An Argument for ‘Polished’ Immersion Brewing for Your Brew Bar

 
At home, where time and space are greater than in a busy coffee shop, this enjoyment can be fully realized. But in a busy cafe, pourovers can transition from enjoyable ritual to essential, sometimes time-sucking, duty. This can be problematic, since many conscientious consumers view a pourover bar, manual brew bar, slow bar, or whatever you might call it, as a key signal of a contemporary shop’s focus on coffee quality.
It takes time, training and well-considered, proper execution to create a great cup from these simple little devices. Despite the fact that many of these manual pourover brewers have been around for decades, it is only in the past one or so that they have become upscale retail staples. In a way, this has been a test period for pourover brewing in commercial applications, and it’s a test many shops have failed.  Busy, cluttered cafes have been struggling to produce consistency from their pourover stands, and for many, it simply isn’t working.
This is not necessarily a barista issue, or even a human issue. It may be an equipment issue.
Of course, a number of well-known brands create manual pourover devices. Some of these devices have been around since the late 1700s, predating the espresso machine. They vary in size, shape and design. Many of the design differences are minute: ribbing or smooth; two or three holes; glass, metal or ceramic. However, the most significant design element is the shape of the filter: cone or trapezoid.
A remarkable array of things can go wrong in the simple action of water passing through a bed of coffee. Innately through the pourover design, grounds sitting at the bottom will be generally over-extracted while grinds at the top will be generally under-extracted. This extraction variation is most pronounced in cone-shaped filters, where it can be mitigated by actions like stirring, but that is an additional step for a barista whose attention is likely already split. Even in the most controlled settings, cone-shaped filters are fickle, prone to varying results. Without a barista dedicated to the pourover bar, a rarity in most shops, these varying results can be perceptible to customers. Inconsistencies, of course, are generally bad business, especially when a pourover cup might run to $4 or $5 compared to a $2.50 batch brew.
Looking at the direction of the brewing industry, which the Brewers Cup competition has some role in guiding, we see the winning recipes, particularly in the U.S. national competition, may be progressing toward with less agitation, working toward more even extraction.
At this year’s World Brewers Cup, a trend emerged, one that further mitigates the capriciousness of the pourover and which has potential to change manual brewing in retail settings: Polished immersion. The technique, used by Intelligentsia Coffee’s Sarah Anderson in her U.S. Brewers Cup winning routine, is powerful in its simplicity. Basically, it borrows the principles of technical cupping, the industry standard for preparing coffee for grading. Place a set amount of grounds into a vessel and pour water over them. Polished immersion involves skimming the grounds off the top and pouring the brew through a filter medium.
In a cafe setting, this 4-5 minutes of steeping time could allow baristas to attend to other tasks, engage in conversation with customers or run the register.  With little required in terms of manual action — concentrated pouring and agitation — this could also reduce training time and improve consistency.
Accomplished brewers at regional and U.S. Brewers Cup have found competition success using variations on this polished immersion technique over the past two years, and it may only be a matter of time before it filters into the mainstream commercial arena.
(update: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that previous World Brewers Cup championships had used cone-shaped brewers in their winning routines. In fact, three out of the past four world champions have indeed incorporated cone-shaped brewers, rather than trapezoidal brewers.)

Meet EspressoForge: A Publicly Polished Portable Espresso Device

All photos by Cole Alexander Sheldon.

The EspressoForge is a fascinating new arrival to the sparsely populated field of portable manual espresso equipment. It resembles a bicycle pump but is truly a hydraulic device, “pneumatic” only inasmuch as a tiny bit of air may incidentally get trapped at the top of the column.
It also shares a certain operating principle with the Aeropress, although it differs in that it actually achieves a goal to which the Aeropress only purports to aspire. The manually powered, solid 304 stainless steel piston directly forces water through a commercial-size 58-millimeter basket with easily enough pressure for a true espresso extraction. By monitoring the built-in manometer while adjusting one’s downward force, an experienced user can experiment with real-time pressure profiling either on the fly or according to a recipe. In form, function, and product development, as well, the EspressoForge stands alone.
Alone, that is, until you learn that the inventor, Andre Vornbrock, used the online coffee community Home-Barista.com as a public sounding board while finalizing the prototype and honing the production process. Vornbrock, 30, a Dallas-based web application programmer with a background in electrical engineering and building control systems, developed the EspressoForge on his own, in his spare time, in the suburban home he shares with his wife and 1-year-old daughter.

Photo by Cole Alexander Sheldon

“The machine that I was thinking of was so simple,” Vornbrock told Daily Coffee News. “I thought to myself, how could it not work? I asked a few friends and a few people and they said well, the only way you’re ever really going to know is to build a prototype and see if it makes coffee.”
He built it, and it does.

One Man’s Crowded Collaboration

When La Marzocco or Nuova Simonelli introduces a new design or incorporates a new technology, it’s like thunder rolling down off Mt. Olympus. Fledgling designers and companies that take wing on the momentum of crowdfunding campaigns upend this traditional equation in an exciting way, although these projects just as often burn or fizzle out. Vornbrock and the EspressoForge remind us that individuals, too, with patience, passion, and realistic expectations, can make beautiful, effective, and lasting things. At the same time, even a lone wolf has much to gain in bouncing some ideas off the pack every once in a while.
By the bringing his idea to Home-Barista, Vornbrock was able not only to gauge the interest of his target demographic before deciding to proceed, but also to receive some valuable feedback and advice from a brain trust that includes more than a few serious coffee industry veterans. Also in the mix are some fellow engineers, craftspeople, scientists, and well-seasoned espresso enthusiasts. While much of their advice on technical matters turned out to be but nutritious food for thought, some of it did also have direct affects on the final product.
“It gave me direction,” says Vornbrock. “I think overall, that sounding-board advice and other things some of the members mentioned did contribute, but I don’t know if it was as much as it might have seemed online.”
Vornbrock cites the handle grip material as an example of an issue for which he received multiple suggestions, but wound up finding his own solution. The material for the two O-rings on the piston, meanwhile, was a suggestion from an H-B member that directly improved the performance of the machine.
Vornbrock first joined the online community in 2008 while living abroad in Israel and just starting to navigate the rabbit-hole of fine coffee at home. Over the years he graduated from a domestic La Pavoni manual lever machine to the vintage, obsolete Caravel manual lever machine (which has recently surged in popularity among aficionados), to finally a Bezzera Strega, which is among the top tier of home lever machines currently in production. He started designing the EspressoForge in earnest in Texas in December of 2014, aiming for not only a robust portable shot-puller — or pusher, as the case may be — but also as a simple and affordable means of experimenting with precise pressure profiling.

Photo by Cole Alexander Sheldon

“I had perceived that the market on this type of device wasn’t necessarily going to be a mass market,” Vornbrock reflected in a recent phone conversation. “It was basically people that were already coffee enthusiasts, that already had at least an adequate, probably a very good grinder, experience making espresso on 58-millimeter commercial machines or with that type of basket, that basically just wanted that same type of thing either in a portable machine or just something simple that they could play around with pressure profiling without stepping up and buying a Vesuvius or Slayer.”

Conversations or Commerce

Though it could have gone either way, the underlying commercial potential of the project was evident enough that in February of 2015, Vornbrock first sought the permission of Home-Barista webmaster Dan Kehn to initiate his thread in the site’s general “Espresso Machines” forum rather than in the “Marketplace” forum, to which vendors are ordinarily restricted when it comes to information regarding products, sales, or other commercial endeavors. Kehn runs a tight ship, which is of particular importance for an online community where “upgrade-itus” runs rampant and much of the popular equipment isn’t cheap.
“The commercial posts rule is really about protecting the membership from constant sales pitches,” Kehn told Daily Coffee News in an email exchange. “Clearly Andre wasn’t motivated by profit, but personal interest in a project. If that doesn’t embody the purpose of an online community, I don’t know what does.”
Kehn also agreed that public projects such as the EspressoForge add a vitality and stimulation to Home-Barista discourse that is distinct from the community’s more predictable queries and solutions. “A lot of the discussions on HB are troubleshooting problems that have been resolved before, helping with buying advice, or sharing recommendations,” writes Kehn. “Projects from long-time members are more engaging and satisfying, since they have more depth and a genuine opportunity to advance the community knowledge — maybe even the industry.”
In the portable espresso-maker industry, the closest existing product to the EspressoForge is probably among the Rossa line of espresso-makers from the similarly tiny Australian company Portaspresso. However, while the Portaspresso designs are as elegant as they are stout, they are also over twice the price, and are harder to come by in the States.
In terms of EspressoForge’s self-determined business model, the handiest comparison would be to that of the Idaho-based manual grinder designers Orphan Espresso, whose products are also a fitting companion to the EspressoForge. The difference is that prior to designing grinders, OE had almost a decade of specializing in parts and service for vintage and obscure home espresso machines, garnering a sort of cult following among espresso aficionados. Vornbrock has no such background, although as a member of Home-Barista, he did have access to a good chunk of the following.
Vornbrock sees OE’s volume of sales as a benchmark for the EspressoForge’s potential. “I’d taken the Orphan Espresso model of how many grinders have they shipped,” says Vornbrock, “and applied that to how many devices would I likely ship, over the course of how many years. They haven’t shipped thousands and thousands of grinders, and it’s been over multiple years. Anybody that buys a Pharos would probably be interested in buying this.”
The pairing of an EspressoForge with an OE LIDO 3 manual grinder by Orphan Espresso seems so natural to Vornbrock that he has considered bringing the idea of a co-venture to the grinder-makers.

Photo by Cole Alexander Sheldon

“I have no idea if they’d be into a grinder-and-machine partnership,” says Vornbrock. “I don’t know what it would look like, either.” One possibility could be a travel case that fits both the Forge and a LIDO. Another less committal idea is to at least coordinate retail presences on the web and on select real-life shelves. At this point the two companies have not communicated directly.

Slowly Forging Growth

For now, Vornbrock is content to ship the modest number of preorders he has received and let come what may from word of mouth and user-generated experience threads on sites like Home-Barista, CoffeeGeek, the Australian site CoffeeSnobs, and other communities. He has no current plans to advertise and no intention of launching a Kickstarter campaign. Rather than foist his product into the consideration of a largely inexperienced public, risking bad reviews and product returns, Vornbrock prefers the safer and more manageable model of letting the targeted demographic find the EspressoForge themselves, slowly and through their own trusted channels.
“Best case scenario, I guess, would be selling a lot of them,” Vornbrock says cautiously, noting that his current machinist could generate the custom parts by the thousands if demand was there. “But it takes an hour or two to assemble each of these by hand right now. That would be the main limiting factor.”
While operation of the EspressoForge is not difficult, best results from this or any manual espresso machine ultimately come with practice and experience. “My biggest fear would be people that buy the device but don’t have a realistic expectation of what it is,” says Vornbrock. “That’s why I’ve tried to format my website with the pros and cons table, and publish all those things online, so people can get an idea that this is a machine that requires a bit more care, a bit more commitment than a Keurig machine.”
Vornbrock’s pro/con table is indeed as forthright a caveat emptor as one is likely to find in a retail environment. It underscores Vornbrock’s take-it-or-leave-it approach to the careful dissemination of his product. Meanwhile, every morning in a house in Dallas, Texas, Andre Vornbrock forges the espresso he most enjoys, and looks forward to likeminded coffee lovers doing the same with the EspressoForge.

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Tags: Aeropress, Andre Vornbrock, brewing equipment, CoffeeGeek, CoffeeSnobs, espresso, espresso machines, forums, home brewing, Home-Barista.com, La Pavoni, Orphan Espresso, Portaspresso

Author: Howard Bryman Howard Bryman is a writer and coffee industry zealot based in Boise, Idaho.

Is This Your Standard for Blueberry in Sensory Evaluation of Coffee?

Lindsey Bolger speaking at SCAA Symposium 2015. Photo by SCAA Symposium.

You might not expect a conversation on flavor to lead with climate change, but the two seemingly disparate subjects are both at the heart of the immensely ambitious work being performed by Texas A&M-based World Coffee Research.
The group’s Sensory Evaluation Methodology project is tied with in with other WCR initiatives related to genetics research, arabica variety intelligence and breeding — all designed to eventually provide roadmaps for producers and the coffee industry, at large, in navigating through issues such as disease resistance, climate change resistance and other sustainable production strategies.
At last month’s SCAA Symposium, an educational and information-sharing event that led up to the SCAA Event in Seattle, WCR director and Keurig Green Mountain Vice President of Coffee Sourcing and Excellence Lindsey Bolger shed some early light on the work being done by WCR on sensory analysis as it relates to the bigger picture of coffee genetics and the shaping of new hybrid arabicas.
Before introducing WCR’s in-development flavor lexicon, Bolger shared some challenging realities discovered through the group’s variety intelligence research.
“World Coffee Research has recently concluded a very comprehensive and very rigorous study that more or less confirms some of our worst fears,” Bolger said, adding that the 870 different strains of arabica tested were nearly identical in genetic composition, with 2 percent genetic variability. “We kind of thought it was bad, but we didn’t know it was quite that bad until the data proved it.”
Of course, this is bad because it limits possibilities in breeding climate-change-resiliant and disease-resistant, high-yielding arabicas. There is one other major desirable outcome through the breeding experimentation: Quality. This is where WCR’s sensory evaluation work comes into play.
“In order for coffee breeding programs to succeed, the industry needs a universal vocabulary of flavor that is both rigorous and replicable,” SCAA Symposium says in its introduction to the video below.
That universal vocabulary, the new lexicon, is based around the idea that the qualities of a coffee being cupped need to be better defined and then quantified. For example, a blueberry may mean something different to a taster in Vermont than it does to someone in Washington state. There may be different varieties of the fruit, or they may be grown or processed differently. In other words, there are many shades of blue.

Oregon Canned Blueberries. The reference point for “blueberry” in WCR’s new flavor lexicon.

The new lexicon, developed in partnership with expert sensory analysts from Kansas State University, involves reference points for all 108 of the qualities currently being defined (more may be coming, Bolger says). In the case of blueberry, that reference point is canned blueberries produced by the Oregon brand. According to the lexicon, the aroma of the liquid in that can represents a 6.0 on the aromatic intensity scale, while the flavor of the Oregon-brand canned blueberries represents a flavor intensity of 6.5. Those are specific reference points that can help quantify the quality.
Says SCAA Symposium, “Researchers and breeders will use the lexicon to understand the genetic underpinnings of those 108 flavors, and to ensure that the next generation of coffee cultivars is both resilient and tastes amazing.”
If you’re into flavor science, or perhaps the future of specialty coffee, watch the video, which goes into much more illuminating detail:

MASSIMO ZANETTI ΠΟΤΑ ΟΜΑΔΑ

Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group (MZB Group), η πρώτη ιδιωτική ομάδα στην παγκόσμια αγορά του καφέ χάρη στη διεθνή εμπορικά σήματα, όπως Segafredo Zanetti (Ιταλία), ασφυκτικά γεμάτη o'Nuts, Kauai και Χιλ Bros (ΗΠΑ) και Meira (Φινλανδία), σήμερα ανακοινώθηκε επίσημα ότι υπέγραψαν μια σημαντική συνεργασία με ίηρΙ, ηγέτης της ασιατικής ομάδας στον τομέα των Τροφίμων & Ποτών, που ειδικεύεται στην αγορά και καφέ αλυσίδα καταστημάτων λιανικής πώλησης, προκειμένου να αναπτύξει το δικό της δίκτυο καταστημάτων franchising καφέ. Η θυγατρική της εταιρεία Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Παγκοσμίως, η μάρκα μέσω του οποίου MZB διαχειρίζεται και ατέλειες τις μπουτίκ του καφέ σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο, έχει υπογράψει μια συμφωνία για την ανάπτυξη περισσότερο από 50 "καφέ Segafredo Zanetti Espresso" σε στρατηγικής σημασίας περιοχές στην Κίνα και το Χονγκ Κονγκ.
Το πρόγραμμα συνεργασίας προβλέπει την έναρξη περισσότερα από 20 σημεία πώλησης μέχρι το τέλος του 2015, να επεκταθεί σε περισσότερες από 50 από το τέλος του 2019, που θα συμμετάσχουν περισσότερα από τα 15 υπάρχοντα καταστήματα στην Κίνα και το Χονγκ Κονγκ. Η πρώτη φάση θα επικεντρωθεί στα Πεκίνο, τη Σαγκάη και το Χονγκ Κονγκ περιοχές, ενώ οι καφετέριες που βρίσκονται στις περιοχές της Guangzhou, Shenzhen και άλλες κινεζικές περιοχές θα αναπτυχθούν στη συνέχεια.
Με πάνω από 330 καταστήματα της Plus 70 επώνυμα Puccino του, ασφυκτικά καφετέριες και BoncafèVino, Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Worldwide είναι ο κορυφαίος δικτύου στη διαχείριση του ιταλικού στυλ παραδοσιακό μοντέλο franchising καφενεία - γνωστή ως «καφέ Segafredo Zanetti Espresso" -, με άμεση παρουσία σε όλες τις ηπείρους με τρεις διαφορετικούς τύπους των εννοιών franchising / αδειοδότησης. Η συνεργασία με ίηρΙ αντιπροσωπεύει τη μεγαλύτερη συμφωνία που έχει υπογραφεί ποτέ από Segafredo Zanetti Espresso με διεθνή εταίρο της το δικό της δίκτυο καταστημάτων franchising καφέ.
«Η απόφαση να συνεργαστεί με έναν καταρτισμένο συνεργάτη, όπως ίηρΙ στην κινεζική περιοχή, περαιτέρω επιβεβαιώνει την πρόθεση του Ομίλου μας να επεκτείνει την παρουσία της στην αγορά της Ασίας, όπως αποδείχθηκε ήδη με την πρόσφατη εξαγορά της μάρκας Boncafè και το άνοιγμα μας παραγωγικό εργοστάσιο στο Βιετνάμ ", δήλωσε ο Massimo Zanetti, ο Πρόεδρος του MZB Ομίλου. «Η κατανάλωση καφέ στην Κίνα είναι πολύ ανοδική και αναμένεται να αυξηθεί σε ετήσια βάση κατά 20%. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, η αγορά των αλυσίδων καφέ εκτιμάται ιδιαίτερα από μια νέα πελατεία από κινέζους επαγγελματίες και φοιτητές, και σιγά-σιγά να φθάσουν το επίπεδο κατανάλωσης του στιγμιαίου καφέ που διακρίνεται στην αγορά αυτή », πρόσθεσε.
«Είμαστε ικανοποιημένοι να έχουν έρθει σε συμφωνία με τον Massimo Zanetti Beverage Ομάδα για την ανάπτυξη ενός αριθμού σημείων πώλησης που βρίσκονται σε σημαντικές αγορές για μας", σχολίασε ο YK Kwon, Εκτελεστικός Πρόεδρος της ίηρΙ. «Η επιλογή ενός τέτοιου ιστορικού brand, εκπρόσωπος της Ιταλικής ζωής, αποτελεί εγγύηση όχι μόνο για την ίδια την εταιρεία, αλλά και για τις τρέχουσες και τις μελλοντικές τους πελάτες μας. Έχουμε ένα φιλόδοξο σχέδιο επέκτασης που πιστεύουμε πως θα υποστηρίξει τη διείσδυση της αυθεντικό ιταλικό φαγητό και ποτό πολιτισμού στην ασιατική ήπειρο ".
MASSIMO ZANETTI ΠΟΤΩΝ ΟΜΙΛΟΣ
Ο Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group είναι μια εταιρεία συμμετοχών που ιδρύθηκε και προεδρεύεται από τον Massimo Zanetti. Αποτελείται από ένα τεράστιο δίκτυο των εταιρειών που είναι υπό συνεχή ραγδαία ανάπτυξη σε παγκόσμια κλίμακα. Ο Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group είναι η πρώτη ιδιωτική ομάδα του καφέ στον κόσμο. Έχει μια μοναδική, πλήρως ολοκληρωμένο επιχειρηματικό σχέδιο, χάρη στο γεγονός ότι έχει άμεσο έλεγχο σε όλη την αλυσίδα παραγωγής. Ο Massimo Zanetti Beverage Όμιλος περιλαμβάνει μια σειρά από γνωστά διεθνή σήματα, τα οποία είναι πολύ δημοφιλής με τους μεγαλύτερους διανομείς παγκοσμίως. Οι περισσότερες από αυτές τις κορυφαίες μάρκες στον συγκεκριμένο τομέα ή τον τομέα τους, προσφέροντας μια πλούσια ποικιλία από υψηλής ποιότητας τοπικά προϊόντα, συμπεριλαμβανομένου του καφέ, τσαγιού, κακάου και μπαχαρικών.

Never Shy on Activism, Madison’s Just Coffee is Finally Talking Coffee, Too

All photos courtesy of Just Coffee Cooperative

In dog years, Just Coffee Cooperative of Madison, Wis., is 98. In human years, the company is 14. In coffee years, it’s probably somewhere in between.
Fourteen years is a relatively long run for any company, let alone a coffee roasting company, and these past two have been especially big for Just Coffee. Since moving into a new production and office headquarters on Madison’s East side in 2013, the staff has approximately doubled to 26 people; wholesale accounts have increased locally, nationally and regionally; and the company has generally upped its coffee game, in part through the addition of head roaster Casey Blanche.
With these changes and others in mind, JCC recently completed a complete rebranding, its most comprehensive to date and one designed to shape the company’s course over the next 14 years. (Full disclosure, having spent a significant chunk of my life in Madison, I have become friends with multiple JCC staffers, and even collaborated with them on personal and professional projects. Some level of editorial objectivity has undoubtedly been lost here).

One thing about JCC has importantly not changed over the years: The company and its worker-cooperative leadership remain unabashedly political, unafraid to speak out against coffee institutions and industry practices that they believe exploit or marginalize producers for the benefit of for-profit operations in consuming countries. While this may not be a trendy selling point in today’s quality-obsessed specialty market, it was something the JCC team did not want to shy away from during the rebranding process.
“We didn’t start as a coffee company,” Just Coffee Cooperative Co-Founder Matt Earley recently told Daily Coffee News. “We came into the coffee market because we wanted to work more closely with growers and make connections between them and the people in our community. Where people often start in this business working in apprenticeships roasting coffee or importing, we came in almost at the opposite end.”

The idea of justice is apparent in JCC’s new packaging, some elements of which were designed in collaboration with local creative firm Planet Propaganda. Specifically, the logo shines a brighter light on the double entendre of the company’s name, something that was getting lost on many consumers in the previous logo. The word “Just” is emphasized and placed prominently atop the bags. JCC’s custom artwork for each single-origin or blend remains, but with a more understated treatment.
While putting forth a new justice-centric mission statement, the bags have significantly less copy related to specific trade practices than previous JCC bags, instead pointing consumers to the redesigned website for additional information. The bags also, for the first time, include brewing tips, while including flavor and mouthfeel notes for each product.

“About four years ago, we started to identify the fact that you could look on our website and not actually see anything about how our coffee tastes,” Earley says. “We became aware of that and we started working on it.”
That work involved not only talking about coffee, but diversifying sourcing efforts, and improving roasting operations and quality controls. “We’ve never been interested in following trends, but to some degree, the emphasis on talking about quality is due to the market,” Earley says. “It’s not enough just to talk about farmers anymore. There are so many roasters out there now and the conversation has moved a little bit. We realized that we had to develop cup quality to stay in the conversation. We waited until now because we didn’t want to talk about something that we were not.”
Blanche has been a big part of that quality push, working on a Diedrich drum roaster, as well as a relatively new Loring unit. He and Earley represent a two-headed sourcing team, working with farmer groups in the Cooperative Coffees network and more recently, connecting directly with other individual farmer groups.
“Something unique we have going here is a kind of healthy tension,” Earley says. “Casey provides a really great counterweight to how we have sourced coffee. In the past, we’ve worked with specific grower groups who, honestly, if their coffee cupped out at 80 or higher, we were going to buy their coffee. We’re still working with a lot of those groups, and a lot of them have improved, but we’re also working with new groups that Casey is identifying because of the quality of their coffee.
“For us, it’s a really healthy conversation about how to maintain relationships and continue to use the coffee that our long-term farmer partners are producing, but also to enter into new relationships because their coffee is so great.”

The Just Coffee roastery

Again, according to Earley, great coffee is not the JCC end goal. It is part of a broader company goal to contribute positively to its producer partners, and help shake up existing trade systems to promote more equity and social justice throughout the supply chain. The company has been busy over the past year working on several initiatives with On the Ground, a nonprofit social enterprise doing work in numerous coffee communities, including the upcoming “Run Across Congo” and “Project Nica,” which is helping to rebuild roya-ravaged farms associated with the Las Diosas women’s cooperative in Northern Nicaragua, from which Just Coffee has sourced coffee for years.
These projects are closer to the heart of JCC than, say, “having an Aeropress champ,” says JCC Director of Sales Nate Tredinnick.
Adds Earley, “But we do need to have our coffees be able to sit on the table alongside all these other roasters who have a cup-quality angle as their selling point, and we need to be able to confidently say, we’re right there with them, and look at the rest of this stuff that we do. We have learned over the years that we are actually a coffee company.”
As Just Coffee enters its dog sunset years, it seems it is just entering its coffee prime, competing with more roasters throughout Wisconsin, Chicago and the Upper Midwest. “More roasters is good,” says Tredinnick. “How do you grow your business? You either grow your own percentage of the existing share, or you raise the profile of the entire market.”
Earley says JCC is cautiously exploring the idea of a branded retail cafe in the Madison market, although he said it would have to be a perfect arrangement so as not to cannibalize existing wholesale accounts.
“What do we want to be? That’s always kind of a living conversation,” Earley says. “In terms of business, this has always been kind of an experiment.”

This Creepy Robotic Octopus Arm Used to Hold Organs Needs Coffee

Researchers in Italy are incorporating coffee grounds and the same kind of vacuum sealing used in coffee packaging and storage to create an Octopus-inspired robotic arm that can navigate through the insides of human bodies while minimizing pressure on organs.
The arm, part of the European Commission’s Stiff-Flop (STIFFness controllable Flexible and Learn-able Manipulator for surgical OPerations) project, is as creepy as it sounds. Look at it go!
The robotic is designed to reduce the numbers of instruments and incisions used in surgical operations, with part of the arm being used to manipulate organs while the other part operates. It is a potential solution to the stiff, rigid parts that typically compose other robotic arms and devices used in remote applications.
Making it extra creepy, the arm has variable stiffness, which allows for parts of the arm to stiffen up to hold organs into place while the other part of the arm attends to its wiggly surgery business.
The stiffness is made possible though a process called “granualar jamming” and the scientists have found that ground coffee provides the best material. The grinds are moved robotically to the part of the arm where stiffness is required, then vacuum sealing packs them together to the desired firmness within a given arm module.
We’re not sure who is supplying the coffee, what grinders the scientists may be using, nor what the ideal grind size is for octopus-arm-module stiffness in organ abutment.

Sex and Coffee

Coffee has supposedly been around since about 1200 A.D., and sex has been with us since we began procreating. So it only makes sense that there would be some link between coffee and sex. And there are in fact many links; some in ways you did not even imagine. It seems that women at one point blamed coffee for everything from homosexuality, to lack of virility. Eventually it was praised for it’s sexual performance enhancing capabilities, among other benefits. And these beliefs were held in times where medical and scientific practices were questionable at best. However, modern day studies and surveys suggest that coffee and sex still are linked, and important on the minds of both young adults and the elderly alike. Even big name coffee companies are getting in on the action. Read on for all the details.

1500s

Venice and Turkey – Coffee Turns Men Homosexual?

A Venetian ambassador to Turkey back in 1571 wrote back home, and basically said that coffee caused men to become homosexuals. He saw Turkish men going to bath houses (where coffee was served), and into coffee houses absent of women. And soldiers were considered to be homosexual because of their coffee drinking habits. Along with that, there was an idea back then that you could actually change your sexuality, your body, and even your genitalia (a penis would slowly shrink and turn inside out, creating a vagina) by drinking or eating certain drinks or foods. So logically, coffee caused men to become homosexuals, and perhaps even turn into women if given enough time. Thankfully, to the delight of many coffee-drinking men, this never happened.

1600s

London – Coffee Turns Men Off?

The “Maidens of London” blamed coffee for their husbands lack of sexual interest. Coffeehouses were really for men only (although pubs and taverns were for all). When brothels were moved above coffeehouses in the mid 1600s, many men would have coffee, a good political discussion, and then move upstairs to visit a prostitute for a final treat. When they would come home, they weren’t interested in having sex with their wives, and thus coffee was blamed for men’s lack of interest in the bedroom. Of course the result was that women tended to be anti-coffee, and men were pro-coffee (and I don’t blame them).
In 1663 “The Maiden’s Complaint Against the Coffee House” was published by British women. In essence they stated that their men were coming home late, did not want to have sex, and it was all due to coffee. Of course the men did not tell them about all the features of the Coffee House.
In 1664 the “Women’s Petition against Coffee” was published by the women of London. Here are a few strong excerpts from that famous document:

Coffee leads men to trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking nauseous puddle water.

…excessive use of that newfangled, abominable, heathenish liquor called coffee, which riffling nature of her choicest treasures, and drying up the radical moisture, has so eunucht our husbands, and crippled our more kind gallants, that they are become as impotent as age, and as unfruitful as those deserts where that unhappy berry is said to be brought.

…the coffee-house being in truth, only a pimp to the tavern, thus like tennis balls between two rackets, the fopps our husbands are bandied to and fro all day between the coffee-house and the tavern…for when people have swill’d their morning draught of more ale than a brewer’s horse can carry, hither they come for a pennyworth of settle-brain, where they are sure to meet enow lazy pragmatical companions, that resort here to prattle of news, that they neither understand, nor are concerned in; and after an hour’s impertinent chat, begin to consider a bottle of claret would do excellent well before dinner; whereupon to the Bush they all march again together, till every one of them is drunk as a drum, and then back again to the coffee-house to drink themselves sober.

The women were not successful. In fact, newspapers and mail began to be delivered to some coffehouses instead of homes. Have you seen 17th century British women? I would probably rather live at the coffee house too.

Source: Women’s Petition against Coffee (WikiSource)

1700s

Cause of Divorce?

Coffee was used by “experts” to increase sexual pleasure, going way back to the 1700’s. Wives unofficially outlawed coffee, because the men could now really think for themselves (as opposed to the beer or grog induced stupor of the middle ages). Men resisted, women finally tried coffee themselves, and then did a 180. Now they began using coffee as a grounds for divorce! Now if a man could not provide coffee for his lovely wife, he was gone (and she kept the coffee pot). These were legal precedents set at least 300 years ago. Those poor men couldn’t win.

Brothel Madams and Coffee Patents?

There are more international coffee patents held by brothel madams than men. In France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland brothel madams own more patents than men each respective country. Why would brothel madams even go to the effort of patenting all these coffee making apparatuses? The were coffee junkies, and that caffeine buzz motivated them to get busy with some really cool coffee inventions. They of course believed that coffee helped them (and their Johns) in the sexual performance area, as well as provide an overall alertness. It was a match made, well, in a brothel.

Modern Day

First Date Drink of Choice

What do most people drink on the first date? Coffee of course! Regardless of how some may initially think that alcohol would be the best first date primer, how many first time meetings happen at coffee shops? The empirical evidence suggests about 90%. Coffee rules. Try having sex sometime drunk, and see if you really enjoy it (or remember it for that matter)!

Would You Give Up Sex or Coffee?

The high end coffeemaker and espresso machine company Capresso, did a survey in 2001 to see how serious people were about their coffee. They were all sexually active, coffee drinking adults who had internet access, and enjoyed chocolate.
The question was: If you had to give up one of the following for a month, which would it be? Coffee, Sex, Excuses, Internet access at home, or Chocolate?
Coffee was only second to sex on the priority list for both men and women. Maybe Sex and Coffee are more related than we think? And for women and men to have some sort of agreement? Mark that down, it is one of the few things men and women have ever agreed on. This is one for the history books.

Scientific Evidence

Caffeine is a stimulant. The effects of caffeine on the body tend to be immediate. All the organs and tissues are stimulated. Caffeine interacts directly with cells by changing chemical reactions within the cells. Caffeine indirectly affects cells by increasing epinephrine/adrenaline in the adrenal glands, as well as norepinephrine/noradrenaline hormones. These in turn stimulate cell activity.
A small amount of caffeine can stimulate the brain cells, improving concentration and reaction times. It can also stimulate the heart, increasing the pumping action. Of course the clitoris and penis are filled with blood vessels, so the logical conclusion is that these organs benefit from increased blood flow, and in turn, enhanced sexual pleasure and performance. OK, OK, can we please finish the article before you dash off to brew that pot of coffee? Almost done, I promise.
In a study of sexual activity in the elderly conducted by bio psychiatrists, the conclusion was that with at least one cup of coffee a day, elderly women had a much higher rate of sexual activity, and elderly men had a much higher potency rate. Source: Sexual function in the elderly.

Conclusion

We know that based on other articles on coffee and health, that a moderate intake coffee is probably not harmful, and may even be beneficial. So what about the tie-in to sex? Well it seems that caffeine intake may help in the sexual energy and performance area. Will it replace your Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra? Probably not, but it will not cause blindness either. So if you have gotten into the habit of taking a nap instead of having sex, maybe coffee is your answer. Just make sure to brush your teeth after that triple shot. We all know coffee breath is not very sexy.

ΠΩΣ ΝΑ ΚΑΝΕΙ ΣΕΞ ΚΑΦΕ

Προσπαθήστε να κάνετε αυτό το καφέ μία φορά ή δύο φορές την εβδομάδα, όταν θέλετε τα προστιθέμενα οφέλη superfoods που λέγεται ότι υποστηρίζει σεξουαλική ορμή. Δοκιμάζει σαν ένα υπέροχο, των Αζτέκων-καρυκεύματα ποτό. Εάν έχετε απολαύσει ποτέ μεξικάνικο ζεστή σοκολάτα, η γεύση είναι πολύ παρόμοια: η μαύρη σοκολάτα, την κανέλα, και μόλις ένα άγγιγμα γλυκύτητας.
Κάνει 1.

• 2/3 φλιτζάνι ζεστό καφέ
• 1 κουταλιά της σούπας πρώτες κακάο
• 2 κουταλιές της σούπας γάλα καρύδας
• 1 κουταλιά της σούπας μέλι
• 1/2 κουταλάκι του γλυκού κανέλα
• 1 κουταλάκι του γλυκού μάκα

Ρίχνουμε τον καφέ σε ένα μέτριο μπολ. Προσθέστε το κακάο, γάλα καρύδας, μέλι και κανέλα. Μαστίγιο με μπλέντερ χειρός μέχρι να αφρίσει. Προσθέστε το μάκα, μαστίγιο για μια ακόμη φορά, και σερβίρουμε αμέσως. Απολαύστε - και ευτυχισμένη sexing!
 Εδώ είναι τι κάθε συστατικό μπορεί να κάνει για σας:

• MACA: Αζτέκων ρίζα, συνήθως αλέθεται σε σκόνη. Ένα προσαρμογόνο , υποστηρίζει το σώμα σας στη δημιουργία των ενζύμων που χρειάζεται για να ισορροπήσει τις ορμόνες και να ενισχύσουν τη γονιμότητα. Είναι συχνά ως ένα αφροδισιακό , το οποίο μπορεί να αυξήσει την λίμπιντο.
• ΚΑΚΑΟ: Πρώτες κακάο είναι ένα διεγερτικό . Παίρνει την άντληση του αίματος και προκαλεί το σώμα σας να απελευθερώσει σεροτονίνη , η οποία βελτιώνει τη διάθεση. Το Journal of Sexual Medicine δημοσίευσε μια μελέτη που έδειξε ότι οι γυναίκες που κατανάλωναν σοκολάτα καθημερινά σημείωσε ελαφρά υψηλότερη από την Θηλυκό Σεξουαλική Δείκτη, γνωστός και ως το γράφημα που μετρά γυναικεία σεξουαλική λειτουργία.
• ΚΑΝΕΛΛΑ: Κανέλα προωθεί ζωτική ενέργεια , διατηρώντας το σώμα σας από αυτή την επιθυμία, το πιπίλισμα το lag που μπορεί να έρθει μετά από μια κουραστική μέρα.
• Μέλι: Το μέλι θα ήθελα να ncrease αντοχή, και έχει αποδειχθεί ότι αυξάνει την αρρενωπότητα και τη γονιμότητα .
• ΓΑΛΑ ΚΑΡΥΔΑΣ: Πολλοί πολιτισμοί έχουν χρησιμοποιήσει το γάλα καρύδας για να ισορροπήσει τις ορμόνες με φυσικό τρόπο και να αυξήσει το σεξ . δίσκο Γεμάτη υγιεινά λίπη, γάλα καρύδας θα σας δώσει ενέργεια για σεξ, χωρίς μια άσχημη aftercrash.

Αυτός ο καφές παίρνει όλες τις πέντε από αυτές τις superfoods, μαστίγια και τα σε ένα πανέμορφο latte. Για να γίνει αυτό, θα χρειαστείτε ένα μπλέντερ χειρός, και περίπου πέντε λεπτά από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος. Δοκιμάστε να κάνει αυτόν τον καφέ μία φορά την εβδομάδα, ειδικά όταν έχετε το χρόνο να πιείτε το αργά και να απολαύσετε πραγματικά την ημέρα σας. Θα πάρετε την κανονική δόση καφεΐνης σας, συν επιπλέον ώθηση από τις αρχαιότερες superfoods σχετίζεται με το φύλο του κόσμου.

Ρωτήστε τον Ειδικό: Καφές και υγεία

Ο Εμπειρογνώμονας

Ο Δρ Rob Van Dam
Επίκουρος Καθηγητής στο Τμήμα Διατροφής, του Χάρβαρντ Σχολή Δημόσιας Υγείας

Η Περίληψη

• Πίνοντας έως έξι φλιτζάνια την ημέρα του καφέ δεν σχετίζεται με αυξημένο κίνδυνο θανάτου από οποιαδήποτε αιτία ή θανάτου από καρκίνο ή καρδιαγγειακή νόσο.
• Μερικοί άνθρωποι μπορεί να εξακολουθούν να θέλουν να εξετάσουν την αποφυγή καφέ ή να στραφούν σε decaf, ειδικά οι γυναίκες που είναι έγκυες, ή ανθρώπους που έχουν έναν σκληρό χρόνο που ελέγχει την πίεση του αίματος ή του σακχάρου στο αίμα.
• Είναι καλύτερο να ετοιμάζω καφέ με ένα χάρτινο φίλτρο, για να καταργήσετε μια ουσία που προκαλεί αύξηση της χοληστερόλης LDL.
• Ο καφές μπορεί να έχει δυνητικά οφέλη για την υγεία, αλλά και περισσότερη έρευνα πρέπει να γίνει.
• Διαβάστε περισσότερα για καφέ και τσάι σε σύγκριση με άλλα ποτά.

1. Η πιο πρόσφατη μελέτη του Χάρβαρντ για τον καφέ και την υγεία φαίνεται να προσφέρει μια καλή είδηση ​​για τους λάτρεις του καφέ. Τι έκανε η έρευνα να βρει;
Κοιτάξαμε τη σχέση μεταξύ της κατανάλωσης καφέ και τη συνολική θνησιμότητα στην Nurses 'Health Study και οι Επαγγελματίες Υγείας Follow-Up Study , η οποία μαζί περιλάμβανε περίπου 130.000 εθελοντές της μελέτης. ( 1 ) Κατά την έναρξη της μελέτης, οι υγιείς άνδρες και γυναίκες ήταν στη δεκαετία του '40 και του '50 τους. Τους ακολούθησαν για 18 έως 24 χρόνια, για να δούμε ποιος πέθανε κατά τη διάρκεια αυτής της περιόδου, και να παρακολουθείτε τη διατροφή και τον τρόπο ζωής τους συνήθειες, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της κατανάλωσης καφέ. Εμείς δεν βρήκε καμία σχέση μεταξύ της κατανάλωσης καφέ και του αυξημένου κινδύνου θανάτου από οποιαδήποτε αιτία, θανάτου από καρκίνο ή θανάτου από καρδιαγγειακή νόσο. Ακόμη και οι άνθρωποι που έπιναν έως και έξι φλιτζάνια καφέ την ημέρα είχαν δεν αντιμετωπίζουν μεγαλύτερο κίνδυνο θανάτου. Αυτό το εύρημα ταιριάζει στην έρευνα εικόνα που έχει αναδύεται τα τελευταία χρόνια. Για το γενικό πληθυσμό, τα στοιχεία δείχνουν ότι η κατανάλωση καφέ δεν έχει σοβαρές αρνητικές επιπτώσεις στην υγεία.
2. Έτσι, για τους λάτρεις του καφέ, καμία είδηση ​​είναι καλές ειδήσεις; Γιατί είναι αυτό το εύρημα είναι τόσο σημαντικό;
Είναι ένα σημαντικό μήνυμα, επειδή οι άνθρωποι έχουν δει κατανάλωση καφέ ως ανθυγιεινή συνήθεια, κατά μήκος των γραμμών του καπνίσματος και η υπερβολική κατανάλωση αλκοόλ, και μπορούν να κάνουν μια μεγάλη προσπάθεια για να μειώσουν την κατανάλωση καφέ τους ή να διακόψουν την κατανάλωση τελείως, ακόμη και αν πραγματικά το απολαμβάνω. Τα ευρήματά μας υποδηλώνουν ότι αν θέλετε να βελτιώσετε την υγεία σας, είναι καλύτερο να επικεντρωθεί σε άλλους παράγοντες του τρόπου ζωής, όπως η αύξηση της σωματικής δραστηριότητας σας, διακοπή του καπνίσματος, ή τρώνε περισσότερα δημητριακά ολικής αλέσεως.
3. Υπάρχει ανώτατο όριο για την ποσότητα του καφέ που είναι υγιές να πίνουν κάθε μέρα εκεί;
Εάν πίνετε πολύ καφέ που έχετε τρόμο, έχουν προβλήματα με τον ύπνο, ή αίσθηση τόνισε και άβολα, τότε προφανώς πίνετε πολύ καφέ. Όμως, όσον αφορά τις επιπτώσεις στη θνησιμότητα ή άλλα προβλήματα υγείας παράγοντες, για παράδειγμα, δεν βλέπουμε τις τυχόν αρνητικές επιπτώσεις από την κατανάλωση έως έξι φλιτζάνια καφέ την ημέρα. Λάβετε υπόψη ότι η μελέτη μας και στις περισσότερες μελέτες του καφέ, μια «κούπα» του καφέ είναι ένα φλιτζάνι 8 ουγκιά με 100 mg καφεΐνης, δεν τα 16 ουγκιές που θα πάρετε σε ένα grande καφέ σε ένα Starbucks, η οποία έχει περίπου 330 mg καφεΐνης.
Επίσης, να έχετε κατά νου ότι η έρευνα είναι συνήθως με βάση τον καφέ που είναι μαύρο ή με λίγο γάλα ή ζάχαρη, αλλά όχι με το είδος της υψηλής θερμιδικής αξίας ποτά καφενείο που έχουν γίνει δημοφιλή τα τελευταία χρόνια. A 24-ουγγιά μόκα Frappachino στα Starbucks με σαντιγύ έχει σχεδόν 500 θερμίδες, που είναι 25 τοις εκατό της ημερήσιας πρόσληψης θερμίδων για κάποιον που χρειάζεται 2.000 θερμίδες την ημέρα. Οι άνθρωποι δεν μπορούν να συνειδητοποιήσουν ότι έχουν ένα ποτό όπως αυτό προσθέτει τόσο πολύ να τους πρόσληψη ενέργειας, και δεν μπορεί να αντισταθμίσει επαρκώς με την κατανάλωση λιγότερο κατά τη διάρκεια της ημέρας. Αυτό θα μπορούσε να οδηγήσει σε αύξηση του σωματικού βάρους την πάροδο του χρόνου, οι οποίες θα μπορούσαν με τη σειρά τους αυξάνουν τον κίνδυνο για διαβήτη τύπου 2, και αυτό είναι μια σημαντική ανησυχία.
4. Υπάρχει κάποια έρευνα που να δείχνει καφέ μπορεί να έχει κάποιες ευεργετικές επιδράσεις στην υγεία εκεί;
Ναι, έρευνα τα τελευταία χρόνια δείχνουν ότι η κατανάλωση καφέ μπορεί να προστατεύσει έναντι διαβήτη τύπου 2, της νόσου του Πάρκινσον, καρκίνο του ήπατος, και κίρρωση του ήπατος. Και πιο πρόσφατη μελέτη μας για τον καφέ και τη θνησιμότητα διαπίστωσε ότι οι άνθρωποι που έπιναν τακτικά καφέ είχαν στην πραγματικότητα μια κάπως χαμηλότερο κίνδυνο θανάτου από καρδιαγγειακά νοσήματα σε σχέση με όσους έπιναν σπάνια καφέ? Το αποτέλεσμα αυτό πρέπει να επιβεβαιωθεί σε περαιτέρω μελέτες, όμως. Αυτή είναι μια πολύ ενεργή περιοχή έρευνας τώρα, και αυτό δεν είναι στο στάδιο όπου θα λέγαμε, "Ξεκινήστε πίνοντας καφέ για να αυξήσει την υγεία σας ακόμα κι αν δεν σας αρέσει." Αλλά νομίζω ότι η απόδειξη είναι καλό και για τους ανθρώπους σε γενικές γραμμές, εκτός από λίγες πληθυσμού, όπως οι έγκυες γυναίκες, ή άτομα που έχουν πρόβλημα έλεγχο της αρτηριακής πίεσης ή του σακχάρου στο αίμα-καφές είναι ένα από τα καλά, υγιείς επιλογές ποτών.
5. Γιατί φαίνεται σαν επιστήμονες κρατήσει flip-flopping για το αν ο καφές είναι κακός για σας ή καλό για σας;
Συχνά οι άνθρωποι σκέφτονται καφέ ακριβώς όπως ένα όχημα για την καφεΐνη. Αλλά είναι πραγματικά μια πολύ σύνθετη ρόφημα με εκατοντάδες διαφορετικές ενώσεις σε αυτό. Δεδομένου ότι ο καφές περιέχει τόσες πολλές διαφορετικές ενώσεις, πίνοντας καφέ μπορεί να οδηγήσει σε πολύ διαφορετικά αποτελέσματα στην υγεία. Μπορεί να είναι καλό για κάποια πράγματα και άσχημα για κάποια πράγματα, και αυτό δεν είναι απαραίτητα flip-flopping ή ασυνεπής. Λίγα τρόφιμα είναι καλό για τα πάντα. Αυτός είναι ο λόγος για τον οποίο κάνουμε μελέτες για πολύ συγκεκριμένες επιπτώσεις για την υγεία, για παράδειγμα, μελέτες για το πώς καφές επηρεάζει τον κίνδυνο του διαβήτη, αλλά θα διεξάγει επίσης μελέτες, όπως αυτή πλέον πρόσφατη κοιτάζοντας την κατανάλωση καφέ και θνησιμότητας για μεγάλο χρονικό διάστημα, το οποίο καλύτερα αντανακλά τη συνολική επίδραση στην υγεία.
Ο καφές είναι επίσης λίγο πιο περίπλοκη για να μελετήσει ό, τι κάποια άλλα είδη τροφίμων. Πίνοντας τον καφέ πηγαίνει συχνά μαζί από κοινού με το κάπνισμα τσιγάρων, και με έναν τρόπο ζωής που δεν είναι πολύ υγεία τους. Για παράδειγμα, οι άνθρωποι που πίνουν πολλά καφέ τείνουν να ασκούνται λιγότερο. Είναι λιγότερο πιθανό να χρησιμοποιούν συμπληρώματα διατροφής, και τείνουν να έχουν λιγότερο υγιεινή διατροφή. Έτσι, στις πρώτες μελέτες για τον καφέ και την υγεία, ήταν δύσκολο να διαχωριστούν οι επιδράσεις του καφέ από τις επιπτώσεις του καπνίσματος ή άλλες επιλογές του τρόπου ζωής.
Κατά τη διάρκεια των αρκετές δεκαετίες ότι ο καφές έχει μελετηθεί, υπήρξαν ορισμένες αναφορές ότι ο καφές μπορεί να αυξήσει τον κίνδυνο ορισμένων μορφών καρκίνου ή τον κίνδυνο καρδιακών παθήσεων. Αλλά στην καλύτερη διεξάγονται μελέτες, όπως αυτή που μόλις δημοσιεύθηκε, μεγαλύτερες μελέτες που έχουν πολλές πληροφορίες σχετικά με όλους τους άλλους παράγοντες του τρόπου ζωής και να κάνουμε μια πραγματική προσπάθεια να ελέγξει για αυτούς παράγοντες του τρόπου ζωής, που δεν βρίσκουν πολλές από αυτές τις επιπτώσεις στην υγεία που οι άνθρωποι φοβήθηκαν.
6. Ποια είναι η τελευταία έρευνα σχετικά με τους κινδύνους του καφέ ή καφεΐνης κατά τη διάρκεια της εγκυμοσύνης;
Για τις έγκυες γυναίκες, υπήρξε αρκετά ένα κομμάτι της διαμάχης για το αν η υψηλή πρόσληψη καφέ ή καφεΐνης μπορεί να αυξήσει τον κίνδυνο αποβολής. Η κριτική επιτροπή είναι ακόμα έξω. Γνωρίζουμε όμως ότι η καφεΐνη περνά μέσω του πλακούντα και φθάνει στο έμβρυο, και ότι το έμβρυο είναι πολύ ευαίσθητο στην καφεΐνη? το μεταβολίζει πολύ αργά. Έτσι, για τις εγκύους φαίνεται φρόνιμο να μειωθεί η κατανάλωση του καφέ σε ένα χαμηλό επίπεδο, για παράδειγμα ένα φλιτζάνι την ημέρα.
7. Σε περίπτωση που τα άτομα με υψηλή αρτηριακή πίεση εξετάσει το ενδεχόμενο μείωσης καφέ τους ή την πρόσληψη καφεΐνης; Τι γίνεται με τα άτομα με διαβήτη;
Γνωρίζουμε ότι αν οι άνθρωποι δεν έχουν συνηθίσει να χρησιμοποιούν οποιαδήποτε καφεΐνη, και αρχίζουν να χρησιμοποιούν την καφεΐνη, η αρτηριακή τους πίεση ανεβαίνει σημαντικά. Μέσα σε μια εβδομάδα από την κατανάλωση καφεΐνης, ωστόσο, βλέπουμε ότι το αποτέλεσμα είναι λιγότερο έντονο-υπάρχει μικρότερη αύξηση της πίεσης του αίματος. Μετά από αρκετές εβδομάδες συνεχούς κατανάλωση καφεΐνης, ωστόσο, ένα μικρό κομμάτι της αύξησης της αρτηριακής πίεσης παραμένει. Σε μελέτες που εξετάζουν τη συχνότητα της υπέρτασης στον γενικό πληθυσμό, πίνοντας καφέ με καφεΐνη δεν σχετίζεται με σημαντική αύξηση του κινδύνου. Αλλά αν οι άνθρωποι έχουν υπέρταση, και έχουν έναν σκληρό χρόνο έλεγχο της υπέρτασης τους, θα μπορούσατε να δοκιμάσετε τη μετάβαση από την καφεΐνη του καφέ στο καφέ χωρίς καφεΐνη, για να δούμε αν έχει μια ευεργετική επίδραση.
Με το διαβήτη, είναι ένα κομμάτι από ένα παράδοξο. Μελέτες σε όλο τον κόσμο δείχνουν σταθερά ότι η μεγάλη κατανάλωση καφεϊνούχων ή ντεκαφεϊνέ καφέ σχετίζεται με χαμηλό κίνδυνο του διαβήτη τύπου 2. Αλλά αν κοιτάξουμε τις μελέτες οξείας που δίνουν μόνο οι άνθρωποι καφεΐνης ή καφέ με καφεΐνη, και στη συνέχεια να τα φάτε κάτι πλούσιο σε γλυκόζη, η ευαισθησία τους στην ινσουλίνη μειώνεται και τα επίπεδα γλυκόζης στο αίμα τους είναι υψηλότερη από την αναμενόμενη. Δεν υπάρχει καμία μακροχρόνια δεδομένα σχετικά με την κατανάλωση του καφέ και του ελέγχου της γλυκόζης. Αλλά αν οι άνθρωποι έχουν διαβήτη και προβλήματα με τον έλεγχο της γλυκόζης στο αίμα τους, μπορεί να είναι επωφελής για τους να δοκιμάσουν τη μετάβαση από καφεϊνούχα σε καφέ χωρίς καφεΐνη. Κάνοντας τη μετάβαση από καφεϊνούχα να decaf μπορεί να είναι καλύτερη από την εγκατάλειψη του καφέ εντελώς, επειδή μερικές έρευνες δείχνουν ότι ντεκαφεϊνέ καφές μειώνει πραγματικά την ανταπόκριση της γλυκόζης.
8. Πώς εξηγείτε αυτά τα παράδοξα συμπεράσματα σχετικά με τον καφέ και την κατανάλωση καφεΐνης και του διαβήτη;
Είναι πιθανό να υπάρχουν απλώς διαφορετικά εφέ για τη βραχυπρόθεσμη και μακροπρόθεσμη πρόσληψη καφέ και καφεΐνης. Και, όπως ανέφερα και πριν, είναι ολοένα και πιο σαφές ότι ο καφές είναι πολύ περισσότερο από την καφεΐνη, και οι επιπτώσεις στην υγεία που βλέπετε για καφέ με καφεΐνη είναι συχνά διαφορετικά από ό, τι θα περίμενε κανείς με βάση την περιεκτικότητα σε καφεΐνη του.
Για παράδειγμα, αν δούμε τις επιδόσεις της άσκησης, φαίνεται ότι η καφεΐνη μπορεί να είναι κάπως ευεργετική, αλλά ο καφές δεν είναι. Ή αν κοιτάξετε την πίεση του αίματος και να συγκριθούν τα αποτελέσματα των καφεϊνούχων καφέ για τις επιδράσεις της καφεΐνης, θα διαπιστώσετε ότι ο καφές προκαλεί αύξηση της πίεσης του αίματος που είναι ουσιαστικά ασθενέστερη από ό, τι θα περίμενε κανείς για την ποσότητα της καφεΐνης που περιέχει. Το ίδιο ισχύει και για τη σχέση μεταξύ του καφέ, την καφεΐνη, και της γλυκόζης στο αίμα μετά από ένα γεύμα. Είναι πιθανό ότι υπάρχουν ενώσεις στον καφέ που μπορεί να εξουδετερώσει την επίδραση της καφεΐνης, αλλά περισσότερη έρευνα πρέπει να γίνει.
9. πίνει καφέ γίνεται με ένα χάρτινο φίλτρο υγιέστερο από το πόσιμο βρασμένο καφέ ή άλλα είδη καφέ;
Ο καφές περιέχει μια ουσία που ονομάζεται cafestol που είναι ένας ισχυρός διεγέρτης των επιπέδων χοληστερόλης LDL. Cafestol βρίσκεται στο λιπαρό κλάσμα του καφέ, και όταν ετοιμάζω καφέ με ένα χάρτινο φίλτρο, το cafestol μένει πίσω στο φίλτρο. Άλλες μέθοδοι παρασκευής καφέ, όπως το βρασμένο καφέ κοινό στις σκανδιναβικές χώρες, γαλλικό τύπο καφέ ή τούρκικο καφέ, είναι πολύ υψηλότερο σε cafestol. Έτσι, για τους ανθρώπους που έχουν υψηλά επίπεδα χοληστερόλης ή που θέλουν να εμποδίσουν που έχουν υψηλά επίπεδα χοληστερόλης, είναι καλύτερα να επιλέξετε χαρτί καφέ φίλτρου ή στιγμιαίος καφές, δεδομένου ότι έχουν πολύ χαμηλότερα επίπεδα cafestol από βραστά ή γαλλικό καφέ Τύπου. Espresso είναι κάπου στη μέση? έχει λιγότερο cafestol από βραστά ή γαλλικό καφέ Τύπου, αλλά περισσότερο από ό, τι φιλτράρεται χαρτί καφέ.
10. Να τσάι και καφέ έχουν παρόμοια ευεργετικά αποτελέσματα;
Κάποιος θα μπορούσε να αναμένει μερικά από τα ευεργετικά αποτελέσματα του καφέ να είναι παρόμοια για το τσάι, δεδομένου ότι ορισμένες από τις ενώσεις είναι παρόμοιες. Μια μελέτη στην Κίνα διαπίστωσαν ότι η κατανάλωση μεγάλων ποσοτήτων Oolongtea-ένα λίτρο την ημέρα είναι ευεργετική για τον γλυκαιμικό έλεγχο σε ασθενείς με διαβήτη. Όμως, η έρευνα για το τσάι στις ΗΠΑ δεν έχει δείξει τον τύπο του ωφέλιμου αποτελέσματος που βλέπουμε για καφέ, πιθανώς επειδή οι άνθρωποι στην UStend να πίνουν τσάι που είναι ασθενέστερη σε δύναμη και τείνουν να πίνουν λιγότερο από αυτό.

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Starbucks Claims 99% ‘Ethically Sourced’ Coffee, But What Does That Even Mean?

May 

Photo by Starbucks

During the opening ceremonies of the SCAA 2015 Event last month in Seattle, the company’s vice president of global coffee, Craig Russell, proudly announced the 99 percent of the coffee Starbucks bought in the past year had been “ethically sourced.”
The announcement was accompanied by a brief video showing coffee plants on lush farms gently swaying in the breeze and farmers toiling away on farms and drying decks (see it here).
It all begged the question, what does Starbucks’ “ethical sourcing” even mean?

CAFÉ Practices

The green coffee sourcing standard used by Starbucks to purchase their coffee is known as the CAFÉ (Coffee and Farm Equity) Practices program. The standard was developed in partnership with Conservation International and an independent third-party company, SCS Global Services.
The standard encompasses four categories: product quality, economic accountability, social responsibility, and environmental leadership. Interestingly, the first two categories are prerequisites. In 2008, Starbucks set a goal that all their coffee would be purchased under CAFÉ Practices, Fairtrade, and/or some other externally audited system by 2015. In 2014, Starbucks purchased more than 209,000 tons of coffee, coming within 4 percent of that goal. Now at 99 percent, the company says it is committed to chasing the final 1 percent.
There have been a number of updates to CAFÉ Practices, the latest coming in 2014. With Starbucks’ big announcement, now seems as good time as any for a review of the program — how it works and how it compares to other certifications, with an emphasis on environmental and ecological criteria.

Brief Overview: How it Works

CAFÉ Practices operates on a points system, with points awarded for compliance with individual “indicators.” In the latest version, 3.3, there are 185 total indicators. There are fewer for smallholders who hold less than 12 hectares, including those who are part of a cooperative. From those indicators, there are over 100 possible points to be awarded under the categories of Social Responsibility, Environmental Leadership-Coffee Growing, and Environmental Leadership-Coffee Processing. Suppliers must comply with mandatory “zero-tolerance” indicators.

Photo by Starbucks

“Preferred supplier” status is awarded to those that score at least 60 percent, and suppliers that score 80 percent or greater get “strategic supplier” status. Preferred and strategic suppliers get enhanced pricing and contract terms. Suppliers that score below 60 percent are considered “verified suppliers.” They must go through the time and expense of re-verification in a year, whereas suppliers with higher statuses can retain their status for three or four years.
In 2012, the most recent year in which an assessment was completed, the average score for all new and renewing suppliers was 80%, with 60% of suppliers either in the “preferred” or “strategic” category.

What Kinds of Environmental Criteria are Included?

The Environmental Leadership-Coffee Growing area deals with cultivation of coffee. It consists of four principals — Protecting Water Resources, Protecting Soil Resources, Conserving Biodiversity, and Environmental Management and Monitoring — with 11 criteria and 89 indicators. Over 40 percent of the total possible points are in this area for either smallholders or larger suppliers.
Some examples of Protecting Water Resources include buffer zones next to water bodies — they include specific measurements, different criteria for permanent and intermittent water bodies, and award points for the inclusion of native vegetation. The Protecting Soil principal concerns managing erosion as well soil health, including the use of organic mulch and planting nitrogen-fixing shade trees.
The criteria for Conserving Biodiversity are Maintaining a Coffee Shade Canopy, Protecting Wildife, and Conservation Areas. Regarding shade, a point can be awarded for a minimum canopy cover of only 10%, but additional points are given for a 40% minimum, the existence of at least two canopy layers, using a diversity of tree species, using mostly native trees, and/or prohibiting invasive species. Details are given for what needs to be included in a farm’s shade management plan. Producers are also encouraged via points to establish and protect conservation areas for habitat restoration, establishing corridors between natural areas, setting aside 5 to 10 percent of the farm for a conservation area, and/or having ecological assessments performed by biologists.
Criteria for pesticides and pest control fall under Environmental Management and Monitoring. Points are awarded for ecologically-friendly practices such as using chemicals only as a last resort or on a spot-application basis and implementation of an Integrated Pest Management Plan.

How do the Starbucks CAFE Practices Environmental Standards Compare to Other Certifications?

Each certification scheme has a different format. They not only vary in the breadth and depth of the individual criteria, but also in the way the criteria are evaluated and how “points” are awarded toward certification. With those caveats in mind, Starbucks CAFÉ Practices environmental criteria are most comparable to those of the current Rainforest Alliance certification requirements in terms of their scope and goals.

Photo by Starbucks

Starbucks coffee from preferred or strategic suppliers is more likely to have been grown under ecologically friendly conditions than coffee only certified by UTZ or a Fair Trade initiative, which have fewer or very general environmental standards. Bird-Friendly certified coffee, with habitat-focused criteria developed by ecologists and organic certification baked in, remains the coffee grown under the most biodiversity-friendly methods.

Criticisms

There has been a healthy amount of skepticism over the years regarding the role of Starbucks’ partner in the sustainability standard, the nonprofit Conservation International. One of the world’s largest conservation groups, CI’s other corporate clients include ExxonMobil, Shell, Walmart, Chevron, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Monsanto, and Disney. However, while CI helped develop the CAFÉ Practices criteria, all verification audits are done by SCS Global Services, a neutral, financially independent third party.
That said, many large coffee companies buy a small percentage of certified coffee for a few of their brands a leave it at that. In their company-wideness alone, the efforts of Starbucks are both substantial and important. You can examine all of the Starbucks CAFÉ Practices criteria and download the standards documents and manuals online at the SCS web site. You can also download current and past Global Responsibility reports at the Starbucks website.

The Costs of Production and Why Buyers Might Want to Understand Them

t The SCAA Event last month, Mark Lundy from CIAT presented the results of costs-of-production research we did together on the basis of 2013 data from our Borderlands Coffee Project in Colombia. Today, I explore with Mark what we learned from those data and what implications they may have for coffee buyers and policymakers.
The four top-level takeaways are these:

• Think costs of production, not cost of production. There are different kinds of farmers with different efficiencies and different costs of production. Relying on averages may be convenient, but Mark suggests it can also be “dangerous” since it obscures important differences between different types of farmers and may lead to inaccurate conclusions about farm-level profitability.
• Farmers seemed to turn a profit on their coffee only when they earned substantial price premiums for quality-based differentiation. This preliminary finding needs further validation, and is based on data for one year in one region with notably low yields and farm efficiencies. That said, it is a source of concern given that relatively few growers are able to access premiums of this nature.
• Coffee buyers interested in long-term relationships need to understand the costs of production for the specific growers in their supply chains. If these growers are going to bet their futures on coffee, buyers need to create the kinds of incentives growers need to be profitable and sustain that profitability over time.
• Policymakers should note that smallholder coffee farmers have narrow (and often negative) margins and channel resources to initiatives that will boost farm profitability—including improved extension to increase yields and farm efficiencies and expanded access to higher-value segments of the coffee market.

The Methodology

The data for this research were collected from smallholder farmers in Nariño through three specific mechanisms of our Borderlands Coffee Project:

• Baseline data from this rigorous survey we conducted with CIAT in 2012
• Cuadernos de cuenta — field logs in which growers kept detailed records of every coffee-related expense and each sale of coffee
• Focus group discussions with project participants

Through the triangulation of data collected through these three channels, we were able to generate accurate estimates of production costs in Nariño. This approach is pretty standard. But there were two wrinkles in this case that may make the analysis even more valuable than traditional cost-of-production research.

Farmer Typologies

The first wrinkle is this: we identified three farmer typologies through our baseline survey—specialized coffee growers, diversified farmers and farmers who earn the majority of their income off-farm, from salaries, remittances, piece-work or other activities.
Each one has different level of dependence on coffee for their income, a different cost of production and a different return on their investment in coffee. Specialized coffee farmers have the most area devoted to coffee, the highest production and rates of productivity, the highest incomes overall, the highest coffee incomes — both in absolute terms and as a percentage of total income — and are most likely to own processing equipment, hold a high-school diploma and have access to credit. They are least likely to be poor. This disaggregation added an important dimension to our analysis.

Farmgate Price Data

The second are the farmgate price data we collected from project participants after the 2013 harvest. “The interesting thing about this work was that we actually had sales price data, and not just for prevailing market prices in Nariño,” Mark says. “We also had info on other prices as well which is somewhat novel.” In other words, CIAT’s economists and researchers could match real production costs for specific farmers to real prices paid.

Costs of Production > Cost of Production

The most important finding of the research is that we should not be talking about cost of production but costs of production. Different kinds of coffee growers have different efficiencies and different costs of production and these differences get lost when data are aggregated.
Colombia’s Misión Cafetera included very detailed cost-of-production data from each of Colombia’s coffee-growing departments in its final report. They may be necessary but not sufficient, Mark says, for buyers to have an accurate picture of what is happening in their own supply chains: “These data are important, but because they are averages they tend to obscure differences in production costs across different types of farmers.”

Coffee Buyers: Know the Costs of Production in Your Supply Chains

For Mark, the implications of this research for industry are clear.
“Be clear about who is in your chain and what their real costs of production are, particularly if you are interested in being in business over the long term,” he says. “You need to understand the return on investment in coffee for farmers in your supply chain and whether or not they are able to make a living. People make a lot of noise about relevo generacional — the fact that many young people born into coffee are choosing not to stay in coffee but migrate to cities. All of this comes back to the fact that if people doesn’t have clear signals and incentives to stay in coffee, they won’t bet on coffee over the long term.”

The Importance (and Limitations) of Premiums

The data show that for most of the coffee sold by project participants, production costs exceeded the prices they earned. The lone exception was the microlot segment.
“I would be careful not to overstate the case,” Mark says. “These are 2013 data, taken from one year in one small area of Colombia. The data from 2014 may tell us something different. But yes, these data do show that that harvest year, the only profitable segment of the market was the microlot segment.”
He hastened to add that “One-off price premiums don’t necessarily achieve the goal of profitability. These are agroforestry systems that are incredibly sticky. People can’t respond very quickly to market signals because it takes time to make changes and see results in that kind of production system.”
Add to that the fact that many growers fail to achieve microlot quality year-on-year, and it is no wonder the quality strategy isn’t for everyone. “The decision not to specialize in coffee can make sense under conditions of market, climatic and price uncertainty,” Mark says.
Coffee buyers who want growers in their supply chains to specialize in coffee need to create stronger incentives and sustain their commitment to those incentives over time, Mark says: “What is needed is incremental and sustained change backed by investment of time and money from the market.”
He cites the example of the ASPROTIMANA organization in neighboring Huila, which has had success selling into higher-value segments of the coffee market. Its members have achieved yields of over 20 bags per hectare while their neighbors are producing between 8-9 bags, similar to the yields we found through our baseline study in Nariño.
“It’s just one case,” Mark says. “But this is what I am talking about. If buyers who want access to consistent volumes of high-quality coffee can create the proper incentives, growers will respond.”

Policymakers: Mind the Margins

So the implications for industry are clear: know the costs of production in your supply chain and understand what they imply for the profitability and sustainability of supply. When I asked Mark what he thought the implications were for public policy related to the coffee sector, which in Colombia is set by the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros, he said this:
“Our COP study, as well as the tables in the Mision Cafetera report on COP, should raise concerns in the public sector regarding the thin margins producers receive. Clearly the direct subsidy strategy employed in the past is not sustainable and the transition towards higher value markets remains slow and with clear limitations. For me the big question is how to retool the institutions of the coffee sector to gain in efficiencies and deliver on outcomes like increased productivity, better market linkages and incentives, and more effective extension strategies.
“At the end of the day Colombia needs to increase its productivity to lower costs and remain competitive even in lower quality, higher volume segments of the market. That is not just true in Colombia, but tends to be true for smallholder coffee farmers everywhere. What Colombia may have that other countries do not are clear opportunities to move some production into higher value segments based on quality, but the basis to make any of this really transformational is still improved yields.”