I just saw a news bit in the OC Register that Starbucks is planning to close 600 shops between July 2008 and March 2009. On the surface I say, “THANK GOD!” but I also understand that this means a lot of people will be losing their jobs. Not just that, but having fewer Starbucks around doesn’t necessarily mean smaller, independent cafes will make a comeback. This all could just mean that more and more people aren’t as willing to pay $4 for their cup of coffee.

If you’re a Starbucks junkie, why not start weaning yourself by checking out nicer shops with better coffee? For starters, there’s The Lost Bean in Tustin, where they serve a variety of organic coffee and tea (and tasty treats as well — try the oatmeal bars). If you’re further south, there’s Kéan Coffee in Newport Beach, owned by Martin Diedrich (of Diedrich Coffee, before the Starbucks takeover). Finally, why not save on gas (and stay out of the heat) by brewing a cup at home?

Categories: coffee
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I found a link to Counter Culture Coffee from a post in the Single Serve Coffee forums and … I think I’m in love!

Again!

OK, so it’s not single-serve coffee, but I do have a burr grinder and a regular drip machine, plus a French press. And it’s not like I’m off rushing to work anymore, so I do have the time to grind and press a nice cup of coffee. Well, unless the baby is fussy and I only have a moment to caffeinate myself before I have to tend to him …

Categories: coffee
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Now that I’m no longer pregnant or nursing, I’ve been enjoying caffeine once again. So much that I finally placed another order with JavaPodz for some yummy SERC coffee! Another plus is that since I’m no longer nursing, I can have dairy once again, so no more watery rice milk as coffee creamer!

Categories: coffee
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In my last entry, I talked about the guilt over using all those disposable and non-recyclable K-Cups for our Keurig single-serve coffee maker. I said I’d wait until our current stash of K-Cups got used up, then start buying some pods instead (which, unlike K-Cups, have no plastic to dispose of and in fact, can be composted).

Obviously, I couldn’t wait to try out some new pods with the Perfect Pod Holster device I recently purchased. I searched around for decaf and fair trade coffee pods and came across this company called JavaPodz. I was impressed with their selection of what they call SERC coffee.

Socially and Environmentally Responsible Coffee (SERC) is our line of coffee that’s a combination of organically-grown, providing adequate shade and shelter to birds, and/or purchased from the farming cooperatives at fair trade prices (25-45% above regular natural coffee prices).

What truly excited me was that they offered SERC coffee in several decaf varieties. I was so thrilled to have found them that it took me forever to figure out which ones to try!

I ended up getting going for one of their mix-and-match sampler packs (since they save you money on shipping). I got 75 pods in 5 different SERC varieties (15 pods each): Jamaican Me Crazy (flavored regular), Chocolate Cappuccino (flavored decaf), Mocha Cinnamon Swirl (flavored decaf), Guatemala Vienniese Roast (unflavored regular), and Mexican Chiapas (unflavored decaf). Because I chose all SERC coffee, I had to pay a little extra, but obviously I’m willing to pay more for fair trade.

I was thrilled to come home today to find a box from JavaPodz waiting for us at home. I placed my order on Wednesday afternoon, so it only took 3 days for me to get my new pods. If you know me, you know how impatient I am, so I loved the fast service! Anywhoo, I immediately opened up the box and pored through the new pods. Each pod is individually foil-wrapped, with each type it its own Ziplock bag (I can always reuse those bags when they’re empty; I’ll have to inquire if their wrappers are recyclable). Since we had just come back from a late lunch, I opted to give the Chocolate Cappuccino a try as a dessert coffee. Mmmmm, the flavor wasn’t overpowering, and with a bit of cream and sugar, it was a nice cup to chill out with. I haven’t tried any flavored decaf K-Cups (if there are any), but to be honest, I prefer that pod I just drank over the regular decaf K-Cups I’ve tried (Newman’s Own and Van Houtte). I’ll have to try the Mexican Chiapas to see how JavaPodz’ unflavored pods stack up.

Overall, I’m very, very satisfied with JavaPodz (and the Perfect Pod Holster). Because JavaPodz’ pods are thicker than most other pods I’ve tried (they say they have more coffee in them), they seemed easier to use with the Perfect Pod Holster: less folding like a mushroom and I didn’t even really need to give the spring an extra push from the bottom once I inserted the pod. Set the Keurig up for a 7.25oz cup and made a nice cup of decaf without any mess or fuss.

Categories: coffee
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With general coffee consumption in my household down since we found out about the pregnancy, my guilt over using a Keurig brewer (and their not very eco-friendly K-Cups) kinda got swept under the rug. Now that I have decaf K-Cups, I still use the Keurig on weekends, and my husband still uses it daily. I love the fact that he’s able to use it without much mess or fuss (unlike my old Senseo).

However, those K-Cups … disposable, non-recyclable. Of course, I can just keep using the My K-Cup with ground coffee, but the point of switching to a single serve machine is ease of use. Dropping a regular K-Cup in the machine is waaaay simpler than popping out the regular K-Cup holder on the machine, filling a small filter basket with ground coffee, dropping that into the holder, screwing on the lid, then dropping the whole thing into the brewer. I have been seriously considering going back to coffee pods since they’re a bit more eco-friendly, and with the recent release of the Cuisinart SS1 Cup-O-Matic single serve brewer, I’ve had to fight the urge to whip out my credit card. Thankfully, I’ve managed to stay away. I did, however, make one small purchase as consolation: the Perfect Pod Holster. This device will let me use any coffee pod with my Keurig brewer, so there’s no need to buy an entirely new machine! I managed to find two decaf pods in my pantry to give it a whirl. The first cup … had some coffee grounds in it. Bleh. The second time around, after making sure the pod is tightly packed in, resulted in a cleaner cup of coffee.

I can’t see my husband fiddling about and stuffing a pod in the Holster at 6am, so I may have to pre-pack it for him the night before so all he has to do is push a button. Otherwise, I’m back to buying coffee pods once our stash of K-Cups are gone.

Categories: coffee
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Looks like Marc Franics and Nick Francis’ documentary about the unfair and unjust coffee industry is coming to PBS on April 10, 2007.

Multinational coffee companies now rule our shopping malls and supermarkets and dominate the industry worth over $80 billion, making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil.

But while we continue to pay for our lattes and cappuccinos, the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields.

Nowhere is this paradox more evident than in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Tadesse Meskela is one man on a mission to save his 74,000 struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his farmers strive to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans on the international market, Tadesse travels the world in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price.

Against the backdrop of Tadesse’s journey to London and Seattle, the enormous power of the multinational players that dominate the world’s coffee trade becomes apparent. New York commodity traders, the international coffee exchanges, and the double dealings of trade ministers at the World Trade Organisation reveal the many challenges Tadesse faces in his quest for a long term solution for his farmers.

Check out Black Gold: The Official Movie Site and PBS’ site for more information.

Categories: coffee, movies
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