Weekend mornings at the coffee shop are a ritual in our marriage. I never had a cup of coffee until my mid-forties, but I’ve learned to savor a latte. I look forward to one the moment I open my eyes on Saturday.
There was a time when we did the clubs until morning. These days we go straight to morning.
We like the independent coffee shops and we drive around North County San Diego searching them out. We’re thrilled when we find a hidden cafe or a new place opening. So far none can beat the brand experience at Café Ipe, home of Revolution Roasters. I can readily conjure the smell of their brand as I sit in my kitchen and write.
As a general rule coffee shops smell good. But Dan the coffee man offers something that makes the aroma of Revolution Roasters’ blends indelible: front row seats. Loads of coffee shops have roasters – generally off in a corner somewhere – and if you arrive at the right time you can watch from a distance. But on Saturday mornings at Café Ipe we sit on stools at a u-shaped concrete bar while Dan stands in the center, just across from my husband and I and the other lucky seat-holders, roasting coffee and chatting about soccer.
Three feet from my nose, Dan opens the tumbler of the Probat roaster and pounds of coffee beans rush into the metal roasting drum. The instant the beans touch the scorching surface, steam rises with a scent so rich it’s inebriating. There’s a collective pause. Thirty seconds later each of us at the bar looks at the other, and we breathe out in unison. We’ve shared a moment of intoxication. We have bonded. This is Coachella for middle-aged sensation chasers, and we’re VIPs.
Can you find a way to give your customers front-row seats? To see your brand up-close? To be part of the alchemy of your secrets? You should. Because once you do, your brand will become a rock star, and your adoring fans will show up week after week for the show.
