The #Ashes #soexcited

We’ve got 100 kilos of espresso, a 2 group La Marzocco Linea, 3 grinders, 5000 cups, it’s 30 degrees and we will be wearing sunglasses.

So starts our week this week as we prepare for one of the most famous sporting events in the world, the Ashes at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Some of you may already known that prior to Kaffeine I was one of the key staff members of the catering department and since 2011, we have been serving espresso coffee and filter to the patrons of the Veuve Cliquot champagne and seafood area, in the Harris Gardens.

The last Ashes in 2009 was my last game there, as 4 weeks later we opened Kaffeine, so this game in particular is very important to me and very, very exciting. We cannot wait.

We set up on Wednesday, leaving Kaffeine in two minibus taxis with all our equipment, are set and ready by midday when we run through a few coffees to test the equipment and look after the wonderful chefs and kitchen porters in our area. Back to Kaffeine for some more office work and normal day to day stuff, then Thursday morning we are back at the ground at 7 am for a 9 am gates opening.

By 11 am when the first ball is delivered, we should have done about 90 litres of filter and 300 espresso drinks and then we go onto lunch service with 150 covers booked in for the restaurant. Two girls, Jess and our manager Claire smash out the espresso and I work with the M.C.C. staff out the back on the filter coffee.

This year we will also be selling iced coffees and ANZACS and hope to be able to drop some off to the boys in the dressing room, as we did in the first Test with New Zealand. Exciting times? Yes indeed,and we are going to be loving every minute of it.

Check our twitter feed for details and updates @kaffeinelondon

Peter Dore-Smith
Director
Kaffeine Ltd
66 Great Titchfield st.
15 Eastcastle st.