Costa Rican coffee...7 regions, 7 coffees

Golden Bean Coffee

The excellence of Costa Rican coffee can be enjoyed in seven different ways, given that the country has many different coffee-producing zones. The special traits of the coffee produced in each of these zones are famous worldwide. Costa Rica´s advantageous climate enables it to produce enough coffee varieties to satisfy every taste.

In Costa Rica , rainfall, relative humidity and temperature tend to be lower in the higher altitudes, although there are significant differences between the Pacific and Atlantic regions of the country. Altitude influences climate and affects the overall size and hardness of the coffee bean, as well as the quality of the brew, particularly its acidity. In addition, the Arabica variety has special characteristics that produce an aromatic, delicate good-tasting coffee.

More >>

Coffee Moves Away From Two-Week Low

(RTTNews) - Coffee prices were back up on Thursday in U.S. trading after falling to a two-week low earlier in the session. December-dated coffee was at $1.1625 a pound, up 15 cents on the session. Prices had dipped to as low as $1.1540 in mid-day trading, but rallied back above its flat-mark for the session.

Prices have been pushed higher amid concerns that recent dry weather in Brazil, the world's top producer of coffee, could diminish supplies. Coffee had seen weakness in recent days, declining in three of its last four sessions. Prices were knocked lower by recent weakness in the Brazilian real. Coffee is sold in U.S. dollars, meaning exporters may increase shipments since each bag of coffee would be worth more of the Brazilian currency.

More >>

Signature Espresso

Ever wondered how you can turn your insatiable need for caffeine into an all day affair ? Sure you’ve got your morning latte covered, and the midday piccolo and afternoon ristretto is a done deal. But there’s still that lingering need to fill the void between after dinner and bedtime with as much coffee as possible (doctors advice may differ).

Enter the Epic Espresso Signature Drink Workshop ! Not only can you fill your head with all sorts of interesting coffee related facts, but you can also learn a few tips and tricks on how to make some stunning coffee based dessert drinks, meaning you’ll never have to take too long a break from your caffeinated lifestyle.

More >>

Andrew Hetzel joins BEST Coffee School

Eugene, Oregon (PRWEB) August 28, 2007 – BEST Coffee School announces
that retail consultant Andrew Hetzel has joined the teaching staff of
its specialty coffee training center in Eugene, Oregon.

"Andrew brings a wealth of retail business management and marketing
experience to benefit our students," says education program director
Sherri Johns. "BEST Coffee School is already known for its rigorous
barista training and coffee education programs; with Andrew's
direction we will also provide innovative business curriculum
designed specifically for retail coffee businesses."

Andrew Hetzel will conduct a coffee shop business plan writing
workshop and retail lease negotiation seminar on Thursday, December
13 at the BEST School in Eugene, followed by an informative walking
tour of Portland's coffee shops with Sherri Johns on Friday, December
14.

About Andrew Hetzel

Andrew Hetzel received international acclaim as the founder of a
multimillion dollar business services company that developed
marketing and performance improvement solutions used by leading
consumer product manufacturers, retailers and hospitality companies,
including: 3M, Aveda, Burger King, Brinker International,
DaimlerChrysler, Calvin Klein, Hard Rock Cafes and Hotels, Home
Depot, Hugo Boss, Procter & Gamble, Skechers USA, Sears and many more.

Mr. Hetzel resides in Hawaii where he is the director and founder of
Cafemakers, a business consultancy dedicated to the specialty coffee
industry. In addition to officiating competitions for the Ultimate
Barista Challenge organization and others, Mr. Hetzel is an elected
member of the Specialty Coffee Association of America's training
committee and a writer for coffee trade publications including Tea &
Coffee Trade Journal and FG! CoffeeTalk Magazine. In 2007, Mr.
Hetzel was named one of the top young business leaders in the State
of Hawaii by Pacific Business News. More information is available at
www.cafemakers.com

About BEST Coffee School

BEST Coffee School was founded in 2006 by renowned industry veteran
Jim Glang (Crossroads Espresso), with the assistance of Sherri Johns
(WholeCup Coffee Consulting), building on their combined 50 years of
industry experience to offer an unparalleled education in specialty
coffee. The BEST training center in Eugene, Oregon is a
comprehensive facility offering the latest equipment and guidance by
instructors and guest speakers that are recognized as experts in
their field. More information and course schedules are available at
www.bestcoffeeschool.com


Media Contact

Brandy Smyth
BEST Coffee School
+1 (541) 344-8690

Red Rock Rocks!

"The folks at Red Rock (Brendan, Dan, Kerry, Janelle, and the latest newcomer, Emily Jr) recognize our faces and start our drinks before we reach the counter. Brendan has perfected latte art and still manages to squeak out a rosetta leaf even when the line is long. They notice small things like new hair cuts, that Andreas went a spell without his regular cup of Red Eye, or tell-tale sunburns suggesting a weekend adventure."

Source: Elaine, Meebo Blog

Starbucks really loves us!!!

Starbucks has finally decided to hold the hormones. Last Friday, Starbucks made the committment to make 100% of the chain's milk supply free of artifical growth hormones by December 31, 2007.

The Starbucks announcement follows two years of pressure from Food & Water Watch which launched the "Hold the Hormones Campaign" in 2006 asking consumers to demand that Starbucks buy better milk. Thanks to the thousands of emails, phone calls and rallies, Starbucks CEO Jim Donald has decided to the right thing.

Now you can don your cow suit and party with all the biscotti and rBGH-free lattes you can handle!

Thanks Jim for a job well done.

Community Coffee Co. Offers Gulf Coast Schools Chance To Win $10,000 Classroom Makeover

Community Coffee Co., the Baton Rouge, La.-based coffee roaster, retailer and coffee service operator, will provide up to $300,000 to benefit participating schools in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region through its Community Cash for Schools(TM) program. In addition, one lucky school will win a $10,000 Classroom Makeover in a random drawing that will occur in November 2007. To be eligible for the drawing, schools must enroll in the Community Cash for Schools program by Oct. 31, 2007.

More >>

Groundbreaking Trade Agreement for Ethiopian Coffee Farmers Launches in the UK

(CSRwire) August 27, 2007 - A unique trading agreement that will benefit some of the world's poorest farmers launches in the UK on 5 September 2007.

Newly established trademarks on speciality Ethiopian coffees, which have previously sparked controversy in the USA, mean that from September only officially licensed distributors will be able to sell certain coffees in the UK.

Fairtrade food pioneers Equal Exchange will be the first company to become licensed distributors when their Fairtrade and Organic Yirgacheffe Ground Coffee is included under the Ethiopian Coffee and Trademarking Initiative. The company will sign the licensing agreement at a ceremony at the Ethiopian Embassy on 5 September 2007.

The Trademarking Initiative, that was originally contested by Starbucks and has been a focus of an international campaign by Oxfam, is a collaboration between Ethiopia's government, coffee exporters and farmers' organisations. It aims to develop the country's coffee industry and keep more of the value of its internationally-renown coffees with farmers and their communities.

More >>

Coffee Pacifica's Name Change To ''Growers Direct Coffee Company Inc.''

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coffee Pacifica, Inc. (OTCBB:CFPC) announced today that it is seeking approval from its shareholders at the Annual General Meeting to be held on September 5, 2007, to change the name of Coffee Pacifica Inc. to Growers Direct Coffee Company Inc.

Shailen Singh, Chairman of Coffee Pacifica stated “we regard intellectual property and other proprietary rights as important to our success. We are filing for several trademarks and service marks that will be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including a “Growers Direct Coffee Company Inc.” and “Growers Direct Coffee” stylized logo. We consider packaging with our “Growers Direct Coffee Company Inc.” stylized logo to be essential to our brand identity.”

Our plan is to provide our Papua New Guinea and “Penlyne Castle” brand “Jamaican Blue Mountain” coffee through a controlled network of distributors that will identify these coffees as “Growers Direct Coffee.” Supermarkets and grocery chain stores are a major source of sales of roasted coffee to the mass consumers. There are approximately 12,000 retail points of distribution across the United States.

More >>

Photos of Costa Rica

U of M team brewing up research over coffee

By Kevin Rollason
Winnipeg Free Press

DO you double-double or order your latte grande? Well, if so, a research team from the University of Manitoba wants to take a coffee break with you.

Sonia Bookman, an assistant professor of sociology, and her research assistant, Sheryl Peters, are spending several weeks of their summer going into coffee shops to sit down and talk to coffee-drinking Winnipeggers about how they view coffee shops and the role they play in their lives.

Best of all, the coffee's on them.

"People are telling us how they engage in brands and how people view the coffee shop as a social place," said Bookman, whose similar research on the coffee scene in Toronto brewed her a PhD before coming to Winnipeg.

More >>

Why not pan roasting?

Fry pan roasting was popular in the 19th century, since the beans were normally shipped and purchased still in their green state. You simply poured the green coffee beans in a frying pan and roasted them in the kitchen. This process took a great deal of skill to do in a consistent manner. Fry pan roasting became much less popular when vacuum sealing pre-roasted coffee was perfected. However, in order to vacuum seal roasted beans, you had to wait for them to stop emitting CO2, as roasted beans do for several days after the roasting process. What this meant was that vacuum sealed coffee was always just a little stale as the flavors begin to turn bitter and deteriorate in just about a week after roasting.

This is exactly why I prefer home roasted coffee. You simily get a fresher coffee to brew and you control the roast time to suit your taste. In other words, home roasted coffee when brewed is more satisfying and costs less.

No wonder why home roasting is becoming popular again. Now you can get computerized drum roasters which take the guessing out of the process; it is getting easier. Some people effectively roast beans using their hot air pop corn makers.

Robert (Badgett), you have authored numerous articles on coffee roasting. I recall a number of years ago you posted a series of articles on what you need and how to go about roasting coffee from home. I invite you to reshare these pearls of wisdom.

It is time to roast some coffee!

Taiwan president offers to be spokesman for El Salvadoran coffee

Taipei - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has offered to promote El Salvadoran coffee to Taiwan consumers in a bid to strengthen diplomatic ties, Taiwan press reported on Saturday. Chen was quoted by the Central News Agency (CNA) as having highlighted the potential for the El Salvadoran product in Taiwan during a visit to El Salvador on Friday.

China, he had told journalists, bought its coffee from Costa Rica, which cut ties with Taiwan to recognize China in June.

"Taiwan buys coffee from El Salvador. I believe that El Salvadoran coffee can beat Costa Rican coffee," Chen reportedly added. The Taiwanese leader was speaking at a joint press briefing with El Salvador President Antonio Saca in San Salvador.

More >>