It's premature to ban green coffee beans

Rep. Bob Herkes, who represents the Big Island's Kona district, has introduced a resolution that proposes restricting, or if necessary banning, the importation of green coffee beans into Hawai'i.

Three months ago, Herkes proposed a similar measure that would make it illegal to import green coffee into the state. That died in committee, and the latest measure has been deferred, though not necessarily indefinitely.

Both measures cite concerns about such invasive species as green scale, Kona coffee root-knot nematode, coffee berry disease, beetles and medfly.

It's perfectly prudent to be concerned about invasive species. But it hasn't yet been established that imported green coffee beans pose a threat.

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Mocha Blend gearing to take on international coffee brands

The Manila Times

Filipinos have long been drinking coffee but it is only of late that it has become fashionable to sip coffee in trendy coffee shops and cafés. However, no local entrepreneur had so far been able to post any real challenge to the dominance of foreign coffee chains the way Filipino businessmen did with hamburgers.

New entrant Mocha Blend, a Filipino-owned coffee shop, believes that with the right mix of coffee to suit local taste, marketing and investment, it can grab a significant share of the growing gourmet coffee market.

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Rumor: Starbucks buying Seattle Coffee?

A rumor that Starbucks Corp. might be interested in purchasing Seattle Coffee Co. -- which owns the brands Seattle's Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia -- is gaining the attention of analysts.

Neither company is commenting on the rumor, but restaurant analyst Mark Kalinowski of Salomon Smith Barney has taken the idea seriously enough to do an analysis of how such a potential deal might benefit both Seattle-based Starbucks and Seattle Coffee's owner, AFC Enterprises Inc. in Atlanta.

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Caffeine Can Cloud MRIs

Drinking it can skew results on brain scans, study finds

WEDNESDAY, April 2 (HealthScoutNews) -- Caffeine can skew the results of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of blood circulation in the brain.
A study from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine found an amount of caffeine equal to what's in two to three cups of coffee can constrict blood vessels and reduce cerebral blood flow. The report appears in the April issue of Radiology.

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Caffeine reduces heart's blood flow during exercise

Apr 02 (Reuters Health) - The caffeine in two cups of coffee reduces exercise-induced blood flow to the heart, new research suggests, and the reduction may be largest at high altitudes.

Healthy people seem to take the reduction in blood flow in stride, so mountain climbers may not need to give up their morning cup of coffee at base camp.

But the reduced blood flow might be harmful to people with coronary artery disease, study author Dr. Mehdi Namdar told Reuters Health.

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Coffee trade at a glance

• Coffee, traded on futures exchanges in New York and London, was selling at a composite price of about 48 cents a pound last week . Finer arabica beans were selling at about 59 cents a pound, while the cheaper robusta beans were selling at about 32 cents a pound.

• Prices for green, unroasted coffee beans on New York's Coffee, Sugar and Cocoa Exchange were below 50 cents a pound for most of the last two years. That compares to an average of about $1.20 a pound in the 1980s and a high of about $3 a pound in 1997.

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Fair Trade organic coffee movement picks up steam

The Kansas City Star

Wanna put the politics into your morning coffee? Consider brewing your morning elixir from one of the Fair Trade, often organically grown coffees now available on the market.

The Fair Trade label attached to the bin or bag of beans means the coffee farmers received a minimum floor price for their harvest. Under current agreements, that minimum is $1.26 a pound for Fair Trade coffee and $1.41 a pound for Fair Trade certified organic coffee. If a farmer is not participating in a Fair Trade agreement, he is paid 7 to 24 cents per pound for his beans.

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250 Coffee Samples Already Submitted For Nicaragua's "Cup of Excellence" Competition

TechnoServe an Organizer and Sponsor of Nicaragua's Second Country-wide Coffee Quality Competition -- April 4 Is Submission Deadline

(CSRwire) NORWALK, CT- Two-hundred-and-fifty coffee samples from small and medium-scale farms and large estates throughout Nicaragua have already been submitted for the upcoming "Cup of Excellence®," the second-ever countrywide coffee competition to be held here, according to Ernest van Panhuys, Country Director of TechnoServe/Nicaragua, one of the event's organizers. Event organizers anticipate that more than 350 samples will be submitted by the Friday, April 4 deadline (5 PM local time).

Previously held in Brazil, Guatemala and Nicaragua, the Cup of Excellence® is a country-wide event designed to identify and promote the host country's best coffees through a series of blind tastings, called "cuppings," that are conducted by national and international judges and that evaluate every detail, from body and acidity to flavor and balance. Nicaraguan coffee growers of all sizes and from all regions have been invited to submit samples for the 2003 Cup of Excellence®.

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Officials seek to brew up thirst for coffee

By Reuters

Bogota - World coffee officials are thinking about introducing the drink into school lunches and handing out free beans in unconquered markets as part of a campaign to spur consumption.

After several failed attempts to lift depressed world prices by controlling the supply of coffee, International Coffee Organisation (ICO) chief executive Nestor Osorio believes the new tactic should be to boost demand and create new consumers.

"The time has come to tackle the issue of the imbalance between supply and demand, not by restricting supply but by boosting demand," Osorio said. "Maybe the coffee crisis lies in underconsumption.

"We need to find formulas to boost demand. Why not introduce coffee in school lunches so that children as young as 12 can have cafe au lait?

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Happy Birthday to INeedCoffee.com

One of the best coffee websites on the Internet is INeedCoffee.com and it celebrates its fourth anniversary April 4. On this well designed website you can find very good articles on roasting, brewing, recipes, business, cafe culture, health, and much more.

And, you don't need a credit card when you go to this site, because it is non-commercial. As it states so eloquently, "INeedCoffee is non-commercial. We do not sell coffee, espresso machines, run a cafe, or provide equipment to assist in performing coffee enemas. We are not in the coffee industry. This site is maintained by coffee fans that wish to pass along coffee knowledge from one coffee drinker to another."

Pay a visit to this excellent website at INeedCoffee.com. I guarantee you won't regret it.

Robert

Readers' Comments

We encourage comments and appreciate those of you who have taken the time to send a message. Here are a few and also feel free to add your own comment at the bottom of this post.
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Dear Robert,
I learn something each time I stop by Badgett's Coffee eJournal. Your efforts keep both old timers and neophytes informed. Thank you for your continuing effort on our behalf.
D.
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I like your site layout very much.
D.
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A lot of us write about machines, or the experience of drinking coffee. You're one of the few who keeps abreast of, and
writes about the whole industry -- the growing, the trade, and the drinking.
J.
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Robert,
I am SO glad I found your site!
Thanks for the great read!
D.
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Hi Robert,
I'm a fellow blogger at, well, Blogger, and I've become
something of a regular reader at your Coffee eJournal. I think it's great,
because I love coffee and a good blog, and hey, your site's got both
covered.
E.
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Hello Robert,
First a compliment, I think your new site is an improvement over the old
e-zine. Keep up the good work!
H.
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I just wanted to say "hi" and commend you for your nice web site. I have
been reading your journal for quite awhile now, and appreciate the work
that goes into it. You definitely know your stuff! I don't do much in
the way of education like you do, and would like to put your link on my
site. Please let me know if this is okay. I would also like to know if
you have any subscribers in the Atlanta area. Thanks again for your
insightful coverage of the specialty coffee industry.
T.
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I went to the website and I was quite pleased to see
that it is very similar in format including the dose of wisdom from the
Rebbe and the quotes that I like so much. The articles I've read
continue to be really good ones so maybe I will visit it more frequently
than I had originally thought.
One attraction for me is that it is quite unpretentious which is a
refreshing change from other websites and newsgroups that I peruse.
Thank you.
G.
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Please, while I am greatly enamoured of the new layout of the journal, I
do so miss the quotes. Is there any way to put them back in?
J.
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I just wanted to let you know that I think your journal and your website is
outstanding! Thanks and keep up the good work!
A.
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Hey Robert; Love the new look. Your doing a great job with it. I really
look forward to seeing it in my in box. Keep up the great work.
T.
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I do not like the links to read the rest of the articles. IT's like reading
a magazine article that starts on page 8, goes on for 2 colums and then
sends you to page 182. Sorry, but I just never get there. Plus the fact that
my company monitors which web site I visit. Can't be jumping all over the
net to read an article. Too bad, I enjoyed your newsletter.
R.
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Hi Robert, Congratulations on 2 great years with Badgett's Coffee eJournal !! I've been reading it ever since I went online mid Sept/00, & always look forward to seeing it in the in box. I love the new look, this first HTML version, & having the links makes it easier to read. The new fonts with the Brown, Black & Blue are great & it now has a look & feel to it like your reading a larger font type book! All the best.
C.
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I like the changes you have made to the eJournal. Thanks, and keep up the
good work!
L.
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HTML email with no text alternative? No thanks.
I've just unsubbed.
L.