Unfortunately, coffee quality lags behind in mainstream gastronomy – even in fine dining. At the same time, the expectations and knowledge of coffee drinkers are rising. What are the reasons for this? In search of explanations with Julian Graf (Cafetier Suisse), Andreas Caminada (Schloss Schauenstein) and Claude Stahel (Black&Blaze)
Few restaurant operators realize that it's time to make better coffee. "The days when coffee simply works are definitely over," Julian Graf from the industry association Cafetier Suisse tells me.
Guests are becoming more discerning, yet many establishments invest too little in coffee quality, even though there are now various options available. In my conversation with Julian Graf, I was surprised to learn that coffee consumption in Swiss gastronomy is declining – which I see as a positive warning signal for the industry.
But there are also extremely positive exceptions – Andreas Caminada roasts his specialty coffee himself at Schloss Schauenstein and serves top-quality coffee where you'd expect it: in Michelin-starred restaurants. But even he belongs to a minority. Why is coffee quality still not where it could be in many places?
Laziness and lack of courage
The word "laziness" keeps coming up in conversations regarding efforts around coffee. There's simply much more potential. Many invest in machines, according to Graf, but training lags behind. And no matter how chic the whole setup is, if the coffee itself is not of high quality, then no good coffee comes out of the machine either.
"Whoever tries to save on roasted coffee makes their mistake in calculation somewhere else."
Julian Graf, Managing Director Cafetier Suisse
This calculation error is even made where we should expect the best coffee: in Michelin-starred restaurants. There, capsule coffee is served with seemingly great conviction. It's a complete mismatch, you'd think. And yet there are quite a few Michelin-starred chefs who rely on Nespresso.
Fortunately, there are exceptions: Andreas Caminada, together with Claude Stahel, the founder of Black&Blaze, has built the "smallest roastery in the world." The two of them roast the "Atelier Caminada" coffee there under co-branding and sell it on site, as well as at Jelmoli.
Stahel and Caminada discussed at length how they could put specialty coffee in the spotlight, explain it, but not scare away their guests. Caminada rightly said in the conversation:
It makes sense – specialty coffee simply has to be here. If not here, where else?
Andreas Caminada, 3-Michelin-starred chef
Conversation partners in this podcast:
- Julian Graf, Managing Director Cafetier Suisse
- Andreas Caminada, Michelin-starred chef
- Claude Stahel, Founder Black & Blaze Coffee
–
Music: Free Music Archive, Focus by A.A.Alto, Creative Commons
