[coffee] a good start with new clients

Tea - I know how to prepare it and haven't had any complaints from clients - yet.

Coffee - that's another matter.

Too many during the working day are happy enough to serve from the machine or horror of horrors, even instant. They'll say it's the best instant but it's still instant. There's nothing more designed to make a client feel special than a rich [not necessarily strong], slightly frothy coffee, personally prepared.

Even if it's your secretary who prepares it, it's still personally done and that's the key to the whole matter - time and trouble was taken over this small matter - it goes a long way in business. And what you serve the coffee in and with what is just as important.

Forget the piddly little cups unless it's Turkish and forget mugs because they're a little insulting unless their special mugs. You should have a good tray as well because the serving is part of the whole experience.

My friend has three things going for him, apart from his clear expertise in his field - he's a "looker" [and the ladies find that especially nice], a "charmer" [which everyone likes] plus one more thing:

His coffee is the best in the city and yesterday he gave me a Master Class. Here is his advice. It will sound simple and obvious to you but it wasn't to me and you can't skip any point:

1] Buy finely ground coffee to taste - you probably can't get it that fine yourself;

2] The essential is that it be fresh. This is the biggest issue and if you're only an occasional drinker of coffee - the crux of the matter. Perhaps you and your friend can split a 250g pack each time and then you consume at twice the rate;

3] Have a supply of good, fresh "slivki" [cream]. Forget milk now - it must be cream and it must be the best. Having said that, the long life cream is the next best thing and it will give you two months in the refrigerator;

4] Buy little packs of cinnamon;

5] In an empty coffee tin, put in around 200g of coffee from the pack and one or two heaped teaspoons of cinnamon [no more] and thoroughly mix - the cinnamon must run right through the mix;

6] Select two cups which you yourself find ultra-pleasant to drink coffee from, remembering that it's better in a deeper cup, as there is sediment at the bottom of the cup and put one to two teaspoons of the mix in;

7] Wait till the water [from the bought bottles - not mineral water] is off the boil again [30 seconds] and then pour up to a finger below the top;

8] Open the cream pack and top the cups up with half a finger of cream and lightly whisk the top 3cm of the water;

9] Let it sit for a minute to let everything settle down and then serve with the appropriate dark chocs;

10] Seal everything and store the coffee in a cupboard, never in the fridge.

Again, the key is "personally prepared" and making the client feel special, no matter who he/she is.

Here is an entirely different take on the matter.