Fair Trade has generated significant momentum during  in the United States. Ben & Jerry’s and Green & Black’s kicked-off the year by announcing they would convert 100 percent of their products to Fair Trade Certified? ingredients; Green Mountain Coffee converted two of its top iconic blends?Our Blend and Vermont Country Blend?to Fair Trade; certified coffee imports were up 25 percent and 47 percent of all imports were also organic; Fair Trade cooperative CECOVASA was awarded the People’s Choice Award at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Cupping Competition; and the Fair Trade Towns USA campaign increased the number of official Fair Trade Towns from 13 to 20, including Boston.
And now SPINS, the first company to offer Natural Products sales data to the industry, has issued a report that builds on that strong foundation. SPINS reports that sales of Fair Trade Certified? products at grocery stores grew by 30 percent this year, to $140 million, lead by growth in packaged coffee (44 percent), and ready-to-drink tea and coffees (51 percent).(1)  Other notable double-digit contributors include the refrigerated juices & functional beverages category that was introduced in 2009 (98 percent), carbonated beverages (38 percent), chocolate candy (29 percent), and shelf stable functional beverages (10 percent). Frozen desserts are up eight percent and teas are up four percent, with cocoa and hot chocolate as the only category to experience a decline, down eight percent.

This is yet more proof that even in tough economic times, consumers care. In 2009, the BBMG Conscious Consumer Report stated that three-fourths of consumers (77 percent) believe they can make a difference by buying products from socially and environmentally responsible companies, and two-thirds agreed that even in tough economic times it’s important to buy products with social and environmental benefits (4 point scale). And over half (51 percent) agreed that they are willing to pay more. (Source: Fair Trade USA)

We have a line of Fair Trade Certified Coffees – click here -

Cpt Mykel Hawke's Commando Coffee

We are really proud to announce that we are not only producing coffee for Rock Star Bun E Carlos of Cheap Trick, but now  Cpt Mykel Hawke.

Commando Coffee is a special blend of Columbian, Guatemalan, and Sumatran coffee with a Dark Roast.  It’s like a Boot to The Butt.

When did coffee first arrived to Hawaii.

If you look into the history of coffees arrival to Hawaii, you’ll discover that most sources report that it was first brought by the Spaniard Don Francisco de Paula Marin, but that his plantings weren’t successful.

In the next sentence, you’ll probably read that it was successfully introduced in 1825 when it arrived from Brazil on the HMS Blonde- with no assistance from Marin.  One of two dates will be written for its initial introduction by Marin: January 21, 1813 or December 30, 1817.

Another book quotes the 1817 date.  After some research with the assistance of Skip Bittenbender (agriculture extension specialist and professor at the University of Hawai’i) and Gerald Kinro (environmental consultant and author of A Cup of Aloha: The Kona Coffee Epic),  reasearch indicates and are now inclined to think that neither of these dates are correct.  In fact, I now believe that coffee first arrived to Hawaii in 1825.

Gourmet Coffee on The BBQ

Dr Kimemia explained the new high quality coffee – Batian – is quick to establish, producing results after 18-24 months upon being planted, in addition to being suitable to all Arabica coffee growing areas.
He stressed the variety – the outcome of painstaking effort by the researchers since the same station released the much acclaimed Ruiru 11 in 1985 – farmers will be in a position to harvest five tonnes of clean coffee per hectare.
A researcher in his own right, Dr Kimemia recalled farmers on average harvested an average of two tonnes of clean coffee per hectare at present.
“At times, small scale coffee farmers even harvest half a tonne, ” Dr Kimemia emphasized.
“It has come in handy and at the right time. The variety is also suitable for new growing areas of the North Rift and for the real coffee estates.”
Researchers estimate that farmers will be able to plant an estimated 1,000 coffee tree under an acre.
Only 540 trees are planted per acre where SL 28 and SL varieties are grown.
It is hoped that Batian will help bolster Kenyan coffee production and enable the country to reclaim its previous status in the global coffee market.
Expected to be released to coffee growers later this year, Dr Joseph Kimemia commented on the new variety’s potential to overtake Ruiru 11, at present the most widely-grown variety within Kenya.
Development of Ruiru 11 also took into consideration the importance of quality as a major marketing parameter. Since the quality of the traditional varieties was already popular among consumers of Kenyan coffee, Ruiru 11 was developed with quality attributes similar to the traditional varieties.
Currently below its predicted target, Dr Kimemia encouraged domestic farmers to boost their annual coffee production to 100, 000 metric tonnes in order to mirror the 2 percent to 4 percent increase in global coffee consumption and therefore demand.
International Coffee Organization (ICO) executive director, Nestor Osorio, has predicted that global coffee consumption — which he says has been relatively unscathed by the economic downturn — will reach 134 million bags in 2010.
Based on 60 kg of coffee per bag, this equates to over 8 billion kg of the commodity and represents a 1.5 percent increase on the previous year’s figure of 132 million bags, continuing the steady growth of the past five years.
The nation’s coffee industry research body is reported to have allocated finance to inject into the renovation of facilities and their production capacity in readiness for the release of the variety, widely expected to boost coffee production that has been on the decline.
In Kenya, the 2009 Economic Survey showed that the coffee sub- sector registered a 21.3 percent decline in production from 53,400 tonnes in 2006/07 to 42,000 tonnes in the 2007/08 crop. This was mainly due to the effects of adverse weather.
The volume of coffee produced in Kenya has been on a steady decline, from a high of 128,000 tonnes in 1987/88 to 42,000 tonnes in 2007/08.
According to agriculture permanent secretary Dr Romano Kiome, coffee production was hardest hit than tea as it is a crop more vulnerable to a persistent cold snap.
“It is probably even worse for coffee because what is affected for coffee is flowering, so it doesn’t flower when it is cold,” says Kiome.
“It may go from what we had predicted at 56,000 metric tonnes to less than 50,000 this year.”
Most Kenyan coffee is grown at high altitude and therefore classified as specialty.
Although a small producer, at an average 50,000 tonnes annually, Kenya is among other regional growers whose coffees are highly sought by roasters globally.

Although many varietals of Coffea Arabica exist, C. arabica varietal Arabica (includes var. typica) and C. arabica var. bourbon (named from the island of Bourbon where it was first cultivated) are considered to be the first coffee varietals.  Other varietals are believed to be a product of these two cultivars.

Production and resistance generally governs the types of coffee beans that a farm will choose to plant.  Coffee quality is a secondary factor most of the time.

Green Coffee Beans

Coffee Bean Types

Typica - This is the base from which many coffee varietals have been developed.  Like the other Coffea Arabica varietals that have been developed from it, Typica coffee plants have a conical shape with a main vertical trunk and secondary verticals that grow at a slight slant.  Typica is a tall plant reaching 3.5-4 m in height.  The lateral branches form 50-70° angles with the vertical stem.  Typica coffee has a very low production, but has an excellent cup quality.

Bourbon – Bourbon coffee plants produce 20-30% more coffee than Typica, but have a smaller harvest than less most coffee varietals.  Bourbon has less of a conical shape than Typica coffee plants, but has more secondary branches.  The angles between the secondary branches and the main stem are smaller, and the branch points on the main stem are closely spaced.  The leaves are broad and wavy on the edges.  The fruit is relatively small and dense.  The cherries mature quickly and are at a risk of falling off during high winds or rains.  The best results for Bourbon coffee are realized between 3,500-6,500 feet.  Cup quality is excellent and similar to Typica.

Caturra – Caturra is a mutation of Coffee Bourbon discovered in Brazil.  It is a mutation with high production and good quality, but requires extensive care and fertilization.  It is short with a thick core and has many secondary branches.  It has large leaves with wavy borders similar to Coffee Bourbon.  It adapts well to almost any environment, but does best between 1,500-5,500 feet with annual precipitation between 2,500-3,500 mm.  At higher altitudes quality increases, but production decreases.

Catuai – Catuai is a high yielding coffee plant resulting from a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra.  The plant is relatively short, and the lateral branches form close angles with the primary branches.  The fruit does not fall off the branch easily, which is favorable with areas with strong winds or rain.  Catuai also needs sufficient fertilization and care.

Pache comum – Pache comum is a mutation of Typica coffee first observed on the farm El Brito, Santa Cruz Naranjo, Santa Rosa, Guatemala.    Many consider the cup to be smooth or flat.  This coffee varietal adapts well between 3,500-5,500 feet.

Pache colis – Pache colis was found in Mataquescuintla, Guatemala in a farm consisting of Caturra and Pache comum.  The coffee fruits are very large and the leaves are roughly textured.  Pache colis provides some resistance to phoma.  It has secondary and tertiary branching, and typically grows to 0.8-1.25 m.  It adapts well to altitudes of 3,000-6,000 feet with temperatures between 20-21°C.

Catimor - Catimor is a cross between Timor coffee (resistant to rust) and Caturra coffee. It was created in Portugal in 1959.  Maturation is early and production is very high with yields equal to or greater than the yield of other commercial coffee varietals. For this reason the method of fertilization and shade must be monitored very closely.  The Catimor T-8667 descendants are relatively small in stature, but have large coffee fruits and seeds.  The Catimor line T-5269 is strong and adapts well to lower regions between 2,000-3,000 feet with annual rainfall over 3,000 mm.  T-5175 is very productive and robust, but can have problems at either very high or very low altitudes.  At low altitudes there is almost no difference in cup quality between Catimor and the other commercial coffee varietals, but at elevations greater than 4,000 feet Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai have a better cup quality.

Kent - Kent is used for its high yield and resistance to coffee rust.

Mundo Novo – Natural hybrid between Typica coffee and Bourbon coffee. The plant was first found in Brazil.  The plant is strong and resistant to disease.  Mundo Novo has a high production, but matures slightly later than other kinds of coffee.   It does well between 3,500-5,500 feet with an annual rainfall of 1,200-1,800 mm.

Maragogype – This coffee varietal is a mutation of Typica coffee and was discovered in Brazil.  The Maragogype coffee plant is large and is taller than either Bourbon or Typica.  Production is low, but the seeds are very large.  Maragogype adapts best between 2,000-2,500 feet.  The cup characteristics are highly appreciated in certain coffee markets.

Amarello – This coffee varietal, as its name indicates, produces a yellow fruit.  It is not widely planted.

Blue mountain - Blue mountain is a famous coffee varietal favored for its resistance to the coffee berry disease and ability to thrive in high altitudes.  It was first grown in Jamaica and is now grown in Kona, Hawaii. Blue mountain coffee, however, cannot adapt to all climates and maintain its high quality flavor profile.

Gourmet Coffee on The BBQ

Persistent wet weather may deprive plants of sunlight and stunt growth of coffee beans said Lozano.
Its going to affect the harvest if it keeps raining like this,? he said yesterday in a telephone interview from Bogota. The beans cant grow without sun.?
According to the nations state-run Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, Colombia may have abundant rainfall as of September because of the return of the weather pattern known as La Nina.

You can find us on Facebook at Coffee-n-Caffeine.

You can find us on Twitter at CoffeeCaffeine.

We are also starting an E-Deals email list.  If you would like to sign up for it you can find it on our home page.  Just fill in the info and submit it and you will be signed up.  We do send  a confirmation email that you need to respond to in order to be on the list.  This is a very much OPT-IN list.  We also want to assure you that we take your privacy seriously.  We keep our mailing list, we do our mailings, we will never give out your email address to anyone with your prior permission.

We have special pages set up for all the various deals we are offering.  Typicaly 10% off an order for specific coffees listed on the pages.  You must order from the specific pages in order to get the discount.

We hope you are getting time to enjoy the summer, we certainly are.  Ummmm coffee Deals.

Sparky

We also have a new look to our site we hope you like the visual improvements and look for more to come along in the month of July.

Sparky