200 Degrees Lincoln exclusive launch party
200 Degrees, two coffee shops in Nottingham, a small chain of a little over half a dozen coffee shops. 200 Degrees Lincoln when open brings the tally to eight coffee shops.
The degree to which coffee is hyped is inversely proportional to its quality.
The degree to which 200 Degrees Lincoln has been hyped bodes ill and actually does them no favours.
According to Jennie Holland PR their hype has reached over eight million people. Knock off two zeros and it would still be a greatly exaggerated figure. I doubt a reach of 8,000. And reach is not engagement. If we look at engagement, comments on social media, re-posts, re-tweets, we are down another two orders of magnitude.
Maybe PR agencies believe their own bullshit. Someone has to. It would be interesting to see the evidence to support their ludicrous claim of eight million, how it was measured. If you make ridiculous claims, which no doubt looks good to clients, then be prepared to back with hard data.
The PR agency lacks any understanding of social media algorithms. I receive at least once a day unsolicited tweets from Nespresso, maybe every few days on facebook.
How many times for 200 Degrees? Zero.
Neither as their infamous tweet shows have they any understanding of how to make effective use of hashtags.
And the PR agency missed a trick by not making use of the large screen at the bus station or the screen at the train station. Though the screen at the train station badly positioned, not seen as walk in and exit via a different route.
A classic illustration of how to pour money down the drain without really trying. Would make an excellent case study of how not to.
The irony is, apart from not doing 200 Degrees any favours, all 200 Degrees had to do was release a corporate press release to the local hacks and the scribblers would have regurgitated the press release as news.
The irony is open a new coffee shop, people will try, if they like will return with their friends, if not tell their friends the coffee is bad. A window of opportunity of maybe a couple of weeks. Word of mouth.
The launch party was claimed to be an exclusive event. Exclusivity is measured by those excluded, not by those invited. The infamous tweet from the PR agency implicitly invited the world. So much for an exclusive event. Yet more PR bullshit.
Around three o’clock I was surprised to find a barrier outside 200 Degrees Lincoln in Sincil Street, the windows covered, the door closed. Was it not open?
The door opened to let a couple of people out and I was welcomed in.
Not many people. Whether busy during the day I do not know.
A large number of staff. But that was everyone, not as the coffee shop will be when open and staff are working shifts. A claimed dozen new jobs created.
We should though always be wary of claims of new jobs created when staff poached from elsewhere and maybe job cuts take place elsewhere. Will for example the corporate chains employ fewer staff if turnover falls when their clientele go elsewhere for their coffee?
I have watched the coffee shop change over the last couple of weeks.
Two weeks ago an empty shell. I did not think it would be finished in time, but the shopfitters assured me it would be.
Early this week it was starting to take shape.
Today, still not quite finished, not all the gear in place, no tables and chairs out in the back yard.
But due credit to the designers for an excellent job.
Contrary to what Brian of Brian’s Coffee Spot writes, all their coffee shops are not the same and nothing worse than trying to create a corporate image.
What struck me was the open space, a mezzanine floor.
It was very much as I am used to in the best coffee shops in Athens.
The main difference the layout of where the coffee is brewed. In Athens, the barista is central, open to the coffee drinkers to watch their coffee being prepared, and better for engagement between barista and coffee drinker.
The serving area a lateral inversion that is mirror image of 200 Degrees Nottingham Station. The other difference on the left as walk in not on the right.
No long row of upholstered seats as 200 Degrees Nottingham Station. Instead tables and chairs, higher tables and stools, and a long table in the middle which for the launch party was used to display their food.
What I missed was the slightly raised seating area of 200 Degrees Nottingham Station, light and airy, overlooking Nottingham Canal.
The one thing I did not like was the display panel for courses covering the first window on the right as walk in and thus cutting down the natural light. The one mistake in an otherwise excellent design. The display panel should be on a wall.
I ordered a V60. I was asked which coffee I would like. I let them choose and an Ethiopian single origin was chosen.
I then had a wander upstairs and was invited into their training room. I think three training machines. Pay for a course and for their own staff to not only train on but use for practice.
Note: Four training machines.
For the punters courses in use of cafetière, V60 and aeropress. I would like to see Japanese syphon added.
This is excellent as shows people how to make coffee at home, and that not too difficult, skill and practice, and far better coffee than will ever achieve with a Nespresso machine. All for an initial outlay of V60, digital scales, swan-neck kettle and a hand grinder. And of course a bag of high quality single origin coffee beans.
The mezzanine floor if not used for training would make an excellent seating area.
My V60 was cooling down as we were looking at what was available, but that was ok, V60 improves as it cools (though not once cold).
I popped out as everything closes in Sincil Street at four, then popped back and had a cappuccino.
The person who served it to me, spilt down the side apologised and a second cappuccino was made. How it should be. Never serve a coffee that is not at its best.
I would recommend always choose the guest coffee, but ask that roasted to suit espresso.
The coffee is ethically sourced.
Interesting conversation with different staff. Their head coffee roaster was there but had left when I popped back. A pity as I would have liked to have discussed their roast profiles.
There will be seating out in their back yard and out the front in Sincil Street.
The back yard is work in progress. It needs greenery, plants in pots, trellis with trailing flowers on the walls.
Hopefully these areas will be No Smoking. They also need to ensure their staff do not stand outside smoking.
Any coffee shop that opens serving good coffee is to be welcome as it shows people what is possible, that coffee is not an unpleasant bitter drink that has to be dosed with sugar and syrups and dowsed in chocolate to make palatable, nor is coffee served scalding hot.
Anyone who drinks in the corporate chains serving undrinkable coffee will be in for a pleasant surprise.
A comparison locally would be Stokes at The Lawn.
Not in the same league as Coffee Aroma or Madame Waffle, but better than other indie coffee shops in Lincoln. These days if going to open a coffee shop serving bad coffee on a hiding to nothing as already have the corporate chains serving bad coffee.
My V60 and cappuccino was brewed by their head of training. Whether they will be able to achieve this level of quality consistently is the real measure.
The food and cakes as 200 Degrees Nottingham, freshly prepared on site.
I would hope though they will give their kitchen leeway to develop their own dishes with locally sourced ingredients. For example Lincolnshire sausages sourced from the farm shop in Bailgate or the butcher at Heighington, bread from a local bakery, cheese from The Cheese Society, seasonal vegetables for soups from the local market stalls.
Apologies few pictures of what it looks like. 200 Degrees asked that I did not take pictures to allow it to be a surprise for visitors on Monday. I respected their wishes. An embargo the hacks at The Lincolnite and City X failed to respect or were not subject to.
Opening times will be until eight on weekdays. Sincil Street is deserted after six, no bus after seven. It is also not very safe once dark.
200 Degrees Lincoln officially opens on Monday 4 March 2019.
Coffee Cupping with Hasbean at Coffee Aroma 1400 Monday 4 March 2019.
An example of how worthless on-line reviews have become, a 5-star review on Google Maps of 200 Degrees Lincoln when not yet open.
TripAdvisor is worthless, too many trolls, too many fake reviews. Google Maps tends to be better, fewer trolls, fewer fake reviews, but even Google Maps has gone down hill over the last year.
