Starbucks Launches “Starbucks Reserve”
Starbucks has announced the introduction of an ultra premium coffee, Starbucks Reserve, to their menu. A 12 oz cup will sell for nearly $3 in Seattle and other select markets. The coffee will be released on August 31st.
Starbucks has chosen to pitch the product in New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Boston, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Miami. Starbucks will preview the coffee in select markets on August 28th.
New Yorkers Crazy for POO
Kopi Luwak, also known as cat poo coffee, is taking New York by storm! It is made from the fecal droppings of a cat like creature, the civet. New Yorkers are shelling out $30 a cup for this unusual treat, according to the NY Daily News.
The civet, which is from Indonesia, creates a brew that is very “earthy” in flavor. Kopi Luwak was featured in the movie “The Bucket List”, being the only coffee that Jack Nicholson’s character would drink. The character is later horrified to learn exactly where is liquid delight origionated.
Study Finds Frequent Coffee Users My Not Get a Morning Wakeup
We all need our coffee to get going in the morning. We look forward to our little cup of caffeinated heaven and so does everyone else who has to be around us! But a new study suggests that we may not be getting a pick me up from our morning cup of joe, but rather we are feeling better from coming out of caffeine withdrawal.
A study was performed at Bristol University in the UK comparing coffee drinkers to non-coffee drinkers when it comes to alertness. Those of us addicted to caffeine are no more alert than non-coffee drinkers, according to the study.Researchers said that the energy boost that habitual coffee drinkers feel after their morning cup of joe comes from the body’s return to a normal state after a night of caffeine withdrawal. Those who consume very little caffeine or none at all will reach the same level of alertness without any extra help.
One scientist said “Someone who consumes caffeine regularly when they’re at work but not at weekends runs the risk of feeling a bit rubbish by Sunday. It’s better to stick with it or keep off it altogether.” I’m all for that! I shall stick with my morning cup of joe as per the scientist’s suggestion!
In the study, researchers had 379 people restrain from caffeine for 16 hours. Half were classified as moderate to heavy caffeine consumers, and the other half had little or none. Later on, each was given either a dose of caffeine or a placebo and were asked to rate their alertness and whether they had a headache.
Caffeine drinkers who received the placebo reported headaches and sluggishness. Caffeine drinkers given coffee reported levels of alertness equal to non-coffee drinkers given the placebo.
McDonalds Competing With Starbucks: Frappes & Smooties
McDonald’s just recently introduced Frappes to its menu in an attempt to dive deeper into the specialty drink market. It began with premium coffee at a lower price than Starbucks and expanded into iced coffee and lattes.
Now McDonald’s is taking another plunge into the Starbucksphere. It is going to introduce Smoothies to its menu. This is aimed at consumers who stop at Starbucks and other specialty coffee retailers and convenience stores during the middle of the day to get a drink. It is hoping that the Smoothie sales will increase its revenue, as did the specialty coffee drinks. Specialty coffee is a $13 billion market in the USA, says the Specialty Coffee Association. Coffee sales at McDonald’s have jumped double digits every year since 2006, when it rolled out premium coffee.
Free Iced Coffee Today 5/11/10 at Dunkin’ Donuts
Today is Dunkin Donut’s 60th birthday and they are celebrating by giving away free iced coffee in some of their cities.
Baltimore, Md.; Charlottesville, Va.; Cleveland, Ohio; Harrisonburg, Va.; Norfolk, Va.; Washington, D.C.; Youngstown, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Richmond, Va.; Roanoke, Va.; Salisbury, Md.; Philadelphia, Pa.; and Phoenix, Ariz.
The free iced coffee is also available in New York City, but only from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, this is causing a controversy in the cities where the iced treat is not being offered free and the feelings of those excluded from the promotion are being posted on Dunkin Donut’s facebook page.
Beans Prepared By Animals
In the Philippines coffee is becoming a big business. Coffee trees grow abundantly on these islands. But the Philippines have a little more help in making coffee “extra special” than other counties do. How is that?
Some Philippine beans get a little extra processing which makes them the most expensive coffee beans in the world. This processing is handled by an unlikely employee who gets paid in coffee cherries. His taxes, if you will, are then pooped out in the form of processed coffee beans which are quickly collected and packaged for your enjoyment. So just who is this little worker?
The civet is a catlike creature, although not actually a cat. He is nocturnal and furry. He loves coffee cherries and in return for his delicious feast the enzymes and acids in his stomach ferment the beans and when they are excreted from the animal’s intestinal track they produce a lovely chocolaty and smooth brew with no bitter aftertaste. These lovely beans sell for hundreds of dollars a pound. As you can imagine, civet farms are popping up all along this impoverished region. Indonesia also has this coffee, better known to the world a copi luwak.
The fact that these coffee farms are on the rise may help; the consumer by bringing down cost. However, with such high margins one as to wonder if they are getting the genuine deal or a knock off of the origional.
“Because of its increasing popularity, there is more civet coffee than ever, but I don’t trust the quality,” said Rudy Widjaja, 68, whose 131-year-old family-owned coffee store in Jakarta, Warung Tinggi, is considered Indonesia’s oldest.
Goad Sibayan, a purchaser of these coffee beans, has found some issues with the much sought after coffee. He went to Cordillera to a arm known as Pat-ogs and inspected their beans. Upon inspection he said he would pay just under top-grade price. He had found some impurities — inferior beans that the civet had spat out; beans chewed on, not by civets, but bats — that were indiscernible to all but Mr. Sibayan’s expert eye or, rather, tongue.
To read more about Mr. Sibayan’s trip to the Philippines, please visit http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/world/asia/18civetcoffee.html?pagewanted=2
Spiro Sells $13 Cup of Coffee
In these economic times its hard to believe that people would pay $13 or a cup of coffee. Well, believe it. Spiro, a coffee shop in Baltimore, is selling a 12oz cup of coffee for $13 and people are lining up to buy it!
Spiro is selling a blend from El Salvadore called Aida’s Grand Reserve. A Brooklyn coffee shop is selling a cup of coffee from Panama for $9 a cup. Its from Hacienda La Esmeralda.
Its very surprising to me that people are paying these prices given the economic issues facing America. Perhaps they are buying it as a treat. We can always splurge for a delicious coffee treat now and then!
Coffee Inhaler Hits the Market!
Coffee Inhaler
Le Whif has introduced a new product on the market, a Coffee Inaler. The device was developed by Harvard Professor of Biomedical Engineering, David Edwards and Thierry Max, a Persian Chef. They have also developed a “breathable chocolate” as well.
The inhaler looks a lot like a lipstick container and it contains a powder inside that you breath in from the tube. It will sell on the maret for three dollars each or eight dollars for a box of 3 inhalers. Each inhaler delivers the equivalent of one shot of espresso in caffeine, 100 milligrams.
Each inhaler can administer up to 9 hits of caffine, depending upon how ard they are inhaled.
WooHoo!!! Coffee Break!!!
We all do it. We all look forward to it. We premeditate it and we love it! Its our coffee break! So, this begs the question of “when is the perfect time for this daily ritual. Yes, there has been a study and coffeesage.com has the answer!
Professor Charles Spence of the Department of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University conducted a research study which concluded that 11am is indeed the best time for a coffee break! The study also concluded that lights, music, aroma and good company will give you a boost as well!
The witty professor even has a coffee formula for the perfect coffee which was published in the “Challenging Tastes” report. Are you ready for it?
M = 0.5 x F + (0.5 x E + 0.3 x P + 0.15 x C + 0.05 x T.
You combine great flavour (F) with the perfect environment (E), the container it comes in (P), who you drink coffee with (C) and the time of day you enjoy your coffee break (T) to create the most enjoyable coffee moment (M).
Starbucks Introduces TRINTA
Americans love their coffee. It seems we can’t get enough of the stuff. Well, Starbucks is going to try to fill our unfillable thirst and addiction to java.
Starbucks introduced us to the 24 ounce Venti, but apparently that was not enough. They are now introducing us to the Trinta, which will bring us a full 31 ounces off caffeinated (or decaffeinated if you are so inclined) goodness fit to fill anyone’s habit, at least for the morning.The catch, your only going to be able to get the Trinta size in iced coffee drinks and teas. Also, since it is still in the test market stage, you will only be able to get the new size in Tampa and Phoenix.
Hopefully the Trinta will do well in the test markets and get adopted nationwide. Apparently the folks in Phoenix like it because Starbucks reports it’s doing well in approximately 280 stores in the area. Its great because you get 30% more caffeine without paying for extra shots, which I think should be mandatory in the morning and early afternoon, for me at least.
Time will tell how Starbucks will fair next to its biggest competitor as of late, McDonald’s, who sales a 32 ounce coffee for $1. I do not know the price point on the Starbucks brew, but I highly doubt it is economically competitive with McDonald’s, but the quality of the Starbucks brand and its minion of loyal followers are likely to get over the price point in a hurry. One things for sure, we at coffeesage.com intend to give it a try. The more the better! Bring it on Starbucks, and bring it nationwide!
Coffee as a Deadly Weapon
Thief robs arcade with cup of coffee
BERLIN
Tue Feb 9, 2010 11:32am ESTBERLIN (Reuters) – A thief in the German town of Hamelin robbed an amusement arcade by threatening the attendant with a cup of coffee, authorities said on Tuesday.
“He wasn’t going to pour coffee over her, he was going to hit her with the cup,” a spokesman for local police said.
Brandishing the steaming cup he had just ordered, the thief forced the 26-year-old to open the till and fled with cash.
Police would not say how much money he had taken from the attendant, who had been alone in the arcade. “We don’t want to encourage others to try this,” the spokesman said.
(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Steve Addison)
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