A Joyride Coffee Tasting FAQ

The way we like to introduce potential customers to our products is through a free in-office tasting.

Tasting at Knewton

But what exactly a tasting is, is a bit of a mystery to most people.  The norm in the coffee industry is a cupping, but to be honest, while these give the clearest understanding of a coffee, they don't really give people a taste of how their coffee will go down on a day-to-day basis. So then what is a tasting?  For this, I think an FAQ format is best.

What Coffee will we try at a tasting?  How will it be prepared?

In terms of the coffee, a tasting will  consist of three different roasts; one from each of our roasters.  We will usually have a Latin, an African and a blend.  For example, recently we have been doing a Dallis Brothers Sertao Yellow Bourbon from Brazil, a Stumptown Ethiopian Mordecofe and a Blue Bottle Bella Donovan blend. These coffees are prepared on a Chemex pour-over.  We use Chemexes because they allow us to get a very clean cup, and they mimic the way that coffee is brewed when prepared with our office equipment. In the summer months, we also bring a sample of our in-house cold brew.  Cold-brew carries all the potency of coffee, with a fraction of the acidity.  We'll give tasting notes on the coffees, and describe what traits makes them special, such as different single-origin coffees, single-varietal coffees and Direct trade coffee sourcing.  We'll also  go into the process of how coffee goes from being a little red cherry on a plant in Latin America, to a delicious brown liquid in an office in New York.

What Equipment options do you offer?

We offer coffee equipment for offices from ten to a thousand employees.  We have options that are direct plumbed, and ones that are filled by carafe.  You can look at our coffee equipment options here.  We also offer water cooler solutions for offices of all sizes.

Barrel Tasting

What do we need on our End?

Our baristas will come fully prepared.  All we need is a water source, a table and two outlets.

How long is a tasting?

A tasting takes about half an hour sandwiched between a 15 minutes setup and a 15 minutes break-down.

How many people can come to a tasting?

We have done tastings for 3 people and 300 people.  These events can be as big or small, formal or informal as you like.

Is there any cost or commitment?

Nope!  The tasting is totally free and there is no commitment.  Even if you go with us, we don't have a contract.  We don't believe in them!  We think that our beans should speak for themselves and if you aren't happy, you should be able to walk away.

Tasting at Percolate