I did a cover shift at a local cafe and I was sorely reminded of how irritating they can be to use. As standard, we weigh every dose using both portafilters (blend), and dosing cups (s/origin). I found it quite irritating that any misplacement or bump would trigger the tare or change modes or units.

I know that muscle memory helps to reduce these mishaps over time but I can't help but feel there must be a better way. I can recount far too many times when a I've made pourovers and a stray water drop or bump could mess up my entire brew.

The latency between tarring, dosing, and making micro adjustments becomes quite noticible for me especially when I have to handle a high volume of coffee during peak.

I know GBW grinders like the mahlkonigs or izagas can manage these issues but I haven't really seen any solutions for this in any smart scale world.

What do you guys think?

I recently hosted a public cupping at a local cafe and it was wonderful having the coffee community gather and vibe out together but I can't help but feel there must be a better way.

I would love to get some insight into how other people are running cuppings and thoughts on how I can improve future events.

Event Overview:

• 30-35 person event
• 2 tables, each with 8 coffees or 14-16 bowls + 8 cleaning bowls
• First timers were taken to the side and given a quick demo
• Space was about the size of a two car garage

Key Challenges:

Cupping Table Traffic Jams

Challenge:

• Congestion at the tables was the major issue. People didn't seem to be moving around the table after tasting an we were often at a standstill even when my co-host and I urged people to move.
• It looked like a mix of people was waiting from the person ahead to move and/or stopping to consider or discuss the coffee first.
• I got feedback from others that this took away from their experience as not everyone was able to taste the coffee at its different temperatures.
• People who worked in the industry did seem to get the memo but they were also the ones who waited for the first group of people to taste first and did miss out on some coffees.

Potential solutions:

• Reduce no. of tickets available but congestion can still be in issue at larger events.
• Instead of rotating around each table, perhaps a straight line or a longer table?
• We could be more explicit when announcing house rules

I would like to maintain the casual feel of the cupping and avoid sounding like a drill sergeant :')

Recording coffees + the event:
I have always found it difficult to keep a good pace when cupping and record my thoughts + coffees + photos.

We decided to create a public drive folder to make recording the event a group effort. We would upload a simple catalogue with pictures of all the coffees at the event and their order at the table. The main folder allows everyone to upload pictures/video that they took to create a communal album of the event.

Preventing coffee from entering freezer limbo
We dosed and vacuum sealed the remaining coffee to sell and give away as prizes. I would probably looking into another alternative as the amount of time it too to pack everything was not worth it but dosing tubes are also expensive :(

TLDR: How do we prevent human traffic jams at the table and keep casual cuppings fun?

I've been collecting the left over beans that aren't enough to brew a full serve in a jar to make a franken-blend which normally yields mixed results. Looking for some inspiration on what else I could to with them.

Thoughts?