An international espresso war. A $487 million investment in coffee plants. A free Italian scooter. There's a lot going on in the world of coffee news! Read all about it here:An International Espresso War
An Italian master barista from illy ruffled the feathers of the American coffee community with a scathing critique of America's emerging third wave coffee / espresso scene on Salon.com. Some American baristas and coffee drinkers refuted his claims (pointing out, amongst other things, the master barista's low rank at the World Barista Championships and illy's custom of using no fewer than nine varieties of bean per blend), while others agreed with him, citing specific cafes and the American habit of adding milk, sugar and other ingredients to coffee to cover up otherwise the "undrinkable swill" we call espresso. Read more on the international espresso war.
Nestle Invests $487 Million to Increase Coffee Quality & Quantity
The world's largest coffee company (which you may know by the names Nescafé and Nespresso) is investing millions in replanting coffee in areas where plants are showing diminished returns. The investment has the potential to improve the lives of farmers (who are not locked into contracts by the replanting) and the profit margins of Nestle (which would soon face rapidly rising commodity coffee prices if not for the investment). Read more about Nestle's coffee replanting investment.
Starbucks Plans to Launch a Line of Single Origin Coffee
In a move echoing the overall trend of third-wave coffee (in which coffee shops like Intelligentsia and Stumptown focus on single-origin coffees roasted to match the flavors of the beans rather than to specific roast levels), Starbucks has decided to offer a line of single-origin coffees. Will Starbucks also lay off of its usual habit of over-roasting coffee when it comes to this line? We shall see... Read more on Starbucks' new line of single-origin coffees.
Peet's Coffee & Tea Introduces Alta de Dota Single Origin Special Roast
OK, so it's not an entire line... and it's only available for a limited time... from limited locations... but Alta de Dota Single Origin Special Roast does sound like a pretty tasty Costa Rican single origin coffee. Read more on Alta de Dota Single Origin Special Roast.
Win a Scooter From Forza Coffee
Talk about vroom, vroom! Forza Coffee is giving one lucky Washington state resident an Italian scooter. Enter by September 15th for a chance to win.
Former Bus Shelter to Open as Coffee Kiosk in Portland, Oregon
Cool, right? However, as a resident of Portland, Oregon, I really must say that this is par for the course as far as street food and coffee go here. (I don't mean to brag. It's just that Portland really does have a great street food scene and a great coffee scene!) Read more about Portland's new coffee kiosk.
Cold-Brewed Coffee Makes a Stir in Beantown
Cold-brewed coffee may not be new in cities like San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, but it is currently making a big splash in Boston. Read more on cold-brewed coffee in Boston.
Starbucks Announces New Flavored Instant Coffees
Starbucks will soon expand its VIA instant coffee line to include flavored instant coffees. The new VIA varieties will be available in Vanilla, Mocha, Caramel and Cinnamon Spice. I'll be reviewing them on About soon, but for now you can read the press release on flavored VIA varieties here.
Green Mountain Coffee is Fortune Magazine's Second-Fastest Growing Company
Green Mountain Coffee (whose K-cups I've reviewed here and here) was named the second-fastest growing company by Fortune Magazine. Read Fortune's list of fastest-growing companies.
Kuma Coffee Fosters Direct Trade With Transparency
Adding to the movement away from Fair Trade certification and toward transparent operations surrounding direct trade, Seattle's Kuma Coffee has issued a transparency statement about how much it paid (per pound) for each of the coffees it carries. Read more about Kuma Coffee and direct trade vs. Fair Trade coffee.
Kroger to Distribute Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea
Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea products will soon be offered at King Soopers and City Market supermarkets in Colorado. Read more about Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea's distribution deal.
Image (c) Lindsey Goodwin
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Comments
Hi. I have a question about the how the process of making green tea decaffeinated affects the antioxidant properties of green tea.
I love drinking green tea but I worry about the amount of caffeine I end up drinking. Is decaffeinated green tea as good for you as regular green tea?
Thanks!
Hi, Michèle. That’s a good question. Yes, decaffeination removes a portion of the antioxidants from green tea (as well as other types of tea). However, decaf green tea is still healthy, and drinking decaf tea instead of soda or other sugary drinks is a great dietary choice.
If you see any instructions for “decaffeinating green tea at home” that claim to keep the majority of the antioxidants intact, do not believe them. This is a widespread myth that has only recently been proven to be completely wrong. The 30-second steeping used to “decaffeinate” the tea actually removes many of its antioxidants and very little of its caffeine — the opposite of the intended effect.