Posts filed under 'News'

A new approach to fresh-roasted coffee

17_roastingplant_lgs.jpgThe Roasting Plant, a new cafe in New York, has taken coffee roasting to the next stage - roasting on demand, allowing customers to even request their own custom blend of beans. Their automated roasting machines also help ensure freshness, being able to roast whatever is needed, whenever it’s needed. I do wonder how the results are, for I’ve always been a believer of human interaction with the roast - you can’t just set time and temperature, for the ambient temperature and humidity can affect the roast, as can the specific batch of green beans you’re roast. Still, it’s entirely possible that The Roasting Plant’s machines can take this into account. Having truly fresh roasted coffee really DOES make a huge difference in my experience. It’s certainly worth trying. If any of you are near their shop at 81 Orchard Street in New York, stop on in and report back here with what you think! (via CoolHunting)

Add comment April 23rd, 2007

Creation of a new coffee drink

So what does it take for a mega-corporation like Starbucks to invent a new coffee drink? Well, this article over at MSNBC goes through the work that went into the creation of the Dolce De Leche Latte. It took them over a year to get it to the point where it was ready for the public! There’s a neat video about the drink at that site too.

Add comment April 11th, 2007

Don’t buy coffee from Vietnam

If you care about quality, don’t buy coffee from Vietnam. Well, since they mostly export robusta beans, this may not be something the average person would be doing anyway (Arabica beans are typically more highly desired, for many reasons). The Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association has admitted that they use old criteria for quality, and there are no quality tests at ports before customs clearance. European ports have had some trouble with Vietnam coffee, much more so than beans from anywhere else. Read more over here.

Add comment April 9th, 2007

Coffee cupping

Ever been wine tasting? Well, coffee lovers sometimes do something similar, and it’s called cupping. Basically, it involves a lot of slurping and spitting. You want to run each sip across your whole mouth, to ensure that all taste buds on the tongue have a chance to sample it. There’s a long article about this over at Planet Blacksburg that’s worth reading.

Add comment April 5th, 2007

Solar coffee roasting in Colorado

outsideshop02s.jpgWe first reported on solar coffee roasting last year (see this story). Well, what started as an experiment in Oregon has moved to sunny Pueblo, Colorado, and has evolved into a business, Solar Roast, that uses solar power to roast up to fifty pounds of coffee a day. Actually, the coffee roasting facility is on nearby St. Charles Mesa; the cafe at 226 Main Street is just where they sell the coffee, along with the usual bagels and pastries you’d expect. Read more here.

Add comment March 26th, 2007

Starbucks to double number of stores in five years

As if there weren’t already too many Starbucks…they plan to double their number of stores in five years! (full article in Bufaflo News Business Today)

Add comment March 26th, 2007

Starbucks vending machines

starbucksvending.jpgWow, talk about brand dilution and degradation. Starbucks is teaming up with Pepsi to distribute a whole bunch of hot drink vending machines. You’ll see them in some test markets this summer, and if all goes well, expect them to spread like wildfire. (via Slashfood)

Add comment March 23rd, 2007

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