Monday, March 30, 2009

Pete and Repeat were in a boat...

Now I'll be the first to admit that I ain't that smart.  I'm just a good old boy, grew up in the middle of a mess of cornfields.  I'm just working and having fun, trying to make sense of common occurrences.  So help me out here, I think I'm onto something.  (Something you've probably known for a really long time, and I'm just now trying to understand.)

I'm prone to the same mistakes in my head that economists commit when making predictions about markets.  I assume that people will make logical decisions based on preferences and benefits that I think I relate to.  For instance, we work really hard to make the best coffee we can (this is our main goal) and I assume that most people who come here do so to enjoy the fruits of our labor.  Conversely, I'm puzzled and somewhat disappointed when I find out one of my regular customers drinks coffee from another place (that isn't as good), and I rack my brain trying to think of excuses why.

Some recent personal experience (that I think you'll appreciate) re-ignited thoughts about other possible explanations.  While at the airport on the way to Portland we had a lengthy layover.  At the beginning of this layover I went to the restroom.  I walked in and observed a row of 15 sparkling-white urinals.  I was alone.  I chose urinal number three:  not too close to the entry yet not too far of a walk.  If you park too close, you might startle someone walking in who usually goes to the first one.  If you go too far away, people might think you're paranoid.  They were all the same really, I could've gone to any of them.  But I went to number three.

Later during that same layover, I went to the restroom again.  Must've been the Fat Tire I was drinking at Quizno's.  I walked in to the same restroom.  Same scenario- no one but me.  Instinctively I went to urinal number three.  And as I was peeing, I started the analysis I'm writing about now.  Why did I go back to the same urinal?  I could've had a slightly different experience at a different urinal.  Maybe I would've noticed something while peeing in a different location.  But I chose to repeat my safe experience at number three.  It wasn't even that it was safe; to my knowledge all the urinals were safe, all identical.  Why did I go to the same one?
There are unwritten rules about public men's rooms.  If possible, you skip urinals- so oftentimes you'll walk in to a restroom and see men peeing in every-other urinal.  If you walk in and there are several urinals but only one guy using one, you generally go as far from him as possible.  Though there's probably some primal signal given based on how far away you pee.  
Anyway, if I had walked in to that airport restroom and "my" urinal had been occupied, or if the urinal next to it had been occupied, I would've used a different one.  Without hindrance I chose to use the same one over again.

I do the same thing with other seemingly-identical, insignificant choices.  I usually go to the same gas station and use the same pump.  When I pick out a spin bike from the lot of 15, even if I have to move one to get to it, I always try to use the same bike.  I'm sure there are other things, but these are the ones that made me think.

So let's say you're a person who thinks there's no difference between one coffee shop and another.  All coffee is the same.  All coffee shops are basically the same.  You go to that coffee shop over on 15th Street one day.  No, not that coffee shop; the other one.  Under this premise, it seems that there would have to be something barring you (even slightly) from going there again or else you would continue your same choice, if for no reason other than the fact that you'd been there before.  
This could explain why people who habitually come to the DoubleShot might go to another coffee shop with dramatically inferior coffee.  (That something hindered them from coming to the DoubleShot and another coffee shop was convenient and fit the bill.)  I tend to think that most people would immediately recognize their mistake and choose not to do that again in the future.  And some people do- they tell me about it.  But a lot of people don't.  I think.  I'm not sure.

I can understand thinking of Starbucks like a urinal.  But the DoubleShot?
Help me out here.  Does anyone out there follow my logic?  How do you decide which coffee shop to go to?  It's not the coffee so much, is it?  No, don't tell me that.  Oh, go ahead- I need to know the truth.  
Comments, please.

posted by Brian at 4:52 AM 11 comments delicious digg

Friday, March 20, 2009

Sticker Challenge



If you know DoubleShot Coffee Company, you know we're crazy about the finer things in life: great coffee, the perfect ribeye, single malt whiskey, single barrel bourbon, the pineapple in Costa Rica, and stickers. (Lots of other stuff too...)

Yeah, we love stickers. Just ask us for one and see the excitement in our faces. We've gone through tens of thousands of stickers in the past five years and we hope to go through even more in the days to come.

But I want YOU to get involved. Design our next sticker. I don't mean that I want you to send me an idea for a sticker. I want you to design it. You don't have to be an artist. Or even good with design programs on your computer. You can create the design any way you want. Draw it with a sharpie if you want. Or crayons. Or buy yourself a Mac and design it in Illustrator. However you do it, send me an image of the finished product. (Actual size or larger, .jpg or .tif, 300 dpi please.) That means you'll have to scan or photograph if you do it by hand. If I like your design, I promise you I'll print at least 100 stickers and distribute them far and wide. I'll also put your image on the DoubleShot website and make you famous. And the big, big prize... I'll give you a free pound of (too) fresh roasted DoubleShot Coffee.

But here's the catch. The sticker you design has to represent the DoubleShot. That means either the image describes the DoubleShot in some way or the words "DoubleShot" or "DoubleShot Coffee" are on the image, or you use the circle-2 icon in the image. Those are my guidelines. Be creative.
Need some ideas? Google: sticker graffiti. Or try it in flickr.

Email me your finished product: Brian@DoubleShotCoffee.com

posted by Brian at 4:51 AM 4 comments delicious digg

Thursday, March 12, 2009

DoubleShot 5th Birthday


I don't mean to cut off the last post.  I still want to continue that discussion, so please post responses.  

But I wanted to make you aware of the DoubleShot 5th Birthday party.  It's this Saturday, March 14 from 7p to...  whenever.
We'll have coffee, beer, whiskey, and some entertainment.  Feel free to bring your own beverage if you want something particular.  

We're celebrating the unlikely success of the DoubleShot these five years, so please come and hang out with us.  We'll be all smiles.
Thanks for supporting us through our endeavor to make BETTER coffee.

posted by Brian at 1:31 PM 0 comments delicious digg

Monday, March 09, 2009

Back to the warmth of T-town

Say whatever you want about Tulsa, but the weather is nice.  And it's good to be back.

It's nice to type out a blog on a keyboard instead of the tiny buttons of my iPod Touch.  It's nice to drink DoubleShot Coffee.  It's nice to see our customers, who appreciate what we do day in and day out.  It'll be nice to get back into a bit of a routine.

If you are curious about the results of the USBC, some dude from Intelligentsia won.  Some other dude from Intelligentsia got second.  Scott Lucey from Alterra Coffee in Wisconsin got third.
Four of the top six were from Intelligentsia.
Five of the top 25 were from Intelligentsia.
I think it's interesting to note that, of the tens of thousands of cafes and hundreds of thousands of baristas in the United States, so many of the top spots were from one.  What are the chances?

Anyway, one question that occurred to me during our time in Portland was:  What is espresso?

This is a serious question.  Obviously espresso is a brewing method generally using 7g of finely ground coffee, compacted, and brewed with water between 195 and 205 degrees F at around 9 bars of atmospheric pressure.  That's the mechanism.  What are the parameters for the beverage produced as espresso?  So much of the time when we are at industry events or talking to industry people, they tell us for whatever chemical reason or another, that one should not use coffee to make espresso until it has aged a certain number of days.  This number varies, but generally we hear 7 days, 10 days, 12 days...  and that's when they say it "PEAKS!"
The problem for us is that we love FRESH coffee.  The word "fresh" is sort of a dirty word in the coffee industry.  It has a negative connotation.  In fact, when someone in the industry is trying to say that they like coffee that isn't stale, they try to avoid the word fresh.  Because in the specialty coffee industry, the word "fresh" is usually preceded by the word "TOO."

So let's say they're right.  Let's say coffee has to go stale before you can properly brew it using an espresso machine.  What then?  I'll tell you what.  That means we stop making espresso.
Clearly I don't agree with this idea, but it seems to be the generally accepted principle of espresso in the industry.  And one conundrum we keep bumping up against.

Please comment.  I'd like to know your thoughts and opinions on this subject.

ps.  Don't forget the DoubleShot 5th Birthday party is this Saturday at 7p.

posted by Brian at 7:02 AM 25 comments delicious digg

Saturday, March 07, 2009

USBC Aftermath

Today Isaiah and I slept unusually late. He's been coming down with something and I'm just a lazy bum. We had breakfast at Mother's which was pretty great and extremely busy. I had the best coffee of our trip there, a Costa Rican from Stumptown brewed in a presspot. Then we went to Billy Wilson's new coffeeshop, Barista. It was good...

So as you can imagine, we have had A LOT of conversations and debates during our time here. About what we do, how we do it, if it's right or good, what we might do different, what our goals are, why we're doing what we're doing, etc. I don't think there are necessarily right answers, or one answer. In fact, until a question comes up that doesn't have an easy answer, I'm not particularly interested. The hard questions are the important ones. Of course I think about it all but not all of it can feasibly be addressed.
One thing I often keep in the back of my mind during opinionated conversation is the fact that I OWN the DoubleShot. I am the final decisionmaker. I can listen all I want but no one else is going to steer the ship. It is what it is today largely because of the decisions I have made every day for the past five plus years. And it weighs heavy on me because I know many people are affected by my decisions and I don't know the "right" course of action.

I do know this: I'm never going to win a popularity contest. Isaiah maybe, me no.

We're still trying to figure out what these competitions really are, what the SCAA is, where do we fit into the industry, and most importantly: how do we make our coffee even better and how do we share that coffee with more people?

And what the hell is espresso?
Hopefully we'll delve into some of these questions publicly via the AA Cafe podcast and this blog.
In the mean time thank you for all the support of Isaiah and DoubleShot Coffee Company.

posted by Brian at 5:02 PM 4 comments delicious digg

Friday, March 06, 2009

USBC Round One

Well today was the big day. The first time anyone from the DoubleShot has ever competed in the USBC. Isaiah represented us really well, as you would expect. If you watched it live you know they ran behind and we had to wait a bit longer. Isaiah competed like a champ. With nerves of steel he made espressos, "cappuccinos" and his signature drink for the team of judges hovering on his every move. Out of 52 competitors the top 15 were selected to move on and compete against the 10 regional champions. Isaiah wasn't selected to advance to the next level. But we're sure proud of him and we're out asking questions, learning, and trying to expand our understanding. More on this tomorrow. For tonight, I'm signing off and getting some much-needed beauty sleep. Thanks for watching! Stay tuned.

posted by Brian at 11:43 PM 3 comments delicious digg

Running late

If you're hoping to watch Isaiah compete on the live feed (below), I have to apologize because they are now running about an hour and 15 minutes late.  He was supposed to compete at 221p Pacific (421p Central) and it looks like we're shooting for somewhere around 340p.  Please check back.  See below for the live feed.

posted by Brian at 2:00 PM 1 comments delicious digg

Portland day three

Isaiah's competition time has been changed to 221p Pacific Time, 421p Central. Yesterday they were running way late, so that could change one way or the other. Here are a few links. If you want to learn more about the Barista Competition and what we're doing out here, check out: www.USBC2009.com
If the live feed for the USBC isn't working, you can go here to watch it: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/2009-us-barista-championship
Isaiah's practice time is coming up in a few minutes, so I need to get back and help out. More updates as I have them...


Live Broadcast by Ustream.TV

posted by Brian at 8:30 AM 1 comments delicious digg

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Portland day two

Today was the fifth bday of the DoubleShot. We weren't there to celebrate but we did so by pulling shots of the Ambergris espresso blend at the Oregon Convention Center. We were supposed to make free drinks from 830a to 1030a, but instead we worked from 8a to noon. We had a lot of fun and set a new benchmark by possibly serving great coffee for the first time at an SCAA event. Well I thought it was great anyway. We drank so much espresso that we both had the shakes the rest of the day.
The rest of the day was spent jawing with other coffee people, walking in the rain, looking for food, and campaigning for Nick Cho for SCAA President.
Tomorrow is the big day. Isaiah competes around 230p pacific time, 430p central. Be sure and watch the live feed on the post below. I'm exhausted so I think I'll hit the sack and post more here tomorrow. Stay tuned!

posted by Brian at 11:10 PM 0 comments delicious digg

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Portland day one

Today turned out to be a free day. We thought Isaiah needed to be at a meeting today but found out it's not until Friday. So we spent the day exploring Portland. We had a doughnut at Voodoo Doughnuts and then ate breakfast at Bijou Cafe. Next door we had coffee at Stumptown. Then we wandered around asking people questions. Went to Powell's Bookstore which is huge. I bought a book written by George Custer, a book about Crazy Horse, The Communist Manifesto, and a book called The Anatomy of Revolution. It's a wonder I didn't get red flagged by the government. We also had beers at Deschutes brewpub and the Rogue Distillery. Ate dinner at Deschutes with Matt Henthorn, another coffee at Stumptown, another doughnut at Voodoo, and back to the hotel.
Tomorrow morning from 830a to 1030a Isaiah and I will be rocking the portafilters at the convention center making coffee for competitors and spectators. If you're in the area you don't want to miss this DoubleShot roadshow.

posted by Brian at 9:27 PM 2 comments delicious digg

Monday, March 02, 2009

United States Barista Championship

Isaiah and I leave for Portland tomorrow afternoon.  He will compete in the USBC.  If you don't remember from competitions past, he'll be making an espresso, "traditional cappuccino," and a "signature drink" for 4 judges, while other judges hover around... judging him.  There is a specific set of rules he must follow and the judges will mark off points each time he sways.  Most of the rules are either opposed to what we believe is right or are different from what we believe is efficient and best in the coffeehouse setting.  Nonetheless, this group of non-conformist "Third-wavers" will get together and see who can follow the rules the best.  We hope they are most impressed with Isaiah's performance and vote him the most popular barista in America!

We plan to attend the Barista Prom while we are there, me and Isaiah.

We will be rocking the espresso machine together, serving coffee to competitors and spectators on Thursday morning.  That should be fun.
Round one of the competition is 9a-5p on Thursday and Friday.  Isaiah competes in the first round on Friday supposedly at 238p.  There are 52 competitors in the first round, coming from all around the country.  The announcement of who will advance into the semi-final round will occur at 6p Friday night.  These are all Pacific times, so adjust your clocks back two hours now.  On Saturday from 9a-5p the top 25 semi-finalists will perform their theatrics and at 6p they will announce the top 6 who will perform one last time in the final round Sunday from 12-230p.  At 3p they will announce that Isaiah is the United States Barista Champion and everyone will go away wondering what went so terribly wrong.  It's your coffee, you fools!  Your coffee and your lack of skill!
Uh, sorry.  I got carried away.

Anyway, I tell you all this because I know you care.  And I know you'll be texting Isaiah and me at all hours of the day and night because you're wondering what's happening.  So I'm here to tell you that this thing is going to be streaming live on the internet.  Yes, that's right.  If you're curious or bored enough, you can go online and watch the whole damned hipster show right here:


I'll try to figure out how to use technology and blog about the goings-on while we're there in the thick of things.  So check back here for updates.  

One other thing.  This Thursday, March 5 is the 5th birthday of the DoubleShot.  Wow.  Five big ones.  We won't be here to celebrate, so we're planning a party for the evening of Saturday 3/14 from 7p to whenever.  Put it on your calendar.  I'll remind you.

posted by Brian at 6:29 PM 5 comments delicious digg