Coffee is barely in the top 50th most traded commodity

Myth

There is a common myth that is spread around that coffee is the second most traded commodity. Well guest what it is not. This myth apparently started in the 70's. I first read it in Uncommon Grounds, but I have since read an article Coffee second only to oil? Is coffee really the second largest commodity? also written by Mark Pendergrast who wrote the book

Fact

You can read the article but the basic are this, after looking a many sources, here is a quick summary of what he found in the UN Comtrade, in dollars:

• OIL and derivative represents $1.09 trillion
• petroleum oils (non-crude) amount to $495 billion
• Natural gas is $200 billion
• ...
• Eventually food stuffs are listed:
  
  • Wheat (including spelt) and meslin, unmilled accounts for $32.9 billion
  • Cotton fabrics, woven yield $25.5 billion
  • Meat accounts for $43 billion
  • milk for another $31.6 billion
  • leather $23 billion
  • Sugars, molasses and honey $25 billion
  • Finally, there is "coffee and coffee substitutes" $22 billion

Intresting foot note
He does list an interesting question at the end, how many people are employed by the coffee industry, he estimates 75 million, of which 15 million alone are involved in Ethiopia, which represents 20% of the total number.

Coffee Health Benefits

Mounting evidence ignored by Health practitioners

How many studies have to be done on coffee before the tipping point is reached and people actually believe that there are health benefits to drinking coffee.

Two items I found this week, with out looking

Link 1

Drinking coffee and prevention of Diabetes. But will bleech flour ever make it to the health practitioners hit list?
CBS: Drink up to prevent Diabetes

Link 2

This was on How it works, and now it is on You Tube,

Link 3

This is translated (thanks to Goggle) from the Confidential news letter:

Researchers at the coffee world are meeting in Bali, Indonesia to attend the greatest event (sic) in world coffee science. The twenty-third World Conference on Coffee Science, sponsored by ASIC (Association for Science and Information Café) addresses the main themes of the area as coffee and health effects of consumption of coffee on human physiology, the chemistry of coffee processing, genetics, quality, certification, cultural and sustainability.

The opening event was on Sunday, October 01 and was attended by the Minister of Agriculture of Indonesia. On Monday, were presented important work on coffee and health. The highlight was work that showed that moderate coffee consumption is beneficial in preventing cardiovascular disease, especially in women. Other good news comes from the beneficial association of coffee consumption in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and combating the symptoms of disease, such as memory loss. Brazilian researchers presented papers on the antibacterial effect of coffee.

On Tuesday, two days, came the work on the chemistry of coffee. The complexity of the various chemical components that make up a cup of coffee was highlighted. Swiss researchers also compared the different aromas and flavors of coffee with an orchestra. A well-tuned orchestra is a pleasure for the consumer. Over 800 substances have been found in chemical analysis and many of them are related mainly to the aroma of coffee.

Researchers from Paraná presented a study examining the presence of lipids beneficial to human health in several varieties of coffee. Already researchers at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) presented an interesting paper that uses infrared spectroscopy to separate roasted and ground coffee beans originating from defective (PVA) rice not bad.


Brazil is represented at the event by researchers from ITB UFLA, UFMG, IAPAR, UFRJ and other institutions.

Read original here: http://www.coffeeclubnetwork.com/redes/form/post?pub_id=2140

Figures point to Coffee shortage

The LONDON based International Coffee Organization (ICO), has released Aug 2010's export figures. The result is that they have totalled world coffee exports to 7.92 million bags in August 2010. Although this is up in contrast to the 7.63 million bags in August 2009, exports in the 11 months of last coffee year 2009/10 (Oct/09 to Aug/10) have decreased by 4.4% to 86.34 million bags compared to 90.35 million bags in the same period in the last coffee year.

In the twelve months ending August 2010, Arabica exports amounted to 60.44 million bags compared to 63.13 million bags last year, a decrease of 4.26%. Of comparison interest only to me is that Robusta (yuk) exports totalled 32.98 million bags compared to 35.31 million bags last year, a decrease of 6.6%, on a smaller number, so perhaps there is a silver lining ;).

So that means that all varieties Arabica represent 66.89% of the world's production, so technically the Arabica production is increasing, this point to the fact that the coffee drinking public is becoming more discerning, since this is up from the 60% in 2008.

Does this mean the mass producers should be concerned? Perhaps they should since they are the last to concentrate on quality coffee product, rather fall back on the convenience factor. Also since the major brands all rely on Robusta to control their price, the drop in export in that crop may mean good news for those driven by quality rather than brand.

It does show that the earlier scare this year may be on track, and may cause green bean hording. The one question I still have is does the specialty coffee industry report accurately into the ICO?

Uses for old coffee grounds

Here is a great link to allow you to do something with your coffee grinds, after you have enjoyed a cup:

21 uses for old coffee grounds

I few more:

- add to compost heap, it helps with keeping snails out

- you can leave some floating in water in a little cup it traps cockroaches

Got anymore? add a comment.

Looking for coffee to turn into ground? Try Quality Coffee

What makes the perfect cup of coffee?

What is the perfect cup of coffee. We as humans are driven by our sensors, and often what makes the perfect cup of coffee is our memory of the perfect cup. It is normally not the coffee that is the major contributor to us remembering a cup of joe. I asked myself this question while reading Kenneth Davids' Coffee book


For me I remember as a young man going to the drive-in on a cold winter night and craving what I now call drive-in coffee. This is normally not very good coffee, with condense milk, it is sweet to the point that your teeth rattle. But feeling freezing cold and having this syrupy cup of coffee was perfect that day and time.

When I was studying and I needed a break grinding the coffee fresh, placing the coffee in a two cup mocha pot and relaxing while it made its magic brew was the perfect cup for me then. And I remember those coffees well.

What makes the perfect cup of coffee today for me is a combination of things:

• The coffee must be fresh roasted, highland grown and specialty grade, which means that by the time you get it at least 4 different people have rated it as enjoyable.
• If you have the time then a group head machine normally produces the best coffee, but normally the perfect coffee means you have friends around, and you enjoy their company and that is normally not conducive to the attention you need to give a group head machine that is where high quality super automatic, comes to the party. Once you get to know a good quality super automatic I find that you can get a great cup from them.
• Then obviously you need the environment to be perfect, the place, the people and the ambience, that is where the deal is sealed.

When do you last have your perfect cup, add a comment to list it. Was it on a picnic, on the beach in the mountains, or overlooking the field.

Stuff Every "Barista" Ought to Understand

As a coffee lover, particularly a specialty grade coffee, and mostly self taught in the art of espresso extraction, or what some people call barista skills, I find the base knowledge of each of these so called baristas can vary no matter where I come in to contact with these 'skilled' individuals. Add to that, that there is considerable amount of differing information spread by other so called experts and training courses out there about coffee and the art of the espresso brew. Here is a basic list of what every aspiring espresso extraction artist, or for the sake of brevity lets call them baristas, should know.

This is not an espresso!

• a particular kind of coffee bean
• a particular roast profile (often believed to be dark roast)
• a blend of coffees, not matter what grade
• Spelt or said with and "X" i.e. E"x"presso

What than is an espresso?

Definition: An espresso can be defined as a brew that is the result of a controlled quantity of hot water being forced under pressure through fine coffee grinds. The water extracts proteins, sugars and oils into a delicious couple of millilitres of thick caramel coloured liquid, which covers the brew and is called crema, without over extracting the flavour.
Espresso hence refers to a technique of preparation resulting in a concentrated coffee beverage, whose consistency is syrupy and dense and, if properly aged and prepared, should have a thick head of rusty golden coloured crema.
To get the rusty golden crema, all factors need to be correct in the perfect brew, the temperature of the brewing water as it hits the coffee cannot be higher than 95 degrees C, the coffee should be fresh ground and fresh roasted.

Grind size is everything

Incorrect grind size is comparable to a music produced from a piano. If you have the finest pianist playing a piano that is not correctly tuned, or is to old to be tuned, then no matter how well they try the music is never satisfying to listen to.
This is the case for a grinding coffee for a great espresso, you need to factor in age, pressure, climate, blend and roast profile to name a few. To get a great espresso each day typically you have to make more than a dozen little modifications to your grind level to continue producing espresso in its ideal flavour scope.

Even when if you are certain you are have the same dosing, distributing the grind properly, and tamping to the same pressure level, if the grind incorrect so to is the flavour.
Just like you have to know how to enjoy fine food and wine, practice makes perfect :), so start savouring more espressos and get to know the tell tale signs of over and under extracted brew.

Specialty vs Commercial Coffees

To break the coffee world into to distinct categories of specialty coffee and commercial coffee, is a broad grouping. But it is a good starting point for those not sure what is meant by the two types of categories, so here is a rough guideline based on this broad grouping, in table form:

Specialty Coffee	Commercial Coffee
Normally available in bean form only, in 250g or 1kg bags	Well branded jars, tins and vacuum packed bricks
Fresh roasted using a high quality roaster, roasting normally done manually	Bulk roasted as per of a large plant, roasting automated
Traditional pick and processing methods	Large scale processing methods, quantity is king
Considerably more choice, especially around origin and taste profile	Bulk blending to mask quality of the bean and roast
Purchase by roast date and origin practical and applicable	You get what the brand produces
More opportunity to participate in the coffee	Coffees are faits accomplis
Driven by climate and terrior and crop	Since the quality is not the primary driver buyers can move to cheaper and cheaper markets

 

Today there are some commercial brands that try and replicate the Specialty Coffee product in mainly name, and there are Specialty coffee producers that have become more driven by brand, so the distinction is not as clear as it once was.

Best way to check is look at how important roast date is and what drives their product list.