Coffee

One of the best ways to understand your daily cup of Joe is to discover how it came to be in the growing process. Coffee is one of the most popular drinks worldwide, and it is actually the second most exported commodity globally, second only to oil. Coffee comes in many different forms based on the brewing method, whether it is espresso, French Press, or regular drip brew coffee. However, all coffee is grown in a similar manner using different techniques to cultivate diverse flavors.

To begin with, coffee can only be grown between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. This coffee growing region is throughout equator, and it includes Northern South America, Central America, Indonesia, India, Africa, Hawaii, and the Middle East. When a coffee tree is planted, it starts out small and evergreen. Coffee is grown in larger plantations, and it involves intense labor since many beans are handpicked. This is precisely why many developing countries rely upon coffee production because they can start their own small farms and support the community with this livelihood.

Coffee is actually best grown in the equator because it provides a suitable climate. There are two different types of coffee trees that produce beans called Arabica and Robusta. Robusta is seen as the lesser quality variety that makes up around 30% of the market, with Arabica encompassing the remaining 70%. Arabica is often used for gourmet and specialty coffees, and Robusta beans are used for cheaper fillers. Robusta coffee actually contains twice as much caffeine as Arabica, but it often has a bitter or harsh taste.

Coffee is best cultivated in an area that is well aerated and well drained with fertile soil. Coffee trees need a large amount of oxygen to their roots during the growth process, which is why many farmers rely upon aerating the soil to help them to thrive and grow. Coffee trees also require a serious amount of rainfall at anywhere from 1500 to 2000 mm per year. If there is less rainfall yearly within the coffee growing region, then that deficit needs to be accounted for with the use of irrigation.

Many of the finest coffees are grown at higher altitudes at over 3000 feet. The reason that this is so important to growing coffee plants is because it provides cloud cover and mist. This combination allows the coffee plants to grow more slowly, which is important for developing deeper and more complex flavors. There is also a higher oxygen content at these altitudes so that the plants can continue to grow slowly and intake more oxygen. This environment also provides diffused light and moderate winds to the coffee trees to further enhance their development.

At lower altitude regions, you will normally find Robusta coffee trees growing. These are stronger plants that are more resistant to disease, but they are still subpar in flavor to the more premium Arabica variety. When you are looking for the best cup of Joe, look for coffee that is cultivated with care made from Arabica beans!

Another popular accessory for coffee is the commercial coffee maker! For a great selection, check out Mark Ramos’ website, The Coffee Bump.

Author: Mark Ramos
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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As a culinary art, creating exceptional gourmet coffee is similar to the creation of an exceptional wine. Each crop, and even different harvests of the same crop, will have unique characteristics that result from differing conditions over time with respect to the soil, temperature, water, time of harvest, etc.

High quality Specialty coffees are harvested over time from the same plant during the growing season as the beans ripen, leaving the green ones until they are ready. This process creates early and late crops containing differing percentages of nutrients and moisture content affecting the flavor characteristics of the beans. ‘Specialty” grade coffees are distinctly superior to those coming from the mechanical harvesting resulting in the bulk of coffees grown for ‘grade’ coffees sold on the worlds commodity exchanges.

These factors necessitate the coffee roaster to continuously select coffees with the necessary profile of body, taste, acidity and other attributes to meet the objective of the end product in order to consistently maintain a semi-predictable expectation for the consumer.

Each coffee blend will be a combination of these carefully chosen coffees from the current harvest, blended together in a complimentary fashion to achieve numerous variations of flavor, aroma and complexity.

Flavor Descriptions

Mocha Java is the earliest known descriptive coffee flavor known for its delicious full bodied and bittersweet chocolate highlights. Early cocoa was named after the Mocha coffee from Yemen.

Latin American coffees that achieve Specialty grade are almost all grown at very high altitudes compared with the coffees of Africa. In general these coffees are known for their full body, acidity and spicy flavors.

Africa is where coffee originated from. Its soil and climate combination produces outstanding coffees that have an exceptional balance of body and refined acidity creating distinctive aromas of flowers and fruit, with complex flavors ranging from citrus to winy.

Espresso will have a stout body and rich coffee essence, with thick creamy consistency as a result of the inclusion of more soluble beans blended with others that add desired flavors. Bold and robust are descriptions often used to describe a desirable espresso. An Italian style espresso will often include ‘natural’ or unwashed beans that help enhance its creamy consistency. These dry processed coffees are not typically considered Specialty grade, but are what create a traditional espresso flavor.

Natural or ‘unwashed’ coffees contribute nutty and earthy flavors, while ‘washed’ Specialty coffees are known for their desirable acidity and refined flavors that are essential to the master roasters ability to create a variety of gourmet style blends.

Specialty gourmet blends are the result of blending specifically selected coffees to achieve any combination of well-rounded, complex, rich, mellow, smooth and even exotic flavors in the final cup.

Author: Steve Josephs, whose family’s office coffee service business, the Great American Coffee Company, http://www.GourmetOfficeCoffee.com, is a premier Specialty coffee roaster and office coffee service provider in the Denver, Colorado metropolitan business community. They also offer Corporate Coffee Gifts through their sister company, Visionary Gourmet Coffee, http://www.VisionaryGourmetCoffee.com

Copyright 2009 The Great American Coffee Company and Intellidon Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprints permissible if copyright statement and link are included.

Author: Steve Josephs
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Importing starts with green coffee that is completely processed and ready for export from the origin country. Typically, shipped in 20 foot containers of 275 to 320 bags (70kb or 60kg) or less. It could also be loaded bulk, therefore enabling more beans to be shipped, lowering the shipping costs on a per pound/kilo basis.

From the USA, specialty coffees are most often purchased by importers or individual roasters via an FOB Contract. FOB (Free On Board) means that the price paid by the buyer includes all of the costs in the exporting country, including processing, inland transport, warehousing, dock fees, export fees and loading the container onto the ship. Ownership passes from the seller to the buyer once the container passes over the rail of the ship. The ships captain prepares the Bill of Lading that you will present to your bank to prove the coffee is now on the ship.

The exporter will need a bank that can handle international interbank transactions. Preferably one that is experienced in export document requirements. If not well established at this type of transaction, the exporter will not want to extend credit to any buyer, but will require payment terms: CAD (Cash Against Documents).

A CAD transaction enables the exporter to have payment deposited into his bank account after presenting to the bank the required documents proving that the coffee purchased by the importer (buyer) meets the specifications in the coffee purchase contract/agreement. The exporter’s bank will determine exactly what documents are required.

These documents may include:

- Ocean Bill of Lading (from the freight liner after the coffee is loaded on the ship)
- Weight Notes to identify the exact content and weight of that content
- Certificate of Origin (issued by the government Customs authority in India)
- Certificate of Fumigation (if required by importing country)
- ICO Certificate of Origin (Approved by the ICO: International Coffee Organization)
- Invoice sent to buyer identify the details of the purchase and $Value.
- Packing List from seller as evidence of the product shipped.
- Other agricultural certificates as dictated in your country

Typically, the exporter will use an Export Broker in the origin country who is expert in these matters and can arrange all of the issues involved in preparing the coffee and the documents for export. If a broker is the seller/exporter, then he will handle all of the required export documentation. The buyer/importer arranges for payment, ocean freight and transport insurance. It’s also the importer’s responsibility for acquiring all import documentation and arrangement in his country.

Of course, finding buyers is the key when importing for resell. For information to identify coffee importers, office coffee service providers and specialty gourmet coffee roasters in the United States, you can purchase a membership list from the Specialty Coffee Association of America or from InfoUSA.com. You can use networking sites like, TradeKey as well.

Note: there are always risks associated with importing. Although the importer may have received samples representing the coffee purchased, in most cases the actual coffee received will match the quality grade, type and source, every coffee lot is different, even from the same region and farm.

There are a few ways to lower this risk. One is to be sure you have a “green coffee contract” modeled after the Green Coffee Association Contract Terms & Conditions. Second, be sure to get an export sample taken directly from the contain prior to its being loaded onto the ship, since once the container is on the ship ownership transfers to the importer (FOB contract terms). Finally, when you purchase is large enough, personally knowing who your buying from and even visiting the country to physically select and monitor the export process is an option.

Author, Steve Josephs is CEO of Intellidon Marketing Solutions, whose family office coffee service business, the Great American Coffee Company, http://www.GourmetOfficeCoffee.com, is a premier Specialty coffee roaster and office coffee service provider in the Denver, Colorado metropolitan business community.

Copyright 2009 The Great American Coffee Company and Intellidon Marketing Solutions, Inc.

All rights reserved. Reprints are permissible when this Copyright statement and website link are included.

Author: Steve Josephs
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The truth is that coffee hits a lot of spots! For centuries, people all around the world have loved coffee, and its popularity is far from waning nowadays. In fact, coffee connoisseurs have more varieties of delicious choices than ever before, as coffee houses, shops, kiosks and specialty carts spring up all over the place.

No matter how you like your coffee, whether it be black, frothy cappuccino, latte, espresso, hot or on ice, the selections available to tempt your taste buds is enormous. The average annual coffee consumption of the American adult is 67 gallons, over 600 cups. In fact, specialty coffee sales are increasing by 20% per year and account for almost 8% of the 18 billion dollar U.S. coffee market. Statistics show that among coffee drinkers, the average consumption in the US is around 2.3 cups of coffee per day. Also, studies find that over one-half of the population, equivalent to approximately 150 million Americans, now drink specialty coffees on a daily basis.

There are currently around 35,000 coffee shops around the United States, with an average $30 billion a year in sales. Based on market research, there will be approximately 42,000 or more independently owned coffee shops in the US by the year 2011. An enterprising business person should look at the gourmet coffee business as a golden opportunity.

Based on research by the National Coffee Association and The Specialty Coffee Association of America, the average price for an espresso based drink is $2.85, while the average price for brewed coffee is $1.38. The average espresso drive-thru business sells approximately 200-300 cups of espresso and coffee based drinks per day. The studies show that men drink as much coffee as women; each consuming an average of 1.6 cups per day. Women tend to be more concerned about price than their male counterparts.

The United States imports over $5 billion worth of coffee every year. Juan Valdez and his little donkey must be keeping very busy! Americans drink 460 million cups of coffee every day, which makes the United States the leading consumer of coffee in the entire world.

A scientific report from the University of California found that the steam rising from a cup of coffee contains the same amounts of antioxidants as three oranges. The antioxidants are heterocyclic compounds which prevents cancer and heart disease. Guess what! Coffee is good for you!

More than half of all Americans, 18 or older, drink coffee every day. This equates to approximately 150 million daily java drinkers. 30 million American adults drink specialty coffee beverages daily; such as mocha, latte, espresso, cafe mocha, cappuccino, frozen/iced coffee beverages, and so on.

Coffee sales are continually rising year after year. And so are the pricing modules! Coffee is the second largest commodity traded, next to oil. If you are looking for a business to get into, coffee is probably the best business for you to consider. Can you think of any other product that has such universal appeal, is easy to get into, and is relatively simple to operate?

Michael Stadneck grew up in Palermo Italy, where he enjoyed the finest gourmet coffee for the first 35 years of his life. As luck would have it, his first job in America was with Nescafe Coffee Company. After five years of hard work he was promoted to take over the specialty coffee franchise department.

Author: Michael Stadneck
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Coffee has continuously ranked high among other beverage choices since its discovery in Ethiopia on the 9th century. The great number of companies providing coffee services can attest to that. Several important factors must be considered before deciding for the right coffee service for the office.

An efficient office coffee service builds productivity of the employees and impresses visiting clients. Begin planning with the size and location. Some companies offering coffee service operate nationally while others serve regional locations. Some particular office coffee vendors limit service to those offices with 20 or more personnel.

Consider the level of service too. A number of coffee service providers supply the equipment and coffee. You must handle the stocking, cleaning and managing orders when they provide the coffee and equipment. Full service companies also provide sales representatives that take care of most of those needs.

Cost is a very important factor in selecting the right office coffee service company. It is a good to first compare the services with the cost and also weigh the costs versus the services provided by different companies.

Do not forget the coffee brew itself. Coffee brewers may come in pot, single cup, glass and metal type models. The coffee is packed in cans, pods, bags, and other various packages. Similarly, selection of coffee ranges from supermarket varieties, specialty coffees to premium brands.

You will be presented with various machines when offering services of coffee in an office environment. You may consider buying a standard office coffee machine if you want to offer just a regular brew.

A machine producing the same amount of coffee as the one used in most home is a good choice, considering the number of your office employees. The coffee machine that makes a larger amount is also an interesting option. While you do not necessarily need to purchase such coffee machine from company that specializes in that field, doing so can be a helpful choice especially when you are looking for the one that brews a larger quantity of coffee at one time.

The espresso machine is another option. More people are preferring espresso over regular coffee nowadays. Some machines are designed for brewing both regular coffee and espresso.

Another good option is to buy a vending machine which will offer an array of coffee products and other varieties of hot and cold beverages as well. These may provide hot chocolate, espresso, and also hot water for steeping tea. We can usually find these machines in most large office settings. They are made to satisfy different tastes and preferences.

Here are some successful companies offering coffee services. The Wagner Coffee Service has been in the business since 1978. They have been providing excellent service and good quality of coffee to restaurants and offices in the Baltimore Washington area. They are a member of the National Coffee Service Association and strive to be the leader in this industry of the Mid-Atlantic region.

The Canteen Refreshment Services offers a complete customized menu. They deliver a coffee program suitable to the workplaces and different tastes. They serve Folgers, Maxwell House, Starbucks and other well-respected brands in single cups, glass pots and air pot brewers.

ARAMARK Refreshment Services is considered as North America’s leading refreshment service provider with 89 office coffee service locations. They serve billions cups of coffee annually.

For more information on Cream & Sugar Sets and Milk Frothers please visit our website.

Author: David Urmann
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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