The Best Cappuccino Makers Are Like Slow Roasted Beans

Ahh...

clipped from sofiapai.blog.listpays.com By Robert Carlton When you want the best desserts you go to a bakery, so when you want the best coffee beans you should head to a specialized coffee bean bakery. You might not find a place actually called a coffee bean bakery, but you can certainly find a shop that roasts their beans by hand. This will give you the best quality and flavor to your beans when you choose those that are roasted by skilled roasters. Roasting coffee beans to make delicious cappuccino or espresso is an art. Skilled coffee roasters know that each bean is different and know how to bring out the best flavor by paying attention to the differences between the beans unique size, shape, color, and density. Knowing how long to roast each bean can make the difference between a great cup of cappuccino and a lousy one. A coffee bean bakery focuses on bring out the best of the beans and paying attention to the unique properties that are part of the bean.

Philippine coffee exports up 27 percent in first half year

clipped from english.people.com.cn Philippine exports of coffee grew 27 percent in the first six months of the year, with Japan the biggest market for the product, the Philippine government said on Thursday. The country's coffee exports jumped to 3.35 million U.S. dollars in the first half of 2007 from 2.64 million dollars in the same period in 2006, the Department of Trade and Industry reported in a statement. The Philippines' coffee exports has sustained its growth in over the last five years, reaching its peak in 2006 at 5.41 million dollars, Thomas Aquino, DTI senior undersecretary, said in the statement. The DTI said that according to the International Coffee Coordinating Agency (ICOCA), bulk of the volume exported was still soluble coffee with 99 percent.

Coffee Process.Making Coffee

Enjoy the history lesson

clipped from coffeedelia.blogspot.com ROASTING The green coffee beans have no flavour or aroma and are just a pale green shadow of their future dark brown selves. All of the flavour and aroma that we enjoy in coffee is created by roasting the beans. Green coffee beans are heated to between 180ºC and 240ºC for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the degree of roast required. The longer the coffee is roasted the darker it becomes. During the roasting process moisture is lost and the bean "pops" audibly rather like popcorn. A chemical reaction takes place: starches are converted into sugar, proteins are broken down and the whole cellular structure of the bean is altered. The heating process precipitates the release of coffee oil, or what is called "caffeol", which is the essence of coffee. This essence of coffee is what we enjoy in the cup. It is also volatile and water soluble, so once the coffee beans have been roasted until dark, the flavour can be damaged by moisture, light and especially by oxygen

Coffee exports to fall by up to 18K tons in 2006-07 season

clipped from www.hindu.com New Delhi, Sept. 4 (PTI): India's coffee exports is likely to fall by up to 18,000 tons in the current season ending September 2007 as compared to last year, owing to lower output coupled with appreciating rupee, an industry body said. "We do not expect much shipment in the month of September. The final export figure for the current coffee year would be 16,000-18,000 tons less than last year," Coffee Exporters' Association Chairman Ramesh Rajah told PTI. India exported 2.36 lakh tons of coffee during 2005-06 season. Coffee year runs from October to September. According to the Coffee Board's data, the exports during October-August of 2006-07 season is estimated at nearly 2.11 lakh tons (worth Rs 1,776 crores), down 6 per cent from the previous year's 2.24 lakh tons (Rs 1,704 crores). Rajah attributed the fall in exports volume to lower production and appreciating rupee against dollar.

Coffee exports dip by 7%

clipped from www.business-standard.com Newswire18 / Mumbai September 4, 2007 Coffee exports during January 1-August 30 were down 7.47 per cent at 159,248 tonnes, compared with 172,120 tonnes in the same period a year ago, according to data from the Coffee Board of India.   Weak overseas demand for arabica is the main reason for the decline in total coffee exports, according to Ramesh Rajah, president, All India Coffee Exporters’ Association.   During the period, export of the arabica variety fell 36 per cent to 33,071 tonnes, while that of robusta declined 5 per cent to 83,804 tonnes.   Demand for Indian coffee was weak in the international markets mainly because Indian sellers were quoting rates higher than their global counterparts.  “It is very unlikely that exports would pick up in the rest of 2007. Export demand may emerge in the first quarter of 2008 when the new Indian crop arrives,” Rajah said.

Robusta Coffee Gains as Hurricane Felix May Cut Coffee Supplies

clipped from www.bloomberg.com By Marianne Stigset Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Robusta coffee climbed to a three- week high in London on speculation hurricane damage to crops in Honduras, Central America's second-biggest exporter of coffee beans, and Nicaragua may widen next year's forecast deficit. Hurricane Felix hit Nicaragua this morning as a Category 5 storm with winds close to 160 miles an hour, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It's now a Category 3. The International Coffee Organization was already forecasting a supply deficit of 8 million bags next season. ``It's too early to say what the impact will be on the harvest, but as we are expecting a deficit on the coffee market, this may push up prices,'' Helmut Ahlfeld, managing director of F.O. Licht in Ratzeburg, Germany, said by phone.

India's Coffee Production May Fall, Adding to Global Shortage

clipped from www.bloomberg.com By Thomas Kutty Abraham Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Coffee output in India, Asia's third-biggest exporter of the commodity, may fall because of damage from excessive rainfall ahead of the harvest, likely worsening a global shortage forecast next year. Production in the year starting Oct. 1 may be at least 15 percent below the 291,000 metric tons forecast by the state-run Coffee Board in July, said N. Bose Mandanna, a grower and former vice chairman of the board. Reduced output in India may add to the global shortage of the robusta bean, supporting prices that have risen 14 percent in the past year. The International Coffee Organization expects a coffee deficit of 8 million bags next season. A bag weighs 132 pounds, or 60 kilograms. ``I expect robusta output to be at least 20 percent lower as large areas were damaged because of the rains,'' Mandanna said in a telephone interview from Madikeri in southern India. Heavy rain has caused fruits and leaves to drop, he said.

More bad news from corporate coffee

clipped from www.coffeehabitat.com Kraft Foods recently announced that beginning this fall, all of its Maxwell House brands of coffee (except instant and Master Blend) will be 100% arabica beans rather than a blend of arabica and robusta. Robusta is the lower quality coffee species often used in cheaper coffees and blends. Robusta is able to grow at lower elevations and hotter temperatures than arabica, and is typically grown in sun. The biggest source of robusta is Asia, mostly Vietnam. Typically, getting any of the big corporate coffee roasters to admit they use robusta and/or how much or where it comes from is like pulling teeth. In a response to Kraft's move, Proctor & Gamble offered that it will continue to use robusta in its Folger's brand and Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA will keep on using robusta in Chock Full o' Nuts. Now we know.

This is a story about gourmet coffee and genocide. It takes place in Rwanda ...

clipped from amazingcoffee.blogspot.com Rwanda is emerging from the horrific shadow of civil war helped by burgeoning Western markets for high-quality coffee. But if Fairtrade is going to lift more blighted communities out of poverty, more of us need to wake up and drink their brands, argues Alex Renton Sunday February 25, 2007 Observer Food Monthly This story takes place in Rwanda, where in 1994 neighbour turned on neighbour and within three months nearly a million people were dead. Today, Rwanda remains Africa's most densely populated country, its people chiefly poor farmers rarely growing more than they need to feed and clothe themselves: 60 per cent of the population live on less than 55p a day. It seemed a good place to ask whether paying a bit extra in a Western supermarket for your coffee can make a real difference to lives like these. Take Claire Kampeta, a demure 30-year-old, the chief taster of the Abahuzamugambi Bakawa coffee co-operative.

Wake up and smell the gourmet coffee

clipped from www.7days.ae There used to be a time when sipping at a cappuccino was something this side of exotic; the kind of activity you would only do when on vacation in some far-flung European city. Words like 'latte', 'ristretto', 'skinny, wet, double shot' and a whole host of other coffee catchphrases meant next to nothing. But now, you'll be hard pressed to get through a single day without having some kind of java-related exchange, using the terms that have become part of popular culture vernacular. But coffee, like wine, water and more recently, chocolate, has been undergoing something of an upwards sophistication curve, creating 'coffee snobs', so to speak who only drink specific brews, blends and easily look down on chain concoctions.

On-the-Go Beverage System Grabs National Exposure in 7-Elevens

clipped from www.sdbj.com The fortunes of Javo Beverage Co. Inc. got a major caffeine jolt — figuratively speaking — when the Vista-based manufacturer of coffee- and tea-based dispensed drinks sealed an expansion deal with 7-Eleven. The agreement, announced in July, expands Javo’s iced-coffee program from 500 locations in the Northeast to most stores in 7-Eleven’s 7,100 U.S. system. It means national exposure for Javo on both coasts. The convenience chain has a long history of rolling out popular beverages, and seems to have been a barometer for the evolving tastes of a thirsty public. Consider these tidbits: • 7-Eleven first tested coffee by the cup in its East Coast stores in the mid-’60s. Today, it pours more than 1 million cups of hot coffee each day — equal to 10,000 pots of coffee every hour of every day of the year.

Types Of Coffee - Coffee Varieties

clipped from amazingcoffee.blogspot.com It can sometimes be daunting walking into a coffee house and seeing the long list of coffee varieties on the menu. What’s the difference between a latte and an Au lait? How does a cappuccino differ from an Americano? We’ll try to make it all clear for you below: Americano: A single shot of espresso with about 7 ounces of hot water added to the mix. The name for this coffee stemmed from an insult to ‘uncouth’ Americans who weren’t up to drinking full espressos. A Shot in the Dark: See ‘Hammerhead’. Black coffee: A drip brew, percolated or French press style coffee served straight, with no milk. Cafe au Lait: Similar to Caffe Latte, except that an au lait is made with brewed coffee instead of espresso. Additionally, the ratio of milk to coffee is 1:1, making for a much less intense taste.

Coffee shops offer devotees a chance to pay $15 a cup

THis is fine gourmet coffee...

clipped from www.canada.com Starting this morning, coffee drinkers in Vancouver will be able to sip some seriously expensive brew. At a staggering $15 per eight-ounce cup ($135 per half pound in bean form), the Panama-grown, 100-per-cent geisha varietal bean is the most expensive coffee ever to hit this coffee-crazy city. Caffe Artigiano's five locations start brewing it today and despite the price, Hastings store manager Joaquin Quian is confident it will sell. The chain has 36 kilograms of the black gold on hand. I'm not saying this coffee is for everybody," Quian said. [ But]"anybody in the industry would want to taste this." Quian said the beans are costly because they are grown in small quantities and were recently judged at a coffee competition as among the best on Earth. The coffee boasts delicate hints of orange blossom and jasmine and a sweet acidity that covers the drinker's entire palate, Quian said.

NCDEX to relaunch robusta coffee futures

clipped from in.reuters.com MUMBAI (Reuters) - The National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX) will relaunch futures trading in robusta coffee on September 10, a senior exchange official said on Tuesday. The contracts for arabica coffee would also be relaunched soon but the date has not been decided yet, he added. "We are coming up with a different grade of robusta. Earlier, it was robusta cherry clean bulk, now it will be Robusta cherry AB," said the exchange official, who did not want to be named. Robusta cherry AB is the most exported grade from India. So, people were not getting enough reference from clean bulk contracts and hence it became illiquid over a period of time, he said. Robusta, more tolerant to warm conditions than Arabica, constitutes about 65 percent of India's total coffee output of 295,000 tonnes.

Battling bitter coffee -- chemists vs. main source of coffee bitterness

clipped from www.eurekalert.org The type of brewing method used can also influence the perception of bitterness. Espresso-type coffee, which is made using high pressure combined with high temperatures, tends to produce the highest levels of bitter compounds. While home-brewed coffee and standard coffee shop brews are relatively similar in their preparation methods, their perceived bitterness can vary considerably depending on the roasting degree of the beans, the amount of coffee used, and the variety of beans used. Some instant coffees are actually less bitter than regular coffee, Hofmann says. This is because their method of preparation, namely pressure extraction, degrades some of the bitter compounds. In some cases, as much as 30 to 40 percent fewer chlorogenic acid lactones are produced, leading to a reduced perception of bitterness, he says.

Tata Coffee eyes Russia

clipped from www.telegraphindia.com

Tata Coffee eyes Russia

SOHINI MOOKHERJEA

FRESH BREW Calcutta, Aug. 9: Tata Coffee is exploring the possibility of a joint venture in Russia and CIS countries for soluble coffee. Analysts predict that the market for coffee in Russia will grow to become as big as western Europe and the US. Spain’s Seda Solubles and Switzerland’s Alma Foods already have tieups with local companies in Russia. Tata Coffee is on the look-out for joint venture partners in eastern Europe but for mature markets such as western Europe and the US, it will take the acquisition route. “In Russia and CIS countries, our largest export market, we are exploring joint venture tieups. However, we are yet to start talking to potential partners.

After Barista's, Brewmaster's...

clipped from www.caterersearch.com The idea of the Gold Cup Programme, from the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe, is that caterers which meet the standard will be able to display a quality badge. So-called "brewmasters" will train, test, and certify a caterer to display the Gold Cup and will follow up with twice-yearly audits, very similar to the Tea Guild's certification. As Drewry Pearson, managing director of Marco Beverage Systems, says: "The objective of the Gold Cup will be good, filtered coffee and consistent high standards."

I have to try this coffee...

clipped from www.latimes.com $600-a-pound coffee Indonesia's kopi luwak is a rare delicacy of peculiar provenance -- beans plucked from the droppings of wild civets. Bandar Lampung, Indonesia — TO connoisseurs of fine coffee, only one is good to the last dropping. Human hands don't harvest the beans that make this rare brew. They're plucked by the sharp claws and fangs of wild civets, catlike beasts with bug eyes and weaselly noses that love their coffee fresh. They move at night, creeping along the limbs of robusta and hybrid arabusta trees, sniffing out sweet red coffee cherries and selecting only the tastiest. After chewing off the fruity exterior, they swallow the hard innards. In the animals' stomachs, enzymes in the gastric juices massage the beans, smoothing off the harsh edges that make coffee bitter and produce caffeine jitters. Humans then separate the greenish-brown beans from the rest of the dung, and once a thin outer layer is removed, they are ready for roasting.