Coffee shop has unexpected visit from deer
Customers in the Uncommon Grounds coffee shop in Halifax, Canada had a surprise recently. Apparently it all happened at around 9am on Monday 20th June. There was a sudden crash through the coffee shop window and a young male deer catapulted into the shop. According to reports, there were customers in the shop who were shaken and took flight to the kitchen and bathrooms to seek refuge from the intruder.
What damage was caused? The window plate glass had two holes as a result of the smashing entrance of the buck. Undoubtedly the animal was also stressed by his experience and leapt onto tables and into coffee-shop customers as it panicked in the establishment. The deer was injured in the escapade and tried to escape via the kitchen, out into the street. Shattered glass scattered on the coffee shop floor. After failing to find an obvious escape route in the shop, the gung-ho creature smashed through another window and into freedom in the street.
Mercifully, no-one in Uncommon Grounds was hurt although it took staff until half past ten in the morning to clear up the mess.
What happened to the deer? According to reports, it was discovered at Saint Mary’s University. Sadly, it had cuts on its body from the glass, particularly on its back, nose and belly. However, help was at hand: the Department of Natural Resources managed to capture the frightened and injured animal. They tranquilised it and assessed the injuries. Reports indicated that the cuts were not serious and that the deer would be released into the woods in due course.
The Philippines sees coffee as a ‘reforestation species’
The government in the Philippines wants to encourage the planting of trees under its National Greening Program and it has come up with a practical, duel-purpose strategy to fulfil this goal. The general plan is to plant some 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of the country by the year 2016. No easy feat!
However, the choice of trees is a clever one. The Environment Secretary has recently revealed that the plants of choice will both assist with reforestation and also offer practical solutions to the communities’ problems of poverty and food shortages.
What is this clever solution? The government has chosen to plant coffee and cacao plants on a considerable scale. As such, great use will be made of the respective beans of these plants by the locals. Other fruit-bearing plants are also under consideration for the planting project such as mango and durian.
The strategy as currently published is that the profits from these new fruit trees would be channelled to the farmers who are involved in the project or, as appropriate, the locals would take the benefit from harvesting. The government also hopes to give appropriate support ‘post-harvest’ too. For example, in terms of the preparation of the coffee bean from the coffee plants, the government may help with processing, roasting and storage techniques.
Research carried out recently has published figures to show that coffee is the second most popular beverage in terms of consumption.
Coffee break as your clothes are cleaned
If I asked you to picture a launderette, chances are the image in your mind is not especially inviting or glossy. Dot Cotton’s gaffe in East Enders may spring to mind. Perhaps plastic chairs? Functional, slightly battered décor? Not the most salubrious place to spend your spare time perhaps?
The new launderette in Sheffield, UK, has opened with an express aim to dispel these sort of images. The name is Laundry Point, the owner is Jason and he has gone on the record as wanting to improve the experience of going to the launderette after doing some research on the general standards of the service around the country. The new format has attracted many large corporate clients as well as local private customers.
After all, we all need to pop into one at one time or another. Duvets and bedding need an annual clean, for example. So how has this new launderette made the whole washing experience a little better?
First, the equipment is rather snazzy. The biggest washing machine in the city (with capacity for no less than 35lb) is available, which is perfect for large items such as duvets. In addition, high quality gadgets are available to help with dry cleaning and ironing.
Plus there are facilities available to customers as the machines do their work. Similar to a coffee house, there is free wi-fi in case you want to surf the internet or do some work as you wait. There are also comfy seats, coffee and Sky TV.
It’s a coffee wrap
Here’s a question for you: how can you combine one of our favourite beverages with a healthy skin-improving treatment? The answer is simple: the Magic Coffee Wrap is advertised as doing just that. Aimed at improving the texture of skin, improving circulation and reducing the orange peel effect of cellulite, a new coffee treatment has been created.
A beauty salon in Dublin uses this technique. It is a relatively long treatment and takes up to 2 hours, but reports say that this is a safe experience that is excellent for chilling out. The idea behind the wrap is to use the particular properties of coffee to increase circulation as this is one the main causes of cellulite. As the caffeine boosts circulation around the body, cellulite is hopefully broken down which leaves a smoother texture to the skin.
The whole thing takes place in a pod. After the body has been exfoliated (using a coffee bean scrub of course!), the client is given a hydrotherapy treatment, followed by a caffeine-serum mix being put onto the legs. The next element of the treatment is the application of infrared light and steam before a massage designed to drain the lymphatic system. Finally, a moisturiser is applied.
Of course, one of the holy grails of the beauty industry is to reduce the appearance of cellulite. The use of massage is also seen by some as a good way to break down this problematic product and improve skin texture.
Coffee knowledge is power
Let’s face it – if you love coffee (and there are many coffee-lovers out there), the more you taste, the more you notice the difference between beans and blends. Things are getting oh-so sophisticated – there are civet-cat coffee brands, national flavours, varying coffee preparations and a selection of presentations… another coffee twist is the single-origin roasts available – to the uninitiated, that means that the coffee is made up of beans from one particular geographical area, whether it is a country, district or individual farm.
One of the coffee owners who prides herself in specialty coffee is Fleur Studd (based in Melbourne in Australia). She has recently gone on the record as promoting the quality that is associated with carefully selected beans. After learning the coffee trade and culture in London, she returned to Melbourne to put her knowledge into practice. According to Fleur, it is awareness about the type and origin of the beans that can make a huge difference in the quality selection (making sure that the harvest is at the optimum time of year too). And, of course, the customer benefits from this knowledge.
Relationships between the farmer and the purchaser are also important. Quality control in the coffee industry can be meticulous and as the purchasing coffee-house owner learns more about the processes at individual farms, these relationships can strengthen and grow.
Of course, there are many stages to coffee production and similar care and attention to detail is taken at the roasting stage, which, in turn, affects flavour and the end product.
India looks forward to bumper crop thanks to monsoon
If local reports are to be believed, the Indian coffee market is not going to do too badly this year, thank you very much. Why? It’s all weather related. An early monsoon in certain regions (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala for example) means that the coffee harvest is likely to be good. It is thought that the Arabica coffee plants will be more productive than the previous year.
Hopes are high for the 2011 – 2012 coffee crop. Even the president of the Coffee Exporters’ Association is enthusiastic, according to reports, despite the fact that the organisation has not suggested formal estimates yet. On the other hand, the bullish Karnataka Planters’ Association has put its nose on the line with a prediction of 290,000 tonnes being produced(which is in fact a little lower than the previous year). However, the national production is predicted to go up – by just over 12% in terms of the Arabica crop compared with last year.
So what is the big deal about the arrival of the monsoon anyway? In the words of the president of the KPA, it is essential to the development of ‘cherries’ and is also good at protecting the crop from earlier in the year. It may also improve the quality of the coffee too. The July-August rainfall is especially important.
The country has a sizable production of coffee. As a rough guide, published statistics suggest that it produces in the region of 300,000 tonnes of coffee per annum.
Nicaraguan coffee farmers helped by charities – as seen by actress
In the words of the actress and Brideshead Revisited star, Hayley Atwell, she ‘partly owes [her] career to coffee.’ She worked in a coffee shop to earn the air fare to California and it was there that she developed her acting career. Atwell is about to boost her celebrity status in the new Hollywood movie ‘Captain America.’ However, the actress has her head firmly on her shoulders and has recently visited Nicaragua to see another side of the coffee industry.
…continue reading Nicaraguan coffee farmers helped by charities – as seen by actress
Idea for Green Long Beach Festival born in coffee shop
Many commentators on the coffee house have noticed the relationship between thoughts, ideas, intellectual debates etc with the drinking of the beverage. It is not for nothing that the early coffee houses were nick-named ‘penny universities’ as the various intellectuals, writers and thinkers of the day would gather there to discuss and debate issues and hear the latest news.
And so here we report on another idea born in a coffee house. This time the venue of the idea was Viento y Agua Coffee Shop in Belmont Heights in California. The idea? To have a festival to focus on environmental matters and promote a gathering of similarly minded folk for the occasion. This was the birth of the Green Long Beach Festival and now more than two years later, the third such festival is planned for the weekend.
It is a free event and promises, according to the word on the street, to be even bigger and better than before, including stalls, musicians and other performers such as speakers to trigger discussions and ideas for improving the environment. It is hoped that businesses, residents and companies will be able to connect and converse on the subject.
There will be many ‘green’ practices up for discussion. The main stage is to be powered by the ‘World Light Pole’ including 1200 watt windsock wind turbine and 80 watt solar panels. Mobile phones can be recycled, cyclists are rewarded with discounts and participants are invited to use 3 ‘green’ items at the festival.
Coffee experts vote for coffee Cup of Excellence
A panel of coffee experts decided who to confirm as the winner of the Cup of Excellence… and the successful farmer has been announced. This award is dedicated to the producer of the coffee blend which has beans of perfect ripeness, a well-developed body and a good aroma plus a sweet quality of high-end coffee.
What was the result? A farmer from Colombia, Primavera, won the award. He competed with participants from all over the world, as nine competing coffee-producing countries took part. The judges are also an international bunch of experts in their field.
The consequences of winning this award are not simply the ‘cache’ of the prize. The coffee is then sold via an online auction. There was much bidding for the winning brand – so much so that in fact it broke a record. The winning brand of unroasted coffee sold for over $100,000 for 2,300 lbs. The buyers were reported to be an amalgamation of coffee companies from the United States, Australia and Taiwan.
What was it about this blend that won the judges hearts and votes? It is reported to have a ‘floral, jasmine aroma’ and a ‘lingering creamy aftertaste, background notes of vibrant cherries and an effervescence’ that gives a sweet quality.
Other winning farmers will also go to an internet auction over the next weeks. These farmers come from El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras. The coffee world will watch with anticipation to see how much is paid for these blends too…
Enjoy a peaceful cup of coffee in the book café
The Zimbabwe press have just announced a ‘jewel’ of a coffee shop. The name of this eaterie is the Indaba Book Café and it aims to allow visitors to browse through literature or books as they have a cup of coffee or snack from the menu.
The coffee shop is located in a quieter part of Bulawayo, in keeping with its theme of reading and peace. There is also a great selection of books to suit all tastes and age groups – whether you are interested in travel guides, or prefer to read fiction, whether you are an adult or child, the Indaba Book Café makes a collection available to appeal to most people.
The literature theme does not end there. On arrival, customers are often given a newspaper to browse together with the menu. Sounds idyllic! Relax in peace with a decent cup of coffee as you chew over the news of the day.
The reports of the food are also favourable. There is a selection of breakfast meals, burgers, snacks and desserts. Without losing flavour, there is also an emphasis on healthy eating – with a preference for grilling, rather than frying, making sauces from scratch, rather than using pre-made jars.
Coffee houses have always had an uncanny affinity with thought and the written word – many famous writers and intellectuals have frequented them over the centuries. Now the new book café, adds its own contribution to this legacy.