Low calorie coffee product
It’s that time of year again. Spring is here, the sun is getting stronger and the prospects of beach holidays and casting aside our winter woollies are on the horizon. Of course, this also means that we are going to become more preoccupied with shedding pounds and preparing to show off lean and athletic bodies over the summer months.
There is a new aid to help anyone who is interested in losing some weight or cutting down on calories without sacrificing too many of our favourite beverages and foodstuffs.
Interested to know what this product is? Caribou Coffee has recently unveiled a new beverage collection which is said to contain ’40 per cent fewer calories – and 100 percent of the taste.’ This range of products is called ‘Northern Lite’ and the company has just launched the collection.
What sort of drinks are included in the Northern Lite selection? For coffee-lovers, there is the reduced calorie mocha, latte, plus tea-drinkers can enjoy lower calorie tea lattes. The company boasts that the products do not sacrifice taste and the ingredients they use – such as real premium chocolate – manage to make the drinks as delicious as the full calorie versions.
Of course, for those interested in giving their diets a spring clean, there are many seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables becoming available so that you can complement any reduced calorie coffee with a low fat, delicious and nutritional meal. Energy levels often increase when the dark nights disappear and the sun is shining. All this will come in handy for beach-body preparation.
Summer bottled coffee…
As part of a new initiative from an independent coffee company in Portland, the taste of chilled coffee on a hot day becomes easier than ever. Enjoyed by many for its refreshing taste, café frappe or chilled summer coffee is enjoyed in many countries, especially those with a hot climate such as Greece. Now the Stumptown Coffee Roasters have created a new version of this popular summer drink.
What is so different about this product? Clue: if it were put down on the table in front of you, you might imagine it to be an alcoholic brew. The new chilled coffee is packaged in a bottle and a cool retro designed bottle it is too, so that it is easy to transport and drink on the go. The contents are a thoughtful blend of Stumptown coffee which has been roasted at the Portland House Spirits Distillery.
This new coffee collection has been called the ‘Cold Brew Stubbies.’ The coffee can be drunk, neat, straight out the bottle. Or if you prefer to customise your coffee, it can be blended with your ingredient of choice such as cream, milk, ice or a little sweetener, such as sugar.
Not only is Stumptown Coffee Roasters a canny innovator in coffee. The company also has a heart – they have recently been involved in an event to support those suffering in the recent Japanese earthquake. The event, called ‘Dine Out to Support Japanese Earthquake Relief!’ took place at the end of March. Charity proceeds were sent to Mercy Corps.
The old Ethiopia – coffee relationship is still going strong
In a recently published interview with a coffee house owner in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopians reminded the world that ‘Coffee and Ethiopia go together.’
Ethiopia has made the headlines for many reasons over the past years and some have never realised that the African country is one of the oldest coffee hot-spots on the planet. Ethiopians are proud to argue that coffee originated on its highlands. Legend has it that the goats were the first creatures to taste the coffee bean and their reaction was noticed by the local herders. As such, the locals started to experiment with the coffee bean and this experimentation lead to the beverage that has since taken the globe by storm. How far back into the past was Ethiopian coffee discovered? It is believed that this discovery was made in the 900s.
Even today, coffee plays a pivotal role in the nation’s economy and culture. In 2010, coffee exports amounted to some $528 million, a significant contribution to the export market. The locals estimate that more than three quarters of the Ethiopian population work in the coffee industry.
This love of coffee is reflected in the social culture of the country. It is estimated that Ethiopians drink an average of 4 cups of (strong) coffee daily. Coffee drinking ceremonies are incorporated into daily life too – whether it is a private individual, a business meeting, family gathering or a date. Many social occasions revolve around the beverage.
UK Coffee Baristas are the champions at London Coffee Festival
Did you know that London has just hosted the first London Coffee Festival? The Big Smoke was the venue for a celebration of coffee and hoards flocked to see the various events. Published figures reveal that over 7,000 people came to visit the festival.
This was not the only ‘first’ that took place in the city. A UK team of baristas, named ‘The London Belle Baristas,’ smashed the previous record for the number of espressos made in an hour. Can you guess how many cups of espresso were produced by the winning team? Hint 1: last year, a team from Poland made 3,386 cups and earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records. Hint 2: a team from Australia beat this by making 5,061 cups (although this was an unofficial record).
The answer is astonishing. The London Belle Baristas proved what a fantastic team they are by producing no less than 12,005 espressos, as published by LondonCoffeeFestiva.com! That’s well over twice as many as the previous Australian attempt! There were over 100 baristas in the winning team to produce such an amazing result. The record will be reported to the Guinness Book of Records.
The festival, held in the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, was seen as a great success. The noble aim behind the event was to increase public awareness and funds to provide drinkable water to overseas communities who work in the coffee industry and need this assistance.
Coffee gives protection against DNA damage – new results
Coffee, it appears, does our bodies good in certain ways, over and above the taste sensations of a delicious roast or the caffeine buzz we crave. Results of a German research project have been revealed in ‘Molecular Nutrition & Food Research’ and the benefits of a certain type of coffee bean – the green compounds and certain other products – were surprising.
So what did the study show? Those who drank 3-4 cups of this particular coffee variety over a 4 week period had a reduction of body fat and weight. How much weight did these volunteers lose? On average, they lost 0.63-0.69 kilos after this period.
This, however, was not the only beneficial result of drinking the special brew. In addition, the results showed that 33 of the volunteers in the project had 40% less DNA damage in certain markers, when contrasted with the results in non-participants in the drinking experiment. This lessening of oxidative damage was another benefit.
Do scientists know why the coffee had this effect on the volunteers in the project? Current reports of the research indicate that it is certain properties of coffee that produce these reactions in humans – particularly chlorogenic acids and also methylpyridinium. Earlier scientific projects at Purdue University had suggested that the polyphenols in coffee contributed to the Western diet.
Coffee has become such a valuable and ever-expanding industry that much research is being done into the effects of the drink on the population.
Polish coffee brand has expansion plans
Coffee is a global business. The industry has spread its net far and wide, satisfying consumer demand for the elixir of the coffee bean and coffee-café culture. Unlikely countries have been bitten by the coffee-bug, from the traditionally tea-drinking Chinese to Russia. Poland, too, is staking its claim to a slice of the global coffee market.
What is happening to trigger these reports? A significant coffee producer in Poland is making a bid for an international presence. Mokate, as well as producing coffee, is also in the business of tea and different foodstuffs. 2011, the company has decided, is the year to extend the business plan further beyond national borders.
Where does Mokate want to expand to and what are the target markets? Reports indicate that the company is aiming particularly at Pakistan and the Balkans. Mokate is also looking towards Africa and at Kenya in particular.
In preparation for a larger customer base and increased consumer demand, the Polish coffee producer has opened new manufacturing premises. The company aims to increase the percentage of its business to include a higher proportion of export sales – in 2010, published figures indicate that exports amounted to some 57% of revenue, whereas the target for this year is to raise this figure to 60%. The company is serious: they have had a significant spend on investment recently and the predictions are that this figure, too, is on the increase.
We look forward to seeing a new Polish brand of coffee on the market.
Introducing the Canary Island coffee brand…
Question: do you know where the only coffee estate in the European Union is located? Answer: the Finca La Corcovada coffee brand is the product of a plantation in Gran Canaria, part of the Canary Islands. As it happens, this is also the most northern coffee plantation too.
These facts are worth mentioning because the coffee produced in this area has been described as one of the leading exotic coffee brands. It has a particular acidity and delicate body and is an Arabica Typica coffee bean. No wonder it is exotic – this coffee brand has a royal history. It was introduced to the region by King Carlos the third and he chose the Canary Islands well. The geography of the Agaete Valley (where the coffee plantation is based) is quite particular – moderate temperatures and a rich soil, plus appropriate shade – to produce a fine coffee.
A specialist in gourmet brands, the Sea Island Coffee Ltd, has been boasting about the qualities of this coffee as they have just acquired it. They have an excellent selection of rare and highly sought after coffee brands and a representative of the company describes this Canary Island coffee as the ‘icing on the cake.’
The company also compares fine and exclusive exotic coffee brands to the fine wine market. They believe that the coffee culture is growing so that the true connoisseurs are interested in a market of coffee which has a varied and high-quality pedigree and taste.
New invention to keep coffee cold
It sounds a little bit like a Heston Blumenthal experiment… how do you keep hot coffee cool? We have all had the horrible sensation of drinking a hot beverage that is, in fact, too hot and scalding our tongues. Most of us would assume that this is just one of those facts of life and that we simply need to wait for it to cool down, but two bright sparks in America are creating a solution to this dilemma.
Recent reports in the news have disclosed that Stanford graduate, Dave Jackson and Dave Petrillo have come up with an invention to address the issue of too-hot coffee. What have they created to deal with the problem? The cooling device is called a ‘coffee joulie.’ How does it work? The joulies are added to the cup before it is filled up with coffee. The joulie then works to reduce any scalding temperatures to a drinkable heat.
There is an added benefit too: not only does the coffee joulie cool the coffee down, it can also regulate the temperature of the drink and heat it back up again if it is getting too cold. As such, the coffee experience can last longer, at an appropriate temperature for the coffee drinker.
It seems that this idea will do well – so far the entrepreneurs have decided to do things differently and are not looking for venture capital funding. Reluctant to allow the interference with the project that a venture capitalist may bring, the two Daves have opted for alternative funding via another online networking tool.
Coffee grounds used in A-list celebrity facial treatment
The unusual use of natural products has long been used in beauty treatments. Picture the scenario: glamour queens lying with gloop on their faces and cucumber slices resting on their eyelids for freshness. Homemade face-mask recipes have ranged from avocado to bran, to banana mush…even Cleopatra is famous for reputedly bathing in milk to prepare her skin !
The Hollywood A-listers have recently been disclosing some of their favourite and unusual beauty treatments too. Eva Longoria, made famous for her role in the American show ‘Desperate Housewives, has recently featured in the press for her alleged preference for using coffee grounds in skin preparations.
The National Enquirer revealed that Eva uses a weekly skin preparation which involves a mixture of coffee grinds, olive oil and lemon juice to create a mask. There is no doubting that the actress has beautiful, luminous skin – could this be the secret? What a sociable beauty treatment that would be! Spend time with friends over a cup of coffee and then use the grounds to make you look stunning!
Another A-list fashionista has also been in the press recently for revelations about her beauty treatments. Apparently during a trip to Japan, Victoria Beckham learned one of the Japanese preparations to counter acne. She was so impressed by the success of the treatment that she hunted down similar products once she returned to the United States – and what was in this miracle spot-cure?
Answer: nightingale droppings!
The Human League are coffee fans
Can you guess what English New Wave band, Human League, have asked for during their Peruvian trip? Some pop stars may make outrageous primadonna demands and endless requirements, but it has been reported that Human League are in fact coffee connoisseurs. Supporting the local economy during their tour in South America to the Peruvian city of Lima, the band asked for a coffee brand which is produced in the Peruvian jungle. What is this much sought-after brand of coffee called? Good Hard Bean coffee.
It was the two female members of the band, Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley, who made this request after they discovered the brand in shops in London in the UK. Good Hard Bean coffee won the award for best special coffee in the Specialty Coffee Association of America, a true accolade for its producer in Chanchmayo. It is clear that the two singers have excellent taste.
It was after these two coffee-loving singers joined the band in 1980, The Human League rose in popularity and had several synthpop hits. The band has released nine albums, four of which made the UK top ten and has sold over 20 million records globally. Artists such as Madonna, Moby and Pet Shop Boys have all been influenced by The Human League.
Philip Oakley, the third and most enduring member of the band is also enjoying the Peruvian culture. In a BBC interview, he confessed to wanting to visit the celebrated Inca World Heritage site, Macchu Picchu.