Question for Kevin- In Tripio, Jay is frustrated by the expectation that all the espresso shots had to be between 18-23 seconds. Did Howard Behar, Howard Schultz really believe all the pours were to specifications? Even on 1,000 customer mornings?
Answer-1-1.25 fluid ounces including. crema made from 7 grams of espresso blend in 18-24 seconds.” All these years later, that mantra immediately comes to mind. But of course it was a standard, an ideal, not something that anyone thought was being consistently achieved. But we did try, by giving baristas the best possible equipment (e.g. 4 group automatic La Marzoccos, well-made grinders) and good training that the potential for consistent excellence was there.
Of course if Starbucks had really wanted to put quality first it would never have let the espresso drink menu grow beyond espresso, cappuccino, caffe latte and caffe mocha in 2-3 sizes and would have doubled down on making those drinks the best they could be.
Tripio Excerpt- “Dennis did fine with me walking him through it. I kept the three drinks on the shelf under the counter and out of sight just in case a customer ordered on the next minute or so. Who needs to know? I would let Boston Dennis find his own shortcuts. I truly cared about making the drinks right, every time. But also know it wasn’t done because it was not possible. It just wasn’t. It was too time consuming. We had to get the lines out the door. The money in the tills. That wasn’t going to happen as often as the Cosmodemonic* wanted if we timed every fucking shot. I think I had more trouble reconciling that than most. Oh well, let Boston Dennis deal with it in his own way. Since today was what mattered to me and hopefully to Katherine, I preached the gospel of the Master Roast, by the book.”
*In Tripio, Jay refers to Starbucks as the Cosmodemonic Coffee Company
Comment now or think it over-both would be appreciatiated.