Can in-flight coffee taste good? ✈️

+ Reader survey results and 🎬Up in the Air

Hello! Today we share the results of our recent reader survey and highlight an effort to improve the taste of in-flight coffee. Let’s dive in.

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📖 Reader survey results

Thank you to those of you who took a moment to respond to the reader survey over the last two weeks. I really appreciate hearing from you.

And if you haven’t had a chance yet, you can still share your feedback here:

What I heard from you:

• Majority of you find the topics covered very relevant to your interests (I’m glad)

• Majority of you are likely to recommend Bryce's Blog to a friend or colleague (Thank you!)

• Overall, you are very satisfied with Bryce's Blog (Yay!)

“Thought provoking and well written”

-reader comment about Bryce’s Blog

My primary interest in creating this survey was to get a better understanding of where your interests are (especially as new subscribers continue to join us).

These are the themes that those of you who responded to the survey said you are most interested in:

Top:

• Better: design and usability

• Discoveries: learnings and insights

• Media: impactful books, films and music

• Personal Development: leadership, productivity

Also:

• Built Environment: architecture, urban planning, and the built environment

• Community: how to build community as an adult

• Creativity: writing and photography

• Experiences: travel, nature, and everyday life

While I have written on many of these themes, I have not yet written any issues focused on design or usability. Knowing there is interest there will help inform future issues so thank you.

“Friendly voice, curious mind, approachable attitude.”

-reader comment about Bryce’s Blog

We will ease into it today with a little feature on better in-flight coffee.

☕ Coffee on planes ✈️

Do you drink coffee when you fly? Often, it’s not very good. Recently, Alaska Airlines decided to do something about it.

Roman, a flight attendant in Portland. Source: Alaska Airlines

From a post announcing its new coffee blend:

Roman says after being a flight attendant for 30 years, this is a very thoughtful step for an airline to take to boost the overall guest experience.  

“So many of our guests ask for a cup of coffee on board, and our roast is bound to exceed expectations,” he said. “It’s remarkable how even the smallest thing — like coffee — can brighten someone’s day.” 

Indeed. So what did they actually do?

Alaska Airlines explains:

For those who don’t know, your taste buds react differently at 30,000 feet due to altitude, which can cause food and drinks to taste different from how they do on the ground. So, we flew in the experts at Stumptown to craft a custom coffee blend that ensures a well-balanced, complex flavor profile that delivers a remarkably smooth and enjoyable cup for our guests every time you fly with us. [emphasis added]

This, for me, was the key insight. I remember reading it when the news broke last fall and I thought, oh, that’s a clever hook (from a marketing/PR perspective) and wondered how true it actually was.

Here is how Stumptown Coffee describes it:

Our journey with Alaska began in the fall of 2022 when we shared a sip of Holler Mountain at their offices in Seattle, WA. From there, we began considering the guest experience at 30,000 feet and created a blend that's fit for the skies. Did you know your taste buds behave differently at high altitude? That’s why food and drinks can taste different in the air compared to on the ground.

After selecting the coffee, we conducted extensive brewing tests with the Alaska team—on the ground and in the air—to understand how it tasted both below and above the clouds. We also wanted to ensure our roast profile worked with all types of brewing machines on Alaska aircraft.

Here’s where we landed: the custom blend served on flight is an organic coffee roasted deep enough to bring out notes of toasted marshmallow and dark chocolate, while remaining exceptionally smooth and balanced. It uses the same clean and sweet base as Holler Mountain, but with a focus on a roast that mellows acidity and introduces just enough toastiness to please a wide range of palates.

Alaska Air has a nice visual recap of the all-important taste test:

Source: Alaska Air.

As someone who is still trying to find the optimal grind when I make coffee at home, I can appreciate the effort here - testing over 20 variables and making over 200 pots of coffee. So how is the result?

Source: Alaska Air.

I recently had the opportunity to try it myself and, I must say, it’s actually surprisingly good. Smooth. Not acidic. Very drinkable.

My first cup of Stumptown Coffee on a recent Alaska Airlines flight. © 2024 by Bryce Payne. All rights reserved.

If you’ve flown Alaska Airlines recently and had the new coffee, what did you think?

Why this matters

I’m a big believer in the disproportionate value of small touchpoints. The restroom that has soft toilet paper instead of scratchy. The building in a rainy climate that has extra umbrellas by the door. A hot beverage served on a plane that actually tastes good.

Do these things cost a little bit more? Potentially. But do they contribute to a better customer experience — creating little opportunities for surprise and delight? Absolutely.

Little things like this have the potential to create brand awareness, then brand preferences, and ultimately brand loyalty. I believe this to be true.

🎬 Media Embed: Up in the Air

Talk of flying brings to mind Up in the Air. The movie came out in 2009 during the great recession (aka the great financial crisis (GFC)) and profiles Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney) who spent 322 days a year on the road and flew 350,000 miles. It also features Anna Kendrick. It’s funny, tragic and still resonates today.

Here is the trailer:

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I hope you enjoyed this issue and welcome any comments or feedback you may have.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.

Be well,

-Bryce