Taste Test: Coffee Review Grades McCafe vs. Starbucks

Coffee drinks prepared by Starbucks and McCafe failed to impress coffee experts at The Coffee Review, an online publication that rates and reviews coffees. In a recent taste test, the Starbucks' coffees scored higher than their McCafe equivalents, though neither company's offerings earned gold stars.

Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) May 28, 2009 -- In a recent tasting of McCafe and Starbucks coffee drinks conducted by editors of The Coffee Review, Starbucks coffees earned higher marks than those from McDonald's, though none of the drinks truly impressed the expert tasters.

We gave a slight edge to Starbucks, though some may prefer the more coffee-muted McDonald's version with its larger proportion of milk to coffee.
the difference in caffè lattes was subtle, perhaps not worth fussing over for most palates, although we found the Starbucks version livelier and more nuanced.

The quality of the products varied by the type of drink. According to Mr. Davids, who has published three books on gourmet coffee, for the cappuccinos "We gave a slight edge to Starbucks, though some may prefer the more coffee-muted McDonald's version with its larger proportion of milk to coffee." He added that "the difference in caffè lattes was subtle, perhaps not worth fussing over for most palates, although we found the Starbucks version livelier and more nuanced."

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BIGresearch: Coffee Wars, Starbucks Still #1, McDonald's #2 and Rising, Dunkin' Donuts #3

Analysis Profiles McDonald's & Starbucks Coffee Drinkers

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - May 28, 2009) - McDonald's is waging an all-out assault on the coffee industry, and they seem to be gaining ground in the battle of the baristas. Although Starbucks is still #1 (9.2% of consumers frequent the coffee house most often for their java fix), McDonald's has consistently grown since May of 2007, according to an analysis of BIGresearch's May 2009 Consumer Intentions & Actions (CIA) Survey (http://www.bigresearch.com). With the roll out of a multiplatform ad campaign estimated at more than $100 million, the Golden Arches will likely continue to build momentum.

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Average Joe? You Be the Judge

By JENNIFER ERICKSON
We're in a sunlit room, the atmosphere is convivial, and, judging by the Laguna Coffee Company owner Paul Ackley preparing a coffee cupping at his shop.
snatches of conversation, it could be a wine tasting. "Bolder and full-bodied," "fruitier, with nutty overtures," "balanced acidity," and "winey aftertaste" are the phrases overheard.

But rather than the fermented fruit of the vine, the succinct judgments arise over roasted seeds from a certain tropical shrub revered by early risers the world over. "Coffee cupping," in the lingo of java aficionados, is now not just a ritual for wholesale buyers pressed into sampling by eager growers.

With the explosive growth of gourmet coffee shops and increasingly sophisticated consumers who discuss the merits of "single origin" coffees over blends, cupping events introduce above average Joe to coffee drinkers stuck in their ways.

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Sweet Maria's Weblog

Sweet Maria's is an online home coffee roasting business and I recommend it for beans, equipment, and expert advice.

Here is their weblog, where you will see some fantastic photos from a recent trip to Costa Rica, Salvador, and Panama.

Sweet Maria's Weblog

Coffee Company Donates May's Revenue to Fight Slavery

By Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, May. 26 2009 11:05 AM EDT

A Seattle-based coffee company is doing what some might consider foolish during a recession – giving away 100 percent of its revenue from this month.

In contrast to coffee giant Starbucks, which is scaling back by closing hundreds of stores and laying off thousands of workers, Storyville Coffee Company has pledged to donate up to $1 million in revenue to International Justice Mission, a human rights agency that works to rescue victims of slavery, trafficking and other forms of violent oppression.

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Everett (WA) coffee roaster brews big plans

One-man operation charts a course for growth

By Amy Rolph
Herald Writer

The process starts with a bucket of unroasted coffee beans, looking pale and a bit like fat little peanuts to the untrained eye.

Velton Ross pours them into the silver funnel that tops his blue Dierdrich roaster, a mammoth machine with portly tanks and a direct connection to the sunny outdoors through a silver ventilation system.

The beans rattle and clatter and the roaster wakes up and growls. Ross keeps his eyes on a small screen charting blue and brown lines that zigzag as heat and airflow change inside the machine.

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Kaapi Royale Coffee Donates Coffee to Grounds For Health Charity Auction

May 26, 2009 (Waterbury, VT) – Kaapi Royale Coffee of India has donated two prime specialty coffee lots to support the Grounds For Health online charity auction that will be held on June 2nd.

By participating in the event, Kaapi Royale joins leading producers, coops, importers and exporters including Royal Coffee, Hacienda Esmeralda and Elan Organic Coffees that have donated a portion of their best lots in support of the charity.

The two lots donated by Kaapi Royale include 1 60 kg bag of Sethuraman Estate's sundried CxR that was awarded a 90-point score by Ken Davids of Coffee Review in April, noting the coffee's "deep aroma: sweet nut, hints of orange, toast and vanilla."

The second lot is 1 60 kg bag of Sethuraman Estate's signature wet processed robusta, which previously received a 94-point rating from Coffee Review, raving of "deep, very sweet-toned aroma, with chocolate, flowers, walnut, and a hint of carnal fruit - peach or papaya" and a "superb, long, caramelly rich" finish.

All proceeds from the auction support Grounds For Health, which develops sustainable cancer prevention programs for women in developing countries, emphasizing the early detection and treatment of cervical cancer.

For additional details, cupping notes and required advance registration, please visit the auction website at http://coffee.stoneworks.com.

About Kaapi Royale Coffee

Kaapi Royale Coffee of Magundi in the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka, India, exports fine Indian Arabica and Robusta coffees worldwide and is the exclusive representative of Sethuraman Estate coffees. Sethuraman Estate is the three-time winner of "Best Robusta" in the Coffee Board of India's Flavour of India competition and received the highest-ever rating for a Robusta coffee of 94 points from coffee reviewer Ken Davids. For more information, visit http://indiancoffee.wordpress.com.

Colombia coffee production drops by one third

BOGOTA (AFP) — Coffee production in Colombia, the world's number two producer of the beans, plunged 33 percent in the first four months of 2009, with exports sinking by 21 percent, officials said.

The National Coffeegrowers Federation, or Federacafe, said January-April production reached just 2.88 million 60-kilogram (132-pound) bags, compared with 4.25 million bags in the same period in 2008.

"The winter, low fertilization and the renovation of coffee plantations had a strong impact on production in the first months of the year," said Federacafe, which represents the Andean nation's half million coffeegrowers.

Colombia comes second only to Brazil in coffee production. Much of the country's northwest is cloaked in the crop, which produces a subtle brew sought after by many buyers.

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First caffeine-free coffee plant from Africa

This is a new caffeine-free coffee from Cameroon, the first record of a caffeine-free species from Central Africa. Cameroon is a center of diversity for the genus Coffea and such wild species are potentially important in breeding programs. In this case the new species could be used for breeding of naturally decaffeinated beans.

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