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Coffee linked to reduced prostate cancer risk in men

2011-05-24T20:06:26Z

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Men who drink at least six or more cups of coffee a day may be cutting their risk for advanced prostate cancer by 60 per cent, new research suggests.
This is the first large study looking specifically at the relationship between coffee and metastatic prostate cancer, lead researcher Kathryn Wilson said.

“This is an exciting finding, because there aren’t many modifiable risk factors for prostate cancer.” A definite cause-and-effect link is still far from proven, experts say, and just how coffee might help thwart prostate malignancy isn’t clear.

“There are a lot of compounds in coffee that have various biological effects. It’s a major source of antioxidants and that might have anti-cancer effects,” said Wilson, a research fellow in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston.

“Also, coffee seems to have effects on insulin and has been associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition, insulin is thought to play a role in many cancers, including prostate cancer.”

Compounds in coffee also have an impact on sex hormone levels, according to the study.

But right now, the findings point only to an association between a love of “java” and a healthier prostate.

More study will be needed to confirm the findings and to see if a biological explanation for the phenomenon exists, Wilson said.

The bottom line, she said: “It’s probably too early to tell someone that (he or she) should go out and start drinking coffee just because of this study.” The report was published in the May 17 online edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Sugar Rises as India May Delay Exports; Coffee, Cocoa Advance

2011-01-11T23:51:00Z

By Debarati Roy
Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Sugar prices rose, capping the biggest three-day rally since mid-October, on speculation that exports may be delayed from India's , the world’s second-biggest producer. Coffee and cocoa also advanced.

Permits to ship 500,000 metric tons of sugar will be issued after Jan. 30, Farm Minister Sharad Pawar said yesterday. A panel of ministers will review the decision to allow the exports, a government official said today. Prices have doubled since June 30 as floods cut production in Australia and conflicting details emerged on India’s export prospects.

“With all these delays, the market is getting increasingly concerned about the extent of supplies one can expect from India,” said Michael McDougall, a senior vice president at Newedge USA in New York.

Raw sugar for March delivery gained 1.01 cents, or 3.2 percent, to settle at 32.75 cents a pound at 2:06 p.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York. In three sessions, the most-active contract jumped 8.3 percent. Earlier, the price reached 32.93 cents, the highest since Jan. 4. On Dec. 29, the commodity rose to 34.77 cents, a 30-year high.

In London, refined-sugar futures for March delivery advanced $31.90, or 4.1 percent, to $807.40 a ton on NYSE Liffe.

Brazil is the leading producer and exporter. Thailand is the second-biggest shipper, followed by Australia.

Arabica-coffee futures for March delivery gained 3.45 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $2.347 a pound in New York. In London, robusta-coffee futures for March delivery rose $55, or 2.7 percent, to $2,110 a ton.

Cocoa futures for March delivery climbed $53, or 1.8 percent, to $2,934 a ton in New York. In London, cocoa futures for March delivery rose 30 pounds, or 1.6 percent, to 1,970 pounds ($3,075) a ton.

--With assistance from Pratik Parija and Prabhudatta Mishra in New Delhi. Editor: Patrick McKiernan, Daniel Enoch

To contact the reporter on this story: Debarati Roy in New York at droy5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steve Stroth at sstroth@bloomberg.net

BusinessWeek

Coffee of Mexico

2011-01-09T10:05:00Z

Mexico is one of the largest coffee-producing countries in the world, and the largest producer of organic coffee, accounting for 60% of world production in 2000. The vast majority of Mexican coffee, and particularly organic coffee, is grown by small farmers in the southern-most states of
Chiapas and Oaxaca. These two states also happen to be the poorest in the country, and not coincidentally, have the largest indigenous populations. Coffee is one of Mexico's most lucrative exports and close to half a million small farmers and their families rely on the crop for their economic survival.

Coffee did not arrive in Mexico until the late 18th century, when the Spanish brought plants from Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Its commercial cultivation began decades later when German and Italian immigrants relocated from Guatemala and other Central American nations. In the 1790s, when the first coffee plantations began to appear in the southeast state of Vera Cruz, Spanish colonialism was already deeply entrenched in the region; the Aztec empire had long been conquered
- and decimated by disease - nearly two and a half centuries earlier. Mexico's vast mineral deposits meant that, for many years, coffee and agriculture took a back seat to mineral exports like gold and silver (and later to oil, currently the largest contributor to the Mexican economy). Unlike the islands of the Caribbean or what would later become "Banana Republics" in Central America, Spanish magistrates were slow to survey and distribute land. This discouraged investment in coffee cultivation and allowed indigenous farming communities to retain small plots of land or communal land-holdings in the remote mountains and isolated countryside of southern Mexico long after colonialism ended.

While independence from Spain brought some improvements to the rural populations in Mexico, factionalism, civil wars and international conflicts with Texas, France and the United States stripped the country of the stability required to develop or instigate social reform for the next 70 years. It was, however, during this time that coffee cultivation in southern Mexico began to flourish on plantations. Border disputes with Guatemala led to the first widespread land registration in the 1860s. This allowed a small number of wealthy Europeans to purchase extensive tracts of previously "unregistered" land and to feel secure investing in nurseries and long-term
cultivation. Granted a large degree of autonomy, local landowners and politicians slowly began forcing small farmers further into the mountains in order to secure their land, and then enticed indigenous men back as indentured servants to work on the land they had once occupied.Only after the Mexican Revolution did small farmers begin to invest in coffee cultivation in a serious way. Agrarian Reforms in the post-revolutionary period granted thousands of small plots of land to indigenous groups and laborers. Labor laws, like Ley De Obreros of 1914, freed many of the county's "serfs" and indentured servants - many employed on coffee plantations - who in turn brought the skills and seedlings to cultivate coffee with them back to their communities.

The rise of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) in the early 20th century also saw the development of INMECAFE in 1973 - the National Coffee Institute of Mexico. The slightly more populist and development-minded government saw coffee cultivation as a valuable contribution to
the national economy, not only funding social development in the rural sector, but also generating much-needed foreign capital for investment in cities and industry.

INMECAFE was developed to support coffee cultivation among small farmers. The organization provided farmers with technical assistance and credit, guaranteed purchases, provided transportation to market, and collaborated with the ICA in order to sell the coffee on the international market. (The ICA was a collaboration of coffee producing and consuming countries based in London, organized to stabilize volatile coffee markets. Through agreements, quotas and subsidies, they succeeded for almost two decades.)

During this period, from 1973-1990, with the support of INMECAFE, coffee production exploded in the rural countryside, multiplying by almost 900% in some areas. Government support did not, however, extend to services beyond coffee production. Farmers in Chiapas and Oaxaca remained among the most marginalized in the country lacking municipal support or the most basic of government services. It was in these areas that some of Mexico's strongest social organizations flourished. Agrarian movements organized to demand further land distribution, labor organizations played a major role in advocating for workers rights and ending debt peonage, and indigenous groups began to reassert their claim to the land and resources they had inhabited for centuries.

In the 1980s, the Mexican government - due in large part to heavy foreign borrowing and a steep decline in the price of oil - defaulted on its loans and was forced into the beginning stages of neoliberal reform. Over the next decade, the Mexican government slowly ended its support of coffee farmers and farming, with INMECAFE collapsing entirely in 1989. This occurred almost simultaneously to the collapse of the ICA (precipitated by a flood of cheap Brazilian coffee dumped on the international market and a rapid decline in the market price). The effect on coffee farmers was devastating.

Coffee, which had previously accounted for $882 million of agricultural exports in dollars in 1985, quickly dropped to less than $370 million in 1991. The price for coffee at the farm gate plummeted, credit dried up, and farmers had no way of selling their crops. Predatory coffee brokers, or coyotes, quickly filled the vacuum left by INMECAFE, exploiting farmers' isolation, lack of access to information, credit or transportation. The years that followed saw a spike in migration to the city and immigration to the United States. The fate of small Mexican coffee producers had never been bleaker. Even before the official demise of INMECAFE (waning government
support met the corruption and bureaucracy that had plagued the organization for years prior) the need for civic organizations to replace government support was clear. The role of social organizations in weathering the storm of Mexican political and economic instability is
immeasurable. For centuries, communal land tied families together and provided support and innovation; after land privatization, social organizations based on common values, economic stakes or ancestry would replace them. Out of the intersection of various labor organizations and agrarian movements, and often with the support of the Catholic Church, arose the first coffee cooperatives in Mexico. Groups like CEPCO and UCIRI in Oaxaca were crucial to the survival of thousands of coffee farmers in the early 1990s.

Cooperatives were formed to replace the transportation, processing and marketing arms of INMECAFE, saving farmers from the exploitation of coyotes. They began to share information on organic certification (the price for organic coffee being much more stable than conventional coffee), and decreasing dependence on capital-intensive inputs like fertilizer. Co-ops contacted European "alternative trade organizations" like Equal Exchange began successfully exporting fairly traded coffee, securing a stable price and pre-harvest financing for their members.

These co-ops have survived not only to replace INMECAFE and become powerful players in the organic coffee industry, but also to extend their purview to economic diversification, environmental initiatives, and to provide and lobby for social services like school and hospitals. They have come to represent islands of self-determination within a political spectrum
that barely recognizes their existence. The model and success of Mexican co-operatives and civic organization has laid the groundwork for some of the most compelling social movements in the world. Source

Brazil Coffee Crop to Drop 23%, Pushing Up Price

2010-12-24T00:45:00Z

By Katia Cortes - Dec 22, 2010 1:08 PM ET

Coffee production in Brazil, the world’s biggest grower, may drop to the lowest in four years in 2011, pushing up prices as trees enter the lower-yielding half of a two-year cycle, Agriculture Minister Wagner Rossi said.

Growers will harvest 37 million bags, down 23 percent from 48.1 million bags estimated for this year, Rossi said in an interview in Brasilia today. Coffee prices will likely rise next year as global demand outpaces supplies amid declining stockpiles, he said.

“Prices will likely remain on a steady rise,” Rossi, 67, said at his office. “World demand is firm and global stockpiles are low.”

Coffee, which has surged 72 percent this year, extended a rally to a 13-year high earlier today on concern adverse weather in Brazil and India will pare global supplies. Arabica coffee for March delivery reached $2.4225, the highest since June 1997. It fell 1.6 percent to $2.3005 per pound at 12:51 p.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York.

Output in Brazil, which ships about a third of world exports, usually drops every other year because trees can’t sustain high yields for two straight harvests. Fungus that was found in coffee crops in southeastern Brazil because of excess rains won’t hurt production, Rossi said.

“The coffee blight is a problem but not a threat to output,” Rossi said. “The improvement in farmers’ income will help them fight the fungus by investing more in their crops.”

Commercial farm lending may rise in the crop year that began in July as growers invest more in machinery and increase planted area to benefit from rising commodities prices, Rossi said. Lending grew 29 percent in the past harvesting season to about $49.8 billion, the ministry said. Bloomberg

Tanzania Benchmark Coffee Grade’s Price Falls 6.8% at Auction

2010-12-04T20:15:00Z

By Fred Ojambo - Dec 4, 2010 12:28 PM ET
Tanzania’s benchmark coffee grade fell 6.8 percent at an auction on Dec. 2 after supplies of the grade rose, the Tanzania Coffee Board said.

The top arabica grade sold for an average $226.16 for a 50- kilogram (110-pound) bag, compared with $242.68 a week earlier, the board said today in an e-mailed statement from Moshi, in northern Tanzania.

Supplies of the grade rose 62 percent to 5,727 bags, it said.

Overall prices at the auction declined by an average of $10.46 per bag, compared with the previous auction because of increased supplies, the agency said. Average prices per bag were however $10.21 higher than the fair market value due to the strong demand, it said.

Supplies at the 18th auction of the 2010-11 season rose 32.2 percent to 18,785 bags from 14,214 bags last week, the board said. All the beans offered were arabicas and fresh supplies accounted for 18,028 bags were the rest were carry overs from last week, it added.

Tanzania reaps its crop from April through August. Arabica accounts for 75 percent of the country’s output, while robusta makes up the rest.

The following are details of the Dec. 2 auction in U.S. dollars for a 50-kilogram bag for the good grades:

*T Grade Offer Sold Low High Average Arabica AA 5,727 5,219 185 264.20 226.16 Arabica A 4,753 4,077 187 260.20 232.53 Arabica B 4,208 3,176 195 255.40 231.34 Arabica PB 1,091 1,091 206 255.00 230.49 Arabica C 1,684 1,561 180 232.80 196.00 Arabica FAQ 320 320 90 90 90 Bloomberg

Just posted on facebook

2010-11-26T17:12:00Z

Just posted some pics of my new roaster the Behmor 1600. This one pound roaster is so much better than the nesco roaster. Hopefully this will last longer than the Nesco, I only had it for one year before the bearings locked up in it. Such a cheaply designed roaster it was. Anyway go to my facebook page and check it out. My Facebook

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Coffee, Tea Reduce Brain Cancer Risk

2010-11-23T22:54:00Z

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Individuals who drink half a cup of drink coffee and tea daily may reduce their risk of glioma by 34 percent, according to a new study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers at Brown University analyzed data from 410,309 men and women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, who reported coffee and tea consumption in food-frequency questionnaires and were followed over 8.5 years. The researchers used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the relation between coffee and tea and brain tumors.

During the study 343 cases of glioma and 245 cases of meningioma were newly diagnosed in nine countries. The researchers observed no associations between coffee, tea, or combined coffee and tea consumption and risk of either type of brain tumor when using quantiles based on country-specific distributions of intake. A significant inverse association was observed for glioma risk among those individuals consuming ≥100 mL coffee and tea per day compared with those consuming <100 mL/d (hazard ratio: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.97; P = 0.03). The association was slightly stronger in men (hazard ratio: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.34, 1.01) than in women (hazard ratio: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.42, 1.31), although neither was statistically significant. Source

Kenyan Coffee Production May Increase as Much as 15%

2010-11-20T07:01:00Z

Kenya’s coffee production may rise as much as 15 percent in 2010-11 because of improved weather, the Coffee Board of Kenya said.

Output in the 12 months through September may range from 49,000 to 55,000 metric tons, James Wahome, the quality manager at the board, said today by phone from Thika in central Kenya.

“We expect some improvement this season because the weather has not been very bad,” he said. “We are seeing a lot of greenery giving hope for a better crop.”

The 2009-10 production figure of 48,000 tons was higher than a provisional estimate of 39,000 to 40,000 tons after figures were reconciled, Wahome said. Output declined from more than 58,000 tons the previous season after bad weather cut yields, according to the board.

Export earnings in 2009-10 rose 25 percent to 15 billion Kenyan shillings ($189.2 million) because of improved global prices, Wahome said. The country exports nearly all its annual production, he said without providing shipment figures for the past two seasons. The Nairobi Coffee Exchange handles 85 percent of the exports, while the rest is through direct sales, he said.

The East African country plans to raise output to 100,000 tons over the next five years by aiding smallholders to boost production, according to the board. Kenya has about 700,000 small-scale farmers who account for about two-thirds of annual output.

Kenya harvests the bulk of its crop from October through December, while a secondary crop is reaped from April to June. Bloomberg

To contact the reporter on this story: Fred Ojambo in Kampala at fojambo@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

High Coffee Prices Spur Growth Of Mexico's Replanting Efforts

2010-11-12T02:41:00Z

By Jean Guerrero
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

MEXICO CITY -(Dow Jones)- Mexico's latest effort to revive its coffee output is gaining traction thanks to scorching prices.

With their incomes boosted by surging prices, growers are increasingly taking advantage of a government program that subsidizes the replacement of old coffee trees.

While such efforts won't immediately relieve the shortage of highly sought-after arabica beans, they eventually could lead to higher output and stave off a further decline in the global rankings of coffee-producing countries.

Mexico is the world's seventh-largest producer of green, or raw, coffee. In 2005, it was fifth.

Many of the plants in Mexico are almost 30 years old.

The country's Agriculture Ministry started a program two years ago to encourage coffee growers to hack down old plants and replace them with newer ones. Coffee plants usually bear the most fruit for the first 16 years, after which they produce smaller quantities of berries with irregular sizes and densities.

Mexico's output in the current marketing year that ends September 2011 is estimated at 4.4 million bags, up slightly from 4.2 million bags in 2009-2010. Production was more than 6 million bags, each weighing 60 kilograms, in 1999 following an earlier, less ambitious renovation program that launched in 1995.

Under the current program, federal and state governments offer direct subsidies when growers buy young plants, which each cost between 25-50 cents. The producer must cover about half of the cost, in addition to close to $1 each year for the maintenance of each plant.

Even for average coffee producers with only two or three hectares, the expenditures can add up. Angelino Espinoza Mata, of Huatusco, Veracruz, estimates that he and his wife spent between $6,000 and $7,000 to renovate 80% of their three hectares -- including the cost of the plant, the extra fertilizer, labor and more. Mata is also president of the Veracruz Association for Coffee Production.

Between 60 million and 65 million trees, which account for about 5% of Mexico's total crop, have been replaced in this way over the past two years. Colombia, the world's second-largest producer of prized arabica beans, started a similar program in the spring.

"We need to take advantage of this great moment for coffee," said Rodolfo Trampe Taubert, executive coordinator for the Mexican Association of Coffee Production, or Amecafe. "Demand is growing, internal consumption is growing and the industry needs supply."

A shortage of arabica beans has reigned for more than two years due to disappointing harvests in Colombia and Central America. As a result, prices for arabica coffee futures have spiked to 13-year highs. Coffee for December delivery on Tuesday was trading 0.6% higher on the day at $2.016 a pound on ICE Futures U.S. In Mexico, cash prices as of Monday were at $2.175 per pound, according to the Agriculture Ministry's marketing information service.

Farmers are plowing their rising receipts from coffee sales back into crop renovation. Some producers who had abandoned their crops several years ago because of the lack of profit have returned. Meanwhile, the world's largest coffee company, Nestle S.A. (NSRGY), has also thrown its weight behind the effort, providing Veracruz with 100,000 new trees to establish greater control of coffee from that region.

For the 2009-2010 coffee cycle, coffee exports were down 7.5%, but earnings rose to $505 million from $497 million.

Once the seed is planted, it takes three to four years for the shrub to start bearing fruit.

Producers in Veracruz who were early adopters may see more coffee as soon as next year. Nearly 5 million plants were replaced in the spring of 2008. Since then, another 20 million have gone into the ground.

Mexican officials hope to renovate at least 60% of the country's coffee plants by 2014 in this manner.

Industry groups say they expected the amount of money available to increase this year compared with the $9.6 million distributed last year.

It's not just aging plants that have depressed Mexico's output. Mudslides, humidity-induced fungus diseases and other calamities brought on by recent storms destroyed some coffee plants in Chiapas, the country's largest coffee-producing state, and in Oaxaca, leading some producers to speculate that 2010-2011 national production would be as low as 3.5 million bags.

-By Jean Guerrero, Dow Jones Newswires; +52 55 5980 5180; jean.guerrero@dowjones.com

http://english.capital.gr/News.asp?id=1074078

S&P ups outlook for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

2010-11-07T04:32:00Z

The Associated Press November 2, 2010, 1:26PM ET

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services raised its outlook for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. partly on the likelihood the company will be able to successfully fold Van Houtte into its coffee business.

Green Mountain announced in September that it was buying Van Houtte, a Canadian specialty coffee company, for $890 million.

S&P boosted Green Mountain's outlook to "stable" from "negative" on Tuesday. Aside from the Van Houtte buyout, the ratings agency said expectations for continued adequate liquidity and the likelihood of margin expansion contributed to the outlook change.

S&P maintained a preliminary "B" corporate credit rating for the company based in Waterbury, Vt. It also reiterated preliminary "B+" issue ratings for Green Mountain's $1.45 billion senior secured credit facility.

Shares of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters added 77 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $34.45 in afternoon trading. Over the last year, the stock has traded in a range of $19.86 to $37.97.

Businessweek

Have a cup of coffee on Burger King

2010-11-04T19:35:00Z

South Florida Business Journal

Stop by Burger King on Friday and get a cup of joe on the house.

The Miami-based fast-food chain said that, starting tomorrow and continuing every Friday in November, Burger King is pickup up the tab on all 12-ounce cups of Seattle’s Best Coffee.

And, Burger King is giving a coupon good for one free 22-ounce iced Seattle’s Best Coffee with the purchase of any of its value meals.

Seattle’s Best Coffee is one of nine new items featured on the BK Breakfast Menu, which launched in September. That menu includes the BK breakfast ciabatta club sandwich, fresh-baked mini blueberry biscuits and three breakfast platters.

Will You Give Your Data To Facebook For 50% Off On Coffee?

2010-11-04T01:29:00Z

Submitted by Katonda News Network on November 3, 2010 - 21:45

Facebook has started rolling out business-centric features which will ensure a revenue stream for the company which is yet to go public. Facebook's 'Deal' is a promising and disturbing feature which on one hand keeps mobile users updated with the 'deal' available at the nearby businesses. On the other hand, it keeps and eye on your location sharing it with its partners.

Facebook is taking advantage of its Places, launched recently to monitor the location of a user and show Deals around that place.

Facebook's Jon Fougner writes on the company blog, "Starting today, local businesses will be able to offer you deals when you check in to their place on Facebook. Deals will be rolling out over the next few days and will only be available in the United States at this time."

Finding deals near you is easy, claims Jon. All you have to do is go to touch.facebook.com' or the latest version of Facebook for iPhone, and touch 'Places' and then touch 'Check In'. A yellow icon next to the nearby place will indicate if the place has some deals. If you are interested in the deal, you can check in and claim it by showing your phone to the cashier.

"You'll see a few different types of Deals: individual deals for a discount, free merchandise or other reward; friend deals where you and your friends claim an offer together; loyalty deals for being a frequent visitor to a place; and charity deals where businesses pledge to donate to a cause when you check in," writes Jon

The 'Deal' offer is lucrative enough to encourage more users to use Places, which was otherwise heavily criticized by the media and privacy advocates. Facebook may be planning more such features but Places is in the center of it.

Will you be willing to 'sell' info about your wereabout just for 50% off a cup of coffee? Katonda News

Coffee exports up 67% in October on strong demand

2010-11-01T22:59:00Z

New Delhi:India’s coffee exports rose by 67% to 25,000 tonnes in October, the first month of the 2010-11 crop year, on the back of strong global demand and lower prices.

“We have exported 25,000 tonnes of coffee in October, this year, against 15,000 tonnes in the same period in2009,” a senior Coffee Board official told the news agency on Monday.

Overall,coffee exports during the January-October period of this year have also risen sharply to 2,51,355 tonnes from 1,57,824 tonnes in the year-ago period, he said.

The realization from the export of one tonne of coffee was Rs1.07 lakh during October, he added. The coffee year runs from October to September.

India, Asia’s biggest coffee exporter,shipped higher quantity of coffee bean (including arabica and robusta varieties) in October 2010 because of huge global demand plus Indian prices were ruling lower than Colombian coffee, though slightly higher than Brazil, he said.

Besides, there was enough supply of coffee in the domestic market, thanks to good crop in the 2009-10 crop year that ended in September, he added.

The official further said an expected higher production of 3.08 lakh tonnes in the ongoing crop year may further push shipments this year.

Total coffee production in the 2009-10 crop year was 2.89 lakh tonnes. The country had shipped 2.70lakh tonnes in the just completed 2009-10 crop year, the official said.

Italy, Germany and Russia are India’s major export markets.

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Indian Monsooned Malabar

2010-10-31T03:26:00Z

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Monsooned Malabar is a variety of dry processed coffee beans. The harvested and processed beans are exposed to the monsoon winds for a period of about three to four months, causing the beans to swell and lose the original acidity, resulting in a sweet and syrupy brew. The coffee is unique to the Malabar coast of Karnataka and Kerala and has protected status under the Geographical Indications of Goods Act. The name Monsooned Malabar is derived from exposure to the monsoon winds of the Malabar coast.

The blend is heavy bodied, pungent and of monotone quality and is considered to be dry with a chocolatey aroma and a slightly sharp taste. The blend has its origins from the times of the British Raj, when, during the months that the beans were transported by sea from India to Europe, the humidity and the sea winds combined to cause the coffee to ripen from the fresh green to a more aged pale yellow.

Whole crop cherry coffee are selected and sun-dried in expansive barbecues. The dried beans are cured and sorted into 'AA' and 'A' grades, after which, they are stored in warehouses till the onset of monsoon. From June through September, the selected beans are exposed to moisture-laden monsoon winds in well-ventilated warehouses (12 to 16 weeks time). The monsooning process involves careful handling, repeated spreading, raking and turning around in regular intervals. The beans absorb moisture and get significantly large, turning into pale golden in colour. Further micro-sorting is done to separate fully monsooned beans, and then the world gets to taste the finest monsooned coffees. Absolutely pure and mellow to the core. Per wiki

My opinion
When I first received my order of Monsooned Malabar and saw those pale yellow beans I was nervous. Its the first time I have seen an unroasted bean that was not green. But in the spirit of trying new things, I was ready to get the beans roasted and try it out. Everything about Monsooned Malabar is unique. The roast went incredibly fast, so fast in fact that if you are not careful, you will over roast them. The beans are loaded with oil. Right after first crack the oil seeps out covering the bean and roaster. The one negative I can find on this coffee bean is the amount of cleanup time it takes to get all the oil out of the roasting drum.

As far as the taste goes, if you manage to not over roast it, the coffee has a very smooth and sweet taste. Some say it has an earthy taste, while others say gently pungent. I don't know, I guess it just depends what roast level you use. I found that if you stop roasting right after first crack, staying as close to a city roast as possible, is where this bean is at its best. At this level I taste a smooth sweet chocolate with some unidentifiable spice notes to it. Anyway, it is worth your time to try this coffee out. It is definitely a change of pace from drinking Colombian all the time.

To learn more about the coffee of India, please visit this page!

Coffee Supply May Tighten on Indian Delay, Lower Vietnam Output

2010-10-29T23:30:00Z

October 29, 2010, 12:54 AM EDT
By Thomas Kutty Abraham

Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Global coffee supplies may tighten after an Indian exporters’ group forecast a delay in harvesting because of extended rains and an industry association in Vietnam said that production may decline, potentially boosting prices.

India’s harvest may begin from the middle of November, about three weeks later than normal, Ramesh Rajah, president of the Coffee Exporters Association of India, said in an interview. Separately, Nguyen Van An, a board member of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, said today by phone that output may drop as much as 3 percent to 1.1 million metric tons in 2010-2011.

The forecasts may extend rallies in arabica, which jumped to a 13-year high this week, and robusta, at the highest in more than two years. Prices have jumped on concerns that unfavorable weather in Latin America and Vietnam, and delays at Brazil’s Santos Port are curbing supplies. Vietnam is the biggest robusta producer and India is Asia’s third-largest grower.

“Coffee prices may continue to climb until weather concerns ease in Brazil and Vietnam,” said Rajah, who correctly predicted a 10 percent gain in prices on Aug. 24. India’s “harvest has got delayed but the good news is that the crop is in excellent condition,” he said yesterday from Bangalore.

Arabica reached $2.046 a pound on ICE Futures U.S. in New York on Oct. 26, the highest price since August 1997, and the December-delivery contract ended yesterday at $1.966. Robusta advanced to $1,975 a metric ton on NYSE Liffe in London yesterday, the highest level since Oct. 6, 2008.

Indian Harvest

India’s total coffee production this year may be a record and match a forecast of 308,000 tons from the state-run Coffee Board of India, Rajah said. The harvest of robusta, used in instant coffees, may be more than the 208,500 tons estimated by the board, he said yesterday from Bangalore.

The monsoon has yet to withdraw from the Southern Indian states of Karnataka and Kerala, which account for more than 90 percent of the nation’s production, according to the weather bureau. The June-to-September rainy season, which brings more than 70 percent of India’s annual precipitation, is still active over the region, according to the state forecaster.

In Vietnam, the outlook for the year from Oct. 1 from the association’s An is less than the median forecast harvest of 1.2 million tons from a Bloomberg News survey of 10 growers, analysts and traders conducted earlier this month. Officials in Vietnam’s three largest growing provinces -- Dak Lak, Lam Dong and Gia Lai -- also forecast production gains.

Smaller Beans

Rainfall in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, the nation’s main coffee-growing area, was about 30 percent less this year than in previous years, An said. “It hurt the development of coffee cherries, causing the beans to have a smaller size,” An said from Vicofa, as the association is known.

Output of the next crop in Brazil, the world’s biggest overall producer, may drop to 36 million, 60-kilogram bags, the lowest in four years, after a drought hindered flowering, the South American nation’s coffee council said on Oct. 22.

Coffee shipments from producers will decline for a second year in 2010 from last year’s estimated 95.5 million bags and 2008’s 97.7 million bags, according to the International Coffee Organization.

“Roasters have waited long on the sidelines for prices to cool and with the winter approaching they may begin to cover needs,” Rajah said. Arabica may gain to $2.13 a pound, while robusta may climb to $2,150 a ton in a few weeks, Rajah said.

“Global coffee prices will be good this year, so we expect to earn $1.8 billion to $2 billion in export turnover,” said An at Vicofa, a non-governmental organization that represents producers and traders and helps to shape government policy.

--Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen. Editors: Jake Lloyd-Smith, Matt Oakley

To contact the reporters on this story: Thomas Kutty Abraham in Mumbai at tabraham4@bloomberg.net; Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen in Hanoi at uyen1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Poole at jpoole4@bloomberg.net

http://www.businessweek.com/news

Coffee, Tea Consumption Linked to Lower Glioma Risk

2010-10-29T00:50:00Z

THURSDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Coffee and tea consumption is associated with a lower risk of glioma, according to research published in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Dominique S. Michaud, of Imperial College London, and colleagues analyzed data from 410,309 men and women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study, who reported coffee and tea consumption in food-frequency questionnaires and were followed for a mean 8.5 years.

The researchers found that, during this time, 343 glioma and 245 meningioma cases were diagnosed. Individuals consuming at least 100 mL of coffee and tea daily were found to have a lower risk of glioma compared to those drinking less (hazard ratio, 0.66). These cutoffs for coffee and tea consumption combined weren't found to be associated with meningioma risk, nor was a 200-mL daily cutoff.

"Coffee and tea both contain caffeine and many other compounds, some of which have antioxidant properties. In fact, coffee has a greater total antioxidant capacity (i.e., cumulative capacity of food components to scavenge free radicals) than any given fruit or vegetable. Given that we did not observe an association between coffee and tea consumption and meningioma risk, it is possible that the effect of coffee, if causal, is acting late in the process of carcinogenesis by preventing tumor growth," the authors write.

Coffee Harvest in Vietnam May Climb on Favorable Weather, Increased Area

2010-10-28T00:41:00Z

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By Bloomberg News - Oct 25, 2010 12:26 AM ET

Coffee production in Vietnam, the largest robusta grower, may climb this year after favorable weather and expanded planting boosted the harvest, potentially easing a global shortage that’s driven prices to a two-year high.

The crop may total 1.2 million metric tons, or 20 million 60-kilogram bags, in the year from Oct. 1, according to the median from a Bloomberg News survey of 10 growers, analysts and traders. That compares with last year’s harvest of 1.05 million tons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Separately, officials in Vietnam’s three largest growing provinces -- Dak Lak, Lam Dong and Gia Lai -- all forecast gains.

The increased production of the beans used in espressos and instant drinks may help to curb the advance in robusta futures, trading at their highest since 2008. Indonesia, a rival robusta grower, may increase output as much 3 percent to 10 million bags this year, according to the International Coffee Organization.

“The crop looked positive, with some increase in production,” said Pham Dinh Khai, director of An Giang Coffee Co.’s branch in Buon Ma Thuot, the capital of Dak Lak. Khai, one of the survey participants, predicted that nationwide output would be “at least” 1.2 million tons.

Robusta Rally

Robusta has advanced 34 percent over the past year amid what Nestor Osorio, the outgoing executive director of the International Coffee Organization, said on Sept. 7 was a “very tight situation between supply and demand.” The most-active contract on NYSE Liffe in London touched $1,910 a ton on Oct. 21, the highest since Oct. 14, 2008, and ended at $1,826 last week.

Arabica reached $2.035 a pound on ICE Futures U.S. on Oct. 21, the highest price in 13 years. Output in Brazil, the biggest producer, may drop to the lowest level in four years in 2011 after a drought hurt flowering and plants enter the lower- yielding half of a two-year cycle, the National Coffee Council, a growers’ group, said Oct. 22.

“Favorable weather has helped buoy the crop,” said Bui Hung Manh, head of the business department at Tay Nguyen Coffee Investment, Import and Export Co, referring to adequate rains, which aid flowering and fruiting. “Some new coffee-planting areas have started producing beans from this crop as well.”

Forecasts in the Bloomberg survey, undertaken between Oct. 11 and Oct. 22, ranged from 17.7 million to 22 million bags, with two forecasting a fall and eight looking for a gain. The USDA forecast for last year’s crop was issued in a June report.

‘Reasonable Rainfall’

Coffee bushes in Vietnam usually flower and form fruits between January and March, according to growers. “Vietnam experienced reasonable rainfall during blossoming, which was followed by good fruit-setting and cherry development,” the USDA said in the June report. The harvest usually starts Oct. 1

“Thanks to good weather during flowering period, the trees have more cherries this year,” said Pham Van An, head of the Lam Dong agricultural department. An, who didn’t contribute to the survey, forecast output from Lam Dong, the second-largest growing province, may gain 10 percent to about 330,000 tons.

Van Phu Bo, head of the cultivation office at Gia Lai’s agricultural department, forecast an increase in local output of 4.3 percent to 146,000 tons. Nguyen Van Sinh, deputy director of the agricultural department in Dak Lak, forecast a 5.3 percent gain to 400,000 tons.

Coffee companies expect the government to provide low- interest loans this season to help them to stockpile beans, the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association said on Oct. 11. The plan, similar to state support offered late during the last harvest, may enable them to hold 300,000 to 500,000 tons from 2010-2011 output, said Luong Van Tu, chairman of the group known as Vicofa.

--Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen. Editors: Jake Lloyd-Smith, Richard Dobson

To contact the reporter on this story: Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen in Hanoi at uyen1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Poole at jpoole4@bloomberg.net

Bloomberg

Transport of green coffee beans may be regulated

2010-10-26T20:48:00Z

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By Associated Press

HILO, Hawaii (AP) — A proposal to quarantine the transport of green coffee beans from South Kona on the Big Island is to be taken up by a state Department of Agriculture advisory committee.

Such a move would be made to combat the spread of the coffee berry borer pest.

State Department of Agriculture Plant Industry Division Administrator Lyle Wong told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald on Friday the committee would meet in a week or so.

He says if the pest is deemed an "immediate emergency" and the committee passes the proposal, it would go before the Department of Agriculture board for approval and implementation.

A quarantine would mean green, or non-roasted, coffee beans would have to be treated with heat or an insecticide before being shipped off-island.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

2010-10-26T00:39:00Z

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Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee or Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is a classification of coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The best lots of Blue Mountain coffee are noted for their mild flavour and lack of bitterness. Over the last several decades, this coffee has developed a reputation that has made it one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world; over 80% of all Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is exported to Japan. In addition to its use for brewed coffee, the beans are the flavor base of Tia Maria coffee liqueur.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is a globally protected certification mark, meaning only coffee certified by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica can be labeled as such. It comes from a recognised growing region in the Blue Mountain region of Jamaica, and its cultivation is monitored by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica.

The Blue Mountains are generally located between Kingston to the south and Port Antonio to the north. Rising to 2,300 metres (7,500 ft), they are some of the highest mountains in the Caribbean. The climate of the region is cool and misty with high rainfall. The soil is rich, with excellent drainage. This combination of climate and soil is considered ideal for coffee. Wiki

Per Burman Coffee
Mavis Banks is one of the top quality producers and the largest millfor Blue Mountain coffee, this is the excellent new 2010 crop. One ofthe best prepared coffees in the world.

It is rich, subtle, smooth and delicate, over roast it and yourisk loosing those sweet, complex undertones of chocolate and fruit.

An excellent balanced coffee with a lovely aroma, with a very smooth finish.

Just the one for special occasions, keep some around.

All Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee must be certified by the coffeeindustry board of Jamaica. The regulations are very strict and much ofthe coffee is rejected.

Tasting Notes:
You can tell this is an island premium coffee upon your first sip.Light to medium bodied this is one delicate cup of coffee with manydifferent flavors that come out. Crisp and clean this cup is markedwith fruity highlights and a sweet molasses bottom.

My opinion
The bottom line is this. This is probably the finest coffee you will ever drink. This coffee has a light/sweet taste with a light chocolate aftertaste. No bitterness what so ever in this bean. So if you have a roaster try this coffee, you won't regret it. But at $19 a pound, for most people, this will not be an everyday coffee.

Media Alert Green Mountain Coffee Invites Coffee Drinkers Nationwide to a Live, Fair Trade E-Tasting

2010-10-25T22:25:00Z

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WHAT: Green
Mountain Coffee(R), part of the Specialty Coffee
Business Unit of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.

/quotes/comstock/15*!gmcr/quotes/nls/gmcr
(GMCR
31.60,
+0.00,
+0.01%)
, invites coffee drinkers nationwide to "The
Fair Trade-Out e-Tasting," a live, guided tasting of their top
selling Fair Trade Certified(TM) coffees.

WHO: The tasting will feature the following special guests:
-- Fair Trade USA President and CEO Paul Rice
-- Lindsey Bolger, Senior Director of Coffee Sourcing and Relationships
for GMCR's Specialty Coffee Business Unit
-- Costa Rican coffee farmers from Coopelibertad, a Fair Trade
cooperative.

WHEN: The Fair Trade-Out e-Tasting will be broadcast from Green Mountain
Coffee's coffee lab via UStream on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Participants can
also follow the tasting and submit questions via the hashtag #eTaste on Twitter.

WHY: The e-Tasting is part of "The Fair Trade-Out," Green Mountain Coffee's campaign to celebrate Fair Trade Month in October and encourage coffee drinkers to trade out their daily cup for Fair Trade Certified varieties. Fair Trade provides a fair, guaranteed price to coffee farmers for their beans, resulting in higher quality coffee, and a higher quality of life in coffee-farming communities. Green Mountain Coffee recently traded out its Our Blend and Vermont Country Blend coffees to be Fair Trade Certified.

This month Green Mountain Coffee commissioned a study showing that Americans love their coffee, but know very little about what's in their cup, how to make a great cup of coffee, or how their choice of coffee can have an impact on communities around the world. Participants in thee-Tasting will learn what to look for in a good cup and hear first-hand how Fair Trade benefits coffee farmers. Participants will be able to submit questions about coffee and Fair Trade to coffee farmers from Costa Rica and Fair Trade coffee experts.

Green Mountain Coffee offers one of the largest selections of double-certified, Fair Trade organic coffees in the country. In its fiscal year 2009, GMCR purchased 16.2 million pounds of Fair Trade coffee that delivered over$1.6 million to coffee farmers in Fair Trade premiums for community development.

About Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc./quotes/comstock/15*!gmcr/quotes/nls/gmcr(GMCR31.60,+0.00,+0.01%)

As a leader in the specialty coffee industry, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. is recognized for its award-winning coffees, innovative brewing technology, and socially responsible business practices. GMCR's operations are managed through two business units. The Specialty Coffee business unit produces coffee, tea and hot cocoa from its family of brands, including Tully's Coffee(R), Green Mountain Coffee(R),Newman's Own(R) Organics coffee, Timothy's World Coffee(R)and Diedrich(R), Coffee People(R) and Gloria Jeans(R),a trademark licensed to the Company for use in North America and owned by Gloria Jeans Coffees International Pty. Ltd. The Keurig business unit is a pioneer and leading manufacturer of gourmet single-cup brewing systems. K-Cup(R)portion packs for Keurig(R) Single-Cup Brewers are produced by a variety of roasters, including Green Mountain Coffee, Tully's,Timothy's and Diedrich. GMCR supports local and global communities by offsetting 100% of its direct greenhouse gas emissions, investing in Fair Trade Certified(TM) coffee, and donating at least five percent of its pre-tax profits to social and environmental projects. Visit www.gmcr.com for more information.

GMCR routinely posts information that may be of importance to investors in the Investor Services section of its web site, including news releases and its complete financial statements, as filed with the SEC.The Company encourages investors to consult this section of its web site regularly for important information and news. Additionally, by subscribing to the Company's email alerts, individuals can receive news directly from GMCR as it is released.

GMCR-S

SOURCE: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.

GMCR's Specialty Coffee Business Unit 
Sandy Yusen, 866-968-2739 
sandy.yusen@gmcr.com

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***Media Alert*** Green Mountain Coffee Invites Coffee Drinkers Nationwide to a Live, Fair Trade E-Tasting

Media Alert Green Mountain Coffee Invites Coffee Drinkers Nationwide to a Live, Fair Trade E-Tasting