Do Good Brew Good and Spend Mindfully this Holiday Season...

PRWeb October 30, 2008

* Original PRWeb article: Do Good Brew Good and Spend Mindfully this Holiday Season... Read the original story

- As consumers peer into their wallets and analyze their choices for gifting in preparation for the upcoming holiday season, San Francisco-based Citizen Bean (www.citizenbean.com) wins the trifecta of gifting options, scoring high marks for innovation, quality and social conscience - all in one clever package!

Now in its second successful year, Citizen Bean is an online, organic, subscription coffee-roaster-of-the-month club representing the very best in sustainable and complex roasts from small-batch 'specialty' roasters throughout the country. Coffee devotees are sipping the latest coffee varietals the way wine lovers sample new vintages and artisanal roasters are enjoying a surge in popularity as consumers search for the perfect 'just roasted' coffee experience.

Citizen Bean is an outgrowth of what is known in the coffee movement as 'The Third Wave,' which promotes the principle that coffee was introduced to America in cycles. There's the First Wave, which was the proliferation of consumer coffee in the mid-20th century--think freeze-dried Folgers. The Second Wave was the ubiquity of the espresso-based drinks in America, a la Starbucks, during the '80s and '90s.

The concept of the Third Wave is to bring coffee back to its roots--to let 'coffee speak for itself,' and although there is no official hard-and-fast manifesto, the Third Wave emphasizes two standards: One, nurturing direct farm relationships, mentoring its quality, understanding a coffee's origin and observing sustainability and organics; and two, highlighting the artistry and culinary aspects of coffee. The Third Wave makes a commitment 'from seed to cup' to nurture quality, sustainability and personal farmer relationships while elevating the complex, full-flavored, culinary appeal of coffee.

Dubbed 'coffee with a conscience' Citizen Bean's goal is to advance these ideals. Company founder Malcolm Stearns says 'our company is proud to celebrate the work of Third Wave roasters like Counter Culture, Stumptown and Intelligentsia, among others, by featuring a different artisanal roast each month.' 'With each gift subscription to Citizen Bean', Stearns continues, 'you will be presenting the coffee aficionados in your life with award-winning roasts of superior complexity and at the same time be contributing to a cause everyone can feel positive about supporting.'

With each one-year subscription to Citizen Bean, which features a full pound of freshly roasted beans from a different specialty roaster each month, one also receives an additional 'welcome' gift of a 4-cup French press, a timer and other special items for the coffee lover.

Just in time for this holiday season, Citizen Bean is also offering an 'espresso-only' option for those that prefer to make their own lattes.

Citizen Bean is a project of Bean Capers, Inc. of San Francisco. To learn more about Citizen Bean and its product offerings visit www.citizenbean.com

Contact: Beth-Ellen Keyes

World coffee consumption to touch 128 million bags in ’08

Jaishankar Jayaramiah
Originally Posted Sep 22, 2008 at 2258 hrs IST

World coffee consumption, both in producing and exporting countries, is likely to touch 128 million bags (60-kg per bag) in 2008.

According to recent statistics released by the International Coffee Organisation (ICO), the preliminary estimation of world coffee consumption in the calendar year 2007 stood at around 124.7 million bags, up by 2.9% from 121.1 million bags consumed in 2006.

"If current growth continues, world consumption could increase to around 128 million bags in 2008," said Nestor Osario, executive director of ICO in his latest statement.

Producing countries like India, Brazil, Mexico and importing countries like Spain, UK and Netherlands attributed to the growth in world coffee consumption in the last five years.

The consumption in India surged to 13.6 lakh bags in 2007 from 11.42 lakh bags in 2003, while Brazil's consumption increased to 169 lakh bags from 140 lakh bags and consumption in Mexico increased to 20.5 lakh bags from 15 lakh bags. Among importing countries, consumption in Spain increased to 31.98 lakh bags from 27.40 lakh bags in the same period, while the UK's consumption surged to 28.24 lakh bags from 22.36 lakh bags, while consumption in Netherlands climbed to 23.60 lakh bags from 17.43 lakh bags. Coffee consumption in Canada also increased significantly to 35.35 lakh bags from 21.46 lakh bags.

Among exporting countries, per capita coffee consumption stood high in Brazil with 5.29 kilograms (kgs), followed by Costa Rica at 4.21 kgs, Honduras at 2.43 kgs, Dominican Republic at 2.32 kgs and Haiti at 2.13 kgs. Among importing countries, Luxembourg maintained high per capita consumption at 16.65 kgs, followed by Finland at 12.01 kgs and Norway at 9.85 kgs.

Coffee drinkers: Do you belong to the coffee/good, or the coff

Coffee drinkers: Do you belong to the coffee/good, or the coffee/bad camp?

Originally posted September 20, 5:58 PM
Natalie Rotunda - Organic Food Examiner (sf examiner)


As one of those who chose to hop aboard the organic eating lifestyle, let me tell you that the best benefit, one of the things I appreciate most, is the means to eliminate pesticides from the foods I eat. But reducing or eliminating pesticides from what I drink is just as important.



For most of my life, sipping a cup or two of honey-sweetened coffee in the company of loved ones and friends has ranked high on my list of life’s simple pleasures. Maybe the origin of that pleasure dates back to a time when a loved one introduced me to the black brew. I was about four years old.



My Dad was a college professor in my hometown. In his office just down the hall from his classroom, he kept a percolator coffeepot and a can of famous-brand coffee on his desk. Every Saturday, Dad and I headed to his office, the site of the great introduction. Before he began the brewing process, however, we’d head down the street to a local bakery where I was allowed to pick out one or two goodies.



While we waited for the coffee to finish perking, Dad did teacher-type things and I did little kid things. To delight my little-girl heart, Dad had bought two sets of small china cups and saucers, beautifully decorated with flowers; one set in yellow, the other in blue. Into one of the cups, he poured a tiny amount of the fresh brew, then filled his regular-sized cup to the brim. He’d break out the goodies, and what took place next was a father-daughter kaffeklatsch regularly held in that second-floor office whose window overlooked a tree-lined street below. To this day, the aroma of fresh coffee transports me back to those very happy times.



Today, my parents, both coffee-drinkers extraordinaire, would be surprised to learn that there is such a thing as organically-grown coffee. It’s what I buy. Because it’s more expensive than the pesticide-laden brands that fill traditional grocery store shelves, admittedly, I’ve had to cut down on the quantity. The food coop where we do most of our shopping provides airtight bulk bins that keep the coffee beans fresh. Thus, we control how much we spend. Earlier this week, I bought six ounces of organic coffee, whose per-pound cost is $11.99, for 74-cents an ounce. Right now, a 13-ounce brick of a famous name brand goes for $3.99, or 31-cents an ounce. Really, it’s a difference I can live with.



For quite a while, a battle has raged between coffee/good and coffee/bad supporters. coffee/bad supporters. Thanks to evidence mounting on behalf of coffee/good supporters, I’ve been encouraged not to chuck my daily cuppa. What researchers are finding is that a cup-and-a-half of coffee supplies 1,200 mg. of total antioxidants that may be helping in the fight to reduce the risks of liver, diabetes and colon cancer. Whoa, now that’s news I can rejoice over!



But bear in mind two things: First, these goody benefits apply to drinkers of organically-grown coffee only. Second, moderation is the key. That’s why I can live with the higher cost of organic coffee---I shouldn’t be sitting down with a pot of coffee every day anyway, and the cost pretty well guarantees that I won’t



One more thing about drinking organic coffee---it really does taste better. I’m guessing that my palate has been re-educated to appreciate total coffee flavor that no longer has to compete with the nasty pesticides and their aftertaste found in famous-brand coffees.



For that and other reasons, I’m happy to leave the 13-ounce bricks of pesticide-laden coffee on the grocery store shelf.

Coffee may lower cancer risk

From correspondents in Tokyo | September 01, 2008

WOMEN who drink a lot of coffee may have less risk of developing cancer of the uterus, a Japanese study said today.

The study led by Japan's health ministry monitored some 54,000 women aged 40 to 69 over about 15 years, during which time 117 women developed cancer in the womb, according to the medical team.

The researchers at Japan's National Cancer Center divided the women into four groups by the amount of coffee they drank.

They found the group of women who drank more than three cups of coffee every day were more than 60 per cent less likely to develop uterine cancer than those who had coffee fewer than two times a week, the study said.

"Coffee may have effects in lowering insulin levels, possibly curbing the risks of developing womb cancer," the study said.

The medical team also studied the effects of drinking green tea, but did not find any link to uterine cancer.

According to the US Centres for Disease Control, uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women.