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It will work in some places and not in others. With an extra staff person on hand and tight control over process it can work in a commercial cafe environment but only when customers believe the extra few minutes of waiting time is worth it. I've been making my brewed coffee with various pourover methods (originally Melitta and Chemex and lately with a Hario brand cone or a Clever Dripper) since 1979. yes I'm that old and have been into coffee for that long ;-) If done correctly it yields a better cup - no doubt about that.
A hybrid approach used by some cafes is to offer batch brewed coffee from airpots until 11 AM to accommodate the morning rush and then offer only manual pourover from 11 until closing time. This reduces morning rush waiting time, allows a wider choice of coffees for the typically more leisurely afternoon or evening customers and also greatly reduces waste. The popularity of by-the-cup manual pourover is a global trend among progressive cafes that are pursuing best cup quality - it's not just in NYC.
What's your opinion of the French Press method, which is what I use at home on weekends. I think this makes a great cup of coffee.
What's your opinion of the French Press method, which is what I use at home on weekends. I think this makes a great cup of coffee.
French press - aka press pot - does indeed make a great cup of coffee. It allows the natural coffee oils to stay in the cup, which many people favor and results in a heavier bodied cup with more mouthfeel. I like a slightly thinner body with a "cleaner" cup. My best results come from vacuum pot brewing - which yields a cup that sits somewhere between filtered coffee and French press in terms of body and cup characteristics. Problem is... vac pot is a nice ritual but does not lend itself to the quick "make a cup and get going" routine that I'm usually wrapped up in.
Stumptown Coffee - one of the leading independent progressive roasters/cafes that is making a name for itself in some key cities (originally Portland, then Seattle, Brooklyn and Manhattan and soon to be in Chicago) - makes all of its retail brewed coffee in big press pots every 20 minutes and pours them off into airpots to hold and serve.
French press - aka press pot - does indeed make a great cup of coffee. It allows the natural coffee oils to stay in the cup, which many people favor and results in a heavier bodied cup with more mouthfeel. I like a slightly thinner body with a "cleaner" cup. My best results come from vacuum pot brewing - which yields a cup that sits somewhere between filtered coffee and French press in terms of body and cup characteristics. Problem is... vac pot is a nice ritual but does not lend itself to the quick "make a cup and get going" routine that I'm usually wrapped up in.
Stumptown Coffee - one of the leading independent progressive roasters/cafes that is making a name for itself in some key cities (originally Portland, then Seattle, Brooklyn and Manhattan and soon to be in Chicago) - makes all of its retail brewed coffee in big press pots every 20 minutes and pours them off into airpots to hold and serve.
The CNY Business Exchange Magazine had a detailed profile on Liverpool-based Paul deLima Coffee in this month's issue. According to the article, Paul deLima not only makes its own brand of coffee but also has a successful private label business that distributes coffee in at least 26 states. I've been to several hotels that have carried the Paul deLima brand when traveling to other parts of the country. With Syracuse China now a distant memory, it's nice to see a Syracuse-made product so widely distributed. Since being acquired by the Drescher Companies, a Liverpool-based family owned enterprise that operates several shipping and distribution businesses in Central New York, Paul deLima's operation has become more efficient with new technology and equipment. The magazine is sold at Wegman's, Barnes & Noble, and Price Chopper.
The CNY Business Exchange Magazine had a detailed profile on Liverpool-based Paul deLima Coffee in this month's issue. According to the article, Paul deLima not only makes its own brand of coffee but also has a successful private label business that distributes coffee in at least 26 states. I've been to several hotels that have carried the Paul deLima brand when traveling to other parts of the country. With Syracuse China now a distant memory, it's nice to see a Syracuse-made product so widely distributed. Since being acquired by the Drescher Companies, a Liverpool-based family owned enterprise that operates several shipping and distribution businesses in Central New York, Paul deLima's operation has become more efficient with new technology and equipment. The magazine is sold at Wegman's, Barnes & Noble, and Price Chopper.
And I'm sad to say that when they were acquired, expanded and increased their distribution they also went seriously downhill in terms of overall quality. The old Paul De Lima "Prestige" line was available only wholesale and back in the 60's, 70's and early 80's was the coffee of chocie at all of our area's best restaurants. For a few years they made the same coffee available to retail consimers through local supermarkets and I was a regular buyer. After the De Lima family sold the business the foocus on branding and distribution increased but I assume they began buying a much cheaper grade of coffee (we have it where I work and it's really rotgut.) :-(
I'm not being a coffee snob on this - all of my colleagues uniformly condemn it as really bad coffee but the company provides it at no charge and they drink it anyway (I bring my own and brew it at work in our little kitchen.)
I'm not a club person at all - more of a neighborhood bar visitor. But I'll be interested to see how this place works out.
At this point in life I'm not even a neighborhood bar person - but I think this is a good development. There hasn't been an upscale dance club in Syracuse in many years - and Lava at the Turning Stone is a bit much of a drive for most folks around here - especially to return from late at night. The challange for dance clubs here has always been that it's tough to pay the bills with just your beverage and cover charge revenue from Friday and Saturday night (and maybe a small crowd on Thursdays.) But if they can do a decent lunch and dinner business... sell some desserts and late night food items to the dance crowd... maybe it will fly.
I'm wondering if a hotel in/near Carousel would be a next step in the future. With all the new restaurants, a bowling alley, and a nightclub, it seems that it could work. Not many people live within walking distance of the mall and Centro doesn't run that late, so one would think they'd be tossing around ideas with what to do with the people when they're done with the club.
And I'm sad to say that when they were acquired, expanded and increased their distribution they also went seriously downhill in terms of overall quality. The old Paul De Lima "Prestige" line was available only wholesale and back in the 60's, 70's and early 80's was the coffee of chocie at all of our area's best restaurants. For a few years they made the same coffee available to retail consimers through local supermarkets and I was a regular buyer. After the De Lima family sold the business the foocus on branding and distribution increased but I assume they began buying a much cheaper grade of coffee (we have it where I work and it's really rotgut.) :-(
I'm not being a coffee snob on this - all of my colleagues uniformly condemn it as really bad coffee but the company provides it at no charge and they drink it anyway (I bring my own and brew it at work in our little kitchen.)
That's unfortunate to hear. I don't drink coffee so I would have no idea their quality has declined. In the article, it was mentioned that the longterm plan is to consolidate the production facility in Liverpool and their other location in Cicero into one location; which for many reasons, probably makes sense.
At this point in life I'm not even a neighborhood bar person - but I think this is a good development. There hasn't been an upscale dance club in Syracuse in many years - and Lava at the Turning Stone is a bit much of a drive for most folks around here - especially to return from late at night. The challange for dance clubs here has always been that it's tough to pay the bills with just your beverage and cover charge revenue from Friday and Saturday night (and maybe a small crowd on Thursdays.) But if they can do a decent lunch and dinner business... sell some desserts and late night food items to the dance crowd... maybe it will fly.
Don't forget about the college crowd as well. I would think that they would patronize the club too.
And I'm sad to say that when they were acquired, expanded and increased their distribution they also went seriously downhill in terms of overall quality. The old Paul De Lima "Prestige" line was available only wholesale and back in the 60's, 70's and early 80's was the coffee of chocie at all of our area's best restaurants. For a few years they made the same coffee available to retail consimers through local supermarkets and I was a regular buyer. After the De Lima family sold the business the foocus on branding and distribution increased but I assume they began buying a much cheaper grade of coffee (we have it where I work and it's really rotgut.) :-(
I'm not being a coffee snob on this - all of my colleagues uniformly condemn it as really bad coffee but the company provides it at no charge and they drink it anyway (I bring my own and brew it at work in our little kitchen.)
I'm glad it was you that said it but I agree thats some nasty coffee. They used to give it to us at work free also and even at that price its no deal. Now they give us Maxwell House which while better still forces me to drink tea at work.
I'm currently dealing with a place in Utica called, surprisingly, Utica Roasters. Testing is early yet but very favorable. Utica Buzz is most great coffee and the name stirs to my inner addict.
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