Hello

Ive noticed when watching travel and foodshows visiting fancy restaurants, that the espresso machines and grinders are always bad or less ideal. I wont name any restaurants, but almost all the michelin restaurants ive seen it in. Whats up with that? The cooks are top of the line, the cutlery is top of the line, the copperware are top of the line, but the coffee equipment is meh at best. Ofc i havent been able to taste coffee but just judging from the equipment.

Do you guys have any experience with the coffee from fancy places? It would be especially fun hearing about coffee experience in michelin star restaurants.

Not to mention if they actually do have a high end machine, its usually paired with a grinder 1/20 of the price

Coffee is not usually a priority at high end restaurants, or any restaurants for that matter.

I've never had bad coffee with haute cuisine. Predictable, yes, not third-wave, definitely, but never bad. For example, if you're having Crème Brûlée, then you'd want a rich coffee with deep dark chocolate notes to complement ...

In more modern cuisine, there is crossover. For example, IIRC, Noma uses Tim Wendelboe and Thomas Keller uses Equator.

Thats whats really weird. Coz usually everything is done with the upmost care in every aspect at michelin starred restaurants. Probably every guest order coffee, i would say its a big part of the experience dining out. Also people know what good coffee taste like, as its not uncommon getting good coffee at cafes

baldheadracing wrote:I've never had bad coffee with haute cuisine. Predictable, yes, not third-wave, definitely, but never bad.

High end restaurants employ cooks, waitstaff, and dishwashers. It's rare to see a high end restaurant with a barista on staff. The coffee is decent enough but nothing to write home about.

Mitch will explain the details:

I've been to a number of Michelin restaurants all of which have lacked 3rd wave coffee. Personally, I think the fusion of coffee and food is a good next step for some of these restaurants. What's holding that possibility back? One idea I had in mind was the lack of demand at night for good espresso. Perhaps things could change if people viewed decaf differently.

larscoffee wrote:I've been to a number of Michelin restaurants all of which have lacked 3rd wave coffee. Personally, I think the fusion of coffee and food is a good next step for some of these restaurants. What's holding that possibility back?

You're right of course. In most high end restaurants the wait staff is usually responsible for coffee service. If the restaurant has a bartender on staff, they often end up making coffee. In both cases you have drip coffee that's serviceable, but not exciting.

Noma in Copenhagen has made an effort to up their coffee game. There was an article about it back in 2014 at Spudge

Lack of space. Lack of demand. Lack of return on investment. I recall reading some years ago that Nespresso was in something like 30% of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe (and was aiming for more), and I wasn't surprised: it takes up little space, it takes no skill or training, it doesn't require one more item that will go stale, and it is reliably good enough, which at that point in the experience might be a good thing, if it is the last thing the diner is tasting before facing the bill!

Trop_de_Cafe wrote:Lack of space. Lack of demand. Lack of return on investment.

Yes, yes, and yes.