speak.to

Iced Espresso? (!!!) There are lots of iced coffee drinks you might enjoy more; if you want the flavor of an espresso roast it might be better to make it as americano or drip, and better still to choose a coffee and process specifically for icing.

Too bad the fussy barista at Murky Coffee in Arlington didn't say something like that when he was asked for an iced espresso. He said no. It was against their policy. The customer wasn't too happy, and after a few more words and other beverages, he left a dollar in the tip jar with the message "Fuck you and your precious coffee policy" written on it. Then he started blogging about it with a funny story, illustrating how he felt with a clip of Jack Nicholson at a diner in Five Easy Pieces. The story began to spin out-of-control and over-the-top as it was reported all over, from The Washington Post to Reuters India, along with many bloggers, pilers-on, and enormous numbers of people leaving comments. Murky Coffee's owner Nick Cho responded with a letter to the customer on the front page of Murky's web site that ended "if you ever show your face at my shop, I'll punch you in your dick." Instant Internet Phenomenon.

So Nick is a colorful guy; but he and Murky are still highly respected by many people. He initially claimed that the policy of no icing espresso was "Mostly for quality reasons," but latter admitted in an exchange with me on the CoffeeGeek web site, that the main objective of the policy was to discourage the abuse of Murky's complimentary dairy products. The kerfuffle wasn't about the coffee.

The story really seemed to resonate with many people who saw a false dichotomy where the barista/customer was the hero/villain. There were points on both sides that I wanted to love, but that was all run off the tracks and dashed over the rocks by these guys.

I just couldn't understand what could be so-very-wrong about icing espresso, and I discovered a great article about iced coffee in Imbibe magazine, where Murky's roaster says "When espresso rubs up next to ice cubes, things can sour, literally. But with good technique, skilled baristas can make great tasting iced espresso." So it isn't sacrilege or impossible.

Setting policies for stuff like this just prevents your employees from using and developing their own good judgment and communication skills. Coffee and customer are both important; choosing one at the expense of the other is foolish and unnecessary.

And after all, who wants to hear do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?