Tuesday, November 29, 2005
A special gourmet coffee gift for Christmas
Looking for the unique gift that will make them feel special? Share your passion for exotic gourmet coffee with our gourmet coffee gift box. Each coffee gift box includes one pound of each of the finest Volcanica Coffees.
- Volcanica Blue Mountain Coffee
- Volcanica Reserve - Costa Rican Coffee
- Volcanica Original - Costa Rica Coffee
- Volcanica Gran Reserve - Kona Peaberry Coffee
Friday, November 18, 2005
Study Questions Health Effects of Decaf
A new study finds slight a increase in fatty acids in participants who consumed decaf coffee.
DALLAS - Fresh questions are percolating about the health effects of coffee, this time the decaffeinated variety. One of the first substantial studies to test it like a drug instead of just asking people how much of it they consumed found higher blood levels of cholesterol-precursor fats in those drinking decaf vs. regular coffee or none at all.
But the differences were very small, especially when compared with the effects of, say, the doughnut that might be dunked into the brew.
"I don't think there's a health threat," regardless of which type of coffee is consumed, said Dr. H. Robert Superko of Fuqua Heart Center in Atlanta, who did the study when previously at Stanford University. He reported on it Wednesday at an
American Heart Association conference.
The 187 volunteers were put into three groups: no coffee, 3 to 6 cups a day of regular, or 3 to 6 cups of decaf. Coffee was consumed black, no cream or sugar. Diet surveys were taken for a week at the beginning and the end so researchers could evaluate whether changes in eating habits might have affected results.
The result: decaf drinkers had modestly higher levels — 8 to 18 percent — of fatty acids and precursors of LDL or bad cholesterol than the others. Read full article
DALLAS - Fresh questions are percolating about the health effects of coffee, this time the decaffeinated variety. One of the first substantial studies to test it like a drug instead of just asking people how much of it they consumed found higher blood levels of cholesterol-precursor fats in those drinking decaf vs. regular coffee or none at all.
But the differences were very small, especially when compared with the effects of, say, the doughnut that might be dunked into the brew.
"I don't think there's a health threat," regardless of which type of coffee is consumed, said Dr. H. Robert Superko of Fuqua Heart Center in Atlanta, who did the study when previously at Stanford University. He reported on it Wednesday at an
American Heart Association conference.
The 187 volunteers were put into three groups: no coffee, 3 to 6 cups a day of regular, or 3 to 6 cups of decaf. Coffee was consumed black, no cream or sugar. Diet surveys were taken for a week at the beginning and the end so researchers could evaluate whether changes in eating habits might have affected results.
The result: decaf drinkers had modestly higher levels — 8 to 18 percent — of fatty acids and precursors of LDL or bad cholesterol than the others. Read full article
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Woman Wakes Up To Turtle In Her Coffee Cup
From AINSWORTH, Iowa
We're all familiar with the slogan, "The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup." But what if you found a dead reptile in your package of coffee? Well, Marge Morris says she drank turtle coffee. For a coffee lover like her, the morning routine wouldn't be complete without a cup of coffee.
"I had my sips of coffee, and I thought this tastes a bit bitter," said Morris.
But Sunday's brew didn't taste right to Morris. Her taste buds detected something out of the ordinary, but it was her eyes that saw something bizarre.
"I could see like a hard spot like a rock or something. I thought I've got to find out what it is. So, I pulled it out and that's when I found Mr. Turtle,” said Morris.
It was a two-inch turtle, in one piece, at the bottom of Morris' bag of Folgers Classic Roast Coffee.
The next day Morris called the company, and a Folgers employee told her it was probably packaged in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The plant reopened September 18, where it makes more than half of Folgers' products.
Sussane Dussing, a spokeswoman for Procter and Gamble, which owns Folgers, said there wasn't enough evidence, yet, to explain the turtle.
Morris isn't mad. Her preferences have just changed a little.
"Today I have some tea. It's safer because it's in a bag,” said Morris.
Morris won't file a lawsuit against Folgers. In fact, she threw out the package of coffee, but she's storing Mr. Turtle in her freezer as a keepsake.
Dussing's not aware of any other reports like this. She said the company will begin a full investigation after it talks to Morris. See full article.
We're all familiar with the slogan, "The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup." But what if you found a dead reptile in your package of coffee? Well, Marge Morris says she drank turtle coffee. For a coffee lover like her, the morning routine wouldn't be complete without a cup of coffee.
"I had my sips of coffee, and I thought this tastes a bit bitter," said Morris.
But Sunday's brew didn't taste right to Morris. Her taste buds detected something out of the ordinary, but it was her eyes that saw something bizarre.
"I could see like a hard spot like a rock or something. I thought I've got to find out what it is. So, I pulled it out and that's when I found Mr. Turtle,” said Morris.
It was a two-inch turtle, in one piece, at the bottom of Morris' bag of Folgers Classic Roast Coffee.
The next day Morris called the company, and a Folgers employee told her it was probably packaged in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The plant reopened September 18, where it makes more than half of Folgers' products.
Sussane Dussing, a spokeswoman for Procter and Gamble, which owns Folgers, said there wasn't enough evidence, yet, to explain the turtle.
Morris isn't mad. Her preferences have just changed a little.
"Today I have some tea. It's safer because it's in a bag,” said Morris.
Morris won't file a lawsuit against Folgers. In fact, she threw out the package of coffee, but she's storing Mr. Turtle in her freezer as a keepsake.
Dussing's not aware of any other reports like this. She said the company will begin a full investigation after it talks to Morris. See full article.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Fall Savings on Volcanica Gourmet Coffee
This Fall we have lowed our prices on our gourmet coffees and now offer free shipping. Try our selection of Costa Rican coffees and try our Volcanica Reserve Costa Rican Coffee with its silky yet robust flavor that will pick you up, now only $14.99. Or relax with our Volcanica Original Costa Rica Coffee with a smooth flavor for only $12.99.
You can also save $5 on our exotic Blue Mountain Coffee or Kona Coffee. These prices are only for a limited time. We also offer free shipping on 3 or more items. Please visit us today at the home for fine gourmet coffee beans.
You can also save $5 on our exotic Blue Mountain Coffee or Kona Coffee. These prices are only for a limited time. We also offer free shipping on 3 or more items. Please visit us today at the home for fine gourmet coffee beans.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
More evidence of the health benefits of drinking coffee
There was a special segment on NBC news tonight that found more evidence of the health benefits of drinking coffee. The surprising finding is that women who drank the most coffee were at the lowest risk of developing hypertentions. See the video clip:
Here’s good news for women who love coffee: Drinking it doesn’t seem to cause long-term high blood pressure, a study suggests.
But for some reason, women in the same study who drank sodas did seem to have a greater risk of high blood pressure. Researchers were surprised at that and cautioned that the study wasn’t conclusive.
Caffeine is a well-known ingredient in both beverages, and has been shown to cause short-term increases in blood pressure. But coffee drinkers in the study were no more likely than abstainers to develop high blood pressure during 12 years of follow-up.
Antioxidants in coffee
There was even some evidence that women who drank lots of coffee — four or more daily cups of regular or decaf — faced a slightly lower risk for developing high blood pressure than those who drank little or none.
Winkelmayer said that may be because coffee has lots of antioxidants, substances which are thought to help protect the heart and reduce risks of cancer. Read full article.
Here’s good news for women who love coffee: Drinking it doesn’t seem to cause long-term high blood pressure, a study suggests.
But for some reason, women in the same study who drank sodas did seem to have a greater risk of high blood pressure. Researchers were surprised at that and cautioned that the study wasn’t conclusive.
Caffeine is a well-known ingredient in both beverages, and has been shown to cause short-term increases in blood pressure. But coffee drinkers in the study were no more likely than abstainers to develop high blood pressure during 12 years of follow-up.
Antioxidants in coffee
There was even some evidence that women who drank lots of coffee — four or more daily cups of regular or decaf — faced a slightly lower risk for developing high blood pressure than those who drank little or none.
Winkelmayer said that may be because coffee has lots of antioxidants, substances which are thought to help protect the heart and reduce risks of cancer. Read full article.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Hurricanes damage Costa Rican Coffee crops
Costa Rica had been experiencing difficulties from the this years active hurricane season. Costa Rica has lost between 5 and 10 % of its 2005-06 coffee crop due to heavy rains caused by recent hurricanes, the head of the Costa Rican Coffee Institute said. Costa Rica`s forecast for the season had been 2.8 million quintals but beans had been knocked from plants by the rain and the spread of a fungus caused by the greater moisture. Hurricane Stan and Hurricane Wilma missed Costa Rica but the large rain bands associated the storms brought them weeks of heavy rains, causing flooding in the Pacific coast region of the country and washing out roads in mountainous, coffee-growing areas. In addition to crop damage the farmers are experiencing access problems reaching their plants to harvest
Costa Rica Coffee is the second largest source of income for the country after tourism.
Costa Rica Coffee is the second largest source of income for the country after tourism.
Friday, November 04, 2005
2005 survey data from the National Coffee Association
New data from the annual coffee survey from the National Coffee Association (NCA) is begining to come out. Below is an except from an excellent article about coffee the mentions the survey but it is mainly about sustainable and shade grown coffee and the difficulties of coffee farmers.
According to 2005 data from the National Coffee Association (NCA), 80 percent of Americans drink coffee occasionally, while 53 percent drink it daily. America’s 236 million coffee consumers spent an estimated $19 billion on the beverage in 2004, or $80.50 per person. Coffee accounts for 91 percent of the U.S. hot drink market by volume and 76 percent by value, according to the market research firm Euromonitor International.
Although coffee isn’t quite as popular in the U.S. as it was during its heyday in the 1960s, when per-capita consumption reached 3.1 cups per day, it is still ubiquitous (2004 per capita consumption was 1.64 cups per day). Interestingly, the NCA reports that consumption jumped by four percentage points from 2004 to 2005 among consumers age 18 to 24, bringing daily consumption among this group up by 10 percentage points over the last three years. And if it seems like there’s now a new coffee joint on every corner, that’s not far from the truth. By 2003, the total number of retail coffee shops in the U.S. had swelled to 17‚400‚ up from 15‚400 in 2002, 8‚400 in 1997 and 1,400 in 1987.
Globally, more than 500 billion cups of coffee are made each year, making the steamy beverage a commodity second only to oil in terms of dollars traded worldwide. About 58 percent of coffee is consumed in Europe, the United States and Japan, although 25 percent is poured in the countries in which the beans are grown, according to the International Coffee Organization. The fastest growth in consumption is occurring in the Asian and Pacific region and in Central and Eastern Europe. Although the U.S. buys the most coffee by volume, per-capita consumption is actually highest in the Nordic countries, where Finns, for example, partake of more than four cups a day on average. Read the full article.
According to 2005 data from the National Coffee Association (NCA), 80 percent of Americans drink coffee occasionally, while 53 percent drink it daily. America’s 236 million coffee consumers spent an estimated $19 billion on the beverage in 2004, or $80.50 per person. Coffee accounts for 91 percent of the U.S. hot drink market by volume and 76 percent by value, according to the market research firm Euromonitor International.
Although coffee isn’t quite as popular in the U.S. as it was during its heyday in the 1960s, when per-capita consumption reached 3.1 cups per day, it is still ubiquitous (2004 per capita consumption was 1.64 cups per day). Interestingly, the NCA reports that consumption jumped by four percentage points from 2004 to 2005 among consumers age 18 to 24, bringing daily consumption among this group up by 10 percentage points over the last three years. And if it seems like there’s now a new coffee joint on every corner, that’s not far from the truth. By 2003, the total number of retail coffee shops in the U.S. had swelled to 17‚400‚ up from 15‚400 in 2002, 8‚400 in 1997 and 1,400 in 1987.
Globally, more than 500 billion cups of coffee are made each year, making the steamy beverage a commodity second only to oil in terms of dollars traded worldwide. About 58 percent of coffee is consumed in Europe, the United States and Japan, although 25 percent is poured in the countries in which the beans are grown, according to the International Coffee Organization. The fastest growth in consumption is occurring in the Asian and Pacific region and in Central and Eastern Europe. Although the U.S. buys the most coffee by volume, per-capita consumption is actually highest in the Nordic countries, where Finns, for example, partake of more than four cups a day on average. Read the full article.
