Serving the best coffee isn’t as simple as it seems. There are many different factors to consider for a consistently perfect cup of coffee. Whether this is the type of coffee bean you choose, your storage technique, the time you grind the beans, and your preparation method, finding the perfect combination can be fundamental to making your business flourish and improve coffee sales.

Find the right coffee

If you want to serve up the very best coffee experience, you can’t just do it with any old coffee bean. The two main types of coffee beans commonly used are Arabica and Robusta. Each of these beans has a different flavour profile and is suited for different types of coffee drinks. For example, Arabica coffee has a full body and lower acidity; it is best served hot without any milk for the flavours to be fully appreciated. Arabica coffee is more suitable for espressos and Americanos.

Robusta coffee has a heavier body and also has a low acidity; it is commonly associated with having hints of chocolate in its flavour profile. This type of coffee works well with milk and sugar and is the popular choice for making cold coffee drinks, lattes and cappuccinos.

It is important that you don’t fall into the trap of choosing the cheapest beans out there in an attempt to make more money per cup. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make for your business and can be detrimental in the impression you make on your coffee drinking customers.  Customers will certainly taste a difference in the coffee, and if you don’t show pride in the cup you are serving, they will be unlikely to return in future.

Older, outdated coffee beans provide a bitter and tasteless cup of coffee, so it is important that your coffee has a roasted-on date and not just a best-before date.

See our amazing range of coffee types that are available for you to order.

When to grind

It can be tempting to run a grind in the morning leaving you with nothing but ground coffee to serve throughout the day to your customers but this can result in a stale taste to your coffee by the middle of the day.

Grind only what you need, when you need it ensuring that the drinks you serve are as fresh as possible and your customers will see this.

The added benefit is each time you grind your coffee beans the aroma will be released into the environment, meaning that visitors to your coffee shop will smell the coffee – adding to that all-important sensory experience.

With this being said, buying whole beans instead of pre-ground beans from a supplier is much more encouraged. Having whole beans that you grind onsite allows you to preserve the aroma of the coffee and give you a fresher and high-quality cup of coffee.

Where to store your beans

Coffee beans are best stored in room temperature and in an airtight container. Although you may be tempted to display your coffee beans in see-through containers, exposure to light can comprise the taste of your coffee. Thus, storing them in an opaque container is more recommended.

Another common mistake made is storing coffee beans in the fridge.  This is not advised as the constant cool/thaw cycle that beans are subjected to in a fridge result in moisture build-up inside the package affecting both taste and consistency. Putting coffee beans in the fridge ages the coffee faster.

Much like storing coffee beans in the fridge, storing them in the freezer is not much better. Coffee absorbs aromatics, so the coffee beans might take on the flavour of your freezer and its contents; which is not something anyone wants to taste in their coffee.

Serve with a smile

Perhaps the most important point of them all; serve your customers with a smile. Friendly customer service goes a long way and can be the underlining difference between customers returning back to your business and they never visiting again.

Making customers feel like they are remembered by treating them like a regular can make your café or coffee shop a much more special and memorable experience for the customer.

Remaining open to criticism can also ensure you continually improve your service and please your future visitors.

When all of these components align, you can be sure that your business really is serving the best coffee. Explore our range of commercial coffee machines, selected to ensure high-quality output that suits your business needs.