Just a bit of forewarning – coffee prices are continuing their ascent.  Arabica coffee , which is higher quality coffee used by most specialty coffee retailers, has already gone up 52 percent over last year and prices continue to soar.  With the cost of green beans, the unroasted beans that are shipped to roasters to be cooked and packaged into your favorite coffee, rising you should expect to see an increase in the cost of your morning cup, or afternoon latte, if you haven’t already. 

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-09-02/coffee-advances-on-colombia-supply-concern-sugar-cocoa-fall.html

Coffee Advances on Colombia Supply Concern; Sugar, Cocoa Fall

September 02, 2010, 10:40 AM EDT

By Alistair Holloway and Debarati Roy

Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) — Arabica coffee rose to the highest price in more than a week as exportable supplies tighten in Colombia, the world’s second-biggest producer. Sugar and cocoa declined.

Colombia’s 2011 coffee harvest may slide after wet weather caused the worst outbreak this year of a plant-damaging fungus in a quarter century, robbing plants of nutrients, according to Jose Sierra, who represents Antioquia, the nation’s largest coffee-growing province. Before today, coffee futures jumped 34 percent since June 1 as prospects for the crop dimmed.

“People are worried about the weather conditions,” said Rodrigo Costa, the vice president of institutional sales at Newedge USA LLC in New York. “Also, the short-term fundamentals are bullish.”

Arabica coffee for December delivery gained 3.75 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $1.861 a pound at 10:25 a.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York, after touching $1.8665, the highest level for a most-active contract since Aug. 23. Before today, prices jumped 52 percent from a year earlier as global production lagged behind demand.

In London, robusta coffee for November delivery declined $6, or 0.4 percent, to $1,641 a metric ton.

Arabica coffee is grown mainly in Latin America and favored for specialty beverages such as those made by Starbucks Corp. The beans are milder than robusta, which is used in instant coffee and espresso and cultivated mostly in Asia and parts of Africa.

Sugar, Cocoa

Raw sugar for October delivery fell 0.07 cent, or 0.3 percent, to 20.42 cents a pound on ICE. Earlier, the most-active contract had declined as much as 1.1 percent and rose as much as 0.3 percent.

On NYSE Liffe in London, white sugar for October delivery slipped 90 cents to $580 a ton.

Cocoa for December delivery fell $15, or 0.5 percent, to $2,737 a ton on ICE. In London, cocoa for September delivery was up 0.3 percent at 1,932 pounds ($2,969) a ton.

After gobbling up roasters, now they are selling a slice of Green Mountain to the Italian espresso company Lavazza.  Lavazza already has a single serve espresso machine, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with together. 

Lavazza pursues stake in Green Mountain Coffee

By EMILY FREDRIX (AP) – 1 hour ago

NEW YORK — For an extra jolt to its finances, Green Mountain Coffee Rosters Inc. is selling a 7 percent stake to Lavazza, Italy’s best-selling espresso brand, for $250 million.

Together, the companies plan to develop new single-serving espresso machines and espresso capsules that will complement Green Mountain’s popular Keurig coffee makers, which brew single cups of tea or coffee.

The deal is expected to close in September and advances both company’s strategies, they said late Tuesday.

Green Mountain wants to expand its successful single-serve K-Cup lines, and Lavazza has been buying companies in India, Brazil and Argentina to fuel its growth. This is Lavazza’s biggest foreign acquisition.

Lavazza, based in Turin, has agreed to buy newly issued shares at 10 cents par value common stock at a price equal to the 60-day volume weighted average price at closing, less 7.5 percent. The deal includes the possibility of buying additional shares up to 15 percent of Green Mountain.

The deal must be approved by U.S. antitrust regulators.

The companies’ new single-serve products aren’t expected to reach the market until at least 2013.

The Keurig system’s success has been fueling growth for Green Mountain, which is based in Waterbury, Vt.

As shoppers cut spending at cafes during the recession, the systems presented a less-expensive alternative. Rival Starbucks Corp. jumped into the market in September with its Via instant coffee line.

Last month Keurig said its third-quarter revenue rose 64 percent to $311.5 million, thanks largely to rising sales of Keurig machines and accessories, which accounted for about half of the company’s revenue. It expects shipments for K-Cup packs to rise as much as 76 percent this fiscal year.

Green Mountain’s $300 million acquisition of Diedrich Coffee Inc. — one of four roasters licensed to produce K-Cups — closed in May.

The Lavazza investment will let Green Mountain make more purchases, Janney Capital Markets analyst Mitchell Pinheiro told clients in a note Wednesday. It also brings Lavazza’s brand value and expertise to Keurig products and could help with launching Keurig in Europe, he said.

He reiterated his "Buy" rating on the stock and $40 price target.

Shares of Green Mountain fell 47 cents, or 1.5 percent, to close at $30.99 Wednesday.

This is pretty funny.  Beware, there is some profanity at the end…

Well, we talk often about the health benefits of coffee that seem to get released weekly, but now it can also save furniture!  Just a little dab on scratches and voila, scratches disappear.  Try it sparingly, as indicated below.  A Kcup is a perfect dabbing container (just be sure to cover the hole in the bottom so you don’t drip around the house!).   No word yet on which Kcup works best, but I wonder if that’s why Caribou came out with Mahogany? 

http://lifehacker.com/5555388/use-coffee-grounds-to-touch-up-furniture-scuffs?skyline=true&s=i

Use Coffee Grounds to Touch Up Furniture Scuffs

If you have some furniture with dings or scuffs you’d like to disguise on on the cheap coffee grounds are a cheap and easy way to touch up the imperfections.

If you like your repair tools to be non-toxic, extremely cheap, and easy to apply, it’s tough to beat coffee grounds for touching up dings and scuffs in wood furniture. At the green living web site 365 Ways to Go Green they highlight the power of coffee grounds to darken light colored scratches in wood:

Coffee grinds are a great non-toxic item that you can use to touch up your wood furniture. You just have to put some on the end of a q-tip and lightly dab the affected area.

We’d advise you to apply it lightly at first and let it sit for a few hours to see how it looks when it’s dry. We’ve used the coffee trick before been a little too liberal in our application of the grounds—in the end a slightly darker scuff is way better than a really light and obvious scuff, but still!

Just in case you have one of these 900,000 GE coffee brewers recently recalled due to fire danger.  I would personally suggest that all 900,000 of these people go to JustOneCup.com and buy a new Kuerig brewer.  Just a thought…

http://www.kvue.com/community/blogs/smart-money/900000-coffee-makers-recalled-94579584.html

Terri’s Smart Money Blog

900,000 coffee makers recalled

Credit: CPSC

GE coffeemaker recalled because it may catch fire. The model number for this black model is 169164.

by Terri Gruca / View Bio

Posted on May 21, 2010 at 9:23 AM

Check your coffee maker. The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced this morning it is recalling 900,000 General Electric branded 12 cup digital coffee makers because they may catch fire.

They were sold in white or black at Walmart from March 2008 to January 2010. Walmart has received 83 reports of them overheating, smoking, melting and burning including three people who suffered burns to their hands, feet and torso. One fire was significant enough to damage the countertops, cabinets and wall.

The GE logo is printed on the base of the coffee maker along with the model number. (see attached pictures)

Here are the two model numbers: the black model is 169164 and the white model is 169165. If you have one of these stop using it immediately and return it to Walmart for a full refund. If you have questions you can call Walmart at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday. You can also check the full list of recalled products sold at Walmart here.

Yet another report on the health benefits of coffee.  According to this article, it helps women live longer, lowers men’s risk of colon cancer, helps with diabetes and Parkinsons,  reduces Alzheimer’s and dementia risk, and is the number one source of antioxidants in Americans’ diets.  Not bad.  Plus, it’s delicious!  time for JustOneCup??

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/28/coffee.studies/

Coffee: Is it healthier than you think?

By Sarah Klein, Health.com

April 28, 2010 12:59 p.m. EDT

"I have been a coffee drinker for more years than I can remember," she says. "My coffeemaker must have an auto-start feature so that when I wake up, it’s ready."

The 53-year-old former software company representative from Aurora, Colorado, never uses cream or milk because they just "spoil the taste." She prefers coffee over alcohol — even at a bar.

Murszewski has a lot of company. More than half of adults in the U.S., or 54 percent, are habitual coffee drinkers, according to the National Coffee Association. In fact, 146 billion cups are consumed in the U.S. each year, nearly three times more than tea.

But for years, coffee had a bad reputation. Linked in many people’s minds with smoking, coffee is associated with over-caffeination and insomnia.

The caffeine found in coffee can stay in your system for up to 12 hours, making it more difficult to fall asleep, and it affects your quality of sleep as well. Caffeine is also a diuretic, meaning that it increases urine output, which can lead to dehydration.

The general consensus used to be that tea was the better bet in terms of health benefits. But recent research suggests that despite the downsides of coffee, the "devil’s brew" does have an upside: Coffee drinkers may be at lower risk of liver and colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease.

And in 2009, two coffee studies suggested additional benefits: Coffee-drinking men seemed to have a lower risk of advanced or lethal prostate cancer than other men, and middle-aged people who drank moderate amounts of coffee — three to five cups a day — had the lowest risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later in life compared to less (or more) frequent drinkers.

Can drinking coffee even help you live longer? Maybe. A 2008 study found that women who drank coffee regularly — up to six cups a day — were less likely to die of various causes during the study than their non-coffee-drinking counterparts. Because consumption of decaf coffee showed similar results, researchers don’t think caffeine is at work.

Coffee contains antioxidants

While coffee drinkers may have other lifestyle habits that could explain the potential health benefits, researchers are also looking for compounds in coffee that explain the results.

One possibility? Antioxidants, those healthy compounds most often associated with fruits and vegetables. While the amount of antioxidants per serving is indeed much higher in things like berries, beans, and pecans, these foods are consumed less frequently than coffee.

In fact, a 2005 study found that Americans get more antioxidants from coffee than anywhere else. More than half of adults drink coffee daily, and the average coffee drinker downs about three cups each day.

"Most people drink it for the caffeine," says Joe A. Vinson, Ph.D., a professor of chemistry at the University of Scranton who led the 2005 study and has studied coffee extensively. "[But] it’s the Number 1 source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet."

Polyphenols or flavonoids, the type of antioxidants found in coffee, are also found in other foods and drinks, like tea, red wine, and chocolate. All three have been proven to moderately help brain function, a benefit that can’t be chalked up to caffeine, says Vinson, who has received speaking fees from the National Coffee Association. Caffeine, the most commonly used drug in the U.S., says Vinson, does affect alertness, but hasn’t been found to offer much in the way of health benefits.

Polyphenols are the "the good guys in coffee," says Vinson. "If you’re not interested in keeping alert, then it seems decaf coffee would be your best bet."

Researchers have investigated other compounds in coffee, such as chlorogenic acid, which also gives eggplant its bitter flavor. In fact, there are potentially hundreds of biologically active compounds in coffee. "One of the detriments of working with foods and beverages is they’re mixtures," says Vinson. "There’s no magic bullet compound; it’s the mix."

The beneficial effects could be due to natural agents that discourage the growth of harmful bacteria, or those that encourage the growth of helpful bacteria, called probiotics. Coffee may also alter levels of gut peptides, the hormones naturally released to control things like hunger or fullness.

Coffee may even have a hormone-like effect in the body, says Clinton Allred, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food science at Texas A&M University. A compound known as trigonelline "can act like estrogen," he says. "People didn’t know coffee would carry such activity."

Because it acts as a hormone, trigonelline may be dangerous in women who have breast cancer, but it may also protect against colon cancer. "Estrogen is preventative of tumor formation for colon cancer, we believe," says Allred. "But it’s just way too early for us to know [all] this particular compound could do."

Coffee drinkers may have healthier lifestyles

Another obstacle in pinpointing the benefits of coffee is that it’s difficult to isolate the effects of coffee from other healthy habits or lifestyles associated with coffee drinking. A 1999 study of coffee and tea consumption in Scotland, for instance, found that coffee drinkers were younger, had higher incomes, and were healthier in general than tea drinkers.

Coffee drinkers in the U.S. seem to fit a similar profile. Seventy percent of Americans with an annual household income of $150,000 or more drink coffee, compared with 54 percent of Americans in a household making less than $25,000 a year, according to consumer market research firm Experian Simmons.

Research has shown for decades that poorer people are more likely to die from virtually any cause than people with a higher socioeconomic status. Wealthier people are more likely to be physically active and eat healthier, and less likely to smoke — behaviors that could prevent some of the conditions assumed to be affected by coffee.

"That’s the problem [with most of the studies done on coffee]," says Vinson. "There’s no perfect study out there because they can’t control all the variables. The problem with a human study is everybody’s different."

To isolate the benefits of the coffee in particular, newer studies have focused on filtering out the effects of less-than-healthy behaviors, like smoking, that coffee drinkers are likely to engage in.

In a 2008 study, Esther Lopez-Garcia, a researcher in the department of preventive medicine and public health at the Autonomous University of Madrid, in Spain, found that coffee drinkers had a slightly lower risk of death from all causes than people who didn’t drink coffee.

Although the participants in her study were all nurses and health professionals, she says the results are probably applicable to people with similar education and socioeconomic status. "However," she warns, "[generalizing the results] has to be made with precaution, because it’s clear that socioeconomic status influences mortality."

Of course, coffee isn’t a quick fix, and may even cause problems in some people. It can worsen existing heart conditions, and caffeine could cause sleeping problems, as well as a racing heartbeat and anxiety. Plus, many coffee drinkers are only adding calories and fat to their diet by mixing in heavy cream and too much sugar.

More research needs to be completed before doctors can recommend coffee to their patients, experts say.

"It is always difficult to give dietary recommendations based on studies that lasted only several months, because they cannot investigate long-term effects," says Christian Herder, a diabetes researcher at Heinrich Heine University, in Dusseldorf, Germany. In a 2010 study, for instance, Herder found that changes in coffee-drinking habits had no adverse effects on diabetes risk factors.

But because the study lasted only three months, he says, it didn’t provide enough evidence to directly recommend — or prohibit — drinking coffee. "There seems to be no reason to discourage middle-aged men and women from drinking coffee," Herder adds.

However, says Lopez-Garcia, "anyone with health problems that can be worsened by coffee — insomnia, anxiety, hypertension, or heart problems — should ask the doctor about his specific risk."

A better understanding of the risks and benefits of coffee might not come anytime soon. "Studies are few and far between," says Vinson. Plus, he says, many of the studies that have been done entailed "super-high consumptions" (12 cups a day, for example) and may not apply to the normal amount Americans typically drink.

So far, evidence of coffee’s health benefits is limited. "I want to be convinced, but I haven’t been. It’s not cause and effect; it’s just a hint," says Vinson. "[But] there are a lot of wonderful hints."

In the meantime, coffee drinkers can still dare to hope their precious brew is also good for them. Murszewski says she has noticed benefits from her java habit. "I have not asked my doctor about the benefits of coffee, although I have noticed that when suffering from a migraine, coffee helps," she says. "It’s not full-blown with drinking coffee."

Earlier, we posted an Australian study that suggested coffee consumption may have a beneficial effect on Type 2 Diabetes prevention.  Now an Oklahoma University (OU) Study says the same.  Their eight year study found that heavy coffee drinkers (more than 12 cups per day!) were 67% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.  Their focus was on Native Americans, but other research has found similar results with other ethnic groups.  Unfortunately, they stop short of demanding all Americans consume 12 cups per day – in which case we would have changed our URL to JustTwelveCups.com and gone public.  In fact, they recommend waiting until they determine the cause of the risk reduction, probably so that they can put it in a pill and thwart our IPO plans. 

Regardless, any progress on the diabetes front is good.  The Australian study found a 7% decrease per cup consumed, so even JustOneCup per day helps.  JustOneCup, then a few more is even better.  Actually, I usually find that these studies are based on 8 ounce cups, so if you’re drinking larger cups of coffee, a little math is required to determine the equivalent in 8 ounce cups.  Just in case, drink JustOneCup right now!

http://www.oudaily.com/news/2010/apr/20/coffee-may-reduce-diabetes-risk/

Coffee may reduce diabetes risk

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

OU Health Sciences Center researchers found that drinking a large amount of coffee can reduce the risk of diabetes among American Indians.

The study, conducted by Ying Zhang for almost eight years, compared the incidence of diabetes across different groups of coffee drinkers. Those who drank more than 12 cups of coffee per day were 67 percent less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease in which one has high blood sugar because the body and its hormones cannot properly process it, according to the American Medical Association.

Despite the findings, however, researchers do not recommend people drink 12 cups of coffee per day, and they are in the process of finding what exactly causes the reduced risk of diabetes. Certain compounds have been identified as possibilities, but the exact one is not yet known.

Zhang focused on coffee because of its popularity.

“We wanted to look at coffee because so many young people drink coffee that if it had any property that would help prevent diabetes it would be important for public health,” Zhang said.

Though the study only focused on American Indians, other groups are also being studied, Zhang said. Researchers in other parts of the country have found a reduced risk in those other ethnic groups as well.

Zhang said he chose to study American Indians first because of the group’s population in Oklahoma and its high rate of diabetes. Genetics, lifestyle and environment are the most likely causes of diabetes.

Zhang’s study has already been published in an international journal about diabetes. The research was done with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and MedStar Research Institute. The Strong Heart Study also contributed grants to the research.

If you don’t have time for JustOneCup, this inventor thinks you might want a Whif of Coffee.  From an inhaler.  I’m not so sure that you do as the taste, aroma, warmth, and overall sensory experience is what many love about coffee.  But, maybe some people would want a Whif – tiny particles of coffee inhaled into their system.  Eight Whifs are the equivalent of a cup of espresso, so if you don’t have time for an espresso, just Whif a bunch.  Of course, an espresso is only a sip or two anyway, so consumption time generally isn’t the issue.  Regardless, it’s a coffee related invention, so I’ll leave it to you to decide. 

I say, if you’re in a big hurry, get a Keurig and a travel mug…

Video Link to see the Whif in action.

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=12220441

A coffee inhaler for the quick caffeine fix

Posted: Mar 29, 2010 8:03 AM PDTUpdated: Mar 29, 2010 8:03 AM PDT

Posted by Jenny Anchondo – PARIS, France. (KOLD) – If you’re so busy you can’t even squeeze in time for a coffee break in the morning, would a spritz of coffee in an inhaler do the trick?  

"The Whif" is a plastic inhaler that dispenses tiny coffee particles into the body. The product could target the commuter coffee rush, satisfying that morning caffeine craving with just a few puffs.

Le Whif Inventor David Edwards developed the product following the success of a similar inhaler used for chocolate.

" When I whif, it’s like a sip of coffee, and if I whif eight times I empty my Whif and I’ve received the caffeine content of a small espresso," Edwards said.

Some café workers said the Whif could never replace coffee, especially for those people who like to dip their bread in coffee.

Meanwhile, Whif chocolate is gaining popularity from Paris to New York as a replacement for after dinner chocolate and with children in the playground.

A Boston article points out that offering quality coffee as an office perk can improve morale.  Based on a January survey by Keurig (yes, the results are self serving, but still true!), many employees would prefer gourmet coffee and tea over a Holiday Party.  In fact, coffee ranked about as high as flexible hours and casual work days in the perk pecking order.  If you’re one who needs at least JustOneCup of coffee to get yourself going, you know they’re right about the salubrious (promoting health or well being – we looked it up) effect of a good cup of coffee. 

http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2010/03/free_joe_can_ca.html

Free joe can caffeinate workplace morale

Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 report spending an estimated $440 a year and log more than 38 hours of time toward purchasing coffee and tea during the work week.

So concludes a survey commissioned by Keurig Inc., a Reading brand that markets machines that can brew a single cup of coffee. (At right is a photo of a Keurig machine) Keurig is a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. of Vermont.

One focus of the survey was to get input on how to improve the mood of the workplace. Not surprisingly perhaps, the survey finds that free Joe can have a salubrious effect on cubicle morale – under the right circumstances, complimentary caffeine can cause even the most cynical of drudges and drones to whistle while they work.

In fact, free gourmet coffee is as nearly as prized as flexible hours and casual work days when employees can mothball the pinstripes and bust out the khakis and cargo pants, the survey suggests.

Undertaken in early January, the national survey is based on telephone interviews with 958 adults, Keurig said.

As a perk, meanwhile, the annual holiday party around Christmas may be highly overrated, with 37 percent of employees surveyed saying that they would prefer free, daily fresh gourmet coffee or tea over a party, Keurig said.

Why is free coffee so prized? Perhaps it’s because 50 percent of employees surveyed reported they are looking to cut back coffee-and-tea spending, suggested Keurig, which added that small perks can make employees "feel more valued."

And here I thought I was doing well putting my coffee grounds on my roses and hydrangeas.  This 1998 Scirocco is powered by coffee grounds.  At over $13 per mile, it’s not quite cost effective and refilling every thirty minutes is a bit much, but it’s a start.  It took Doc a while to perfect the flux capacitor, so we’ll give the Carpaccino some time.

http://blog.pricewheels.com/2010/03/08/coffee-powered-car-gets-56-espressos-per-mile/ 

Coffee Powered Car Gets 56 Espressos Per Mile

Mar 8th, 2010 by Ross Edwards

A car powered completely by coffee grounds named Carpuccino has been built for the British TV show Bang Goes The Theory. According to The Daily Mail, the car, a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco, was chosen because it looks like the DeLorean from the movie Back To The Future. With the added hardware necessary for using coffee as fuel, the similarities between the Carpuccino and the DeLorean are actually pretty strong.

The coffee grounds are heated to about 1300 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point it breaks down into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The separated gases are then cooled, filtered, and then finally burned for fuel in the car`s engine. The coffee powered Scirocco has a top speed of about 60 miles per hour. The drivers will need to refill the car`s pot every half hour and clean the filter every 60 miles.

The coffee powered car is more of a scientific exercise than a real alternative to petroleum fuel. The Carpuccino will use about £1,820 ($2,740 U.S.) worth of coffee on its 210 mile trip. A standard Scirocco would only use about £36 of gasoline for that same trip. While using coffee isn`t economically viable, the technology used in the Carpuccino could also burn garbage to power cars. While garbage is definitely cheaper than coffee, the difference in aromas would mean the difference between the driver being a local celebrity and a pariah.