A rise in coffee price ahead of harvesting has brought cheers to farmers in Wayanad district (India) , one of country’s major coffee growing regions. A possible fall in coffee production in other major producing countries is considered to be the reason for improvement in pre-harvest price, sources said. Read more at The Hindu.
Arabica coffee output may decline more than 40 percent in Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo, the biggest producing states of the beans in Brazil, said agronomist Joaquim Gullar of the Guaxupe Region Coffee Cooperative, known as Cooxupe. Reduced flowering due to dry weather adds to an expected decrease in output as Brazilian coffee trees enter the lower- yielding half of a two-year cycle. Output typically falls around 20 percent from the better-yielding year. Read more at Bloomberg.
In conjunction with the 2006 Sintercafe© conference, Nestle© Nespresso and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, announced a partnership in which the two organisations will provide a total of US$500,000 over two years to expand the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality (TM) Program in Central America, a critically important coffee-growing area. Read more at EarthTimes.org.
Posted by beanybabe at 12:10 AM PST
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Writers are more than welcome to share their coffee stories and poetry with us! The latest edition includes 31 little ditties from Randall D. Barfield about Carlos the Young Coffee Picker.
Other tidbits below might help you dream up some coffee literature as well. After all, truth is stranger than…
A PASSENGER on an Air France flight from Bordeaux to Paris is suing the airline after allegedly being poisoned by a cup of coffee containing drain cleaner. This story is a series of unfortunate events will lead to an operation that will remove part of the passenger’s stomach to reconstruct his oesophagus, an operation which carries a 5-8 per cent risk of death. Read more at The Scotsman.
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Posted by beanybabe at 12:10 AM PST
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The Scotsman online seems a little peeved about the extention of the Starbucks Card. I’m unsure where this anti-Starbucks mentality comes from, but I have my gut feeling about it. At any rate, they state that the card, unveiled with the strapline “Starbucks Card - great coffee now has its own currency”, now can be used at outlets in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Thailand by people on holiday or business. Starbucks Cards were first introduced in North America in 2001 - where 100 million cards have now been activated - but this is the first time it has been available in the UK. As the Scotsman online puts it, “STARBUCKS is taking another step towards keeping a stranglehold on the coffee shop sector with its launch today of a plastic card which can be loaded with any amount from £2 to £150 - so people can still get their caffeine fix even if they run out of cash.” Read more at the Scotsman.
In other Starbucks news, Daniel Goldin at the Huffington Post is on a tirade against Starbucks. He wants to show that a company that appears “hip” and “progressive” is actually a union-busting anti-green corporation that is far from human. Read more at the Huffington Post.
And then, the Starbucks/Ethiopian fiasco continues to heat up. Which “fair trade” model is best in the argument between tradmarks and corporations? Your answer to that question likely depends on which end of the supply chain you’re on. Read more at Spiegel Online International.
Posted by beanybabe at 12:10 AM PST
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You’re probably used to the coffee presses that you can see through - the all glass variety. This Frieling 0103 5-6 Cup French Press will make you the cat’s meow as you smartly sidestep the problem of breakable glass carafes with its high-quality 18/10 stainless-steel construction. At once beautiful, sleek, and sturdy, the mirror-finish piece has a satisfying weight, a comfortable full-length handle, and an all-steel mesh plunger mechanism ideal for coarse coffee grounds or loose tea leaves. Frieling’s double-wall construction keeps hot beverages hot and cold ones cold if you use the pitcher by itself for milk or juice. Standing 8-5/8 inches high, the press disassembles completely for washing by hand or running through the dishwasher. Be the first on your block to own one!
Posted by beanybabe at 2:08 AM PST
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Residents of the Carolina Triangle will have the rare opportunity to learn more about responsible, high-quality coffee production directly from one of the most famous and talented coffee farmers in the world. On Saturday, November 25 at 7:00 p.m., Counter Culture Coffee will host a free, public talk by Aida Batlle, owner of Finca Mauritania, the legendary coffee farm on the slopes of El Salvador’s Santa Ana Volcano. Following the 30-minute talk, attendees are invited to stay for a reception and coffee tasting featuring Ms. Batlle’s award-winning coffees.
A fourth generation coffee farmer, Aida has won acclaim in the coffee world for both her uncompromising commitment to quality and her dedication to progressive and sustainable farm management. Durham-based Counter Culture Coffee is the exclusive roaster of coffee from her prize-winning Finca Mauritania. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by beanybabe at 1:47 AM PST
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