The first year and a half I lived in Philadelphia, I worked as a staff assistant at a local non-profit. I was at the very bottom of the pecking order and earned a piddling salary to match my lowly position. I became adept at stretching my food budget, especially when it came to my morning meal. Monday through Friday, I would stop at the food cart outside the building and pick up a small coffee with cream and a soft pretzel from the sweet Greek couple who spent all day together in a small, metal box. It cost $.85. On the days when I was feeling flush, I'd get a large coffee for $.15 more. I realize these prices seem like something out of the 1960's, but this was just six years ago.
So you can understand how I'd feel a little aghast upon learning that around the world, the price of a morning cup is up. In some places it's way, way up. The U.S. consulting firm Mercer's recently charged their London office with the task of taking a survey of the price of a cup of coffee worldwide. They discovered that Moscow has the most expensive coffee, with the average price of a cup hovering around $10.19. Things aren't much better in Europe, with the average brew running just under $7 a cup.
I do question the validity of these prices, as the survey finds that a cup of joe will run you about $3.75 in New York City. I've had many a cup of regular coffee in Manhattan and rarely has it cost more than $2.50. These days, my favorite cup comes from local roaster La Colombe and costs a mere $1.50 for an excellent, freshly brewed 12 ounce cup.
How much does a regular cup of coffee run in your neck of the woods?
Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter picks up his second restaurant, Monkey Bar. His first, the Waverly Inn, has been luring a high wattage crowd for two years, despite not being officially open.
L.A.'s fast food moratorium raises questions about choice and personal responsibility.
This recent post about Starbucks - as with most posts about Starbucks - caused the typical coffee cacophony over price and quality. Although I happen to like Starbucks just fine, I certainly appreciate a good homemade cup. Unfortunately, quality espresso machines are pricey and people rarely use them enough to meet their ROI ('Fess up: How many of you have a schmancy DeLonghi at home, but still go to Starbucks every day?). As a veteran barista (of both indie and corporate coffeehouses), I've come up with a stock of supplies to help make gourmet coffee at home.
Espresso drinks:
Moka pot (like this one from Bialetti): Many Italians still brew their espresso the old-fashioned way -- on the stovetop. The pot steeps espresso grounds in boiling water until the bubbles force the creamy coffee into the top of the Moka. Pour it out, and there's your shot.
Milk Frother (like this one from Aerolatte): This bad boy has a high-speed whisker that whips any kind of milk into foamy shape. (For a cappuccino, use half steamed milk/half foam; for a latte, use mainly steamed milk, with a layer of foam on top).
Over the years, I've had a love/hate relationship with coffee. On the one hand, when I worked in a cafe/bakery, the free, unlimited chocolate-covered espresso beans made it a lot easier to bake bread all night. On the other hand, when I developed acid reflux, coffee was the first thing that had to go. Over the years, I've repeatedly reunited with coffee, only to leave it again a few months later. Between warnings about digestion, blood pressure, and various other problems, I've learned to fight my deep love of the beloved elixir, settling instead for water or tea. Right now, I'm drinking one or two cups a day, which seems to be working well, although I have to fight my feelings of guilt and fear with every sip.
Recently, however, a 24-year study by the University of Madrid has given me hope that coffee and I might be able to enjoy a rich, guilt-free relationship. According to Esther Lopez-Garcia, the lead researcher, the scientists have discovered that up to six cups of coffee per day may have a positive effect on one's health. According to their data, coffee seems to lower the chances of heart disease and other illnesses.
The study, which followed the coffee-drinking habits 84,214 American women from 1980 to 2004 and 41,736 American men from 1986 to 2004 showed clear linkages between reduced heart disease and coffee consumption, although it was also clear that decaf had almost the same results as caffeinated coffee. Although I won't be able to drink the full six cups of coffee that the study seems to endorse, it's nice to know that my little 2-cup habit may actually be good for me. The only question remaining is what I'll use to toast the researchers: French Roast or something a little milder?
As Shayna (and every major media outlet) noted a couple weeks ago, Starbucks is going to be closing just over 600 stores (616 to be exact) over the next year. Yesterday, they announced which stores, across 44 states and the District of Columbia, are going to get the axe. California, Florida, New York and Texas are losing the highest number of stores. The list on the Huffington Post is searchable, which makes it easy for you to check out and see if your local store will be closing.
There are few corporations as polarizing as Starbucks. Even on this blog, it is the rare Slashbucks post that doesn't incite a ruthless comments war. Yet there is no denying that Starbucks is a fast food force and their products deserve coverage like everybody else, so simmer.
Today Starbucks is introducing yet another beverage to their liquid arsenal. Though frozen and blended, the new Vivanno isn't another tired variation on the -ccino theme. Nope, this is Starbucks' answer to Jamba Juice: A protein-packed smoothie.
Here's the scoop:
One whole - real! - banana (seriously! it will be peeled and pulsed before your very eyes!)
Whey protein (16 grams) and fiber powder (5 grams)
Choice of milk (default is 2%)
Ice
Secret Starbucks-Proprietary Orange-Mango Naked Juice
Portion controlled (default is Grande, and always has less than 270 calories)
Although I believe it is rather naive of the financially-woed coffee conglomerate to try and break into the oversaturated smoothie market with a mere four options, I decided to give 'em a go.
I've been drinking coffee since I was 13 years old. When I was 15, my parents succumbed to my wish for an espresso maker of my very own. These days I've got a red-handled Bialetti, two french presses, a Melitta single-cup filter, a glass Chemex set up and traditional drip machine to choose from when it comes time to make a cup of coffee. And even with all those toys, these days I've been going with the cold-brew method (it's a great summer time way to brew).
There's a new kid on the caffeinated beverage block and it could potentially knock all my other preferred methods out of the top spot. Called the Handpresso, it bills itself as the world's smallest espresso maker. It uses a pump mechanism to create the necessary pressure for espresso, so that you get that gorgeous crema that all the baristas rave about.
It's currently available at Charles & Marie. It comes in at $155, but for espresso lovers with small kitchens (I'm waving my hand in the air wildly), it could be just the thing.
Man alive! I've been so busy drinking all of the coffee within a 10 block radius that I didn't even notice 2008's greatest trend: Cooking with coffee! Though long favored for desserts (such as the awe-inspiring, diabetic-coma-inducing Doughnuts and Coffee Cupcakes from Cupcakeblog.com, above), coffee had never really struck me as a viable ingredient for sauces, marinades, crusts and the like. But apparently, people are pilin' on the Columbian grounds like it's freakin' salt'n'pepper. Below, eight recipes I intend to take black:
Are you looking to get into making loose leaf tea blends, but don't want to spend the money buying large quantities of numerous teas and then blending everything on your own? There are a few companies these days that are willing to do the work for you.
Adagio.com and Design a Tea currently have the most well-know options for creating your own custom blends online. They arrive at your door already blended, labeled, and ready to steep, but you should keep in mind that while you're getting a custom blend without all of the work a custom tea blender has to do, you're sacrificing some of the advantages. These companies will offer a limited number of teas to choose from, you can only blend a certain number of teas, and you won't know until you've paid for and received the tea if it's a success or not (and tweaking the blend will involve an additional purchase each time a change is made).
Keeping those things in mind, making your own custom blends can be a lot of fun. The differences between the two companies I've mentioned would be quantity, price, and options. Adagio allows you create a unique tea tin label with your own image, they award Adagio points if anyone else buys your custom blend (redeemable for a certain dollar amount toward tea!), they allow up to three teas in each blend (allowing you to choose the proportions), and you receive a 4 oz. tin of your tea. Design a Tea allows one choice of tea with up to two added flavorings, there is an option for customized label text, and they provide more options in terms of size and quantity (they will also package your blend in tea bags for you).
There seems to be a lot of Starbucks news over the last few months. Here's some more, anyway.
It seems that Starbucks not everyone was happy about the switch to the Pike Place roast coffees. The Consumerist reports that the coffee chain got a lot of requests for consumers for the older, stronger roast coffees. Apparently some people likened the old roast style as having a burnt flavor, while the new Pike Place roast is much milder.
Anyway, the public demanded and Starbucks has conceded. They'll begin selling both varieties of coffee in stores that make fresh coffee all day. So if you're going to Starbucks for a leisurely weekend coffee, you can have your pick between the old and the new.
Are you a tea lover who was once a die-hard coffee drinker? Would you like to help other people move away from the bean towards the happy world of the leaf? Felicitea, a company that produces teas, herbal pillows and bath products is currently running the Coffee to Tea Convert Contest, in the hopes that they'll be able to create a few more tea drinkers.
In the first phase of the contest, they are asking tea lovers to make short videos, in which they explain why tea is superior to coffee. When the video is done, you can upload it to Felicitea's Ning page. You have until June 30th to enter that phase of the contest. In the second phase coffee lovers will have a chance to enter to receive a Mug Makeover.
There's a pretty interesting story in the New York Times about the prevalence of coffee "cuppings" - basically wine tastings for java, minus the spitting. Aficionados sit around discussing different roasts, trying to find the right words to describe the subtle flavors of a cup of Kenyan or Guatemalan roast.
Now, I drink coffee every day, usually multiple cups, black. Aside from water, it's probably the single consumable I have most regularly. But while I can certainly taste the difference between the watery, acidic, sewage brown stuff sold in most gas stations and a good French roast, that's about where it ends. When people tell me they drive half an hour for special beans or they 'hate' the (to me) perfectly ordinary cappuccinos at my local cafe, I just shrug. I mean, I'm willing to believe that other people have the ability to discern flavors I can't sense. But is a bag of beans from a single farm lot discernibly different than beans from a handful of farms in the same region? In a town with dozens of independent coffee shops, is it really plausible that one has the absolute 'best' coffee?
What do you think? Do you have sensitive coffee palates?
Imagine you're perusing your favorite food blogs, and you come across a headline that reads "How to order at Starbucks and not put on weight". If your first thought was anything like "Oh wow, finally, a map to not getting fat at Starbucks!", then you, like me, would be disappointed to read the actual article.
I see now that I was overly optimistic. Of course it's getting to be common knowledge how many calories are in most of the coffee chains' creations, and anyone can figure out that you need to order low fat items to maintain a healthy weight. I was simply, momentarily, envisioning a magic formula. Silly, I know.
Anyway, the article by Mark Strausman, in the Huffington Post, is an interesting one, full of reminiscences and observations, but no magic bullet. The real advice offered is to order low fat items and to order small sizes. Sounds like something to keep in mind as you're ordering your morning caffeine.
I'm not a big coffee drinker, and I hate to sound pretentious, but I have been against the coffee chain since I was a teenager and I rarely go into one of their stores (though my parents love, love, love the place). What I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't be able to spot these customers at Starbucks, though, after reading the list you could say that it applies to customers in general.
The list is pretty funny. My favorite is the person getting coffee for the office, but because I absolutely hate that person. Also, the person making a complicated order and then expecting it, like, two minutes ago was particularly entertaining. If this kind of thing concerns you, there is some foul language in the post, so be forewarned. All in all, though, an amusing way to start your Sunday morning, and hey, maybe you can be on the lookout for types on the list.
My passion for coffee has been well documented here on Slashfood. While I drink it every morning, I find that I don't often cook with it (other than when I put instant coffee in Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies). However, Patricia McCausland-Gallo's new book, Passion for Coffee is beginning to make me thing that I should change my ways.
I always appreciate it when cookbook authors take the time to write a little something about why they chose to pursue the topic at hand. I look at it as their opportunity to gain my trust. If they seem genuine and honest in that introduction, then I can dig into the cookbook with a sense that they are a reliable source about baking, barbecue, or in this case, coffee. And from the looks of it, McCausland-Gallo is an extremely reliable source when it comes to all things coffee.
One of terrific things about this book is that it doesn't just deal with the sweet coffee confections (although the recipes for the sweet stuff look delicious. I think my first recipe stop will be the Pecan Coffee Tart on page 86). There are also a number of recipes for savory dishes like Flank Steak with Wine-Balsamic Glaze and Cornish Game Hem with Blackberry-Coffee Sauce. All in all, it has a number of yummy recipes and if you are a coffee fanatic, it might be a good volume for you to check out.
The first year and a half I lived in Philadelphia, I worked as a staff assistant at a local non-profit. I was at the very bottom of the pecking order and earned a piddling salary to match my lowly position. I became adept at stretching my food budget, especially when it came to my morning meal. Monday through Friday, I would stop at the food cart outside the building and pick up a small coffee with cream and a soft pretzel from the sweet Greek couple who spent all day together in a small, metal box. It cost $.85. On the days when I was feeling flush, I'd get a large coffee for $.15 more. I realize these prices seem like something out of the 1960's, but this was just six years ago. 
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Over the years, I've had a love/hate relationship with coffee. On the one hand, when I worked in a cafe/bakery, the free, unlimited chocolate-covered espresso beans made it a lot easier to bake bread all night. On the other hand, when I developed acid reflux, coffee was the first thing that had to go. Over the years, I've repeatedly reunited with coffee, only to leave it again a few months later. Between warnings about digestion, blood pressure, and various other problems, I've learned to fight my deep love of the beloved elixir, settling instead for water or tea. Right now, I'm drinking one or two cups a day, which seems to be working well, although I have to fight my feelings of guilt and fear with every sip.
Imagine you're perusing your favorite food blogs, and you come across a headline that reads "How to order at Starbucks and not put on weight". If your first thought was anything like "Oh wow, finally, a map to not getting fat at Starbucks!", then you, like me, would be disappointed to read the actual article.
Do you visit Starbucks on a regular basis? If you do, you might notice one or more of the type of patron that 
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
Tyler Florence welcomes new daughter
Beware kids' menus!
