KLLR Coffee Blog

Growing the KLLR Team: Welcome, Tim Hibbs!

by Tim Cox

Growing the KLLR Team: Welcome, Tim Hibbs!

As an organization, KLLR is built around a philosophy that the people making up the company are the crux of everything else.

Passionate people take pride in doing a good job.

Determined people stay around longer.

Talented people attract other talented people and then work together in ways that enable the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Empowered people yield better results – and make tastier coffee.

Better people; better coffee.

Posted in business, coffee, growth, KLLRCoffee, leadership, managment, Staffing, strategy, team, teamwork

Equipment We Love pt. 1 - Our Approach

by Tim Cox

Equipment We Love pt. 1 - Our Approach

We’ve all heard the old saying, “you can’t please all the people all of the time.” It’s true for just about everything. It’s definitely true for espresso machines.

Hardly a coffee tradeshow occurs without some new, flashy piece of gear debuting to a mixture of “ooh”s and “ah”s from the coffee trend seekers and suspicion from the barista old-schoolers. 

At times, it can feel hard to keep up with.

Is it form or function?

What inevitable first-generation bugs will there be?

It’s different… is it better?

Posted in coffee, equipment, espresso, espressomachine, KLLR, s-series, s200, synesso

KLLR Tea pt. II - Tea at Home

by Tim Cox

KLLR Tea pt. II - Tea at Home

In our last blog, we learned a little bit about what tea is as a beverage and as an agricultural product. To follow up on that, in this blog we are going to explore the variables to consider when brewing tea, some general guidelines for brewing tea, and a recipe-specific tutorial of one of our favorite teas here at KLLR Coffee.
Posted in at home, beverages, coffee, guide, how-to, instructional, KLLR, tea

KLLR Tea pt. 1 – A Primer on Tea

by Tim Cox

KLLR Tea pt. 1 – A Primer on Tea

In a recent blog, we gave some tips for brewing coffee at home, reasoning that when we are stuck at home, or otherwise unable to get to a great café, that shouldn’t stop one from enjoying a great cup of coffee. 

True that.  

But there are certainly other factors that make the walks and drives to our favorite cafes worth it. Among them: variety. The coffee shops we frequent, more often than not, after all, serve non-coffee products as well. Maybe this is a snazzy signature drink that wouldn’t have occurred to you (more on this to come), or maybe it’s a great tea for your non-coffee-drinking-friend (or yourself – no one said you had to drink coffee ALL the time, right?).

Posted in black-tea, coffee, dark-tea, espresso, green-tea, guide, how-to, oolong, puerh, tea, tea-preparation, tisane, white-tea

Beyond the Bean: The Business of Coffee

by Tim Cox

Beyond the Bean: The Business of Coffee

“Consulting, and really all of our non-coffee services, came up because we were looking to solve problems," admits Hobbs. "The more successful our customers -especially exclusives - are the more successful we are, so we do everything we can to support them.”
Posted in business, coffee, consulting, finance, management, marketing, relationships, social media, strategy

Clean Coffee - Cleaning & Storing Coffee Equipment During COVID-19

by Tim Cox

Clean Coffee - Cleaning & Storing Coffee Equipment During COVID-19

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic, business, and personal activities of the world have been unlike anything seen in modern times. The implications for small-businesses have been particularly impactful – and at times ambiguous. For small businesses, weathering the storm has been difficult but, entrepreneurs being scrappy as resourceful as they are, many have found ways to make do and keep their doors open. Others have had to make the difficult decision to close up shop until the end of this ordeal. Regardless, one question has remained for everyone: how long?
Posted in clean, coffee, coronavirus, equipment, espresso, how-to, maintenance, pandemic, safety, sanitize, storage

Brewing Better at Home

by Tim Cox

Brewing Better at Home

As the average coffee consumer becomes more familiar with the concept of “specialty coffee” we can observe the spread of great coffee past the walls of the cafes frequented by enthusiasts and into their home kitchens. There’s a lot to be said for the capability of enjoying a great cup of coffee within the comforts of your own home – and it’s easier than ever to do so. Additionally, if you’re reading this anywhere near the time of publications (March 2020), you’re probably spending more time than normal at home. 
Posted in coffee, home, homecoffee, howto, pourover

Pouring in a Pandemic

by Tim Cox

Pouring in a Pandemic

There is no way to prevent exposure to all germs and we can’t all stay home 24/7 – or live our lives in a bubble – but by following the guidelines provided heree and encouraging your customers to do so as well, we can take what steps are available to us to keep our cafes safe and open.
Posted in cafe, cleanliness, coffee, coronavirus, covid-19, events, prepare, safety

Table Talk: Creating Community Engagement With Public Cuppings

by Tim Cox

Table Talk: Creating Community Engagement With Public Cuppings

"Engagement with customers beyond simple coffee service is an area where more shops are falling short than are excelling - and it can be a huge missed opportunity."
Posted in coffee, community, communityengagement, cupping, education, events, retail, specialtycoffee

Training in Your Café Pt. 2 – Train the Trainer

by Tim Cox

Training in Your Café Pt. 2 – Train the Trainer

In our last blog post, we discussed reasons why quality training is essential for a successful coffee program and the importance of implementing an intentional, in-house training program. In this blog we are going to introduce a concept that will make your in-house training program more economical, more effective, and easier to manage.
Posted in coffee, Development, education, Employment, KLLR, management, Quality, trainer, training

Training in Your Cafe Pt. 1 - Why Train?

by Tim Cox

Training in Your Cafe Pt. 1 - Why Train?

This blog explores the importance of implementing and maintaining a high-quality, internal training program.
Posted in coffee, Consistency, Development, Employment, KLLR, Quality, SCA, Staffing, Texas Coffee School, training

US Coffee Championships 2020 Recap

by Tim Cox

US Coffee Championships 2020 Recap

Last weekend, Track One in Nashville, TN hosted the largest qualifying event for U.S. Coffee Championships of the year. The only event to host all ...
Posted in 2020, CIGS, Recap, US Coffee Championship