World Barista Championship

If you have followed my past blog entries you probably already know that the coffee market is a large industry. It is, in fact, large enough to have its own world championship! 

The World Barista Championship is the annual international coffee competition, which crowns the best barista of the world. A barista is a "coffee artists" at the espresso machine that has great knowledge of coffee, can prepare, decorate, and serve it artistically to the customer. The World Barista Championship (WBC) was founded by the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe and the Specialty Coffee Association of America. According to WBC's website, it "focuses on promoting excellence in coffee, advancing the barista profession, and engaging a worldwide audience with an annual championship event that serves as the culmination of local and regional events around the globe".

Every year, the participants of more than 50 Nations each need to prepare 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos, and 4 original signature drinks to exacting standards in a 15-minute performance, which is accompanied by music.

These excellent creations are served to WBC Certified Taste Judges from around the world for evaluation. The evaluation is based on performance on the taste of beverages served, cleanliness, creativity, technical skill, and overall presentation. The organization states that the "ever-popular signature beverage allows baristas to stretch their imagination and the judges’ palates to incorporate a wealth of coffee knowledge into an expression of their individual tastes and experiences".

This year, the 11th annual World Barista Championship was held in London's Kensington Olympia Exhibition Center. In addition to the title of the world's best barista, the judges also awarded the international title for Latte Art (milk drawings), Good Coffee Spirits (alcoholic coffee drinks), Cup-tasting (tasting) and Ibrik (Turkish method). 

This year's World Barista Champion is Michael Phillips from the USA, followed by Raul Rodas of Guatemala and Scottie Callaghan from Australia. Congratulations!

Kaffeeklatsch - An old German Tradition

Today, I will tell you a little bit  about an old German tradition; the "Kaffeeklatsch". First off, Kaffee means coffee, and Klatsch can be translated as gossip. So, as you might imagine already, "Kaffeeklatsch", the coffee gossip, is a time when people (mostly women) get together and chat or gossip about all sorts of things, while having a good cup of coffee and some delicious cake.

For centuries, the "coffee gossip" existed for the ladies only behind the doors of their living rooms: After the coffee had conquered the European society in 1650, more and more coffee houses were opened in which only men were accepted. 
Even though the ladies of the society could not enter the coffee houses, they did not want to do without the new and modern drink. This was how the "Kaffeklatsch" started. The women simply enjoyed the coffee with their friends at home. A lavishly decorated table created the right atmosphere. Women during the time described it as follows: "A great "Kaffeeklatsch" needs the coffee, this much is clear, it needs the pastry, but perhaps even more...it needs the delicate shimmering porcelain, exquisite accessories, and of course pleasant furniture and comfortable rooms. " 
Inspired by the "happenings of everyday life" they had long conversations, that could derogatory be described as gossip, and shared their favorite poems and passages of novels.
Since the 1970's the once essential features of the classic coffee party slowly disappeared: flower dishes on silk tablecloth, artfully draped cream on homemade cakes, the ladies dressed properly with nicely dressed  hair.What remains is the desire to drink coffee and the exchange of news and gossip. Psychologist Stephan Grünewald thinks that TV talk shows in the afternoon are a "modern form of 'coffee gossip'". They help people to overcome the "midday-crisis", he says. "Adding the stimulating effect of coffee to this atmosphere", he claims, "creates the timeless fascination of the coffee gossip: You are excited and relaxed at the same time."
Grünewald has a valid argument, but not the whole German population relies on TV for "Kaffeekltatsch". In many towns people still get together and do the "real" coffee gossip, or even create clubs that serve the sole purpose of "Kaffeeklatsch". 
 

New Innovations on the Coffee Market

I have done a little bit of research of new products on the coffee market, and found some cool, interesting, and even funny things. I thought I would share some of them with you. 

Coffee Maker Skins – Pimp your coffee maker!

If you like to customize your own products, or change their look every now and then, this is the perfect product for you. Companies like Krups, Cube, Siemens, and Magimix give you the opportunity to give your coffee maker a new design whenever you like. For about $14 you can change the skin of the coffee machine to one that’s more fun to look at.

Handpresso – The portable Espresso Maker!

Do you love Espresso? Do you wish to have the ability to have one wherever you are and whenever you want? You got it! The Handpresso is a new gadget on the coffee market that allows you to have the perfect Americano anywhere. The clear pod on a black stick comes complete with a pressure pump and gauge to ensure that perfect cup of Espresso. And don’t worry about electricity; all you need is hot water, the Handpresso and the convenient little pads that come in a wide variety of flavors! It’s eco-friendly, too. According to the website, “You drink coffee outside or inside and you save energy by not leaving your machine in standby mode. You use Handpresso made to last from selected environmentally-friendly materials and parts.”.
 

Delizio’s Jukebox – Combines Coffee and Music!

The Swiss company Delizio invented this jukebox, which is a slender, attractive machine that allows you to listen to music while preparing coffee. A cable connected to your MP3 player makes it possible. The Delizio Comfort II coffee maker comes in black, white, silver and red, and has a neat design as well.

JavaBot – A walk-in Coffee Machine!

The Javabot is the only walk-in coffee machine in the world. It blends seven different kinds of specially roasted and ground beans, at the right temperature, to give you that perfect cup of coffee. It is the fully-automated system that runs the Roasting Plant Coffee Company in New York. Customers sit there and watch as their coffee beans rush past in pneumatic tubes, as they move from storage bins to staging, roasting station, grinding and a brewing machine where they are dispensed with the repeatable accuracy of a purpose-built machine.

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The Mobile Coffee Maker for Vehicles!

No matter if it is the daily commute to work or school, road trips, or whatever it may be, many of us spend quite a lot of time in our cars. So, why not make these car rides as comfortable as possible?! The company WMF had the same thought and created the WMF espresso machine, which is featured in Audi’s latest concept car. The espresso machine is placed in between the passenger and driver seats for easy access. Anytime you sit in traffic now, you can enjoy fresh cup of coffee!

A Little Bit About The History Of Coffee...

There are many legends about coffee...
The stimulating effect of coffee beans on the human mind was discovered by accident, just as the healing powers of tea - only more than 1000 years later. How coffee was actually discovered is not exactly known. However, there are many legends about it. One is a story of a herd of goats, which stole their guards’ sleep by jumping around all night long, still wide awake and happily bleating, until these guards finally found out that the goats always munched on red and green fruits of a particular shrub (the coffee bush). Later, the monks of the nearby monastery were the first to enjoy the perking drink, as they pounded the fruit to a powder and mixed it with hot water.

The origin of the coffee bush...
The origin of the coffee bush is in the highland region of Ethiopia. There, the green beans were first chewed by nomadic tribes. Starting in the 9th Century, a drink was first made from the fruit.
In the 11th Century, the Arabs already planted coffee on the irrigated coastal slopes of the Red Sea. In Yemen, the coffee bean was first roasted on stone slabs.

How coffee was named...
The word "coffee" derives from the ancient Arabic word "qahwah". Originally that word described the wine that Muslims are forbidden to drink. The Turks called it "kahweh. Because of the exciting and slightly intoxicating effect of coffee it became known as the “wine of Islam”.

The spread of coffee...
The Turks did not only take over the teachings of the Arabs and their prophets, but also their favorite drink. They were the first that invented the great art of preparing coffee by brewing it with roasted beans.
Due to the Arabs’ strict monitoring of the coffee-growing process and them keeping it a big secret, the Western countries were only introduced to the beverage in the 17th Century.

The first coffee house in Europe opened in 1640 in Venice...
Finally, the triumph of coffee beans in Europe was unstoppable. The years between 1650 and 1750 were enough time for the alcohol-free "wine of Islam", to become a highly sought after beverage in all of Central Europe.

Happy Coffee Day!!!

Today is International Coffee Day!!! Yay!

I hope all of you enjoy great Espresso's, Latte's, Cappuccino's, Frappuchino's, Iced Coffee's, or whatever kind of coffee you might like.

Happy Coffee Day!!!!

12 Things You Didn’t Know About Coffee…

With an average of five cups daily, the Finns drink the most coffee per year worldwide. The Germans are second with about four cups daily, followed by the Italians. People in the U.S. only drink about 2.6 cups per day on average.

In large amounts, and especially over extended periods of time, caffeine can lead to a condition known as Caffeinism. Caffeinism usually combines caffeine dependency with a wide range of unpleasant physical and mental conditions including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremulousness, muscle twitching, insomnia, headaches, respiratory alkalosis, and heart palpitations.

"Kopi Luwak" is the name of the most expensive coffee in the world. It is made of coffee berries that are eaten by the Asian Palm Civet, and passed through its digestive tract. The beans are then gathered, washed, sun dried, light roasted and brewed. Kopi Luwak is produced mainly on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago.

After oil, coffee is second most traded product worldwide.

A roasted coffee bean contains around 800 different aromas (flavors). That makes coffee one of the richest-flavored foods.

Melitta Bentz, a housewife from Dresden (Germany) invented the coffee filter in 1908. Annoyed with having coffee grounds in her cup, she used blotting paper from her son’s school exercise-book and a brass pot perforated by a nail to make the first coffee filter in the world.

The Hamburg (Germany) harbor is worldwide the biggest reloading place (trans-shipment center) for raw coffee: Yearly about 700,000 metric tons of coffee are reloaded. The USA and Germany are the most important coffee import countries of the world.

Prussian king Friedrich the Great enjoyed his coffee best with a lot of pepper. On special occasions, he had is his favorite drink also be prepared with champagne instead of with water.

The Swedish king Gustav II viewed coffee more skeptically. At the end of 18-th century he wanted to prove that coffee consumption is unhealthy. He forced a pair of twins, both sentenced to death, to take part in an experiment. One twin had to drink large amounts of tea, the other coffee. Against expectation both survived the test. At last, the tea drinker died first – at the age of 83 years.

The common perception, coffee would draw water from the body, counts as disproved. The custom to serve a glass of water with coffee, serves only the neutralization of the taste buds.

Coffee is said to have a very anti-oxidative effect. It is said to help in preventing cancer. A recent study from Japan also ascribes a positive influence on the effect of the chemotherapy to caffeine.

September 29 is International Coffee Day!

Dip: Coffee

Today I found a new product, which was put on the coffee market not long ago. I thought it was cool and interesting, so I decided to introduce it to you.

The product is called "Dip: Coffee", and as the name says it is coffee to dip!
Dip: Coffee is freshly roasted, ground, and under protective atmosphere packed Gourmet coffee in a little paper bag.

To prepare the coffee simply take a cup with hot water and dip a bag of the "Dip: Coffee" in it for about 3 minutes, and voila, you have a fresh cup of coffee! The best part about it is that its packing is recyclable and biologically degradable.

Sounds simple and it is simple, but a complex technology and many years of development stand behind this kind of coffee preparation and packing. Even though the coffee bag may remind you of a tea bag, remember coffee is not tea, especially concerning the freshness and the extraction behavior.

I think this product has great potential especially in the outdoor and sports markets. You can take it on a camping, hiking or bike trip and enjoy great coffee wherever you are. It may be just as interesting to hotels and offices.

I will definitely try it when I get a chance! ;)