After two weeks of set-up and soft opening, I’m proud to say that I’ve been busy creating an excellent coffee corner inside the Market Garden supermarket in Simpson bay, Sint Maarten. My mission is to show that excellent coffee is possible, even when you grind beans on-demand.
I have helped them design the shop’s workflow and set-up. I told them where to place the machine for best customer contact and how much room a barista needs to work efficiently and comfortably. They bought an espresso machine in the US but didn’t know how to configure the machine. So I calibrated the amount of water, ground coffee, found a sweet spot and frothed milk from the many different milk or milk-substitutes that the supermarket caters. I asked for a Mazzer Super Jolly grinder but they were impossible to get on time, so I’m making due with what I’ve got. The Baratza Forte AP with ceramic burrs is a great machine though!
I am currently sourcing some espresso beans on the island to try and make a damn good espresso. The cafe will be working with Starbucks beans and they’ve already sourced too many to get rid of, so that’s what it is. However, it’s fine for Cappuccino and other milk coffees, iced coffee and frappuccino. Given the island’s taste, that is what sells the most anyway. But for the few coffee gourmands and espresso fans, it’s trivial to get a couple of kilos of great medium roast natural processed beans and please them too. And who knows… maybe I can convert a few of them 🙂
Christian Peper 