Amusing experience in Nero ( =O ) today.

[Gadders]

Yes yes shock horror i was in Nero, i was with a friend who i hadn't seen for a while so it was a good place for a sit down and a chat. Honest!

Anyway, i ordered a regular cappuccino, to which the guy asked me
"do you want any chocolate on the top" ...
"no" i said.
He looked surprised.
"are you sure!!? ... i can put some cinnamon in it?"
again, "no" was my reply.

Anyway i watched him prepare the shot for the cappuccino and i remembered about the slogan they have on the back of their tshirts, "the best espresso this side of milan" - so i asked the guy
"Do you believe whats on the back of your tshirt?".
"Yea, of course" he said.
I had a little chuckle to myself and a few moments later "Why?" came from behind the bar.
"Oh, its just 'cos its really not" was my reply.

Let me tell you the shot was horrific, and i suspect if he thinks he's producing the best espresso this side of milan and he's supposed to be trained - joe public is certainly going to think that when its plastered all over the backs of the employees.

Anyway I suspect the fact i dared to question his superior judgement didn't go down too well and he probably put something horrendous in my drink, but oh well it cheered me up a little.

[Styles]

And is he now pulling better shots?

[bruceb]

And is he now pulling better shots?

Naive optimism.

[JonEdwards]

At least in a CN they have the option of being good or cr@p as they choose. They are "baristas" in the sense that they have to grind/dose/tamp etc, rather than just push buttons on a superwhizzydooda-auto that does everything for them ala *$, that still only generates mediocrity.

A CN employee with a passion for coffee *might* be able to generate a decent shot (within the limits of the beans), and the quality is certainly variable across the various outlets. My local in Wandsworth is OK if I'm gagging. My other half's nearest in Wimbledon is dire.

[Hugo]

If I remember correctly, CN have the classic tag line "No crema, no serva" on some literature about their espresso.....

'Nuff said.

[Eschatologist]

As I was reminded by Grant (the nice man from Mercanta) at tonight's Taste of Denmark at SQM, that quote came from a copy of Tatler some 10 years ago. I always read Tatler when I need to check out up and coming coffee places.


Wait, what.

[Bombcup]

I was at that. Which one were you? I was the one in shorts loitering by the food.

I am now totally awake with 5 hours 15 minutes until I get up for work.

[kingseven]

I'm sorry about that. At least the coffee was tasty! (As was the food!) No sleep for me either!

[Styles]

And is he now pulling better shots?

Naive optimism.

More a comment on futility and misappropriated 'advice'.

[Sico2]

Gadders,

You think that the Nero employees walk with pride making "espresso" as they call this black bevarage...

I work with Italians from all over their country. We have a double (filter&espresso) deLonghi machine in our kitchen for about £50. They use pre grinded Illy coffee and you can't believe how much pride they put in the coffee preparing praising the beans at the same time. In their eyes, it's the best coffee ever tasted. It's just black liquid with some coffee like smell.

Well they're actually right. If you never tasted better coffee, this is the best you've ever had.

Btw.Nero is on my bottom list of street retailers from Costa, AMT, Starbucks etc. The coffee is burned, tastes bitter, smells weakly and has car-engine aftertaste.

I think I might have just created a new taste...

[Eschatologist]

No. 2 haircut, blue teeshirt with a white bottle cap logo on it, jeans with coffee all over them (no time to change after work), long dangly key chain, hanging with my very tall friend/customer Alex, arrived bearing cranberry flapjack

Really nice night, though weirdly I slept like a baby

[Gadders]

Lol sico.

Without getting into the whole chain store rant etc etc, i just dont understand why they (the chain stores) blatantly put false statements on their uniforms and inside the cafe's.

Someone somewhere in the organisation must have the common sense to realise they're not producing ground breaking coffee. Are they blinded by their own arro/igno rance?

McDonalds don't claim to have michelin stars...

[Sico2]

Well as an ex-employee of /\/\c I have to say that the coffee really improved and now in UK they serve "good" quality coffee comparing to other retailers of course.

In Nero or somewhere else, for example, if you order full fat milk to your latte, you might just get 0.0% milk, because the full fat is gone. They think customers won't taste the difference.. Well I did and never came back. Awful stuff they try to pull (in both ways the word's meaning).

False statement=better company image at now extra costs=PROOOOOFIT!