{"id":24666,"date":"2016-09-28T12:39:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-28T12:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/how-to-make-coffee-with-love\/"},"modified":"2025-07-10T14:39:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T14:39:52","slug":"how-to-make-coffee-with-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kepner-tregoe.com\/zh-hans\/blogs\/how-to-make-coffee-with-love\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make coffee with love:
the six sigma of coffee making"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Six Sigma of Coffee Making: a Recipe for Excellence<\/h2>\n

A while ago I was having a coffee at my local coffee shop and chatting with the owner, Rita, who is also a close friend. I idly asked the question, how do you make good coffee? Without thinking for a moment, she looked me straight in the eye and said, \u201cAmore!<\/i> You\u2019ve got to make your coffee with love.\u201d With that, she disappeared to serve the couple with a toddler who had just walked through the front door. At the time I thought, what a typically \u201cRita\u201d thing to say.<\/p>\n

You see, Rita can be a bit bohemian at times. Her parents were born in Italy and she was brought up in a really Italian-Australian home. She speaks Italian fluently, learnt her cooking from her mamma, wears lots of black and, for as long as I can remember, has always driven an Alfa Romeo. So my first thought was to dismiss the comment as simply Rita-esque. But as I watched Sam the barista make some lattes and espressos I wondered, was there more to it?<\/p>\n

Now Sam is a really good barista. He wins competitions doing this stuff. Whenever someone else makes coffee, it just doesn\u2019t taste the same. Same machine, same beans, different result. I mean, this is coffee right. It\u2019s not rocket science. It\u2019s just running hot water through ground beans. Why does it not taste the same? So I began watching Sam more closely.<\/p>\n

Every time Sam crafted a coffee, he calibrated the process precisely, starting with grinding the beans directly into the portafilter \u2013 a tool designed to hold ground coffee. Placing the portafilter on a set of precision scales, he measured the exact weight of the coffee before expertly tamping it down with his custom tamper. This ensured optimal density for extraction.<\/p>\n

Sam\u2019s attention to detail extended to the machine\u2019s settings, with the ground coffee particle size fine-tuned using a micrometer adjustment. He controlled the grind time, down to a fraction of a second, to achieve consistency. By monitoring the weight of dry beans for each shot, he ensured minimal waste and maximum flavor extraction.<\/p>\n

During extraction, Sam managed variables such as draw time to regulate the crema\u2019s thickness and espresso\u2019s bitterness. With a comprehensive table of timings and weights for each blend, he aimed to extract coffee oils efficiently while minimizing bitterness. Constant monitoring allowed him to detect any machine irregularities promptly.<\/p>\n

Intrigued by the complexity, I questioned Sam\u2019s approach. His response was simple yet profound: \u201cBecause every detail matters.\u201d This commitment to precision and consistency ensures each cup of coffee meets the highest standards \u2013 a testament to the artistry and science of coffee-making.<\/p>\n

Hmmm, so that\u2019s what loving your coffee<\/em> means! How good would things be if everyone in an organization loved the product they made? Loved it enough to pay the extra care and attention to make sure the inputs to the process were right each time, every time. Loved it enough to ensure the critical process variables are set just right. Loved it enough to ensure the process is running the way it should.<\/p>\n

Excellence is about:<\/p>\n