bummed out about missing a test, I've been working hard at several projects. It's perfectly fine to realize you're tired, but don't let that stop you.

One way to connect with customers and grow your business that many owners overlook. Yet it is another way to standout from the crowd and get attention. If you have a great landmark you will even be able to leverage social media as customers take pictures outside your cafe. These could be customers who don't even 'Like' or 'Follow' your company on social media. Think of the oportunities, now get out there and do something!

I am a big fan of employing reliable systems, but sometimes you need to take a look at what you are doing and find a better way. This episode is your inspiration. More info at www.AudioCafePodcast.com/28

For full show notes visit www.AudioCafePodcast.com/27 or wwwBoyrista.com

My challenges to you:

• Be proud of all the tasks you do, even if its cleaning a bathroom. You are serving as a member of the team to make the cafe better at serving more people. If you aren’t willing to help the team (even if that is cleaning a bathroom), then you aren’t cut out to be working in my cafe in any role. If you complain about anything seen under the Twitter hashtag #BaristaProblems you should re-evaluate if you’re cut out to be working with coffee or in customer service at all.
• Be proud of how you do what you do. The protocol may be to set up cups a certain way, and you think it should be some other way. First perfect the way your management wants you to do it, then figure out a better way, practice it, and show it to your boss. Anyone can complain, but a valuable team member makes an improvement and change to the system.
• Be proud of what you sell and who you partner with. Someone out there loves what you’re selling. Don’t complain to customers about what you don’t like. Know the stories of the people who bring your products.
• Be proud of your competitors. Do you recognize how your competitors are pushing you to do a better job?
• Be proud of your customers. Respect and care for them before they aren’t yours anymore.
• Celebrate with your peers. Take the time to recognize what your co-works, partnering companies, and everyone in the industry is doing to make our industry better.

Introduction to cold brew coffee and how to make it on tap!

I appreciate Laila's honesty and sharing her mistakes as a younger barista. It takes determination to win the United States Barista Championship but it also takes humility to admit you wish you had trained someone a different way. Many lessons and takeways from a very successful and respected barista. More at www.AudioCafePodcast.com/24

Jack from Dead Rabit (www.DeadRabbitNYC.com) really inspired me to share what he did with his menu. Of course a cafe and cocktail menu are different, but you'll be inspired to hear what he and others are up to.

Also, thanks to Ken Burgin from Profitable Hospitality for having me as a guest on episode 89 (http://ht.ly/zmxx4)

If you're like me you like to eat food and drink coffee. Do you expect to wait longer for one item over the other? Should somone warn you how long a wait is? Let's discuss.

How nice do you dress for work? This episode is in a direct response to under-dressed baristas. You know the kind, the kind who look like they just rolled out of bed. Here are some lessons I learned the hard way so you don't have to. Short, sweet, and helpful.

Share your thoughts vie twitter @Boyrista, or in the comments on www.AudioCafePodcast.com/21

We get too familiar with our own shops and ignore the imperfections like smudges on the wall or a squeaky door. But how often to we look outside of our own business and to our competition for inspiration?

For a full list of the challenges visit http://boyrista.com/2014/06/07/competition/

Just like hand writing a letter, an email, over the phone, or face to face conversations all have different tones and way to convey a message - so do different social media sites! It it time to talk about what tone of voice you should have on Twitter vs Facebook. Did you know this is important? Did you also know this is a HUGE opportunity for you?

To everyone out there who has a dream to one day own a coffeehouse I give you this small piece of advice: start small.

Here are my favorite quotes from talking with Scott:

"The biggest thing is what you do outside of work." Don't force your way into a new position, rather  "Nobody becomes a rockstar by trying to be a rockstar" you need to instead be a person of value.

"Coffee beginning to end is just community"

"Coffee is wine of the morning. Its not the thing that gets me caffeinated and jacked up for the day, it does get me firing on all cylinders but at the end of the day its mainly just that delicious thing that you get to drink and enjoy the profile and taste of it. And that's the most important thing to me."

My personal challenge to you:

"Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean" - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

If you listened to the interview you heard at the 38 minute mark I gave a big compliment to Scott about being at my shop and how he provided me value and didn't treat me like I had to buy from him. How do you view every relationship in your business? From your baristas to your milkman? Is there something you can learn from Scott's example of helping me learn a little more about espresso, rather than telling me all the reasons why I should buy Caffe Vita? Come to think of it, I don't remember him making a hard sales line about why I need to buy his coffee and immediately switch.

Start by adding value after hours, if you want to roast coffee, what does your current roaster/barista/manager/owner need help with or not love to do?

For a transcript and PDF file of the content we covered visit www.AudioCafePodcast.com/16

Thank you to Todd Janes fro the intro music (Free Drip Friday's), and to @MenasheDIsrael from @JungleFires for the outro music.

Audio Cafe podcast is the brainchild of Levi Andersen, from Boyrista.com. Levi has been making coffee since he came to career-day and made a latte for his teacher. Levi owned and later sold a drive-thru in Maple Valley, WA. Levi serves DaVinci Gourmet, Big Train, and Oregon Chai as their Beverage Product Specialist.

Jordan was kind enough to join me and share two kettles of tea and share his experience and also concerns or thoughts about tea vs coffee. Consider this a tea 101, or two pals sharing conversation.

There are some things we don't think about in our business, but we notice when they are missing or have changed. Lids on drinks are one of those odd necessities. But did you know there were more than just one type of lid? Its worth considering and that is what this episode is all about, cheers! More at www.AudioCafePodcast.com/14

Full show notes at www.AudioCafePodcast.com/13
Please visit and share your thoughts and your journey through coffee. What would you add to Jonathon (or my) advice?

When someone tells me "What my customers want may not be what I want at the moment" I know they are tuning into their business. Look at the next thing Christian said, "We're teaching our customers how to drink light roasted coffee a little bit at a time" this shows me he realizes there is a timeline needed to get t oa goal. This episode we chat about getting your whole team of staff (baristas, roasters, importers, ect) aligned together and communicating one single message to your customers.

"Its amazing how much you learn in just a year's worth of just opening doors and experiences. The more you just pideon hold yourself in the corner the less opportunity you give yourself to learn. The more you're willing to give and say 'let me re-think that' you open another door."

What do Oprah, Bono, Oregon, Dave's Killer Bread and the Himalayas all have in common? Well not a lot, but we talk about them in todays episode! The next 50 minutes are a one-on-one interview with the founder of Oregon Chai. Please sit back, brew a big mug of chai-tea (black tea, cinnamon, ginger, honey, clove = nirvana), and relax.

Who owned the first drive-thru coffee stand? It may have been Terry. Who invented the bottomless portafilter? It may have been his team. Certainly he gave it the push from a modification process to production, now bottomless partafilters are standard in third-wave cafes. This is a spotlight on Terry and where he's been.

I just met up with Christian Ott, the Director of Coffee, Coffee Education, and Green Buyer @StoneCreekCoffee. Wow, what a title. We were talking about the problems of getting information from the corporate headquarters all the way to a barista or customer. This episode is a little sneak peak into the interview we had today that will come out in a few months. Enjoy.

First of all, this episode has the best ending to any podcast I've ever heard (#NotBragginJustSayin). What I like best about this episode is how Jason found a need and used technology to bridge a gap between producers and consumers. I love talking to people who are innovative and change the world.

This episode is about Tracy Allen and what he has seen happening in the Specialty Coffee Industry over the past 25 years. Did you know he was there during the beginning of the United States Barista Championship competitions? Tracy shares experiences like that and tells us what its like living as a certified Super Taster.

How do you enter an existing coffeehouse and change the culture of customer service? What if your manager doesn't see customer service as a high priority? What would you do if you became manager and had to let go the lead barista? Hard questions.

In this episode we will talk about customers like: the guy in the bad mood, the talker or anti-talker, the regular vs the first timer, the coffee geek or professional, the wifi camper, the sleeper, the bathroom with no purchase, the ghetto latte orderer, and the high maintenance customer. It is only a matter of time before these customers find you and your shop, how are you preparing to best serve them? Please share with us your thoughts at www.AudioCafePodcast.com/5

Who's job is it to make sure a barista (or any employee for that matter) is treating their customers the right way? Is it the duty of the business owner, manager, HR team, co-workers, or the solely the employee's job? I submit to you it is all of the above. This two-part episode we will dive headfirst into some practical situations and give you (or your staff) some great pointers from someone who lives off of tips.

Talking about water filtration/quality with @ColeCoffee. Cole McBride is a Coffee Professional & Representative of Speciality Coffee. He is the Director of Education at @VisionsEspresso, started the Northwest Latte Art League (@NWLAL) and serves on the @BaristaGuild Executive Council. Impressive resume if you ask me! He must know a lot about water quality.

Hanging out at a beautiful summer day in downtown Seattle and talking to @ConduitCoffee roasters. They’re a two man company (Jesse Nelson and John Liberty) who bike all their roasted beans to your door (if you’re in Seattle). Listen in as we chat like old friends at a high school reunion. Topics covered: hurdles to jump over when opening a roaster, mixing business with friendship, sourcing coffee, and hustling.

This exact episode is my journey with coffee and where it has taken me. Want to see a picture of me at age 6 making coffee for career day? go to www.Boyrista.com. After recording it I realized how many great stories I have that I didn't make time to tell. Are you looking to get into coffee? Are you trying to turn your barista job into a career? Maybe this episode will inspire you.