I think that for people unfamiliar with coffee it would need to be done regionally. For example, Sumatran coffee usually fits a specific dry, earthy, dark profile. Coffee from Kenya is usually creamy and bright with plenty of fruit intensity. Sure, there are exceptions, but in general we expect coffee from those regions sit in those realms. If a coffee doesn’t fit that profile then it can be considered uncharacteristic and therefore still a talking point with the consumer.

How to mark the borders in order to get the best info to the person reading is the tricky bit… sweet/bright, full-bodied/light, rich/mellow???

Just wondering how you would organize coffee names to make this standard and accessible to the un-initiated- by country, area, farm, varietal, method? complicated process leads to the cup profile (without inc. brewing) where do you put the emphasis?

I believe 2 days fermentation, then 2 days in the fridge is pretty much the norm. The only hard bit is getting the sugar level just right.

The raisin thing is interesting, I haven’t heard of that one before.

I would be very curious to try your recipe or something similar, bottling it with sugar and yeast, and letting it carbonate naturally.

Similar to this Ginger Ale recipe::
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Ginger_Ale_Ag0.htm

I’ve also seen recipes that use raisins as a source of yeast (it apparently can usually be found on the skin).

peace,
-Alex

Essentially it comes down to the fact that spirit choice simply doesn’t occupy a lot of head space to the average punter, and the average punter isn’t interested enough to learn. So broadcast ads for big brands simply try and get across one very simple message or tone, e.g. latin.

Big brands do try and do authenticity, an example is Jack Daniels, who tell fluffy brand stories in a way so consumers think “dedication, original american stuff”.

For the smaller subset of consumers who really care about their spirits, TV and bus stop posters aren’t a good way of reaching them – firstly because you can only convey very little info in a TV ad, and secondly because it’s very expensive to reach onyl a few customers.

So increasingly, brands are trying to target “influencers” – the kind of customers who know a little and will tell their friends which brands are authentic or not – with different kinds of communication – using web, direct mail, PR and so on.

Having started importing our own cachaca, Abelha, it’s been a completely different ball game. no big marketing budget, no brand values powerpoint presentation, just us. It’s very refreshing, but a lot of hard work.

I find the US market a weird place when it comes to category splits.
Is Ketel One a “super premium” or an “ultra premium”? Surely at this level of whatever premium status it has TV advertising is not appropriate. When did we last see an advert for a private jet on TV? I thought the whole idea of seeding an aspirational brand is to maintain an element of mystery and elusiveness. I know all products eventually reach a level of critical mass and feel the need to ‘roll out’, but as an original fan of Ketel One I would hate to find myself in a social situation where a person I have little to no respect for starts barking on about this fantastic new product he’d seen on TV. “it’s called Ketel One. Have you heard of it? I think its vodka”

Oh dear I’ll be drinking Gin from now on.

The problem is that a large majority of bartenders don’t feel inclined, or don’t have the confidence to advise a customer on their purchase. And I don’t think that a sudden lack of advertising would give them the kick up the arse required for them to form a relevant opinion.

I suspect that in a market where the customer feels disconnected from the suggestion of brand due to restricted advertising, and the bartender couldn’t give a crap, the result will be further alienation for the consumer.

Perhaps it would be the kick up the arse that mediocre bartending in the UK needs though?

Please try to remember a great brand you discovered by advertising? Now think about a great drink you heard about through a friend or a bartender?

What if, you walked into a new bar, and didn’t recognise all the products behind it from the tv, and so had to actually engage your friendly bar-keep in conversation about what might be good; and instead of them just repeating the easiest answer possible, because they too have watched and absorbed brand images a hundred times on tv, they actually had to think about it, and actually recommend something they thought you might like?

What if you travelled to different parts of the world, or even just the UK, and people drank different things, because they liked different things; some because they were local, and some through happy circumstance?

Big or small, you stand or fall on what people think about you, rather than what they are urged/told/brainwashed to think about you.

Just a thought,,,