Starbucks vs. 'Charbucks': Judge says no trademark infringement

MANCHESTER, N.H. --A New Hampshire micro roastery that sells a dark coffee blend called "Charbucks" hasn't harmed coffee giant Starbucks, a federal judge ruled.

Seattle-based Starbucks failed to prove its image was tarnished by the Charbucks brand, U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain in New York wrote last week.

She said that in adopting the name, the Tuftonboro-based Black Bear Micro Roastery intended to take advantage of the similarity to the Starbucks' name. But, she ruled, the evidence did not support an inference it was done to mislead consumers about a connection between the two.

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Kona coffee farmers top 600

by Howard Dicus

There are 630 Kona coffee farmers, the largest number in years, the National Agricultural Statistics Service Hawaii Field Office reports.

Total acreage devoted to growing Kona coffee also has grown, part of a larger trend that has seen Big Island coffee acreage increase almost to 4,000 acres while statewide acreage is now double that.

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Spilling the beans: Secrets to great coffee

JACQUELINE NOCHISAKI, The Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- 'Just breeeeathe it in, breathe in deep,' he instructs, motioning deep breaths over a steaming Styrofoam cup of blueberry-flavored coffee -- black. 'Smell it? Taste it?' Blueberry steam wafted around the little table in South Broadway's Dunkin' Donuts as The Saratogian sat down to chat over coffee with renown food expert and NBC's 'Today' show food trends editor, Phil Lempert of Los Angeles.

The little shop is a soapbox for Lempert, who conducts a flavor taste test while spilling the beans about our love affair with coffee. He's drawn an audience; those watching from nearby tables realize this is not their everyday caffeine fix. Calling for beans, grinds and rounds in the latest flavors, Lempert denounces anything but straight-up black coffee.

'People like to play with their food. They love to be involved. I was the first person 22 years ago that said Starbucks would fail,' he conceded. 'Why would someone want expensive, burned coffee?'

Ah, but they weren't going for the coffee, he realized.

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Brewed fresh daily, coffee taking toll on the environment

By Sarah Merchlewitz | Community columnist

On a cold wintry day, there is nothing so nice as a mug full of something hot to drink. Watching curls of steam rise upwards from your cup while snow (and the temperature) fall outside your window is one of the more picturesque scenes of winter. In fact, there are a lot of beverages that are associated with this season: eggnog, spiced cider, hot cocoa (particularly after a snowball fight), and Starbucks’ Gingerbread Latte or Peppermint Mocha. Mmmmm... Nothing says “Season’s Greetings” like a four-dollar grande in a styrofoam cup, which is exactly what Starbucks wants you to think, but that’s a topic for another article.

Do you think you know coffee? I don’t mean cappuccino, macchiato, americano, au lait, or black — I mean coffea arabica, the global commodity that is traded second only to oil. Do you know what it takes for the few ounces of beans you brewed to make it from the hills of a plantation to your coffeemaker? Do you know its cost beyond the price sticker at the supermarket?

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SIRIUS Satellite Music for Your Coffee Shop

Tired of paying high fees for business music? Or maybe you wanted to have music for your business but it was always too expensive. Now each month, for just the cost of a couple of CDs, SIRIUS brings you over half a million COMMERCIAL-FREE songs in 65 diverse channels, 24/7. From pop to jazz, from blues to classical, from standards to classic rock - whatever suits your business and pleases your customers, we've got it.

Low monthly fee - Starting at only $24.95/mo.

No commercials - We'll say it again: SIRIUS has no commercials on its music channels. That means no annoying interruptions and no ads from your competitors broadcasting in your business.

Channel blocking - A special package is available which blocks some channels that may not be suitable for your business - and every receiver has password control.

No royalty hassles - Playing the radio or CDs in your business requires you pay royalties to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, the agencies that represent the music copyright owners. With SIRIUS Music for Your Business, royalties are paid for you at no additional charge.

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Coffee Time

The coffee percolator was patented on this date 140 years ago today.

Robert's note: The percolator is one of the worst methods of brewing coffee, but man, does it make a great coffee aroma. I have fond childhood memories of waking to the sound and aroma of my mom's percolator.

The documented history of coffee begins circa 1000 in Arabia, where roasted beans were first brewed. In 1615 a Venetian merchant brought coffee beans to Europe and a year later a Dutch trader brought a coffee plant. In 1696 the Dutch founded the first European-owned coffee estate, on colonial Java.

About 30 years later, Brazilian Lt. Col. Francisco de Melo Palheta spirited some seedlings away from French Guiana and within several decades, Brazil was one of the world's greatest coffee empires.

Quote of the Day: "The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce." – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.


Word of the Day: demitasse: small cup of very strong black coffee; demitasse is often served after a meal.

Coffee a top source of healthy antioxidants

But beverage is still no substitute for fruits and vegetables

WASHINGTON - When the Ink Spots sang “I love the java jive and it loves me” in 1940, they could not have known how right they were.

Coffee not only helps clear the mind and perk up the energy, it also provides more healthful antioxidants than any other food or beverage in the American diet, according to a study released Sunday.

Of course, too much coffee can make people jittery and even raise cholesterol levels, so food experts stress moderation.

The findings by Joe A. Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania, give a healthy boost to the warming beverage.

“The point is, people are getting the most antioxidants from beverages, as opposed to what you might think,” Vinson said in a telephone interview.

Antioxidants, which are thought to help battle cancer and provide other health benefits, are abundant in grains, tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables.

Vinson said he was researching tea and cocoa and other foods and decided to study coffee, too.

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