In planning the design of Kaffeine, we were, some may say…particular. I had a long, long list of what we did like and what we did not like. The architects we employed also had some very strong and great ideas. They suggested the bench style service, the espresso machine being at the back end and were adamant […]
Wouldn’t it be amazing if Pret really did come in and…. Read More »
This is the week that all the preparation, the practising the sourcing of beans, signature drink ingredients, equipment, music, clothing, aprons, checklists and the final practice sessions come together to be ready for the weekend of the UK Barista Championships to be held at the Truman Brewery as part of the London Coffee festival. Those that follow us regularly or come into
UKBC 2013 – (the lead up) Read More »
Seventh overall in the U.K., at 21 years old and in your first barista competition against one of the toughest and most experienced fields ever assembled. That is a very, very good result, something that I am very proud of as are all the staff who work here and have helped Shaun along in his
UKBC 2013 – (the results) Read More »
Just before we opened Kaffeine, James Hoffman, the Director of Square Mile Coffee our coffee roaster, spent a bit of time helping us get set up and providing advice here and there. I am eternally grateful for the time he spent back then, as well as the time spent since we opened in yearly reviews
Valuable advice from James Hoffmann (again) Read More »
When I wrote the original business plan, part of it was to write a mission statement and core values for the business. This then went into the induction manual, along with a list of standards that we all should be working towards and bullet points on how to achieve those standards. However, these were the only two places that all this
Mission Statement, core values and standards Read More »
Our lead barista Shaun came up with the idea, to use on weekends for our guest espresso and also to help in practice for the 2013 UK Barista Championships. We are very proud of our guest espresso weekends, featuring some of the worlds best roasters from across the UK, Europe and even Australia. Roasters this
Kaffeine introduces the Coffee Tasting Flight Read More »
We think they’ve become almost iconic in their own little way, the white cup, the black lid and the sticker, oval shaped with black background and the white Kaffeine logo. It was a decision we made in the early days to go for a sticker instead of a stamp, other people did stamps, we wanted to be different. They are instantly recognisable, and we see them in little places
The Great Sticker-Off Read More »
When we first opened and had only a few customers, we worked on the process of taking the order for the coffee at the till, then passing down the docket to the baristas, (mainly Catherine), who then made it and called out the drink type. Usually she would be watching the customer anyway and knew who they were and what they had ordered. More often than
Please can we ask your name? – An Explanation Read More »
Buzzing, rushing, smashed, pumped. Not words to describe a night out, well of course they can be but not in this context. No, these are words to describe a busy, amazing, fun service. Ask most hospitality people who love it and they will probably be able to say that one of the things they love
The Thrill of being Busy – An Explanation Read More »
It comes from the days of working in Banqueting at places like Marylebone Cricket Club, Battersea Park, Claridges Hotel, the livery company dinners and the pre-recession huge 5000 person Christmas parties. It also comes from working in kitchens and restaurants for the past 25 years. It impressed me no end when I first saw the Claridges banqueting
The Use of Signals – An Explanation Read More »
