Quality coffee the new frontier for hosts

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As if hosting a dinner party wasn’t stressful enough, it’s now more
than likely you’ve invited a coffee snob to dinner and they are judging
you, according to new research.

Thanks to the high quality coffee many Australians have come to
expect as standard from cafes, this expectation has trickled down into
the home, with 87 per cent of Australians viewing someone a better host
if they can make a cup of coffee exactly how they like it.

Results from a survey commissioned by Nespresso and conducted by
Galaxy Research in July 2014, paint Australians as a picky bunch when
ordering their coffees; from the sample of 1,175 coffee drinkers across
Australia, the survey identified 1,001 different ways people like their
coffee to be made, based on  preferred coffees, milk types and specific
orders.

Eighty-seven (87) per cent of Australians admitted to giving specific
instructions when ordering their coffees, with everything from strong
or double shot (42 per cent) to not too hot (15 per cent).

“These days, it’s not just about the quality of the food and wine at a
dinner party,” said Karsten Ranitzsch, head of coffee for Nespresso.
“People have high expectations when it comes to their coffee and rightly
so.

“There is nothing more annoying than finishing a nice meal with a bad
coffee! Preference is personal and individual and people expect a
quality coffee wherever they are.  Nespresso offers 22 Grands Crus
coffees all with noticeable differences in intensity or aromas to cater
to every taste.”

With some respondents answering the survey a little more honestly
than they would their host, 67 per cent said they would spend longer at a
friend or family member’s house if they offered a good coffee and 41
per cent would be more likely to visit their house again. One in three
said they would refuse to drink an instant coffee if offered.

In the past Nespresso and Jura have encouraged cooking with coffee to impress guests, and with the
importance of aesthetics — especially colour — impacting coffee machine
design, consumers are considering them as much a statement piece as an
appliance.

These survey results and market trends provide retailers with an insight into the kind of customer looking for a coffee machine.

Nespresso’s Head of Coffee, Karsten Ranitzsch’s top 5 tips for at-home baristas:

1. Get frothy – The density of froth changes depending on the type of
   milk used. Milk with a high fat content makes a richer and denser
   froth, whereas milk with a low fat content will make a lighter, more
   aerated froth.
2. Learn the language – Impress your guests with your coffee
   knowledge. A Caffé Latte in Italian simply means ‘coffee and milk’,
   while the word Macchiato literally translates as ‘stained’, meaning to
   make the coffee with a stain of milk.
3. Create new tasting experiences – Try adding coffee to sweet and
   savoury recipes, whether it’s a simple Affogato for dessert or as part
   of a savoury dish.
4. Serve wisely – The design, size and shape of your coffee cup can
   improve the coffee-drinking experience, as the shape has an impact on
   the structure and consistency of the crema.  For espresso, serve in a
   small cup made of porcelain or glass and for coffee with milk, use a
   taller glass.
5. A perfect match – When pairing coffee with snacks, coffee should
   enhance the flavour not overpower it.  The trick is to look for
   complementary flavour notes, so pair strong coffee with intense, rich
   treats such as dark chocolate and mild blends with delicate snacks like
   puff pastry.