“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." - Hunter S. Thompson
mycuppa September 2021 Newsletter
Let's start by dealing with that ubiquitous elephant in the room - parcel delivery shipping.
Due to extended lockdown restrictions in some parts of Australia, it was inevitable that parcel network congestion and transit delays would occur, especially along the eastern seaboard.
Nowadays, we all depend on this vital service, which is facing a considerable challenge to meet the growing demand.
Collection drivers have been telling us for weeks depots are overloaded and overflowing with parcels - walls and walls of cargo.
We have always considered collection drivers as a "canary in the coal mine", providing valuable insights into what's happening on a broader scale. When they tell us it's terrible, without fail, it proves to be correct 100% of the time, and we brace for pain that's just a few days away.
Parcel networks have "hit the capacity wall". It's been a frustrating month for us and all merchants relying upon parcel networks around the country.
When parcel networks are overloaded and congested, efficiency plummets, and stupid stuff happens; some items get through OK, and other things disappear into giant black holes for too long to reappear without explanation.
It's random, and the only predictable feature is the real prospect of a delay.
In most cases, issues reported to us are related to the final leg of delivery to your door, commonly known as "last mile".
With too many parcels and not enough delivery agents, poor delivery drivers are forcibly overloaded with impossible daily targets of delivering up to 200 parcels in a short 6-8 hour window.
Delivery agents may cut corners or drop standards due to a lack of respite, like being dragged into rough surf with waves crashing down.
Many issues fall under the risk category known as "last mile problem". Some situations customers might experience include instances where delivery cards are not left, parcels remain in depots for prolonged periods, incomplete addresses cause delays, re-deliveries are delayed, delivery agents need to follow the instructions, and parcels are left at random locations.
In addition, parcels may be dropped at collection points without prior notification, left at the wrong address, or even disappear without explanation.
Last-mile delivery issues tend to be more severe in some regions than others.
And it's a problem affecting all freight providers for years, not just during the pandemic, where the volume surge amplifies it.
Some recent solutions implemented by shipping companies involve recruiting casual delivery agents in standard vehicles (sedans or SUVs) to run around areas dropping off parcels.
Often, the training and experience of these agents do not match the professionals as their engagement is on a short-term, casual, gig-economy basis by the hour to process growing backlogs of last-mile drop-offs that aim to fix bottlenecks and excessive congestion in parcel networks.
Earlier this week, AusPost took unprecedented action to temporarily suspend Parcel Post collections from all retailers and merchants in VIC, NSW and ACT as a circuit-breaker to help throttle the incoming capacity so they can clear the overflowing backlog.
Their decision was also based upon critical shortfalls in resource levels, with up to 500 AusPost staff per day, every day isolating or complying with health orders.
There's no silver bullet to congestion problems except patience and ordering ahead of time to allow for extra delays in transit - anywhere up to a week is now the norm.
Everyone is affected equally; we also order many supplies and wait for our deliveries.
Imagine waiting 5+ months for raw coffee to arrive because there are no containers or sea freight capacity at many of our coffee-growing origins; welcome to our ongoing nightmare with raw coffee stranded in foreign countries with no reliable hope of knowing when it will ship.
Please place orders earlier due to ongoing congestion issues. It can take many weeks to return to normal, and since there are still no firm opening dates in Victoria and NSW, this current period of longer transit times will prevail for at least another month or longer.
As time passes, the traffic is expected to worsen, with demand exceeding capacity daily. Freight companies need to catch up to keep up.
Soon, the annual online shopping frenzy, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, will be upon us. Significant retailers attract Christmas shoppers this time of year, often causing shipping chaos.
Please know how the next few months may affect typical parcel delivery time frames.
A return to normal levels won't occur before Feb 2022, when the seasonal peak freight season starts in mid-October and runs through to the end of Jan. Sobering.
Exceptional coffees flying under the radar
African coffees have a certain X-factor: intensity, sweetness, complexity, flavours, fruits, etc.
Whilst most people generally associate African coffees with the likes of Ethiopia and Kenya as the most well-known and famous, we rate Burundi, Tanzania and Rwanda coffees as more than a match for their favourite neighbours.
Our Burundi, Tanzania and Rwandan lots are exceptional in quality, price, and value.
If you have not tried them in the last few months, we recommend giving them a run, as they are stunning in milk-based espresso beverages - flat white, cappuccino, latte, etc.
September 2021 Secret Label
Last month's Secret Label smashed records, outselling our previous best result by 29%.
We roasted so much of the August Secret Label it became our best-selling coffee for the month, toppling our beloved Suuweet - something we never thought possible; maybe the tailwinds of the lockdown restriction helped kick along the demand.
This month, we have crafted a blend with classy, lush attributes - crisp red apple, hazelnut, plum, dried cherry, and milk chocolate with a long, buttery finish.
September's Secret Label is a rich array of hazelnut, plum, dried cherries and the sweetest milk chocolates.
Last year, we featured a delicious micro lot from Central America that won the hearts and minds of our devoted Secret Label followers.
For many months afterwards, customers were asking for more, but as is always the case with these particular lots, only a fixed quantity is available.
The new season lot arrived in mid-August, and we set about pairing the coffee with something that would provide some contrasting texture without interfering with the fundamental characteristics of the highlight coffee.
The result is a lovely tapestry of flavour and balance as the elegant structure of the blend spreads linearly across the palate.
The notes of crisp red apple serve the purpose of black, but the sweet acids work with remarkable harmony in milk.