Monday 18 April 2011

Can we make it easier for customers?

Here's a post from a coffee roaster's blog, describing a coffee he has just roasted.
Cranberry, orange zest, clean, soft body, sweet butter and popcorn fragrance. This is a very subtly complex coffee. The aromatics are dense with sharp fruit and nut, however, the cup tends to be quite soft.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not out to be negative, but when an average man/woman comes across someone describing coffee in this way, there is no way on earth they can relate to it. It intimidates them. It even annoys some people (how on earth can the cup be soft?). Importantly, it pushes them away from speciality coffee, right into the arms of high street chain selling coffee that is crap, but at least it's not confusing.

Some people think that's fine. Let's keep good coffee for those who want to learn, they might say. But personally I don't want good coffee to be niche. I want it to the norm.

OK, we need terminology within the coffee industry to enable coffee afficionados to communicate with each other effectively. But we also need to help customers enjoy better coffee in a way that they can understand and embrace. It doesn't mean dumbing down, it means clever communication.

Just a thought!

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