Source: http://blogs.bnet.com/business-news/?p=3025

As it plots its comeback from the great store-count implosion of 2008, Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) is doing some tinkering with its stores. It’s great to see, even if not all the ideas seem like winners.

On the plus side, the company is toning down its corporate green-and-white color scheme and building stores that look more like homey neighborhood coffeehouses, done in more subtle earth tones. Starbucks’ 15th Avenue Coffee & Tea store in Seattle started this trend, which another experimental store in Seattle’s busy Capitol Hill neighborhood, Olive Way, will continue when it reopens in the fall after a remodel.

Another winner was Starbucks’ decision to go to free Wi-Fi — it had to happen.

Also good: expansion into beer and wine at the Olive Way store, to accompany an expanded menu. The liquor additions seem natural — after jittering up on coffee all day, you might want to come down with a glass of wine.

But here’s one innovation that’s more questionable — Olive Way’s move into a layout described as “coffee theater.” That is, the espresso machines will be smack in the middle of the restaurant instead of behind a counter. Surrounded by narrower counters, the idea is to bring customers closer and turn coffee making into entertainment.

That sounds great if you’re a latte-seeking mom with a couple of squirmy toddlers. The kids would probably be entranced, though you might have to child-leash them to keep their fingers off the machinery. But here’s the bigger problem: Espresso machines are loud. And lots of people hang out at Starbucks to do business — working on laptops or calling clients from cellphones. It sounds like this store design will leave no quiet corner from which to make a call or think about that proposal you’re writing.

However that works out, we’ll hear more about it, as Starbucks is quietly ramping up its advertising. Historically, Starbucks advertised very little, allotting only about 1 percent of revenue to marketing, but it recently indicated its marketing spending will increase this year.

We’ll have to wait and see those ads to determine whether more advertising is a good move. It’s an opportunity to help renovate the brand, though — for a couple of years now, the company has been best known for closing stores, or for letting gun-nuts wave their pistols around while waiting in line for lattes. With a new ad campaign, Starbucks has a chance to redefine what it stands for in customers’ eyes.

Source: http://espressomachinetips.graduateblogspot.com/espresso-machine/how-to-keep-your-espresso-machine-running-smoothly.html

A home espresso machine is a wonderful thing, but it does require maintenance and care. If you want to get the longest life out of your investment, it is imperative to give attention to your espresso machine to keep your brew tasting fresh and delicious.

One of the biggest enemies of your home espresso machine is scale buildup, which is a buildup of minerals. Oftentimes, lime scale can build up inside your espresso machine, and it will affect how it functions. This scale will most often affect the boiler of your machine, and the mineral buildup will directly influence the taste of your coffee and espresso. If you do live in an area that has hard water, you need to descale your machine regularly, at least every 2 to 3 months. How often you descale your machine does depend on the hardness of the water that you use, how often that your machine is used, and how often water is left sitting in your espresso machine for long periods of time.

To begin descaling your machine, you need to turn it off and allow it to completely cool down. If you are working with a hot espresso machine, it can become dangerous, and it can also negate the effectiveness of the descaling product that you are using. Many people will descale their espresso machines with vinegar, but that is overall not a good product to use for the interior of your espresso maker. You can make your own solution of lemons and water, and there are also commercial solutions available for purchase to descale your machine. Some popular descaling solution brand names are CLR and Saeco. Many premium espresso machine manufacturers will also sell their own brand of a descaling product, which may be ideal for the brand of machine that you have.

To begin with, pour the descaling solution into the water reservoir of the machine. Turn on your machine, and allow water to pump through the steam nozzle for up to 30 seconds. Turn the machine off completely, and allow it to cool down with the descaling solution in the parts of the machine that hold water. Allow this solution to soak within the machine for up to 10 minutes, and turn the machine on again to pump the solution through for 60 seconds. After that, turn off the machine completely.

You can repeat this process up to five times, which will take around an hour. It is important to remember that this solution can leave a bitter taste in your machine, so you do need to rinse out the water reservoir completely and refill it. Finish this process by running clean and fresh water through the espresso machine up to three times.

Last of all, make a shot of espresso or pot of coffee, and throw it away completely because it could still have traces of descaling solution. Afterward, all you have to do is enjoy a fresh espresso product that is free from any taste of mineral buildup!