Me – “I’ll take a cortado.”
Barista – “What?”
Me – “A cor-ta-do.”
Barista – Looks very confused.
Me – “It’s equal parts espresso and milk. Kinda like a really tiny latte.”
Barista – “Oh, okay.”
5 minutes later…
Barista – “Here you go.”
Me – “Thanks.” (Picks up the 12oz cup that is 3/4 full.)
That’s the conversation I had with almost every barista from 2010 to 2015. I had to order off the menu and it wasn’t done correctly.
In the last 3 years, however, it’s MUCH easier to get a quality cortado.
The coffee industry has been a nice barometer of what our culture values and I would like to propose that we’re in the middle of a shift in coffee and culture that has massive implications for us as leaders, parents, and marketers.
FIRST OFF… WHAT IS A CORTADO?
Here’s a great video to explain…
Cortado means to “cut” the coffee with milk. The result is a balanced yet powerful drink that doesn’t leave you feeling heavy from tons of milk.
QUALITY TRUMPS QUANTITY
The cortado is a $3 – $5 drink that is only 4oz. From a price per ounce standpoint, the cortado is a ripoff! That, plus my team members still poke fun at me because of how small the cup is in my giant-sized hands.
Despite the economics and the mockers, it represents a shift away from “bigger is better” towards “less is more”. From the decline of buffet restaurants to the rise of minimalism, our cultures continue to ask, “Why do I need so much?”
The first “anti-excess” watershed moment to happen in my life was the release of Super Size Me, which took aim at portion sizes and food quality at McDonald’s. The wake of that movie still ripples today with the increased buying power of millennials like myself who watched that movie.
If we bought the lie of needing food in excess… what other lies of excess have we bought into? Money? Sex? Attention? Technology? Power?
We have a long way to go in areas other than food, so it’s important to develop creative strategies to combat this.
As parents, how do we model and teach healthy restraint with unlimited access to our phones?
As leaders, how do we model healthy focus in a marketplace full of unlimited possibilities?
As a single people, how do we search for a partner in a world where hooking up has never been simpler?
YOU CAN’T HIDE POOR QUALITY
The intimidating thing about a cortado when you’re a barista is how fickle this drink is. It’s also just two ingredients and you are in charge of the quality of both. If the espresso is too bitter, you can’t add sugar or pumpkin spice to hide the flavor. If you over-steam the milk, you can’t slap whipped cream on top and cool it down.
Take the espresso…
- It needs the right coffee bean.
- It needs the right roasting profile.
- It needs the right grind setting.
- It needs the right amount of pressure when tamping.
- It needs the right machine.
- It needs the right water temperature.
- It needs the right water pressure.
- It needs the right timing.
The espresso can be ruined at each step along the way, and even if you get to the last step successfully, you could still ruin it in a matter of seconds.
Take the milk…
- It needs the right fat content.
- It needs the right amount of pressure.
- It needs the right amount of steam.
- It needs the right swirl while steaming.
- It needs the right amount of air.
- It needs the right temperature.
Once all that is done, the espresso and the milk need to be combined in the precisely correct way and time to optimize the flavor of both.
All of this culminates in either 1) a wonderful beverage that will keep customers coming back EVERY day or 2) a disaster that will cause someone to never come back. One poorly made cortado could cost a local cafe thousands of dollars per year.
This principle has implications far beyond business.
The truth of your company’s poor customer service will come out. ALSO, the truth of your personal character will come out.
Everyone has a microphone to expose your poor customer service. ALSO, everyone also has a microphone to unearth your darkest secrets.
Similarly, a person of poor character can cost them their career, or freedom. Just ask Matt Lauer, Harvey Weinstein, and Bill Cosby how hiding their hideous behavior behind “success” is working out for them.
So, what must we do as leaders?
RAISING THE STANDARDS
Today, I enter coffee shops and most of the time “Cortado” is listed on the menu. I simply order it and it’s delicious. This happened because consumers have forced a higher standard.
In order to live in a world with quality cortados
or a world with quality businesses practices,
or a world with moral politicians,
or a world without hate speech,
or a world without school shootings,
or simply a world with dignity for all…
We must push for quality and confront our shortcomings. We must raise the standards for ourselves and then for those under our leadership.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CORTADO CRUSADE
I’m testing a theory on generosity. Without getting philosophical, I believe in the power of generosity. I also think that preventing people from expressing their generosity actually robs them of an opportunity to grow beyond themselves into something bigger. So, if you’re finding this post helpful and would like to say thank you in a more tangible way, you can buy me a coffee. No pressure at all, but thanks if you do!
I use Selz.com to process these payments because it’s simple and easy.
