The Espro milk jug - this is to help those who need some experience in foaming milk for cappuccino, and you can find this in the latest espresso warehouse catalogue, out mid-October 2007.  The unusual aspect of the jug is that it is designed with a little dimple in the bottom, which assists in the movement of the milk while being foamed.

We asked the company's Gary McGann about it:

“I did a lot of research on milk-foaming jugs, and something that came out very strongly was the idea that ‘the one you’re used to is the one for you’.  The truth is, people said, that the secret is in your technique.

“However, the truth is also that this jug is super for people starting out and learning to foam. It shortens their learning curve dramatically… so much so that when we had only the prototype here, we had to stop it from being pinched.

“It is all a matter of physics. The dimple in the bottom assists in creating the tornado, or vortex. If you foam a lot of milk, you will be used to the tilt you need, and you will recognize the sound of what your milk is doing… if you’re starting out, you don’t. This jug helps you create the right movement in your milk, and get used to what you should be doing, faster.”

There is a downside, we think, in that it is only one size. This means that if you are a very high-end espresso establishment, and you foam for each cappuccino you make, it’s great – if you’re a production-line café that foams for a whole line of drinks coming through, then probably, no!

http://www.espressowarehouse.com/

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Wi-fi - how should a cafe now charge for it, or should it be free? See Club Wifi.

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Selecto, a new brand of water filters brought in by Fast Food Systems of Reading.   45,000 cafes in the USA use them, we're told. See Selecto

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The Tidy-T

The Tidy-T is from Adminex of Witham in Essex, and was invented by the company's MD, who travels widely and, when served a cup of tea with the tea-bag still in it, could never make up his mind what to do with the used bag.

Adminex is part of a worldwide ceramics and china group, so he devised this mug and saucer idea.  The saucer has a deep recess in the base, and when the tea is brewed, the user lifts the bag out (it usually has a string tag, of course), pops it in the recess, and can then sit the mug back in place.   This overcomes the problem of the tea-bag dripping everywhere.

Adminex is providing useful point of sale material, which shows customers exactly how to use the item.  There is also a useful little paper tray which sits in the recess and makes it abundantly clear what the user is to do!

Details:

+44 (0)1621 891501

sales@adminex.net
 

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Urban espresso's tea trolley

Urban Espresso, the company formed by Dominic Boyett to produce real-coffee solutions in the corporate workplace, has re-invented the tea trolley.
The concept of a 'truly mobile refreshment solution on the office floor', has been put in place by two banks and a TV station, and UE predicts it will see the return of the corporate tea-lady service. The choice of coffee is either in-cup soluble through an onboard water dispenser, or filter coffee dispensed from pump-action thermos flasks - Dominic Boyett reports that every corporate customer so far is going for the fresh-filter option.
Urban Espresso is also promoting the trade charity Coffee Kids to corporate buyers.

The Espro

The Tidy-T

july-sept 07

Urban espresso's trolley