OK enough of the Sopranos – think I am obsessed. Lets get back to the Coffee Shop!

When I tell people that I am planning on opening a coffee shop, the question I get asked the most is ‘so what is your hook, what makes it different?’. This is a tricky questions to answer. I don’t intend on opening a café for cats, or somewhere that only serves coffee in miniature trilby’s (just you wait this will happen some day!). I am not looking for the next craze, I want to run a Coffee Shop that (Gasp) focuses on Coffee.

I want to create an Urban Coffee shop that serves the best Coffee and food in Surrey, full stop!  A big dream, but you have to go BIG or why bother at all.

I want it to have an urban feel, stripped back Walls, exposed brick, maybe some graffiti on the wall (hopefully supplied by my friend Dix – haven’t asked her yet!). Mis-matched furniture, unusual seating – as far away from the generic Starbucks and Costa’s where it is the same no matter where you are. I just want to make a place that looks cool, is comfortable and also stands out. A real influence has been this place – Freestate Coffee

Décor is undeniably important and we have some great ideas how to make this really sing, but at its heart it will be the coffee machine and grinder, and the skills of the Barista that will be the first thing to get right.

Now I would consider myself an Amateur when it comes to knowledge of Coffee. I have the passion, which is a start. I can use a Barista machine and a grinder and I can, (kind of) froth the milk. More importantly though I have a basic understanding of the process from bean to cup and I am slowly developing a palate.

Sure, there is a long way to go, loads more to learn, courses to take, people to speak to and books to read. I feel that in understanding the process and appreciating how it works when the time is right I will be able to put together a set up that will produce fantastic coffee – fingers crossed anyway.

Alongside the Coffee will be the food and this is where I am already focusing a lot of attention – and I have a few ideas up the sleeve that I hope will make the place stand out from the crowd – and answer the question – ‘how are you different?’

To be continued …

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