Serving Espresso to a Crowd--multiple variables
September 9, 2013 12:02 PM Subscribe
Help me figure out how to make about 100 long espresso shots at a public event.
For the opening of a large art event, my art team wants to make and serve a specific espresso drink (Cafe Allongé, or long espresso where more water is pulled through). We've exhausted local coffee companies and caterers--nobody seems to be able to cater this or rent us equipment, so I'm turning to you all for adv.ice on doing it ourselves.
The location is a large museum lobby. We will have access to electricity and can carry water, but we can't hard-plumb an espresso machine.
We think there will be 700 or more people at the event, but we don't expect to have anywhere near that many takers on coffee (it's early evening). The point is more to have the drink for anyone who does want it, but if the allonges aren't at least half-way decent it's not worth doing.
We have a caterer offering to come quite a long distance to do this, but it's far from ideal--and we'd rather spend that money on locally roasted coffee and maybe equipment and do it ourselves.
About a dozen of us will be available for making, serving, and cleanup.
I use a ROK at home a lot, and would consider getting another to run two at once. We'd also consider buying a consumer espresso machine, but the reason I don't own one at home is that good ones seem outrageously expensive and affordable ones don't seem good. Any machine we use would need, obviously, to have an adjustable water amount. I hand grind at home but would obviously get a decent electric grind for the event (or possibly have it ground just before the event at a shop down the block).
So, coffee nerds who understand the demands of art, how would you solve this? Do you think we could pull enough, good enough, with a couple of ROK setups? If you recommend a particular consumer model, why? What else should we think about?
For the opening of a large art event, my art team wants to make and serve a specific espresso drink (Cafe Allongé, or long espresso where more water is pulled through). We've exhausted local coffee companies and caterers--nobody seems to be able to cater this or rent us equipment, so I'm turning to you all for adv.ice on doing it ourselves.
The location is a large museum lobby. We will have access to electricity and can carry water, but we can't hard-plumb an espresso machine.
We think there will be 700 or more people at the event, but we don't expect to have anywhere near that many takers on coffee (it's early evening). The point is more to have the drink for anyone who does want it, but if the allonges aren't at least half-way decent it's not worth doing.
We have a caterer offering to come quite a long distance to do this, but it's far from ideal--and we'd rather spend that money on locally roasted coffee and maybe equipment and do it ourselves.
About a dozen of us will be available for making, serving, and cleanup.
I use a ROK at home a lot, and would consider getting another to run two at once. We'd also consider buying a consumer espresso machine, but the reason I don't own one at home is that good ones seem outrageously expensive and affordable ones don't seem good. Any machine we use would need, obviously, to have an adjustable water amount. I hand grind at home but would obviously get a decent electric grind for the event (or possibly have it ground just before the event at a shop down the block).
So, coffee nerds who understand the demands of art, how would you solve this? Do you think we could pull enough, good enough, with a couple of ROK setups? If you recommend a particular consumer model, why? What else should we think about?
Making multiple espresso drinks without a sink nearby for cleaning your equipment in between shots is kind of a pain in the ass. Less so since you're not using milk, mind you.
What exactly is your budget? I would say that it would be better to have a grinder there rather than pre-grinding, but you'll probably end up spending $200 on one that's capable of doing what you want. Grinder + extra espresso maker + good coffee is probably going to get you up to $500 at a bare minimum, not counting labor. Is the espresso experience worth that to you? What specifically is it about espresso that you think is important to the atmosphere of the event?
How many people do you have to help with the espresso making and how much time do you have to practice? I gather those ROK machines are not necessarily intuitive to use, so you'd have to train someone, and you'd probably need another person handy to refill your water supply (I assume you'd be using an electric kettle or something like that?) Also, a jury-rigged non-plumbed espresso setup will not be as fast as a commercial one, so you may end up with long lines. Whether that's a problem depends on the attitude of your clientele, but it's something to be prepared for.
You will definitely want to get your workflow down to an art (as it were) before the event. Practice in the lobby itself if you can manage it, or at least familiarize yourself with exactly what facilities you will and won't have access to.
posted by fermion at 12:20 PM on September 9, 2013
What exactly is your budget? I would say that it would be better to have a grinder there rather than pre-grinding, but you'll probably end up spending $200 on one that's capable of doing what you want. Grinder + extra espresso maker + good coffee is probably going to get you up to $500 at a bare minimum, not counting labor. Is the espresso experience worth that to you? What specifically is it about espresso that you think is important to the atmosphere of the event?
How many people do you have to help with the espresso making and how much time do you have to practice? I gather those ROK machines are not necessarily intuitive to use, so you'd have to train someone, and you'd probably need another person handy to refill your water supply (I assume you'd be using an electric kettle or something like that?) Also, a jury-rigged non-plumbed espresso setup will not be as fast as a commercial one, so you may end up with long lines. Whether that's a problem depends on the attitude of your clientele, but it's something to be prepared for.
You will definitely want to get your workflow down to an art (as it were) before the event. Practice in the lobby itself if you can manage it, or at least familiarize yourself with exactly what facilities you will and won't have access to.
posted by fermion at 12:20 PM on September 9, 2013
For starters, I think you're wildly underestimating the number of people who will want coffee.
posted by acidic at 12:22 PM on September 9, 2013 [9 favorites]
posted by acidic at 12:22 PM on September 9, 2013 [9 favorites]
If espresso made with Nespresso machines is good enough for the world's finest restaurants, it'll probably be good enough for your event. Zero mess! Zero training! The amount of water is easily adjustable by holding a button down – or you could re-program the lungo button beforehand and make everything super easy. The cheapest Nespresso machine has all that functionality for about $170.
Huge bonus: you could very easily pop in decaf capsules for the people who don't want caffeine in the evening.
The only downsides I can think of are that the pump is a bit on the loud side, you'll have to refill the water tank frequently, and that you might want to try all their capsule varieties before you find the one best suited for your purpose.
posted by halogen at 12:23 PM on September 9, 2013 [6 favorites]
Huge bonus: you could very easily pop in decaf capsules for the people who don't want caffeine in the evening.
The only downsides I can think of are that the pump is a bit on the loud side, you'll have to refill the water tank frequently, and that you might want to try all their capsule varieties before you find the one best suited for your purpose.
posted by halogen at 12:23 PM on September 9, 2013 [6 favorites]
let me try a left field suggestion. if the crowd isn't expressly a coffee snob crowd, I have attended similar events where there were several nespresso machines and the staff manned them to keep fresh water and instruct on usage. it had a fun DIY vibe, and if you didnt want to you could just send a waiter for an espresso etc and they would go and make it for you. the last time (a high ticket price formula 1 event, think black tie and thousands of $$ to attend) they had little display cases with several flavors and types of coffees. it was so well received that i overheard multiple bits of praise. best part is depending on the various circumstances the machines are low cost, can be donated or raffled off or sent home with hard working staff etc....
posted by chasles at 12:26 PM on September 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by chasles at 12:26 PM on September 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
If espresso made with Nespresso machines....
damnit.
posted by chasles at 12:27 PM on September 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
damnit.
posted by chasles at 12:27 PM on September 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
See, I was thinking just brew a bunch of Cafe Bustelo in an old fashioned electric espresso maker.
But I just got back from Miami....
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:28 PM on September 9, 2013 [3 favorites]
But I just got back from Miami....
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:28 PM on September 9, 2013 [3 favorites]
Thirding Nespresso...
posted by Perplexity at 12:32 PM on September 9, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Perplexity at 12:32 PM on September 9, 2013 [2 favorites]
Nthing Nespresso or some other coffee pod type thing. In my experience, this seems to be the norm in Italy for situations where you have this much espresso-demand without the plumbed-in capacity to handle it. If anyone gets sniffy, just cock an eyebrow and say "this is how simply everyone is doing it in Italy, you know".
posted by pont at 12:33 PM on September 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by pont at 12:33 PM on September 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
Are you doing this to impress/delight/enthuse people? Because amateur baristas with home-quality espresso machines won't do that.
I went to an event with pour over drip coffees that was cool.
Aeropresses is another option. Or siphons.
posted by dontjumplarry at 12:36 PM on September 9, 2013
I went to an event with pour over drip coffees that was cool.
Aeropresses is another option. Or siphons.
posted by dontjumplarry at 12:36 PM on September 9, 2013
Best answer: Do you think we could pull enough, good enough, with a couple of ROK setups?
No. You don't have access to filtered water and the crew is largely inexperienced. You're going to have a big variability in quality.
Also, lets estimate that 200 of the 700 attendees would like to try a lungo. How long does it take to pull the shot? Okay, double that time because you need to deal with cups, people in the queue, answering if there's cream, sugar and soy milk, explaining what the drink is and how it's different from an espresso or an Americano. My guess is you might be able to pull 30 cups an hour per ROK. If you get hammered and everyone shows up at one. Wow.
This is a good idea for a smaller gathering at a venue with better water access.
posted by 26.2 at 12:37 PM on September 9, 2013
No. You don't have access to filtered water and the crew is largely inexperienced. You're going to have a big variability in quality.
Also, lets estimate that 200 of the 700 attendees would like to try a lungo. How long does it take to pull the shot? Okay, double that time because you need to deal with cups, people in the queue, answering if there's cream, sugar and soy milk, explaining what the drink is and how it's different from an espresso or an Americano. My guess is you might be able to pull 30 cups an hour per ROK. If you get hammered and everyone shows up at one. Wow.
This is a good idea for a smaller gathering at a venue with better water access.
posted by 26.2 at 12:37 PM on September 9, 2013
FWIW, I suspect the time of day won't mean "nobody will drink coffee" so much as "everyone will expect to be served decaf, and be irritated if you don't have it."
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 12:43 PM on September 9, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 12:43 PM on September 9, 2013 [5 favorites]
There is a reason that most caterers don't want to do or can't do this. You need commercial quality, multi-group heat exchanging machines to serve that many people quickly with consistent quality; a machine that costs anything less than several thousand dollars is not up to this task because they can not maintain consistent temp and pressure shot after shot pulled in rapid succession (actually more like multiple shots being pulled at once), and the person behind it needs to know what they're doing. Even if you had 3-4 ROKs going at once, you need to factor in cleaning time between shots and you need 3 (or more) electric kettles heating water...you won't be able to keep up with demand for more than one shot every 2-5 minutes. You should be able to serve a shot every 30 seconds to keep the line short and you just won't be able to do that without commercial equipment, full stop.
Catering staff are also not up to this, you need a trained barista or three. Ask if any of the catering companies will do good quality drip in a Technivorm with local beans of your choice (properly ground with something like a Mazzer) - that setup does scale to your needs much better than espresso, it's less technique sensitive and will be far more economical.
posted by slow graffiti at 1:13 PM on September 9, 2013 [2 favorites]
Catering staff are also not up to this, you need a trained barista or three. Ask if any of the catering companies will do good quality drip in a Technivorm with local beans of your choice (properly ground with something like a Mazzer) - that setup does scale to your needs much better than espresso, it's less technique sensitive and will be far more economical.
posted by slow graffiti at 1:13 PM on September 9, 2013 [2 favorites]
One more thing - Nespresso machines are known to have some quality issues on some models and true coffee snobs who know the difference between corto and lungo are not going to be impressed by Nespresso. If you go that route, assume if you have a few machines one will break mid service.
posted by slow graffiti at 1:17 PM on September 9, 2013
posted by slow graffiti at 1:17 PM on September 9, 2013
Response by poster: Awesome answers so far, though not entirely encouraging!
I should probably make clear that it's probably got to be allongés, since the art project it's connected to is called Cafe Allongé. This is also why we put a lot of effort into talking to local coffee people and trying to get a pretty high quality experience. As for volume, the coffee is promoting the project and is separate from the catering for the event. So there might be more demand than any answer could handle, but it's not necessarily our goal to get everyone a coffee.
I've enjoyed many a cup from Nespresso machines, especially when I first encountered them in Europe. But since the project is in part a celebration of local cafes and coffee culture, I'm really resistant to the idea. They'd be brilliant otherwise, since they pretty much solve the clean-up hassle that is what would really slow down the ROK option.
I use an aeropress at home, when I'm not using the ROK. I could buy a couple more of them for less than another ROK, but I'm not sure I can produce something I'm comfortable calling an allongé.
OK, enough from me. Still interested in other ideas, or if you want to talk us out of this. Or do you think I should hire an expert to watch me pull shot after ROK shot and offer critiques until I can at least crank out a few symbolic allongés?
posted by Mngo at 2:03 PM on September 9, 2013
I should probably make clear that it's probably got to be allongés, since the art project it's connected to is called Cafe Allongé. This is also why we put a lot of effort into talking to local coffee people and trying to get a pretty high quality experience. As for volume, the coffee is promoting the project and is separate from the catering for the event. So there might be more demand than any answer could handle, but it's not necessarily our goal to get everyone a coffee.
I've enjoyed many a cup from Nespresso machines, especially when I first encountered them in Europe. But since the project is in part a celebration of local cafes and coffee culture, I'm really resistant to the idea. They'd be brilliant otherwise, since they pretty much solve the clean-up hassle that is what would really slow down the ROK option.
I use an aeropress at home, when I'm not using the ROK. I could buy a couple more of them for less than another ROK, but I'm not sure I can produce something I'm comfortable calling an allongé.
OK, enough from me. Still interested in other ideas, or if you want to talk us out of this. Or do you think I should hire an expert to watch me pull shot after ROK shot and offer critiques until I can at least crank out a few symbolic allongés?
posted by Mngo at 2:03 PM on September 9, 2013
Unless it's abundantly clear that the coffee is being served by artists or is part of the art experience, I don't think you'll get much sympathy from the crowd for what will probably seem like slow service, weird/inconsistent coffee and "What do you mean you can't make me a decaf Americano?!?" Even if it IS abundantly clear, I don't know how much sympathy you'll get. Plus, toting buckets of water across a crowded lobby? Is that going to maybe happen?
I'd encourage you to take up the long distance caterer who's willing to do it. Maybe compromise and ask them if they'd be willing to use local beans.
One more idea: since "the project is in part a celebration of local cafes and coffee culture," why not ask local cafes to come showcase their stuff at mutiple stands? And then you could maybe even have one of your own stands for the allongé experience but without as much pressure to deliver.
posted by purple_bird at 2:20 PM on September 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'd encourage you to take up the long distance caterer who's willing to do it. Maybe compromise and ask them if they'd be willing to use local beans.
One more idea: since "the project is in part a celebration of local cafes and coffee culture," why not ask local cafes to come showcase their stuff at mutiple stands? And then you could maybe even have one of your own stands for the allongé experience but without as much pressure to deliver.
posted by purple_bird at 2:20 PM on September 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
Rent a nespresso machine for the night.
A lot of companies that rent water and coffee machines in office settings have nespresso and comparable espresso pod machines (there's also a popular Lavazza alternative). You may need to wheel and deal a bit on the one night only aspect, but if you're buying 700 pods at the same time they'll probably be willing to work with you.
Alternately, buy a nespresso machine and 700 pods from a vendor and get them to drastically discount the cost of the machine due to the volume of pods.
posted by Sara C. at 2:42 PM on September 9, 2013
A lot of companies that rent water and coffee machines in office settings have nespresso and comparable espresso pod machines (there's also a popular Lavazza alternative). You may need to wheel and deal a bit on the one night only aspect, but if you're buying 700 pods at the same time they'll probably be willing to work with you.
Alternately, buy a nespresso machine and 700 pods from a vendor and get them to drastically discount the cost of the machine due to the volume of pods.
posted by Sara C. at 2:42 PM on September 9, 2013
Also, isn't an allonge the same as a lungo? Any nespresso or comparable pod machine will have a setting for long shots. It's not rocket science.
posted by Sara C. at 2:44 PM on September 9, 2013
posted by Sara C. at 2:44 PM on September 9, 2013
a celebration of local cafes and coffee culture
And no local cafe is willing to help in any way?
posted by Sara C. at 2:49 PM on September 9, 2013
And no local cafe is willing to help in any way?
posted by Sara C. at 2:49 PM on September 9, 2013
I would buy or rent a Lavazza Point pod machine, and then fill your own pods with local coffee using this kit. That combines the convenience of Nespresso, and the snob factor of an artisanal locavore shot.
posted by roofus at 5:42 PM on September 9, 2013
posted by roofus at 5:42 PM on September 9, 2013
Response by poster: Sara C: And no local cafe is willing to help in any way?
Oh, quite the opposite. I just have to correct this impression. The event we're talking about is just a reception for a huge cultural event of which we're one part. And that part is taking place entirely in coffee shops, 16 of them, over 3 months. The coffee folks in this town couldn't be cooler, more helpful, and, at the fancy end, less elitist than the stereotype. Folks love coffee, art, everything, and have been super-helpful.
But their machines weigh hundreds of pounds and cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, and they need them in place and working for the next morning's open. Nobody is in a position to move a machine, even if the art venue could accommodate it. We had high hopes for this really cool coffee cart, but that didn't work out. And possibly the finest coffee spot here is waiting for the arrival of a bespoke portable unit that would have been perfect for this event--but it isn't going to make it on time.
Getting to better know coffee people around here has made me love my town even more.
posted by Mngo at 6:41 PM on September 9, 2013
Oh, quite the opposite. I just have to correct this impression. The event we're talking about is just a reception for a huge cultural event of which we're one part. And that part is taking place entirely in coffee shops, 16 of them, over 3 months. The coffee folks in this town couldn't be cooler, more helpful, and, at the fancy end, less elitist than the stereotype. Folks love coffee, art, everything, and have been super-helpful.
But their machines weigh hundreds of pounds and cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, and they need them in place and working for the next morning's open. Nobody is in a position to move a machine, even if the art venue could accommodate it. We had high hopes for this really cool coffee cart, but that didn't work out. And possibly the finest coffee spot here is waiting for the arrival of a bespoke portable unit that would have been perfect for this event--but it isn't going to make it on time.
Getting to better know coffee people around here has made me love my town even more.
posted by Mngo at 6:41 PM on September 9, 2013
Response by poster: Roofus, I love that suggestion and if I can rent that unit I will consider it. The pods would solve the cleanup/turnaround problem, but I'm not clear about hand-loaded pods--are they air tight, vacuum sealed? or if I prepped a bunch in advance would I basically have ground coffee getting stale while waiting for me to shoot the pod?
posted by Mngo at 6:44 PM on September 9, 2013
posted by Mngo at 6:44 PM on September 9, 2013
Given the scaling issues of serving espresso at any large event, you could also go in more of a symbolic direction and play up the aesthetics of espresso. The ROK is a lovely machine already. Get a bottomless portafilter for it, point a camera at it, and pull shots into Bodum double-wall borosilicate glasses. Play the video live on a large screen next to the setup. Hand out the resulting shots by lottery or something like that.
That way everyone gets to enjoy the more ethereal sensual pleasures of espresso (sight, smell, sound) and a lucky few get to participate in the art by tasting the result. It avoids the issues of impatient or unsatisfied customers. The local coffee shops could donate their best baristas, who could take turns making espresso.
posted by fermion at 7:09 PM on September 9, 2013
That way everyone gets to enjoy the more ethereal sensual pleasures of espresso (sight, smell, sound) and a lucky few get to participate in the art by tasting the result. It avoids the issues of impatient or unsatisfied customers. The local coffee shops could donate their best baristas, who could take turns making espresso.
posted by fermion at 7:09 PM on September 9, 2013
if I prepped a bunch in advance would I basically have ground coffee getting stale while waiting for me to shoot the pod?
As long as you prep the pods within two weeks of grinding freshly roast coffee, this should not be a problem.
I think you're drastically overthinking the required level of perfectness of this coffee service idea.
Frankly I think just using the Lavazza pods would be fine, especially if every other angle of the entire event over several months is going to be closely involved with local coffee culture. The perfect is the enemy of the good. I promise that your audience is not going to put nearly the level of thought into drinking these coffees as you have already put into figuring out how to make the coffee.
That said, about a Lavazza machine: they take a bit of time to do their thing. It probably takes 30 seconds or a minute to get a shot of espresso out of the machine, and the ones I've seen do one shot at a time. For potentially 700 shots of espresso, that's three hours of constant use.
posted by Sara C. at 7:13 PM on September 9, 2013
As long as you prep the pods within two weeks of grinding freshly roast coffee, this should not be a problem.
I think you're drastically overthinking the required level of perfectness of this coffee service idea.
Frankly I think just using the Lavazza pods would be fine, especially if every other angle of the entire event over several months is going to be closely involved with local coffee culture. The perfect is the enemy of the good. I promise that your audience is not going to put nearly the level of thought into drinking these coffees as you have already put into figuring out how to make the coffee.
That said, about a Lavazza machine: they take a bit of time to do their thing. It probably takes 30 seconds or a minute to get a shot of espresso out of the machine, and the ones I've seen do one shot at a time. For potentially 700 shots of espresso, that's three hours of constant use.
posted by Sara C. at 7:13 PM on September 9, 2013
Best answer: In an ideal situation small groups would gather to watch the Baristas-there'd be no long lines and impatient people asking for things you don't have available. I would like to think you could create an experience that is suited to the museum location. You could market your espresso serving as a demonstration of the 'Art' of coffee. Maybe you could have more then one style of machine-showcase human inventiveness. So maybe the question isn't how do you meet the demand of 700 people who are stampeding over each other for a shot of espresso but rather how do you create an experience that slows this down.
posted by W.S (disambiguation) at 11:02 PM on September 9, 2013
posted by W.S (disambiguation) at 11:02 PM on September 9, 2013
Response by poster: Update:
So, what we did was set up a John Henry vs. the machine kind of situation. My collaborator running two Nespresso Pixies (the smallest unit but the fastest re-set time; 1 would have been enough) and me with my trusty Presso. She pulled caf or decaf lungos, I did my favorite local organic fair trade espresso.
I pre-ground the coffee, because I knew that without a fancy grinder I would be hopeless, but I took my vacuum sealer to the shop and sealed all the coffee in small jars. Then I practiced. I got a bottomless portafilter and pulled maybe 100 shots. I'm still appalled by how bad the shots from the bottomless rig are, but I definitely improved a lot, and I learned to scoop 8 grams of this grind with a surprising accuracy and consistency.
We had two helpers who ferried water and spent grounds and helped distribute the promotional materials that were the point of this whole experiment. We offered people caf or decaf, and if they said caf, we offered machine- or hand- made. Most folks chose hand-made and hadn't seen the Presso at work and were impressed. Lots of couples and friends got side-by-side comparisons. We pulled about 200 shots and talked to lots more people, and had the side benefit of being able to give coffee to the catering staff, bartenders, etc.
We never really had a line during the 3-hour reception, and the fact that I chilled out and pulled the shots methodically meant that we had quality time for talking with people about the art event we were promoting (including good press contacts).
The Nespresso shots look beautiful, with thick crema, but I can honestly say I liked my flavor better (or rather the flavor of the roast, from these folks. The people I could identify as real coffee lovers were diplomatic, and luckily none of the baristas involved in the larger project were there!
Sorry for the long comment, just wanted really to say thanks and let you know it went well.
posted by Mngo at 3:16 PM on September 23, 2013 [3 favorites]
So, what we did was set up a John Henry vs. the machine kind of situation. My collaborator running two Nespresso Pixies (the smallest unit but the fastest re-set time; 1 would have been enough) and me with my trusty Presso. She pulled caf or decaf lungos, I did my favorite local organic fair trade espresso.
I pre-ground the coffee, because I knew that without a fancy grinder I would be hopeless, but I took my vacuum sealer to the shop and sealed all the coffee in small jars. Then I practiced. I got a bottomless portafilter and pulled maybe 100 shots. I'm still appalled by how bad the shots from the bottomless rig are, but I definitely improved a lot, and I learned to scoop 8 grams of this grind with a surprising accuracy and consistency.
We had two helpers who ferried water and spent grounds and helped distribute the promotional materials that were the point of this whole experiment. We offered people caf or decaf, and if they said caf, we offered machine- or hand- made. Most folks chose hand-made and hadn't seen the Presso at work and were impressed. Lots of couples and friends got side-by-side comparisons. We pulled about 200 shots and talked to lots more people, and had the side benefit of being able to give coffee to the catering staff, bartenders, etc.
We never really had a line during the 3-hour reception, and the fact that I chilled out and pulled the shots methodically meant that we had quality time for talking with people about the art event we were promoting (including good press contacts).
The Nespresso shots look beautiful, with thick crema, but I can honestly say I liked my flavor better (or rather the flavor of the roast, from these folks. The people I could identify as real coffee lovers were diplomatic, and luckily none of the baristas involved in the larger project were there!
Sorry for the long comment, just wanted really to say thanks and let you know it went well.
posted by Mngo at 3:16 PM on September 23, 2013 [3 favorites]
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Consider that if almost no one is willing to cater these drinks for this event, there's probably a pretty good reason. They're not turning down money just for funsies.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:06 PM on September 9, 2013 [11 favorites]