The world’s most popular coffee bean, arabica, is under threat in the country where it was first found. According to new research, rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall could render as much as 60% of Ethiopia’s coffee-growing areas unsuitable for cultivation by the end of the century. As many as 15 million Ethiopian farmers, or about 15% of the country’s population…
Coffee Grinders: It’s practically unanimous: every great cup of coffee starts with freshly ground coffee. And when I say fresh, I mean grinding your beans just moments before brewing. Too much trouble, you say? Nonsense! Poppycock! Where shall we begin? We’ll start with the two basic types of grinders and the notable variations within. • Blade Grinders That high-speed…
This story comes from This Is What You Just Put In Your Mouth? by Patrick Di Justo. Penguin Random House This is what you just put in your mug: Cocaine-like brain chemicals and the juice of death. Caffeine This white powder is why the world produces more than sixteen billion pounds of coffee beans per year. It s actually an alkaloid plant toxin (like nicotine and…
The effects of coffee on health have been a focus of a number of large research studies. In the last two years, a report in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings indicated a higher mortality rate with coffee consumption, while another from the National Institutes of Health published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported the opposite findings. What could lead to such…
A new study has found that a major ingredient in those green coffee bean dietary supplements — often touted as miracle weight-loss products — doesn t prevent weight gain in obese laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet when given at higher doses . The first-of-its-kind study also linked the ingredient to an unhealthy build-up of fat in the liver. Vance Matthews, Kevin…
When I m feeling a bit randy for a taste of true Brazilian coffee, I brush up on my Portuguese and head for exotic, sexy Rio de Janeiro to Carnival, one of the greatest shows on earth. When they re not prancing around in sequins and feathers, these lively people are hard at work producing thirty-five percent of the world s coffee. They are the world s leading exporter…
At Home (the latest version, scroll down) The green coffee we sell for home roasting is a processed (de-hulled) dried seed. For all the processing entails (from wet-milling, depulping, drying, stripping the parchment, and even polishing sometimes) the embryo that makes this a live seed is often intact. It is located at one end of the seed lengthwise, near the crease…
Related Guide Selecting a bag of coffee from a sea of unknowns can be a challenging business. Though coffee is a fruit, squeezing and sniffing all the bags on your local café shelves just isn t quite as helpful as you d think (and will definitely trigger some puzzled glances from the barista). So what s the best way to narrow in on the best beans? Use the clues scattered…
On a recent trip to Costa Rica with Contiki Travel, I took a tour of a coffee plantation. As an avid coffee enthusiast (okay, bordering on addict), I was confronted with a very humbling question, Do you know where your coffee beans come from? Costa Ricans typically drink coffee at home without sugar or cream (forget pumpkin spice lattés). Instead, it s enjoyed…
700 N Nimitz Hwy Honolulu, HI 96817 (808) 535-6500 Was in Honolulu for Thanksgiving 2012. Always have to stop at Hilo Hattie for just STUFF, so went to the Nimitz location. The store is huge and we were hungry so were thrilled to find the Kona Bean Cafe inside the store. We both had Chili and Rice and it was great-I am still dreaming of it, in fact! The staff was…
121 Plenty Rd Preston Victoria 3072 Australia +61 3 9416 8612 We came here on Sunday morning after being disappointed by Sartoria next door the previous day. Since it was Easter weekend, they only offered pastry and coffee, but man were they good. The atmosphere here is lovely; warm and friendly but entirely relaxed, so you know you re in good hands. Although my flat…
Coffee Harvesting Times Each year coffee is harvested during the dry season when the coffee cherries are bright red, glossy, and firm. How to Harvest Coffee Beans Ripe cherries are either harvested by hand, stripped from the tree with both unripe and overripe beans, or all the coffee beans are collected using a harvesting machine. These processes are called selective…
How caffeinated do you like to be? Coffee has gotten some bad press in the past, including myths that it would stunt your growth or cause heart problems. But recent research generally puts coffee in the clear, with potential health benefits outweighing the risks. Who doesn’t love to have a vice transformed into a virtue? A classic part of coffee’s mystique is the…
Fermentation in coffee refers to the microbial reaction of yeasts and bacteria breaking down the sugars in mucilage. This process produces acids which will later add complexity and depth to a coffee. This reaction has been studied and developed in coffee-growing regions everywhere, and great care is taken to understand and master this process. Producers utilize a…
