Hotels guests are becomingly increasingly demanding about the heritage, preparation and taste of their morning coffee. Hotels guests are becomingly increasingly demanding about the heritage, preparation and taste of their morning coffee.

Q: HOW MUCH EMPHASIS SHOULD HOTELS PLACE ON USING EXPERT COFFEE BARISTAS AND TEA SOMMELIERS?
Zaman: A lot! Having an expert will not only ensure that the hotel serves the perfect cup of tea or coffee but also the “experience” along with it. Both of these together will determine if the guest will keep coming back for more.

Yurkina: Tea and coffee culture is growing rapidly in the region and we have witnessed an 85% growth in coffee consumption in GCC for the past few years with more and more franchises taking the market by storm. This has in turn forced hotels to step up their game and turn to professional baristas and tea sommeliers for assistance in order to remain competitive.

Jones: I would love to see a lot more emphasis on this especially as the average consumer is becoming more educated, but unfortunately, it is often a commercial decision over a quality decision.

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Coffee is often the first and last interaction a guest will have with a hotel from the first thing they drink in the morning with breakfast to the last thing after dinner at night. This can leave a lasting impression with the guests if the coffee is not well prepared.

A well trained barista can ensure that the guest leaves with a positive, satisfied impression of a great quality coffee.

Biedenkopf: In my opinion it is absolutely necessary for any five-star hotel to have a tea sommelier. Tea, especially in our region, is consumed all day from the early morning to a late night herbal cup. Hotels that live a service culture therefore need a “tea specialist” for this widely used product.

Somebody with a passion for tea and its fascinating culture, who wants to extend his knowledge about the product, is the ideal candidate for our ‘TeaMaster’ programme, Silver and Gold.

The training programme qualifies staff to develop sophisticated tea concepts, to create tea collections that match the needs of the different F&B outlets and to act as a “train-the trainer” in-house.

Taking care of the correct handling of tea and its equipment as well as its proper maintenance is also important in the daily operation. I believe that the ‘TeaMaster’ is as important as a wine sommelier as we have so many different teas from different countries and production methods.

Billingham: Hotels should ensure that their staff are well trained and their training is continuously refreshed to ensure that beverages are consistent and presented to the highest quality at all times.

As a brand it is fantastic to know that an expert coffee barista is serving our coffee blends, but with hotels being challenged with a high turnover of staff and different cultures, we understand that this is not something the majority of them can consider; although it would definitely make our job as coffee roaster and supplier much easier.