Coffee Prices Supported, For Now

While sugar has been the soft commodity star over the past 12 months, coffee prices have done little. Analysts at Barclays Capital suggest 2010 could prove a different story for coffee given the potential for supply side issues to impact on the market.

As Barclays points out, coffee is really a simple story in that the market revolves around Brazil and Columbia as the two largest producers, Brazil of arabica and Columbia of the washed milds varieties, which are the deliverable type of arabica for contracts on the ICE Futures Exchange.

On its numbers Barclays expects the coffee market will report a one million bag deficit in 2009/10, an outcome it suggests will support average prices for the ICE front month arabica contract of US$1.41 per pound over the first half of 2010.

Supply side issues are also supportive as the analysts point out the 2008/09 harvest in Columbia was very poor at 8.6 million bags, which was down 30% year-on-year thanks to heavy rainfall, an outbreak of coffee rust, low input usage, cherry borer and reduced acreage. 2009/10 is showing no signs of delivering an improved harvest.

As well, Barclays notes some other producing nations in Central America and Mexico are underperforming with respect to likely harvests, all of which has pushed arabica inventories down to their lowest level since February 2003.

This underperformance elsewhere has brought the market's focus to Brazil, which has just completed its 2009/10 harvest and delivered a fall of 14% in year-on-year terms from 2008/09 levels. Again, this was the result of adverse weather conditions, which impacted on the quality of the crop.

Weather will hold the key to the outlook for the coffee market over the next 12 months according to Barclays, as at present Brazil is expected to record a close to record crop of between 45.9 million to 48.7 million bags in 2010/11.

With Colombia also expected to record a moderate crop improvement to around 11 million bags in 2010, Barclays expects the market will return to a surplus, so softening prices in the second half of this year. Barclays is forecasting an average price for the second half of 2010 of US$1.35 per pound.

For the rest of the first half of this year Barclays remains mildly bullish on coffee however, suggesting prices will remain supported at least until there is is a reversal in the trend of falling stock levels on the ICE Exchange.

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Does Portland beat Seattle at coffee?

Does Portland brew -- and roast, and buy -- its coffee better than Seattle now? That's the theme of a KUOW report today by Chantal Anderson. founder Jordan Michelman:

"Seattle is very stuck in a mold of what coffee culture was like 20 years ago and third wave coffee is very, very different from that."

What's third wave? Michelman told KUOW: "It works on much more of a thinking about it almost from.

A gastronomy stand point of being really, really obsessed about seed to cup, where it comes from, who's roasting it, where it's roasted, the duration of time, having the choices, seasonality, all these kinds of things. There's nowhere that does that here."

Sprudge wrote on Twitter that "npr took us out of context." (Disclosure: Sprudge does not dig my coverage of Fair Trade, among other things.)

Either way, Michelman would not be the first to say Portland has passed us, with high-profile Stumptown Coffee leading the way (pictured: its flagship store in Portland). Sam Lewontin, who goes by coffeeandbikes on Twitter, wrote a thoughtful post about it on espresso machine maker Slayer's web site last month.

In the KUOW report, Lewontin mentions the shackles of street food regulations in Seattle, which the city and county are working to change. Their efforts are largely aimed at opening up carts for vending beyond coffee, popcorn, hot dogs and flowers. But one proposed change would get rid of city restrictions on cart size and defer to more liberal county guidelines, said Gary Johnson at the Seattle Department of Planning and Development. And, he said, he welcomes comments about cart rule changes.So, what do you think? Has Portland eclipsed Seattle at coffee?

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Coffee Bean International Introduces Project Direct

Coffee Bean International, the Portland, Ore.-based specialty coffee roaster and wholesaler, last week announced the launch of the direct trade program, "Project Direct." Through Project Direct, Coffee Bean International works directly with farmers to achieve the mutually beneficial goal of paying higher prices for better-quality coffee, directly improving coffee growers' farms, communities and quality of life. The program now offers Coffee Bean International's private brand retail clients the opportunity to source coffees through these impactful buying relationships.

The first Project Direct coffee is from the San Ignacio region of Peru. Working with over 20 independent coffee farmers -- 90 percent of whom are growing organically -- Coffee Bean International is setting coffee growing standards that will lead to the continued improvement of the coffee crop, while farmers receive between $0.40 and $1.00 per pound more than established fair trade prices. Coffee Bean International is working to establish direct trade relationships with growers in Nicaragua and Tanzania this year.

"The Project Direct program is a commitment by our company to improve the quality of life for farmers and to pursue the mutually beneficial goal of adding transparency and improving coffee quality," says Patrick Criteser, president and CEO of Coffee Bean International. "This program elevates our company's long-standing partnerships with farmers to a higher level of commitment, and assures our clients have access to the highest-quality, sustainably sourced coffees available in the market."

Now retailers' private brands can work with Coffee Bean International and offer their customers direct trade coffee. Because Coffee Bean International brings a micro-roaster's attention to quality to the final product, large regional and national retailers have access to the type of quality and innovation previously absent from the national brand scene.

"Our customers are interested in the story behind the products that they buy," says Karen Stout, vice president of non-perishables at The Fresh Market. "With Project Direct coffee, they can find that story -- about the regions, the farms and about the sourcing practices."

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Which coffee personality are you?

Coffee snobs can find more than froth and sugar at the bottom of their cups - personality lives there as well. While strolling out of a cafe on the way to work, that cup of coffee in your hand is actually emitting hidden meanings to passers-by.

In their new book, The You Code, body language experts Judi James and James Moore decipher what our caffeine preferences reveal about our self esteem, stress levels and even sex life.

The espresso drinker James and Moore describe the espresso as "the unfiltered cigarette of the coffee drinking world". Espresso drinkers tend to be moody, hard-bitten and hard working.

They are into leadership and fast goals. They don't suffer fools but are hard living and prone to "night-time shenanigans, followed by a rather louche attempt at day time repair". The espresso drinker can be an experienced, exciting and consummate lover but is not known for reliability or unswerving loyalty. The black coffee drinker

This type is al about minimalism and takes a no-frills, direct approach to life.The black coffee drinker can be quiet and moody but prone to brief bursts of extroversion. "A difficult but potentially rewarding friend, colleague or partner," James and Moore conclude.

The latte drinker

Typically metrosexuals or cuddly-toy collectors, latte drinkers are pleasers with an overwhelming compulsion to be liked. A latte drinking boss will use a baby voice to tell you off.

By taking a dark and dangerous drink and turning it into a comforting milky bedtime beverage, James and Moore say, latte drinkers reveal that while they may want to come across as hot shot contenders, they have an immature side.

The cappuccino drinker

What's not to like about the extroverted, optimistic cappuccino drinker? Like their drink, cappuccino drinkers are all froth and bubble, bored by detail and liking - but not obsessed with - material objects. "Freud would have a field day here," write James and Moore. "Cappuccino froth gives the tongue the mother of all workouts and is all to do with the physicality of the experience rather than the basic consumption of the beverage." The cappuccino drinker enjoys sex but is easily bored by an unimaginative partner.

The instant coffee drinker

These are cheerful, straight forward types, who like a laugh and live by the maxim "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". But instant coffee drinkers can be unadventurous in their careers and need to let others see the hidden depths in their personality. The no-nonsense instant coffee drinker is allergic to pretentious behaviour, say James and Moore, and they are likely to keep their socks on during sex.

The decaf soy milk drinker

A self-righteous eco-worrier and attention seeker with a tendency to be picky, fussy - and squeamish in the bedroom. What's more, this faux choice implies a pretentious, high-maintenance type who wants what they can't have and is disguising their true personality. "If caffeine gives palpitations and cow's milk brings you out in spots there's little hope for you in the cockroach society that is city dwelling", James and Moore conclude.

The frappucino drinker

Flighty and shallow, the frappucino drinker will try anything once - especially if a celebrity has done it first. They fancy themselves trend setters but send out the message that they are someone who favours style over substance. The frappucino drinker's relationships often last as long as their drink choice, according to James and Moore.

The non-coffee drinker

Unfortunately, the verdict isn't good. Frightened of coffee equals frightened of life, say James and Moore. If the taste of coffee puts you off you really are a child, they say, and it's time to join the world of grown ups. But there's hope.

"Twenty one days is all it will take to break your cycle of disgust and then you'll be back in the real world."

The You Code is published by Vermilion and will be released in March 2010.

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North has best coffee - UCDA

THE war-ravaged north has the best coffee in the country, according to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).

“Coffee from northern Uganda emerged as the best coffee during the 2006 quality test carried out by UCDA. Coffee beans from the area are bigger in size and clean,” Winfred Oyella, the Lango sub-region coffee coordinator, said.

She was speaking during an agricultural trade show at Pece Stadium in Gulu last week. Oyella added that the coffee in the north is not adulterated.

Adulteration is when a farmer pours water and mixes the coffee beans with stones so that it can weigh heavily. Oyella stated that UCDA had started rehabilitating coffee plantations in the region that were destroyed during the 20-year LRA war.

She added that the authority was buying coffee seedlings from the farmers and distributing them free of charge to promote coffee growing in the area. Oyella said last season the 400 coffee farmers in Lango sub-region produced 55 tonnes of coffee, adding that they expected the production to go up in the coming season.

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What your coffee says about you

Coffee snobs can find more than froth and sugar at the bottom of their cups - personality lives there as well. While strolling out of a cafe on the way to work, that cup of coffee in your hand is actually emitting hidden meanings to passers-by.

In their new book, The You Code, body language experts Judi James and James Moore decipher what our caffeine preferences reveal about our self esteem, stress levels and even sex life. THE ESPRESSO DRINKER - James and Moore describe the espresso as "the unfiltered cigarette of the coffee drinking world". Espresso drinkers tend to be moody, hard-bitten and hard working.

They are into leadership and fast goals. They don't suffer fools but are hard living and prone to "night-time shenanigans, followed by a rather louche attempt at day time repair". The espresso drinker can be an experienced, exciting and consummate lover but is not known for reliability or unswerving loyalty.

THE BLACK COFFEE DRINKER - This type is all about minimalism and takes a no-frills, direct approach to life. The black coffee drinker can be quiet and moody but prone to brief bursts of extroversion. "A difficult but potentially rewarding friend, colleague or partner," James and Moore conclude.

THE LATTE DRINKER - Typically metrosexuals or cuddly-toy collectors, latte drinkers are pleasers with an overwhelming compulsion to be liked. A latte drinking boss will use a baby voice to tell you off.

By taking a dark and dangerous drink and turning it into a comforting milky bedtime beverage, James and Moore say, latte drinkers reveal that while they may want to come across as hot shot contenders, they have an immature side.

THE CAPPUCCINO DRINKER - What's not to like about the extroverted, optimistic cappuccino drinker? Like their drink, cappuccino drinkers are all froth and bubble, bored by detail and liking - but not obsessed with - material objects. "Freud would have a field day here," write James and Moore. "Cappuccino froth gives the tongue the mother of all workouts and is all to do with the physicality of the experience rather than the basic consumption of the beverage." The cappuccino drinker enjoys sex but is easily bored by an unimaginative partner.

THE INSTANT COFFEE DRINKER - These are cheerful, straight forward types, who like a laugh and live by the maxim "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". But instant coffee drinkers can be unadventurous in their careers and need to let others see the hidden depths in their personality. The no-nonsense instant coffee drinker is allergic to pretentious behaviour, say James and Moore, and they are likely to keep their socks on during sex.

THE DECAF SOY MILK DRINKER - A self-righteous eco-worrier and attention seeker with a tendency to be picky, fussy - and squeamish in the bedroom. What's more, this faux choice implies a pretentious, high-maintenance type who wants what they can't have and is disguising their true personality. "If caffeine gives palpitations and cow's milk brings you out in spots there's little hope for you in the cockroach society that is city dwelling", James and Moore conclude.

THE FRAPPUCINO DRINKER - Flighty and shallow, the frappucino drinker will try anything once - especially if a celebrity has done it first. They fancy themselves trend setters but send out the message that they are someone who favours style over substance. The frappucino drinker's relationships often last as long as their drink choice, according to James and Moore. THE NON-COFFEE DRINKER - Unfortunately, the verdict isn't good. Frightened of coffee equals frightened of life, say James and Moore. If the taste of coffee puts you off you really are a child, they say, and it's time to join the world of grown ups. But there's hope. "Twenty one days is all it will take to break your cycle of disgust and then you'll be back in the real world."

The You Code is published by Vermilion.

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Coffee and blood flow

It said a study has found that one cup is enough to reduce blood flow to the heart by 22% within an hour of being drunk. Though this research found that a group of volunteers had raised blood pressure and slightly constricted arteries an hour after drinking caffeinated coffee, the actual effect was modest and unlikely to have any adverse health effects. It is normal for arteries to dilate and constrict throughout the day, with exercise for example.

The researchers did not assess whether these changes persisted beyond an hour or how long it took for blood flow to return to its starting point. In addition, the study was in only 20 people, and with such a small number of participants, there is an increased likelihood that the results are due to chance alone.

Like many things, coffee should be drunk in moderation. Consuming high amounts of caffeine every day is likely to have some effect on wellbeing, regardless of whether this includes an effect on the heart and blood vessels. Where did the story come from?

This research was carried out by Dr S Buscemi and colleagues from the University of Palermo. The study was funded by The Italian Ministry of Education and the Associazione Onlus Nutrizione e salute, Italy. The paper was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The newspaper headlines tended to overemphasise the health consequences of coffee consumption based on the small changes in blood pressure and arterial dilation observed in this study. However, the Daily Mail did emphasis that this was a small study.

This study does not provide any evidence for the long-term effects of coffee on health. The press also tended to refer to other studies that have reported health benefits of coffee for diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. The stories that have tended to hit the headlines on the effect of coffee on health have typically been relatively small and difficult to interpret. Much of this prior research has been covered by Behind the Headlines.


What kind of research was this?

This was a non-randomised, crossover double blind study looking at the effect of coffee on artery function in healthy individuals. The rate of blood flow is determined by dilation of the arteries, which are controlled by the cells (endothelial cells) that line the artery walls. The researchers wanted to assess whether caffeine would have an effect on these cells and affect artery function.

This was a very small study. It is not possible to say that the differences that the researchers observed were not down to chance.


What did the research involve?

The study recruited 10 male and 10 female hospital employees between the ages of 25 and 50, who all drank less than two cups of coffee per day. The participants were healthy, non-obese, non-smokers, who did not have heart disease or diabetes. To avoid the possibility that women’s menstrual cycle may affect their blood flow measurements, they were tested between the 7th and 21st day of their cycle.

The participants were asked to abstain from chocolate in the time leading up to the study and to have fasted overnight. Testing took place the following morning. The participants were randomised to receiving either a cup of caffeinated or decaffeinated Italian espresso coffee. Using ultrasound, a blinded researcher measured their blood flow in the brachial artery (a major blood vessel of the upper arm) before they drank the coffee, then 30 and 60 minutes afterwards. A blood sample was also taken before the coffee was drunk, and an hour later. Blood pressure and heart activity were monitored throughout the test.
Five to seven days later the experiment was repeated, with each participant receiving the opposite drink to the one they had drunk on the previous test.


What were the basic results?

After drinking caffeinated coffee, the participants’ systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased. At both 30 and 60 minutes, systolic blood pressure had increased from 113 to 116 (2.7% increase) and diastolic blood pressure increased from 68 to 72 (5.9% increase) (p<0.05).

Arterial flow decreased after drinking caffeinated coffee, to an average maximum of 22.1% at 60 minutes (p<0.05).


How did the researchers interpret the results?

The researchers conclude that: “caffeinated coffee induces significant endothelial dysfunction”. They suggest that coffee may have unfavourable acute cardiovascular and metabolic effects on endothelial function.


Conclusion

This study looked at how drinking a cup of caffeinated espresso affected arterial blood pressure and blood flow up to an hour afterwards. Although caffeinated espresso did appear to alter measurements of these compared to decaffeinated espresso, the researchers did not assess whether these changes persisted beyond an hour or how long it would take for blood pressure and blood flow to return to normal. The changes seen in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were only minimal, and it is unlikely that these small changes alone would have any health effects.

In addition, the study was in only 20 people. With such a small number of participants, there is an increased likelihood that the results are due to chance alone. Also, the participants were not randomly recruited, but were hospital employees. As such, it is possible that this small sample of people may not reflect the general population.

Taken together, these limitations make up a strong argument against the Telegraph’s headline that a “Single espresso a day 'can damage heart’”. Larger studies and further research is needed to assess the effect of coffee on circulation, and the long-term effects of coffee consumption on health.

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Nescafé coffee and Kit Kat team up

Customers who purchase two tins of Nescafé Original from cash and carries from March will get 24 two-finger Kit Kats free.The promotional box also contains an A3 poster and five tent cards to help customers raise awareness of the scheme. “Nescafé Original and Kit Kat are two of the most popular brands in the UK and bringing together these products looks set to maximise sales and profits for the sector throughout 2010,” said Nestlé Professional Martin Lines.

“The promotion supports research claiming consumers drink 12% more coffee when they have a snack to go with it. By driving joint usage occasions, we expect to see an increase in coffee as well as Kit Kat sales, ultimately resulting in a substantial profit increase for our customers.”

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Uganda cuts coffee export forecast

Ugandan coffee officials have revised their export forecast for the October 2009 to September 2010 season down to 3.1 million bags from 3.4 million previously, a source at the regulator said on Tuesday.

The country is one of the continent’s major exporters and mainly produces Robusta beans.

“From the first few months of the season we have seen declines and farmers in a number of areas say the drought is having a severe impact on their harvests,” said the source at the state-run Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).

“And, of course, the prices are still down because they haven’t fully recovered from economic crisis. These two factors influenced our review of the forecast.”

Year-on-year coffee exports plummeted 20.4% in January, dropping to 264,314 bags that fetched $25.4m from 332,211 bags in Jan. 2009 that earned $30.7m.

A draft report for January production last week indicated that “the widespread and prolonged drought that we experienced in 2009 hit at a critical time when the coffee beans were forming.”

Many of them, it added, never fully developed and just shrank and dropped off trees prematurely.
Coffee is the east African country’s top commodity export and a key earner of foreign exchange.

In 2009, Uganda experienced one of its worst droughts in recent years, which saw yields in other key commodities like tea and cotton drop substantially.

Meanwhile, Ugandan cocoa exports for the October 2009 to September 2010 season are forecast to grow 20 percent to about 18,000 tonnes due to higher prices and expanding acreage, a senior official said on Tuesday.

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Coffee slows brain cancer growth

According to the researchers at the (South) Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), animal test results showed regular caffeine found in coffee and green tea to have strongly repressed.

The growth of inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) closely linked to glioblastoma, which is the most common and aggressive type of primary brain tumour found in human.

The research team, comprising of scientists from Seoul National University, Gyeongsang National University, and Emory University in Atlanta, said.

That calcium plays a primary role in spreading glioblastoma tumour cells in humans, and that IP3R directly contributes to the amount of calcium released.

They discovered a sub-type of IP3R, or IP3R3, to be very active among brain cancer patients and that caffeine stymies the spread of such compounds, resulting in less tumour growth in the brain and blocks cancer cells from spreading to other parts of the body, reports Xinhua. "This is the first type of discovery showing caffeine to have an inhibitive effect on the growth of glioblastoma, and thus, we expect it to have monumental impact on related studies," said Lee Chang-joon, who led the study. The researchers said that the amounts of caffeine used in the animal tests were somewhere in the range of two to five cups of coffee or green tea consumed on average by humans per day.

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Coffee and sports health care

The cafe health is sports have been at the Line of Fire for many years, until 2003, even the coffee among the substance subject to restraint of use in part because it was considered doping and fit body best health now thankfully no longer the case. Coffee contains caffeine which is a thrilling agent health care food there was even the upper limit of 12 micrograms milliliter of urine in the coffee.

In fact this limit is large enough, because by drinking 3-5 cups of coffee however, not to exceed course for coffee lovers who were super sport at a competitive level even coffee could become a source of problems.Today, coffee has been cleared and health care in certain doses can also benefit the sport, Michelangelo, Specialist in Sports Medicine and Nutrition Science explains.

The benefits of sport performance on certain nerving drinks, especially coffee, tea and chocolate, depend primarily on their content of three substances.The physiological and pharmacological effects of caffeine are manifold.

It improves attention and ability to be alert, to reduce the subjective feeling of fatigue and thus contributes to the improvement of physical and mental health.Another possible factor in support of positive action of caffeine on sports performance depends on its ability to create an environment more favorable intracellular ion muscle contraction, thereby facilitating the ability of each motor unit to produce work. The caffeine seems to increase the rate and power productivity in simulated race situation. These effects seem to take place in both races that last up to sixty subsequent to none in the longest.

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