If you could have it any way you wanted

bjorngrimm wrote:
-- we will have train everybody routinely on how properly pack and extract espresso as well as milk texturing.

THANK YOU for wanting to make real espresso... those 'push button' machines are a disgrace.

I wouldn't use a coffee shop with no (or limited) wifi.

There is a coffee shop on the lower east side at Clinton and Grand that you should check out. I think it's "Full City".

I'd like to have an espresso in a porcelain cup, standing at a counter, outside where I can smoke.

It sounds like you've got the coffee part right already, Bjorn. A few good snacks, yes, and it would be lovely to have clean furniture as stated before. I'm not sure about couches, but maybe some comfortable chairs?

I like the sustainable and environmental angle, although the atmosphere would be most important to me. And not very loud music or none at all. It's also about the vibe you project through the staff etc.

Just a great place to chill like European cafes (noooo not Amsterdam coffee shops) where it's really about quality products and hanging out in a relaxed atmosphere.

How about good service? Why does it take a couple of minutes to pour a cup of coffee and rign up the sale on the cash register? Because the counter people are not trained to work quickly.

Sounds like everyone here likes Saje on Park and Franklin. The wifi doesn't always work, so it limits the laptops. The newer counter people are slow, but Ashley rocks.
So Bjorn, go check out Saje.

Mongrel_500 wrote: Sounds like everyone here likes Saje on Park and Franklin. The wifi doesn't always work, so it limits the laptops. The newer counter people are slow, but Ashley rocks.
So Bjorn, go check out Saje.

Except their coffee isn't so great. Which is sad, 'cause if it were better I'd go there more often. But it sounds like the plan for good coffee is already in place here.

abs276 wrote:

Lastly, make the coffee strong. I don't care how nice a place is, if the coffee doesn't kick-start me, I'm not going back.

just so you know...the "stronger" a coffee tastes, the less caffeine it has. so a lighter roast should actually kick-start you more. caffeine is lost in the roasting process.

too watered down, on the other hand, can be either dark or light roast, and still just sucks .

While it's true that darker roast beans have less caffeine than lighter roast, when I say strong, I'm talking about the ratio of coffee grinds to water (although I do happen to like darker roast coffee). It should be 1 oz (or 2 tablespoons or 30 grams) of grinds per 6 oz cup of coffee.

apollonia666 wrote: [quote=Mongrel_500]Sounds like everyone here likes Saje on Park and Franklin. The wifi doesn't always work, so it limits the laptops. The newer counter people are slow, but Ashley rocks.
So Bjorn, go check out Saje.

Except their coffee isn't so great. Which is sad, 'cause if it were better I'd go there more often. But it sounds like the plan for good coffee is already in place here.

I don't know dude. Gorilla's my favorite coffee anywhere.

Mongrel_500 wrote: [quote=apollonia666][quote=Mongrel_500]Sounds like everyone here likes Saje on Park and Franklin. The wifi doesn't always work, so it limits the laptops. The newer counter people are slow, but Ashley rocks.
So Bjorn, go check out Saje.

Except their coffee isn't so great. Which is sad, 'cause if it were better I'd go there more often. But it sounds like the plan for good coffee is already in place here.

I don't know dude. Gorilla's my favorite coffee anywhere.

Gorilla's my favorite coffee too -- at Gorilla and at Joyce and at Beast and when I brew it at home. But they burn it at Saje. It's a pity, really.

Snack wise...blue apron (food shop) in park slope has great cookies from red hook and some other local treats.

apollonia666 wrote:

Gorilla's my favorite coffee too -- at Gorilla and at Joyce and at Beast and when I brew it at home. But they burn it at Saje. It's a pity, really.

sad, but true. i've been getting their iced coffee recently, though, and quite enjoying it. (full disclosure: i put a heck of a lot of sugar and milk in iced coffee -- how you think i got this sweet? -- so i may not be the best judge of its initial quality.)

the atmosphere in there is great, though. good mix of table, counter, and comfy chair options, great music not too loud, enough space that the chatting-with-friends and the laptop mafia can coexist.

My dream coffee shop would probably not be profitable.

1) No food that requires preparation unless you staff it correctly. I hate Ozzie's on 5th because they offer a few food items and do not have the staff to provide decent coffee service whenever they get a food order. Ack. I hate that.

2) no room for strollers! Does not cater to breastfeeding moms and their toddlers who are running around pawing other people's stuff.

3) definitely wi-fi.

4) baked goods worth a damn (hello Blue Sky Bakery! love their muffins)

5) coffee needs to be hot, but not too hot.

reasonable volume and GOOD LIGHTING!! I don't want to go blind while trying to read a book. Agreed about strollers--there's enough kid friendly stuff around that one non pawed over business would be refreshing.

I wish Gorilla had better lighting and less noise. Until then I go to Mule.

what's//where's mule, erikka?

check out the new espresso machine at gorilla, it's amazing.

and yes, PLEASE.. let's keep the strollers out of PH as long as possible.

***botanical garden's discount//support

"for here" mugs, like, real mugs and big latte bowls. real hot chocolate. REAL tea in pots that doesn't cost $5 like joyce bakeshop.

Oh, I would second on the latte bowls. There was a coffeeshop in Chicago that I used to go to that would serve cappuccinos and mochas out of an actual bowl. It was fantastic; the total drink was definitely more than the sum of its parts.

Vanilla -- I agree that the Gorilla's espresso drinks are better since the remodel. The crema is really crema now!

erikka wrote: Agreed about strollers--there's enough kid friendly stuff around that one non pawed over business would be refreshing.

I second that about the strollers. I'm moving from Park Slope to Washington Ave to be around cool adults.

they use bowls at le gamin. yay!

alafairnadia wrote: they use bowls at le gamin. yay!

You beat me to it!

I was going to say that!

Basically, I guess what I really want is another Le Gamin at this end of the neighborhood (yes I am that lazy).

Carnivore wrote: [quote=alafairnadia]they use bowls at le gamin. yay!

You beat me to it!

I was going to say that!

Basically, I guess what I really want is another Le Gamin at this end of the neighborhood (yes I am that lazy).

No no nooo! Le Gamin is a restaurant that happens to serve pretty good coffee. I want a good coffee shop that happens to serve a *limited* amount of food items. I don't want to be battling mealtime crowds for a table.

apollonia666 wrote: [quote=Carnivore][quote=alafairnadia]they use bowls at le gamin. yay!

You beat me to it!

I was going to say that!

Basically, I guess what I really want is another Le Gamin at this end of the neighborhood (yes I am that lazy).

No no nooo! Le Gamin is a restaurant that happens to serve pretty good coffee. I want a good coffee shop that happens to serve a *limited* amount of food items. I don't want to be battling mealtime crowds for a table.
Good point. Maybe a Le Gamin with a somewhat scaled back food menu.

I was attempting to type my favorite dish at le gamin but I can't spell in french. oh well. there are reasons to go to le gamin. but a big bowl of latte is a great thing, wherever.

I agree with the suggestions about properly pulled espresso and for-here mugs, and I'd also like to add that the milk for lattes and cappuccinos is often scalded. I used to work at a place that had thermometers in every milk pitcher (155 degrees, I think, was the right temp), but I never see that here. I can tell by the sound when it's getting too hot, but not many baristas seem to be able to.

Agreed on no Wifi but you could consider putting in two or three seats with a wired Ethernet connection: easier to meter or charge for it that way and the whole place doesn't get overrun. Seems a hassle though, so just forget it. Be mindful of where the outlets are, b/c free power is second only to free Wifi to draw the laptop hordes. (Have a few though, its nice to be able to charge something when you really need to. Have a house iPod charger somewhere behind the bar, for example.)

Have the daily papers, but also have a few interesting magazines, not just the usual fare.

Good food > cheap food.

Thirded or whatever on the good strong iced coffee.

Also - discounts for people who get their drinks in reusable traveler mugs! I have three of the Oxo Good Grips stainless steel 16oz mugs that are leak-proof and nigh indestructible. The energy cost of manufacturing them is high but considering how many plastic lids and paper cups I haven't consumed as a result - make them, ship them, ship them again, use them once, throw them out, wait for them to be shipped AGAIN, watch the inefficient solid waste recovery stream try to extract some value from the remnants. Sell those mugs and offer people an incentive to use them, like say $0.10 or $0.25 or 10% off. Put it in their face that a daily coffee habit adds a whole lot of crap to the landfills and spends a lot of energy inefficiently. As city dwellers anything that we can do to reduce the need for garbage trucks (noise, air pollution, taxes) is a *good thing*.

Good luck!

http://brooklyn.citysearch.com/profile/41783038/brooklyn_ny/mule_cafe_and_wine_bar.html

pete_c wrote: Agreed on no Wifi but you could consider putting in two or three seats with a wired Ethernet connection: easier to meter or charge for it that way and the whole place doesn't get overrun. Seems a hassle though, so just forget it. Be mindful of where the outlets are, b/c free power is second only to free Wifi to draw the laptop hordes. (Have a few though, its nice to be able to charge something when you really need to. Have a house iPod charger somewhere behind the bar, for example.)

Have the daily papers, but also have a few interesting magazines, not just the usual fare.

.....

Thirded or whatever on the good strong iced coffee.

YES--magazines! You might lose some to sticky fingers but people bring them and leave them too. I love coffee shops with a good magazine rack. I like the idea about chargers as well.

I woudl love to see another place do frozen ice coffee cubes now that I'm no longer by Red Horse. Damn I loved those.

Mule: http://brooklyn.citysearch.com/profile/41783038/brooklyn_ny/mule_cafe_and_wine_bar.html

To everyone,


After watching closely the responses to this question and the board's activity in general. My partner and I'm feel very strongly that this is the right community to aim to provide our services. From the beginning of the proposed venture we have debated heavily about what we can provide and what we will provide. We decided on several things and they are very close to wishes already posted on this chat.

We are currently scouting locations.

P.S. We take in to account to all posted responses and feel no need for them to stop. feel free to continue to drop suggestions about all kinds of things... i.e.favorite baked goods, local products, must haves or viable locations...


cheers