Coffee’s Influence on the Environment
Tests are being conducted in Eugene Oregon that may reveal an environmentally friendly side of coffee. The Oregon State Extension service is conducting experiments that appear to show that coffee grounds may play a part in cooking compost so that it can aid crops.
Preliminary tests show that when a quarter of compost was coffee grounds, temperatures were about twenty degrees higher for about two weeks.
Researchers say another environmental benefit is that recycling coffee grounds keeps it out of the waste stream which is beneficial since coffee grounds in landfills create the gas methane.
Getting a Coffee Franchise
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There are a lot of opportunities available for coffee lovers these days, including the world of franchises. Most likely, we know about the Starbucks opportunities to get involved in a franchise. However, if you want to do something a little different, here are some opportunities of some great franchises for coffee lovers to add into their area.
1. Sonoma Coffee Cafe. This franchise specializes in a wide variety of global coffee beans, reaching a level of gourmet for the average coffee goer. They reach an annual average revenue of $10 million and expect to continue to expand for the love of every cup.
2. Village Coffee. It’s still gourmet, but a little different. This franchise opportunity started as a coffee company that would pride itself on being in the village square areas around the United States, going for an environment that is family friendly and inspires any type of conversation with every sip of coffee. It’s expecting to grow by an average of 125% in the next three years.
3. SG Cafe and Italian Eatery. If you want more than gourmet coffee, transfer yourself to a whole new world with this franchise opportunity. They offer authentic Italian in the coffee, environment and foods that are available. The net worth for each cafe is an average of $100,000.
4. Chocolate Apothecary. If you are like me, you know that nothing goes together better than chocolate and coffee. This opportunity will let you have just that with gourmet chocolates and coffees and a relaxing atmosphere that is generating a wide opportunity to make profit from a franchise.
There are hundreds of other opportunities that are knocking at the door for franchises. With a little research and a small investment, you can be working your way into a gourmet profit. Read more
The Bodum Santos Stovetop Vacuum Coffee Maker
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For those coffee enthusiasts who thought they had everything, meet the Bodum Santos Stovetop Vacuum Coffee Maker (34 oz). Yes, this gizmo looks as if it belongs in a laboratory. Never-the-less, it makes great gourmet coffee. This is how it works:
- Place water into the bottom glass jug.
- Place the jug on your stovetop.
- Insert filter into the funnel.
- Hook chain onto the edge of the tube.
- Place ground coffee into the glass funnel.
- Place the glass funnel on the jug, and boil water.
- The water will slowly be sucked up into the glass funnel. This is where the coffee will be brewed.
- Remove the coffee maker from the stovetop. The coffee will slowly vacuum itself down into the bottom jug.
- Pour and enjoy!
Does this process sound overly complicated? At first, it takes a while to get used to, but after a few tries making vacuumed coffee becomes easier. If you are looking for a superior full-flavored taste without bitterness, Bodum Santos is able to deliver. Here are some consumer suggestions on how to get the most out of this coffee maker:
- Use course grinds to prevent filter clogs. Try and store your coffee in air tight containers instead of freezing or refigerating.
- Allow the water and grinds to mix for at least a minute before moving the Bodum Santos from the stovetop.
- Be patient! If perfect brewing doesn’t occur after the first attempt, try again.
Iced Coffee At Home
Making your own coffee drinks at home is a great way to save some money. Find recipes that you can use, and alter to your liking if need be, and you’ll be a coffee expert in no time!
Here are two recipes for iced coffee that is easy to make at home:
Brew a 10-12 cup pot of coffee your usual way, doubling the amount of coffee that you generally use (decaf or regular). Add one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk to the hot coffee. Refrigerate until cold. Add pure vanilla, to taste, to the coffee just before serving. Pour over a tall glass of ice. Delicious!
Caramel Cinnamon Iced Coffee
Add the cinnamon to the coffee grounds before brewing so as to add an extra spicy kick.
Brew you coffee as normal
Add the caramel syrup to the cinnamon spiced coffee and stir very well to make sure syrup is dissolved.
Chill in the refrigerator, then serve over ice cubes.
Add milk and sugar, if desired, to taste.
Know What’s In Your Cup
Coffee is sometimes so good, that we forget to look at what is going on behind the scenes. The coffee industry, especially, is in a peculiar place right now. This is linked to fair trade policies, corporations moving into poorer countries and disadvantages that are slowly tearing apart communities in other areas of the globe. Before you start drinking your coffee, you may want to make sure you are getting it from a place that is going to truly benefit from it.
You may have noticed fluctuating prices on coffee in the past few months if you are buying it in bulk from the store. But, that is just a back lash from a problem that has been going on for years. When coffee started to become popular in the US, especially with Starbucks, everything changed. Corporations started moving into coffee areas and working with larger farmers that could supply them more for less.
What’s happening outside of the coffee cup are questions on ethics. Smaller towns in Mexico, China and around the world that grew coffee from their ancestors are being put into poverty, out of business and are being run over by the monopoly of coffee. (Yes, this includes Starbucks). Those who are surviving off of the coffee industry are not making enough to survive, mostly because of the unequal trade that is happening with the open trade. Corporations are buying coffee for very little, and in return, selling it for very high.
This is all based on fair trade policies as well as economic demands that are moving throughout the country. If there are individuals or farmers who don’t want to see their farm move this way, they are simply being shut down. The result is not only hurting the economy in other places of the world, but is also hurting the type of coffee that is available - leaving the more specialized forms unable to make the complete gourmet.
So, before you start drinking, know where you are drinking from. As good as the coffee may taste, there is always something behind the cup.
Mocha Coffee Float Recipe
Delicious and decadent coffee drink when you want to treat yourself and your friends!
What you’ll need:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided use
2 1/2 cups brewed mocha java coffee,
chilled1/4 cup coffee liqueur (optional)
4 large scoops coffee ice cream
1 12-ounce can carbonated cola,
chilledChocolate-covered espresso beans, for garnish (optional)
In a medium-size pitcher, combine 3/4 cup of the heavy cream, all of the coffee, and the liqueur (if using). Stir to combine. Whip remaining cream to stiff peaks. Fill 4 tall glasses halfway with coffee mixture. To each glass add a scoop of ice cream. Add cola to each glass. When fizz goes down, top each glass with a dollop of whipped cream. If desired, garnish with chocolate-covered espresso beans. Serve immediately.
Peet’s gets rapid…rapid transit, that is…
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) has partnered with Peet’s Coffee so that morning commuters (and evening commuters and everyone in between) can enjoy java while getting where they need to go.
The partnership will show up at the Embarcadero BART Station around the end of April, and that will be the debut stop for enjoying Peet’s during your journey. The second of these kiosks from Peet’s will show up at the Montgomery St. BART Station. From there they will be rolled out to the following stations:
- Pittsburgh/BayPoint
- Downtown Berkeley
- Civic Center
- Daly City
With two more kiosks planned at currently undisclosed locations.
Nothing goes better with a morning commute than a cup of steaming wake-me-up-quick coffee, and Peet’s is going to become the easiest, most convenient choice of Bay Area Rapid Transit users.
It seems like a match made in commuter heaven.
Under the licensing program that is set up for this venture, Peet’s proprietary retail store design will be employed and there has been strict adherence to make sure quality control is firmly in place.
No quickie kiosk, a selection of specially packaged Peet’s Deep-Roasted® coffes will be offered. These coffees are hand roasted daily by skilled artisans to ensure superior quality and freshness.
Anyone that has used mass transit for commuting purposes has probably wished they had more convenient coffee access, and now the Bay Area will be able to offer a portion of its regular (and occasional) users with a great coffee experience during their travels. This looks to enhance both the Peet’s brand as well as the BART brand simultaneously.
Creative Things To Do With Used Coffee Grounds
Now that you have made your fresh pot of coffee your coffee grounds are headed to the trash, right? Well hold on to those grounds just a minute or two longer while you check out this list of things you can use your coffee grounds for.
Got a Cat? Sprinkle the coffee grounds around garden areas, and mix them into the soil with some orange peels to keep your feline from making your garden her bathroom!
Furniture Scratches — Steep the coffee grounds for a bit, and then use the brown liquid to cover up scratches by dabbing it on with a q-tip.
Got Roses? Rosebushes, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreen and camellias prefer acidic soils and will appreciate the leftovers from your morning cup. If you have a compost, pour some grounds in there as well.
Bald Patches on Your Lawn? Sprinkle used coffee grounds around to get things “growing”.
Cleaning Your Fireplace? Sprinkle wet coffee grounds over the ashes first. This will keep them from flying around the room, and minimize the dust.
Enjoy your coffee and put the grounds to good use!
If You’re Ever in Colorado
If any of you are ever in the location of Denver or Boulder Colorado, you don’t want to pass by the Cafe de Paris. It’s a little, independent shop in Louisville, Colorado. This is right in between Denver and Boulder in a quaint, little downtown area.
Typically, I’ll say that coffee shops are good, but they won’t strike me as much as the Cafe De Paris. This coffee shop has some of the best coffee that I’ve ever tasted. It’s fresh, strong and you can tell that they put in the extra effort to make it perfect. If you are hungry, you can also try their panini sandwiches, made just as fresh and just as good as everything else in their shop.
Not only do I love this coffee shop for their great tasting food and coffee, but they also have an excellent atmosphere. It’s a small shop, run by a husband and wife. The husband is from Pakistan (I think), and has definitely put together a cultural theme from this. You can find some good authentic music, decorations that are out of this world and even jewelry that has been hand crafted from his home town area. For those that love to get into culture, you can also look at the opportunities they have like the classes for learning French.
Out of all of the coffee shops in the world, this one is classy, stylish and is fresh. It definitely puts Starbucks to shame and my only wish is that there could be many more coffee shops that are like this one! Bon appetit!
Morning Coffee Habit Not Just For Grown-Ups Anymore
Do you know who is drinking more and more coffee these days? According to The National Coffee Association, young people are the fastest growing coffee-drinking niche. In 2002, about 24 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds drank coffee. Last year, it was 37 percent.
It would seem that the dessert type coffee drinks out there in starbuck coffee-land have made it big with teens and even pre - teens. Parents have so much to worry about where their kids are concerned these days, perhaps drinking a coffee drink is not something they feel they need to stress out over.
And this latest trend has to be a good thing for coffee baristas, don’t you think?
“What makes young customers good customers is that they generally buy expensive, high-profit drinks, like Frappuccinos,” says Bryant Simon, a Temple University history professor who is writing a book about Starbucks.
“They are important because they have the potential to become lifelong customers,” he says.
But are coffee drinks — with the fanciest concoctions often packed with sugar and fat — good for kids? What do you think?