On this day in 1942 a coffee ban was lifted across the U.S. A shortage of ships during this phase of WWII caused the restriction. Hills Brother’s Coffee published the following “infommercial” in the Modesto Bee And News-Herald (California, 1942-11-30) to inform readers about the changes:

All last week grocers were not allowed to sell coffee to consumers. So you couldn’t buy any. But the “freeze” is over, and since midnight, November 28, you have been able to take War Ration Book One - up to now just your “Sugar Book” - to the grocery store and buy coffee again. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by beanybabe at 10:50 PM PST

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The University of Hawaii is developing a signature tea that Hawaii can market the way it markets its speciality coffees, according to Andrew Hashimoto, dean of the UH School of Tropical Agriculture. “It’s already growing in our experimental station,” he said. “We want something that is unique to Hawaii. Something comparable to Kona coffee that cannot be duplicated elsewhere.” Read more at Pacific Business News.

Making a foray into the booming Indian beverages market, UAE-based Abbasi Group will open three outlets of the coffee chain ‘Coffee bean and tea leaf’ in Mumbai next year. The Mumbai launch will be followed by new coffee shops in Pune and Bangalore, according to the Chief Financial Officer of Abbasi Group Jayant Gandhi. Read more at Zee News.

Public Relation Officer of LPMC, Shelton Gonkerwon, told reporters that Liberian farmers, especially those involved with coffee and cocoa produce, were been aided by some Guineans to trade the commodities across the borders on a daily basis. According to Mr. Gonkerwon, the Guineans were purchasing the coffee and cocoa from the Liberian farmers on flat rate basis in Nimba County, a trend that robbed the LPMC in the past of its statutory mandate. Read more at All Africa.

Posted by beanybabe at 9:51 PM PST

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Suddenly - a ton of news for writers!

The 34th Annual Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest welcomes all poets to enter their competition this year, deadline 1 April 2007. Plenty of categories, including students and general adult. Learn more at the Midwest Writing Center.

Writing it Real is holding an essay contest. They are seeking creative non-fiction essays based on personal experience. Essays must be previously unpublished and can be up to ten pages in length, double-spaced. Deadline: 30 December 2006. Visit the site for more information. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by beanybabe at 12:41 AM PST

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The new Melitta ME1MSB Smart Mill & Brew 10-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker is in the news - it’s all the rage because it takes advantage of a wireless-data system built by Microsoft to automatically display current weather conditions and forecasts. While this “smart objects” concept â€â€? imbuing everyday objects with the ability to deliver at-a-glance information â€â€? has been in the works at Microsoft since at least 2000, it’s the first time that anyone’s seen it in a coffeemaker. I wonder if I’ll be able to see it before I have my first cuppa?

This 10-cup programmable coffeemaker grinds and brews automatically with 7 grind selections; adjustable strength; brew-pause; warming plate with auto shutoff. LCD display with animated coffee and region-specific weather information via MSN Direct. The info is received via FM signal; no setup, subscription, or Internet connection required. Be the first on your block!

Posted by beanybabe at 12:40 AM PST

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Farmers from a lush valley located between two Guatemalan volcanoes have made extra cash for years by pretending their coffee is from Antigua, a neighboring region famous for its chocolaty tasting beans. Anacafe, Guatemala’s grower association, is battling impostors, using satellite mapping, soil analysis and weather records to produce a “coffee atlas.” The atlas will define eight distinct coffee regions. Modeled on “appellations” used to distinguish fine wines, it would register each region to satisfy a gourmet market that wants to know exactly where and how coffee is grown. Read more at Reuters Canada.

Dynamotive, a small Canadian company, has been thinking about bits of plant waste and come up with a solution: bio-oil. It has begun operations at West Lorne in Ontario, converting waste from a woodflooring company into a liquid fuel that runs a 2.5 megawatt power plant, supplying the town with electricity. But what does this have to do with coffee? Anything based on cellulose will do to create fuel, including coffee grounds, the object of talks with another large company. Read more at Times Online.

Posted by beanybabe at 12:40 AM PST

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