Ethiopia: Highlight of the 20th Specialty Coffee Association of America Conference
The 20th Specialty Coffee Association of America Conference just ended today. This 4 day event marks not only a milestone in terms of the “age” of the group, but this conference is the first to highlight the birthplace of coffee – Ethiopia. I only read an article about this earlier today and I find it a nice coincidence that I had just bought a bag of Ethiopian coffee from Starbucks hours before.
Anyhow, here are some things that key people in Ethiopia had to say about the conference.
“Ethiopia is immensely proud to be at the forefront of this year’s SCAA Conference. Ethiopians have cultural and social traditions of coffee drinking going back many, many centuries, and, as such, we have much that is unique to share. The invitation to Ethiopia to be the first ever African portrait country featured is an honor. We take this as a symbol of both the Specialty Coffee industry’s high regard for our place in the expanding and dynamic specialty coffee market, as well as a tribute to our unique heritage and historic role in the coffee business,” said H.E. Yakob Yalla, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development to the assembled experts and enthusiasts.
“Few developing countries have realised that intellectual property plays a crucial role in income generation in the modern, global economy. Ethiopia is truly proud to be among the first to see IP management as a tool for development and poverty alleviation. It is a tribute to the coffee industry and our pioneer licensees that they agree with us and are prepared to cooperate with Ethiopia on its mission to capture a greater share of the retail price for Ethiopian coffee farmers and coffee workers,” commented Getachew Mengistie, Director General of the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office.
This has gotten me more interested in Ethiopia as a coffee-producing country – expect to see more posts soon.
Too Many Choices=Quality?
I have always loved variety. Whatever it may be, having the same set of choices time and again makes me feel bored after a while. Then I realized, sometimes, I get a yearning for the old set of choices. Sometimes, the “old” things just can’t be beat.
I had this realization while I was reading an editorial by Burle Pettit on the Lubbock Journal Online. He was on a roll – ranting about how there are so many choices in the market today. We have all sorts of flavors, all sorts of sizes, packaging, and what not. What he can’t find, though, is the original product that he loves. He talks about all sorts of products but rants largely about one thing – coffee.
WHERE ALL THIS really bugs me is in the area of coffee.
Man and boy, I have grown up drinking Folgers - regular ol’ every day Folgers. Nothing against Maryland Club or Maxwell House, mind you, I just liked Folgers better. I suppose that goes back to my upbringing.
The point is that Folgers now makes every strength and flavor of coffee you can dream up … every flavor except one, that is. They don’t make Folgers that tastes like the Folgers that hooked me on the product. Now the company will tell you that what they package as Classic Roast is very close to the original. Hey, what is it they say about “close,” that it counts only in horse shoes, washers and hand grenades.
I feel what he feels – though not about Folgers. The truth is, sometimes, when I go to restaurants and coffee shops, and I order a cup of coffee, I just want the real bold taste of plain coffee. I have had several disappointing moments when the coffee didn’t taste as I was expecting it too. Watered down, overly flavored concoctions – they have tons of these, each store with their own versions.
Where can we find good old plain coffee? Come visit my kitchen – I have some brewing most of the time!
Hilary And The Coffee Machine
This is a blog about coffee and NOT politics. God forbid that I start talking about politics! I actually make it a point not to dip into that pool – but this is just too funny to pass up!
You’ve probably heard something about this already – there are countless copies of the video circulating on the Internet today. So a potential president of the US can’t figure out how to coax coffee out of a machine, huh? Priceless.
Free Samples At Apres Tasting Club
A few weeks ago, we received an e-mail from Luke Bunting of the Apres Tasting Club, which is part of the main web site, Apres Café. Apres Café is actually a site that is all about coffee and tea. They offer gifts, coffee, and tea in their online store. More than this, they also provide a host of information about coffee and tea. Enthusiasts will certainly find a lot to read in their “Learn” pages.
What Luke e-mailed us about is the Apres Tasting Club and while going through their site, it really caught my interest. How does the Tasting Club operate? It is quite simple – if you are interested, sign up for the Club. You will then receive free samples of either coffee or tea. Once you have tried the free samples that were sent to you, you can go online and then rate them. If you rate the samples that you receive, you will continue to receive new samples every 3 to 4 weeks. It’s a pretty good setup, isn’t it?
Other benefits of being a member of the Apres Tasting Club:
1. Discounted prices not offered to the general public when purchasing a sampled coffee or tea
2. Advanced notice of special purchases or offers
3. Automatic eligibility each month to win a coffee or tea gift box (valued at $20)
4. The chance to sample some of the finest coffees and teas in the world – for FREE!
5. An opportunity to help us choose only the very best coffee and tea products by offering your comments on each sampled brew
6. Instant access to exclusive email offers through the ApresCafe.com email club. (You may unsubscribe from this email service at any time.)
One drawback – I think they only ship to the United States.
Starbucks And iTunes Show Love
Starbucks and Apple are perhaps the two brands that I like the most – well, perhaps is the operative word here. In any case, these two groups have teamed up to bring more pleasure to their customers. Sometime last week, Starbucks proudly announced its new program – the Pick of the Week.
Yes, it is true that the name for the promotion could have been more creative. (Come on now guys, you make millions! You can surely pay someone to come up with something more than “Pick of the Week!”) However, the idea is quite an interesting one.
Imagine yourself sitting at your favorite spot in your regular Starbucks hang out. You spend a relaxing hour or so sipping your favorite coffee drink, doing whatever you are doing, and listening to your favorite music on your iPod all the while. Perhaps you don’t even need to imagine this – it is reality!
YOU are the target clientele of Starbucks and Apple. With the Pick of the Week, loyal Starbucks and Apple customers can enjoy free downloadable content. How?
I don’t know the exact details (obviously the Starbucks nearest me does not seem to have this promo running yet) but the idea is that people who buy coffee from Starbucks will receive a Pick of the Week download card. This card can then be used to redeem a free song or music video from the iTunes store. Users have up to 60 days to claim the song or video but can also download on the spot with WiFi access.
Web Site In Focus: Coffee Cooks
I love to cook. It is one of the hobbies that I have that I like doing when I have time to spare. Oh, I cook everyday – it is a must, unless I want to spend tons of money eating out. But the best dishes that I have prepared are those I spent considerable time on and those that I have not rushed because I was late for work. That is why I was excited when I posted that entry on coffee marinated sirloin.
A reader of ours commented on that post and introduced me to a whole new world of cooking – one which involves coffee. Can you just imagine how excited I am right now? The web site is called Coffee Cooks and has a lot of recipes making use of coffee. More than that, though, you can find a lot of other information.
I browsed the site to find out more about what they have to offer and I have to say that I am left wanting more. There are several categories which one can browse – basics, breads, bars & cookies, cakes, desserts, drinks, main dishes, and greens. I was a bit disappointed that there were only a couple of recipes under each category, though. Maybe in the future, they will expand their collection and offer more.
One thing I think we should all try out this weekend is the Asian vinaigrette. I have never had a salad with the flavor of coffee and I don’t know how well that would mix but it sure is worth a try!
Coffee Etiquette In Italy
I sure am not headed to Italy any time soon (though the partner and I are planning a trip next year) but I found this blog post on The Road To The Horizon very informative and funny as well.
Did you know that Italians mostly drink their coffee at the bar standing up? If you drink your coffee at the table, then you are probably marked as a tourist (not always a good thing in my book).
How long does it take you to finish off an espresso? For me, it depends. Sometimes I finish it off really fast, sometimes I take my time. In Italy, espresso is meant to be drunk in a jiffy – 3 sips at the most.
As I was reading these interesting bits of trivia, I was thinking – would anyone really care if I didn’t follow the Italian customs when it comes to coffee? Well, I suppose that when you’re in Rome, you have to do as the Romans do. The blog post explains:
It is a habit, no, more a culture, strong: a religion, in Italy, not to drink any coffee with milk in it after breakfast. Cappuccino or Caffe Latte orders after 11 am are often laughed at or joked with.
While coffee bar tenders in the big cities will frown when you order a Caffe Latte in the afternoon, and exchange a glance of “Ah, tourists!” with the people standing at the bar, they will still serve you - all be it - reluctantly.
In restaurants, though, you might get occasions where the waiter will simply not serve you a coffee with milk in the afternoon or evening. The more remote the place, the more “mama and papa”-type the restaurant, the more chance of getting accused for “sacrilege”, turning that ‘friendly hospitable waiter’ into a rude tiran who wants nothing better than to see your backside as you walk out of the restaurant, while all you wanted was a “Cappuccino”.
Ok, ok I get it. Well, not really. I have to read this blog post over and over again – and take notes – before I even think of going to Italy.
Coffee-Themed Wedding Favors
You may not be getting married any time soon but you may not someone who is. I just saw this article from Transworld News about a unique idea for wedding favors and I liked it so much that I thought about posting it here as well.
We all know how conventional wedding favors can become boring. Most of the time, people don’t really find any use for wedding favors and they end up as junk or clutter. Think about it – how many wedding favors do you have in your store room? Don’t even get me started on how many I have!
Now, if you love coffee, why not incorporate this passion into your wedding favors? When I saw the list provided in the article, I thought to myself “Now why didn’t I think of this myself?” Here are some of the more interesting items:
- A personalized coffee kit. Each personalized bag includes premium ground coffee and a heart-shaped coffee spoon in shiny chrome.
- An assortment of different coffee scoops in various shapes and sizes. Give your guests a scoop of love with these practical coffee scoops.
- The “Espress Your Love” Coffee glass candle. This rich brown candle comes in a cup and smells like espresso. This candle is elegantly packaged in a clear gift box.
These items are obviously from a site specializing in wedding favors. You can find out about the specific products from Truly Wedding Favors. Alternatively, you can make your own favors by buying the materials and putting them together!
Seriously, why didn’t I think of this?
Coffee Marinated Sirloin
I love coffee and I love steak – who can resist either? The thing is, I have never really thought of these two ingredients coming together, have you? Well, apparently, you can use coffee to marinate a good piece of sirloin. According to The Canadian Press, to which I attribute this eye opening piece of news, the marinade adds creaminess to the steak. An added bonus – the coffee’s acidity tenderizes the meat as well. Here’s the recipe – I am going to try it this weekend.
Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours (20 minutes active)
Servings: 4
1 1/2 cups cold coffee
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons honey
1/2-inch chunk fresh ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Four 8-ounce bottom sirloin steaks (or other tender, broiler-friendly cut)
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oilIn a blender or food processor, combine the coffee, pepper flakes, peanut butter, honey and ginger. Puree until smooth, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
Pour half of the marinade in a baking dish. Set the steaks in the baking dish, then pour the remaining marinade over them. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
When ready to cook, preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the steak, in batches if necessary, and sear until lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Transfer the steaks to the prepared baking sheet. For medium-rare, broil for 7 to 8 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the steak reads 135 F.
Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Coffee Cup Cuff Cum Bracelet
Seriously, sometimes, people think of the darnedest things! Who would have ever though that anyone would want to wear a bracelet that would double as a coffee cup cuff? Well, apparently, the people over at Contexture think that this is a brilliant idea.
They created a coffee cup cuff that would fit most take out cups. The cuff is actually quite stylish and is made from reclaimed veneer – everything is handmade. You can pick from three different wood types – black walnut, bird’s eye maple, or benge. The idea is to satisfy both form and function with the Contexture coffee cuff.
So what about its function as a bracelet? Well, as you can see from the picture, it does have a certain appeal to it. After all, many fashionistas would tell you that accessories can make or break an ensemble. Would the Contexture cuff add to your sense of fashion?
I honestly don’t know. I can only speak for myself. I do not think that I would spend about 68 Canadian dollars on the cuff so that I could use it as a bracelet. I have to say that the cuffs look good, though. So maybe – just maybe – if I had an extra 70 bucks to spare, I would buy one of the cuffs. It just might come in handy if the paper coffee cuff that the coffee shop gives me is not good enough.
