Coffee Origins

By lisala on 2/14/10 12:30am
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Coffee in terms of the ur-bean, if you will, of the species Coffea arabica, is native to tropical Africa, in the region known today as Ethiopia, and is in the same family Rubiaceae as the gardenia. Your basic coffee bean traveled, in the space of a little under seven hundred years, from tropical Africa to the courts and markets of Europe. Roughly a thousand years ago, c. 1000 CE, coffee was brought from Africa to Arabia. Coffee addiction and the love of the bean spread with the spread of Islam, and thus coffee was spread to North Africa, the eastern(and Islamic) half of the Mediterranean, and India. Arabia, no slouch when it came to international trade, protected their coffee monopoly by boiling or roasting beans before export, thus rendering them infertile, and insuring repeat customers.

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The Latest Espresso Tech: The Slayer

By erika on 1/20/10 6:04pm
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All the coffee nerds are salivating over the latest advance in espresso generating technology, THE SLAYER.  I'm sorry, I can't help putting it in all caps.  The machine is called SLAYER.  Grar!

At a mere $18,000 The Slayer is not the machine for everyone.  In fact, less than 20 of these hand built machines are in use in coffee shops today.  What would lead a coffee shop to pay nine or ten times as much for an espresso machine, compared to typical commercial espresso machines?  Aside from being absolutely beautiful, The Slayer allows for a degree of customization unheard of in today's espresso marketplace.


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Burnt Coffee - In A Good Way!

By erika on 1/15/10 11:43am
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I was cruising around various other coffee news websites when I ran across an ad for Java-Logs.  According to the ad copy, the Java-Log was invented when their inventor was "flipping through an engineering textbook" and noticed a bit about how coffee grounds have more "energy capacity" than cordwood when combusted.  (By "energy capacity" I assume it means BTUs.)

The inventor found a way to collect, dry, and compress coffee grounds into a fire log.  At about $3.50 per log, Java-Logs are comparable in price to their competitors like Presto-Logs.  And they are unquestionably better for the environment.


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National Hot Tea Month

By sarajean on 1/6/10 9:01am
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Hot tea is delicious; if for no other reason, enjoy a cup for this one! I add nothing to my tea (whether black or green, fruit flavored or Earl Grey) but a nice dollop of honey; others like cream and sugar, cinnamon sticks, sprinkled spices and plenty of other additives for a nice kick.

From almond to chocolate mint, you can pretty much make any tea into a delicious treat—or even a dessert. And whether it’s Amaretto or bourbon, the addition of alcohol can make one tasty tea cocktail as well. Some even enjoy a nice hot toddy while under the weather. Remember, the longer your tea steeps the stronger it will be.

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National Gourmet Coffee Month

By sarajean on 1/6/10 8:25am
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Whether you’re like Garfield and you can’t start your day without a cup of joe or you simply like to savor the flavor of cup of coffee while out with friends, there’s no excuse to get a cup like Gourmet Coffee Month. Here are a few ways to celebrate.

Splurge: Once a week go for the gold and order the best coffee your neighborhood shop has to offer.

Use Those Gift Cards! That’s certainly what I’ve been doing. I’ve been choosing a different variety each day and have been enjoying the ride. Tip: Order a small if it’s a flavor you haven’t tried yet. I’ve had a couple of large coffees that I didn’t enjoy so much.

Make a Coffee Playdate: Organize a day out with the girls, a coffeehouse performance (music? comedy? poetry?), or just go out alone to a coffee shop and sip a cup as you read, write, or dream.

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Green Mountain Loses Its Eco Cred With K-Cup

By erika on 1/5/10 7:27pm
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K-Cup PodsK-Cup PodsI have always heard the name "Green Mountain" whispered with awe among my coffee snob friends.  For the longest time I didn't even realize that Green Mountain was a company - I thought it was the name of the type of coffee, like Arabica or Peaberry or whatever.  


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Coffee Pods

By erika on 12/3/09 5:56pm
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Ditch The Pods!Ditch The Pods!I keep seeing these coffee pod espresso maker systems, and frankly, they mystify me.   I have a "regular" espresso maker, and it is barely any mess or trouble at all.  Why pay a thousand times more for your coffee, just for the convenience (and extra waste, and packaging) of pods?

The only possible application I can see for a pod system is in an office environment.  In fact I once worked at an office that had a pod style espresso maker.  It was great for a few weeks, but then we ran out of pods, and the company we originally contracted with to deliver fresh pods every week went out of business.  So we were stuck with a proprietary system (I forget which one) which would not take any other kind of pods.  Not that we didn't try.


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Girls of the Bikini Baristas Talk

By SilkyHolly on 10/28/09 9:56am
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BodumBodumHello,My name is Holly, and I am a student at the Univeristy of Washington. I work at one of the Barista shops in my spare time outside of the city, and we receive a lot of customers and repeat customers. Because I am well-organized and bring a lot of customers back to our stand, the manager has made me a supervisor, and I help he and his wife with many of the clerical tasks that the business has.Please blog me with any questions that you might have about being a Barista, or what our job is about.

Starbucks "Pike Place Roast" Review

By erika on 10/13/09 4:17pm
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I have become very sensitive to the price of coffee lately.  Can you blame me?  Coffee prices have skyrocketed in the last few years, often due to temporary supply issues.  But then what happens when the coffee supply is secured?  Those prices never go down, do they?  

Thus it was with great excitement that I had to read the sign at Starbucks twice.  "Pike Place Roast, $10.95 per pound" it read.  This was not in one of the prominent displays, but in a knee-high barrel display off to the side of the barista's counter.  $10.95 per pound!  That makes this blend competitive with several store brands I have tried, as well as with Pacific Northwest brand Millstone.  


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"Have You Tried Our Via Coffee?"

By erika on 10/12/09 10:02am
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If you have been into a Starbucks in the last week, you have most likely been asked whether or not you have participated in their "Via Taste Test."  Every Starbucks I have entered has had a little display with two identical carafes and wee paper cups at the front counter, beside the register.  

If you confess that you have not performed the taste test, the barista will dispense a tiny bit of coffee into the wee paper cups, one dose from each carafe, and ask you to decide which one you prefer.  Surprise!  You will probably prefer Via instant coffee.


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