Refractometers and the “Perfect Cup”
For the last episode of this small review of new techs related to coffee, I will try to consider the use of refractometers for the “Perfect Cup” preparation. Barista’s refractometers such as the VST and Atago are the most popular on the market. I will propose in a future post a scientific and statistical comparison between VST, Atago and the RE40D from Mettler-Toledo (professional laboratory refractometer).
Category: Coffee Culture
The World Map of Coffee
Coffee is such an important part of so many of our lives, and many of us just have to have our morning fix in order to be able to function. Coffee is a global drink: its origins are varied, and the different preparations made with coffee all over the world are incredible. In partnership with Coffee in My Veins.
Exploring Coffee Shop Culture in Russia
Russia is a country more frequently associated with a tea drinking culture which dates back hundreds of years. While the hot drinks market in Russia is still dominated by tea, the consumption of coffee is one the rise, with the consumption of fresh coffee being the main driver (ICO, 2015). The coffee market was valued at around $2.5 billion in 2014 compared to around $4 billion for tea (USDA 2014).
‘Specialty coffee is new in Russia; until just 20 years ago, any form of coffee had been considered a luxury reserved for the elite and was far beyond the reach of average consumers. Today, half of all coffee consumed is still soluble (instant) coffee, making it one of the biggest markets for Nescafe in the world. The other half of is a hodgepodge of commodity and specialty coffee’ [Sign in to continue]
Mr José Dauster Sette: New ICO Executive Director
The International Coffee Council met in London at the headquarters of the International Coffee Organization from 13 to 17 March 2017 and decided by consensus to appoint Mr José Dauster Sette as Executive Director of the International Coffee Organization for a five-year term.
Coffee and the Circular Economy
With the growing number of coffee shops in the UK (and globally) there has also been a rise in associated waste products too: it is estimated that over 500,000 tonnes of coffee waste is produced in the UK every year, which not only leads to high disposal costs, but also millions of tonnes of CO2 and methane. However, there are some companies which are making efforts to shift the coffee industry to a more circular system with its waste than a linear one.
“These black, sodden remains of pulverized coffee seeds have inspired the freshly caffeinated imaginations of scientists, entrepreneurs and social innovators form Melbourne to London to Seoul, sprouting into ideas of real consequence for the coffee industry” [Sign in to continue]
How to Select a Good Cascara?
Cascara, meaning ‘skin’ or ‘husk’ in Spanish, is the outer peel of the coffee cherry (berry). In biological terms, we can say that cascara contains exocarp and mesocarp. The mesocarp contains a lot of pectins and small sugars while exocarp contains mostly polyphenols. It was for a long time a by-product of coffee production. Today, cascara has an added value as food and food ingredient.
The classic use of this by-product is infusion in hot water, but you can now find it as flour. It can then be used in flour blends to add colour, fibres and caffeine.
So, cascara is becoming popular and we expect in the next few years a big increase of its consumption. Why? Simply because Starbucks is launching a cascara latte. They will make cascara a trendy product.
Now, the most important part of this brief article:
How can I choose a safe cascara ?[Sign in to continue]
European Coffee Market Sales Increase in 2016
Preliminary results on the European coffee markets show that the consumption in EU28 increased by 6.4% in quantity in the twelve months ending November 2016.
The CoffeeBi analysis highlights that this result is due to the overall increase in coffee sales in the second part of 2016. In the first six months, consumption in EU28 stood at +1% (compared to 1st semester 2015).[Sign in to continue]
Why are Espresso Blends so Complex?
The complexity of an espresso blend is something very important for the roaster. It is part of his “savoir faire” and his own knowledge. By coffee roasters, the recipe is the identity of the brand and therefore all recipes are well protected against hard copy. As recipes can’t be protected by IP, a way to do it is to complexify
Brexit: Don’t panic, keep calm and carry on!
Following the surprise result of the BREXIT referendum, some of our friends in Europe have been asking us what we think the impact will be on the UK’s coffee shop industry. As the UK enters a new era of economic uncertainty, the coffee shop industry is well-placed, as over the last seven years coffee shops have flourished and coffee has
Brexit: what London means for the world of coffee
At the time of writing, we do not yet know what will happen to the European coffee economy after the British referendum to possibly leave the EU, but for sure we can describe what London means for the world of coffee and how the UK is related to the European coffee economy. In the coffee world, London represents the fixed point in