U.S. coffee roastings reach 30-year peak in 2003

NEW YORK, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Americans drank a record amount of coffee at home, in the office and at trendy cafes last year, lifting green coffee roastings to a 30-year high, experts said Monday.

"The specialty coffee industry created a number of different entry level points for consumers that leads to that coffee drinking habit. Ninety percent of the credit goes to the specialty industry," said Ted Lingle, executive director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

Cumulative to Dec. 27, U.S. green coffee roastings totaled about 19.3 million 60-kg bags, up from 18.6 million a year earlier, according to Complete Coffee Coverage, an industry newsletter.

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