Vietnam exports mainly unprocessed coffee

Therefore, foreign importers are still in the dark about Vietnam’s processed coffee. In the near future, businesses should concentrate on increasing the production of processed coffee for export to increase its added value.

According to the ICO, last year’s global coffee production stayed at almost 7.5 million tonnes, a decrease of nearly 300,000 tonnes compared with the previous year. This was mainly due to a drop in production in Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.

This year’s global coffee consumption is estimated at nearly 8 million tonnes. Despite this fact, the export prices of Vietnamese coffee are continuing to fall sharply. The average export price in March was only US$1,370 per tonne, the lowest level since November 2006.

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Cumberland Farms debuts iced coffee offering

Cumberland Farms, the Framingham-based convenience store chain, said it is rolling out a new iced coffee offering made from its Farmhouse Blend coffee recipe. In response to customer demand, the chain said that its medium roast is now available chilled. Any sized coffee, hot or iced, is 99 cents, the chain said, and to get out the word about its iced coffee, Cumberland Farms said that customers can get iced coffee for free on Fridays from May 7th through June 4th.

This is the first time that stores in the chain have installed iced-coffee equipment, a chain spokeswoman said. Cumberland Farms has roughly 500 stores, most of them in the Northeast. A recent Globe story noted that java wars are brewing in the iced coffee space as chains look to court customers who are increasingly inclined to enjoy their caffeine in chilled form. That Globe story cited statistics from the National Coffee Association, a trade group that noted that 30 percent of coffee drinkers ordered a chilled coffee drink of some sort in 2009, up from 27 percent the previous year.

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Is Decaffeinated Coffee Good?

Let’s begin by understanding what is decaffeinated coffee? It is essentially coffee with the caffeine content being removed from it or perhaps reduced. Now before you reach for that cup of coffee and think well it is decaffeinated what harm can come of it?

Think again! Most people who drink coffee do so because it keeps them fresh and stops them from feeling jittery, however some believe that it is better to have regular coffee than decaf. So the question that is uppermost in your mind is- which is better regular coffee or decaffeinated? Another question that emanates from this discussion is- does drinking decaffeinated coffee pose any health risks?

Now let’s begin by understanding how much caffeine does decaffeinated coffee contain? It actually has almost 97% of the caffeine removed that means just about 5milligrams remains, as compared to the 150 milligrams in about 6 ounces of regular brewed coffee.

Let us also briefly understand how caffeine is extracted so we know whether the process is healthy or not. Three methods are mainly used to extract caffeine; one is by making use of organic solvents like mythlene chloride or ethyl acetate, the second is by using carbon dioxide and the third being the water method. As ethyl acetate is a fruit derivative, coffee that is decaffeinated by making use of this solvent is called natural decaf.

There have often been heated discussions about coffee that is decaffeinated with methylene chloride being used as a solvent because often studies have shown that this chemical caused cancer when it was inhaled by animals in labs, however interestingly the same chemical had no effect when the animal drank it. In fact the compound that is used in decaf has been approved by the FDA.

Another question is does drinking regular coffee cause any health problems? Often coffee is blamed for many ailments particularly related to hypertension, but almost all tests carried on this harmless beverage have declared it not guilty. One study has found that drinking five or more cups of coffee may raise cholesterol levels. Most Canadians and Americans drink filtered coffee.

You may be surprised to read this but caffeine can actually have some benefits like- it boosts alertness and also has mild analgesic effect that is why it is added to some pain killers. Drinking excessive decaffeinated coffee can however cause the risk of ulcers. So just drink in moderation and hey! There is no stopping you from reaching for that warm cup of coffee to begin the day in a refreshing way!

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The world's most expensive coffee

A group of inner-city gardening enthusiasts believe they might just have stumbled across the recipe for the perfect cup of coffee. It goes something like this: take one lovingly nurtured coffee tree, add 12 volunteers and the generous services of an international coffee expert; enlist a helping paw or two from some greedy local possums, then carefully season with plenty of time and commitment. At the end of all that, you should have a cup of coffee to be proud of.

The coffee tree stands in a tiny Woolloomooloo community garden. There's really room for only one tree because the garden is about half the size of a basketball court. About 25 locals maintain tiny plots of beans, leafy greens, artichokes, eggplants and so on. There are also communal areas for herbs and other food plants such as the coffee tree - not that you'd really notice it, gardener Carlyn Chen says. "It's just one skinny little tree," she says. "It looks pretty weedy, actually."

But this year, the weedy little tree decided to show what it is capable of and grew some serious fruit.

The members of the community garden picked more than a kilogram of berries. They also discovered plenty of berries around the base of the tree that appeared already to have been stripped ready for drying.

"Possums like to eat fruit and the fruit around coffee beans is really sweet and creamy, so it seems they were eating the fruit and then spitting out the beans," Chen says. "They were doing some of the work for us, peeling the beans."

Next, the community gardeners enlisted the help of master roaster Toby Smith of Toby's Estate. Smith, who started his business in Woolloomooloo and still has a popular cafe in Cathedral Street, was happy to help turn the beans into a product ready for drinking.

After laboriously peeling the skin, or parchment, from each seed, Smith roasted them.

"I roasted them to a light medium so we could get as much acidity and as much of the natural flavour of the coffee as possible," he says. "It roasted beautifully and evenly."

In fact, Smith even managed to fool some of his colleagues into thinking the beans were the latest Colombian supremo roast rather than originating much closer to home. The end result was 300 grams of coffee beans, which were bagged and sent off to the gardeners down the street.

Later, Smith joined Chen and the others for a ceremonial cup of coffee in the garden, a moment they all savoured. "Having a coffee harvest in the middle of the city is a real triumph," Chen says. "Cities aren't known to have the most fertile soil and the cleanest air and you also have the risk of vandalism so we're pretty happy to have the whole process happen in the same suburb - from growing, to harvesting, to roasting and grinding and drinking it."

And the verdict from the expert? "It was very drinkable," Smith says. "Not at all bad for a coffee from sea level. It would have to be about the most expensive coffee in the world if we costed it out but it was worth the effort - great fun!"

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Coffee bar blends cultures

With consumers starting to ease open their wallets in the past few months, some Midlands retailers are taking a chance that an economic recovery will gain momentum. Here's a round-up of new places to shop and eat: Coffee fix: A Seattle coffee bar with a Southern flair is coming to Lexington. Jamestown Coffee Co. will open April 23 in Siena Shopping Center at 5166 Sunset Blvd.

The store aims to be a community gathering spot, similar to the coffee houses found in the Northwest, but the store also will serve Carolina coffee roasts and classic sweet tea. Owners James and Caryn Kirk also are a blend of the two cultures. They met at USC and spent a decade in the Pacific Northwest before returning to Lexington.

Jamestown will serve Island Coffee, roasted in Ravenel. The store also will offer more "adventurous" products, such as looseleaf tea, frappes, Italian sodas, baked goods and chocolates, as well as some breakfast and lunch items, desserts and gifts.

A meeting space for small groups also will be available. Info: jamestowncoffee.com

Computer fix: If you need a new or used computer or just need to get your old one repaired, shoppers have a new option in Elgin. PC Laser Tech recently opened in Elgin Village Square, 2465 Main St. (next to Food Lion).

Locally owned by Jeff Johnson and Andrew Tollin, the store offers most repairs within 24 hours and also repairs gaming consoles. The store also has locations in Columbia Place Mall and West Columbia.

Another store will open in Lexington in June. Info: pclasertech.com

Home furnishings: Love shopping at Kirkland's, but hate driving all the way to Northeast Richland? Problem solved.

The home furnishings chain, which already has a location in Village at Sandhill, will open its second store in the market next month at 242 Harbison Blvd. Grand-opening festivities are planned May 8-9.

Throughout the weekend, the store will have giveaways, special sales and free home decorating consultations with Beverly Gallavan. The store sells a variety of products, including framed art, mirrors, lamps and garden accessories. Info: kirklands.com

Authentic Mexican: La Fogata is now serving up authentic Mexican cuisine in the Village at Sandhill. The restaurant opened this month across from J.C. Penney, serving dishes such as grilled vegetables, beef and chicken fajita, grilled shrimp and shish kabobs.

More wings: Buffalo Wild Wings continues to expand in the Midlands. The latest store opening is set for May 10 at 5570 Sunset Blvd. That's in the Walmart shopping center. The wings joint and sports bar combo is planning half a dozen stores in the Columbia area. One on Devine Street opened in December. Both the Lexington and Devine Street locations are in former video rental stores.

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Vietnam’s premier approves coffee stockpiling

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to give low-interest loans of 6 percent to growers and exporters to stockpile as much as 200,000 metic tons of coffee, the central bank said.

The State Bank of Vietnam has been asked to work with commercial lenders to give loans to coffee companies to stockpile beans from the 2009-2010 crop and to help farmers finance a new crop, the bank said on its website. Companies will buy coffee for stockpiling between April 15 and July 15, the bank said.

The Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association in January asked the government to provide financial support for stockpiling to help growers prevent losses as domestic and international prices fell, according to a statement from the association.

Coffee output from Vietnam, the world’s second-biggest producer, may drop 30 percent in 2009-2010, the association said in January. The country produced 1.16 million tons the previous year. Prices of Robusta coffee, the variety that accounts for most of Vietnam’s production, have dropped 11.5 percent in the past year and last traded at $1,346 a ton on the Liffe exchange in London.

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Inking deals at 'power coffee breaks'

IF COFFEE be the lifeblood of businesses, drink on. Judging by the sheer number of coffee places sprouting up in office districts, there is a symbiotic relationship between such outlets and workplaces. Take Ms Stefanie Yuen Thio, joint managing director of TSMP Law Corporation, who sometimes uses the simple coffee break for what she terms a 'high-powered deal discussion coffee'.

'(These are) often used for preliminary discussions before a deal starts, to hammer out broad structures, flag important points or negotiate certain terms, such as fees,' she said. But these should take place under very specific and controlled conditions.

'(We do it) only if we have a private table at off-peak times,' she said. 'We always use code names for the clients and the deal, and many (preliminary agreements) have been finalised by a gentlemen's agreement over a latte, and with the deal structure drawn out on a paper napkin.'

She even has projects named after the cafes where they were first mooted: 'Project Six' and 'Project Burke'.

For recruiting agency GMP Group, these coffee sessions can be an important part of its business. 'We do meet prospective candidates over coffee. Most people we meet are not intending to move from their current employers; this is a less intrusive way to convince them to reconsider their present positions,' said Mr Josh Goh, its assistant director of corporate services.

'Sometimes, candidates do not wish to be seen in a recruitment or executive search agency because they don't want their current employers to find out that they are exploring external opportunities,' he said, adding that the firm has sealed some deals over coffee.

For Norwegian bank DnB Nor investment banker Joachim Jaeger Skorge, however, relationship building at the Starbucks outlet in his Temasek Tower office building is appropriate, but hard- nosed business is not. 'No, I don't seal deals over coffee, not at Starbucks,' he said.

Most people may ink their business agreements in a conference room, but many find that coffee with clients is crucial to building the rapport that helps both parties come to that agreement.

Mr Ong Wei Ping, executive director of environmental engineering solutions company IEQ Global, has long been in the field of sales and marketing, and finds that a cup of coffee is the perfect lubricant for building client rapport and networking.

'It's much easier to get a client down for coffee because it takes a lot less time,' he said. 'And unlike a meal, it's just drinks, so there's no problem with food preferences. In a restaurant, there are a lot of formalities - you wait for your tea to be poured, forks and spoons to be brought - that make people less at ease,' he added.

While a nice hot coffee does wonders for business relationships among clients, things are just as prosperous on the other side of the counter.

The steady stream of customers every morning, lunchtime and evening keeps store managers satisfied.

Killiney Kopitiam and San Francisco Coffee at Millenia Walk are strategically located near Millenia Tower, to take advantage of this relationship. About 90 per cent of Killiney's customers are from offices in the vicinity.

'All our customers are repeat customers,' said Killiney's managing director, Ms Anita Khubchandani. 'Some even visit us a few times within a day.'

Strong bonds can be formed when colleagues chat over sips of coffee in a casual environment far removed from the austerity of the office.

The friendly, non-threatening setting also presents an opportunity for superiors 'to lay down the law to a subordinate and yet come across as not such a bad guy', quipped Ms Thio.

But there are also those who steer clear of the tentacles of social coffee, like Deloitte & Touche tax partner Sum Yee Loong, who makes his own coffee - Nescafe instant - in the office pantry every morning. 'I'm a practical person. To get a cup of coffee downstairs at Starbucks costs me $7 - with that I can buy one bottle of Nescafe instant coffee that lasts me for two weeks,' he said. 'But I must have my caffeine.'

What about establishing rapport with colleagues? 'I usually have lunch or drinks with them. After two beers, we begin to be more light-hearted - that's more fun,' he added.

And coffee is kryptonite to Mr Timothy Peach, executive director of hedge fund Man Investments, who steers clear of anything that tastes remotely like coffee - even coffee cake. But this does not exclude him from the coffee break that clients or colleagues sometimes invite him to at the Starbucks at OCBC Centre.

'I have a cup of tea instead - green tea, even peppermint tea,' he said.

Yet the gravity of the coffee break - or tea break in his case - is not lost on this Englishman: 'The value in it, really, is that it's a semi-social meeting; you get more colour, and learn more about how the business works.'

Mr Phil Ho, co-founder of Highlander Coffee, maintains that coffee is fast catching on as a beverage of choice.

'Nowadays, when people say 'tea time', what they actually mean is 'coffee time',' he joked.

And besides keeping you from nodding off at work, coffee has served to stimulate the minds of artists and entrepreneurs through the ages.

'Famous musicians like Mozart; they come from Austria, a coffee-drinking country. They wrote their pieces sitting in coffee houses. In Silicon Valley, there are many coffee shops where people sit down and brainstorm over a cup of coffee,' said Mr Ho.

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The best coffee now comes in an instant pack

After serving the Philippine Air Force for 25 years—which meant several brushes with certain death— Alexander Ilagan certainly deserved to sit back and just relax upon his early retirement at 43 years old. But being idle did not suit the retired sergeant and intelligence officer well. He was just too used to putting in an honest day’s work.

So instead of just lazing about and living on his government pension, Ilagan finally did what he had always wanted to do, which was to put up his own business. And not just any business, but one that involved his beloved Batangas brewed coffee.

“The best coffee still comes from Batangas,” Ilagan declares in Tagalog. It can be difficult, however, to prepare Batangas coffee the right and the traditional way. You have to boil the water just right, for instance, to bring out the full flavor of Batangas’ Barako beans.

Ilagan says the process could indeed be quite tedious, which is why most settle for instant three-in-one coffee in sachets or coffee from vending machines, thus missing out on the full-bodied flavor of a piping hot cup of Batangas coffee.

Ilagan, who is justifiably proud of his province’s coffee, then asked himself how he could make it easier for most Filipinos to have their fix of Batangas style of coffee.

He pondered over this question during his last 10 years of service in the military and his big break came one fateful day when the serious coffee drinker found himself drinking herbal tea that promised him good health.

“I realized it was so easy to drink the tea because you just put the bag in hot water. Then I said to myself, this is the solution to the problem! I should also put coffee in a bag,” says Ilagan, who drinks about eight cups a day of Barako coffee.

To actually do so, however, is much more complicated than just putting ground coffee in tea bags, as Ilagan found out to his chagrin after going full time into his fledgling business.

“First, I had to find the right kind of bags for the coffee, then I had to find a way to properly seal the bags because they burned easily. Then, the most difficult part of all was to come up with the right mix of ground coffee to make sure I can provide that unique Batangas taste,” says Ilagan, who credits his wife, Merlita and their three children for inspiring him to pursue his passion.

Ilagan, now 58, would shut himself in a room and come up with his own concoctions during his early days as an entrepreneur, guided only by his instincts and taste for Batangas coffee that he has been drinking for as long as he can remember.

“I would experiment with different types and mixtures. Sometimes, I would find myself waking up in the middle of the night to try a new combination. I had to go through a lot of trial and error,” says Ilagan, who admits that there were many challenges along the way that almost made him quit.

Even his family had their doubts about the future of his business. After all, the idea of putting coffee grounds in a teabag had not been tested in Batangas. His unshakeable belief in his idea, however, pushed him to carry on.

When Ilagan came up with the combinations that passed his own taste, he had the older folk of Lipa—who certainly knew their coffee—taste them.

The mixture that got the most votes eventually became the basis for Xandro’s Food Repacking, which came into being in his backyard in Villa Monica Subdivision, Lipa City Batangas in 2005.

“I just had two people when I started. I did almost everything and sold the coffee myself, bringing them to bank employees and doctors, encouraging them to give the coffee a try,” Ilagan says, “Because they liked the taste, the orders started coming in.”

Thus, from producing just a few bags of coffee three days a month, Xandro’s now produces 100 boxes or 1,000 bags of coffee a day.

Xandro’s—which comes in Original 2 in 1 (coffee and sugar) Puro (no sugar) and Premium (with muscovado or raw sugar)—are distributed in different outlets such as Hotel Pontefino in Batangas, Rowena’s in Tagaytay City and the showrooms of the Departments of Trade and Industry and Agriculture.

His own children are his best sales and marketing people, bringing boxes of coffee for sale in their offices in Manila. Their collective effort, he says, has allowed them to earn a good profit and save enough to buy a commercial vehicle and improve their home.

Ilagan has even been recognized by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, through its Go Negosyo campaign, as one of the most notable entrepreneurs in Batangas and one of the country’s most inspiring microentrepreneurs.

“The award really surprised me. I did not expect that I would be recognized along with other people who had so much bigger enterprises than mine,” says Ilagan, whose trophy from Go Negosyo occupies a special place in his home, inspiring him to do even more.

Ilagan says he was happy that after four years, Xandro’s is now making an impact on the country’s growing coffee market, if only for the fact that the additional demand gives the Batangas farmers more reason to plant coffee again instead of other crops such as rice and sugar.

Ilagan goes around the coffee farms in Batangas himself and buys the best cherries from the farmers at a price higher than that offered by most traders. And he tells them he would buy more so they should produce more.

“I really want to help the farmers because we should not lose our tradition with coffee. There is still nothing like coffee from Batangas,” says Ilagan.

As for competition, Ilagan says copycats have already sprouted since they could also see the potential of brewed coffee in tea bags.

But he remains unfazed.

“They could all copy my idea, but I can guarantee that it will not taste the same,” says Ilagan with a grin, “If they could answer why I use three different grinders to prepare my coffee, then I’ll start getting concerned.”

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Tea, Coffee and Cocoa - All Good for Your Teeth

It may not come as a big surprise to you that green tea is good for dental health. After all, green tea is the miracle cure for pretty much anything, right? If you're not a huge fan of green tea, worry not: there are other beverages out there that can do the same. In fact, if you're a long time follower of this blog, then you already know that not only green tea but also black tea helps prevent dental caries. Both are also good for the gums.

The good news doesn't stop there, however. A recent review found that in addition to tea, cocoa and coffee showed anti-cariogenic potential as well (link). The reason behind this effect is the polyphenol content in all three. Though each three has different polyphenols that work in different ways, they all appear to get the job done and improve oral health.

Cocoa and dental caries

According to the authors of the review, studies have shown that additing cocoa powder or chocolate to hamster diets reduces their caries incidence. Unsurprisingly, cocoa powder or dark chocolate works better than chocolate with high sugar and low cocoa levels. Water-soluble extracts of cocoa powder also inhibited caries formation in rats.

The two main strains of bacteria that cause caries are Streptococcus sanguinis and Streptococcus mutans. Although the case is not entirely clear, cocoa polyphenols seem to inhibit the growth of the former but not the latter.

Cocoa also reduces plaque formation by inhibiting the enzyme dextransucrase, which forms plaque extracellular polysaccharides from sucrose. In one study, a mouth-rinse made from the ground husk of cocoa beans was effective in reducing plaque scores in children.

Coffee and dental caries

Roasted coffee beans were shown in two studies to be antibacterial against S. mutans. Coffee also appears to interfere with the adsorption of S. mutans to teeth. In another study, coffee did not inhibit the growth of the bacteria, but did reduce the adherence of bacterial cells to dental surface. In other words, while coffee might not kill the bacteria, drinking coffee could prevent it from sticking to your teeth.

The compounds in coffee that are most active in terms of dental health are trigonelline, caffeine and chlorogenic acid. It is possible that the anti-adhesive effect is due to the synergistic action of these (and other) chemicals in coffee.

Tea and dental caries

Since I've already covered the topic of tea and dental health in an earlier post, I'll just go over the review findings briefly here.

Tea polyphenols appear to protect from dental caries primarily through their anti-microbial action. While cocoa and coffee are mostly effective against the adhesion of bacteria on the surface of teeth, tea in addition actually inhibits the growth of several strains of Streptococcus. The polyphenols in tea also reduce the formation of plaque, the production of acidic compounds and the synthesis of glucan from sucrose. Importantly, commercial teas have been shown to inhibit salivary amylase activity, which may significantly reduce caries formation from foods with starch.

Green tea, black tea and oolong tea (which is somewhere between the two in terms of fermentation time) have all been shown to be beneficial for oral health. Even though white tea has not been studied, it very likely has much of the same benefits as green tea. Due to its light color, it may also stain teeth less than green or black tea.

Conclusion Tea, coffee and cocoa are all beneficial for dental health. Tea appears to be the best choice, since the polyphenols in tea are not only able to inhibit the adherence of bacteria to teeth, but also prevent the growth of cariogenic bacteria.

Tea is also effective against S. sanguinis and S. mutans, the two main strains responsible for caries, while coffee and cocoa seem to only work against the latter. While the effects of coffee have only been tested in vitro, cocoa has been shown to prevent caries formation in animals and reduce plaque in humans.

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Excessive coffee may ward off diabetes

Researchers at OU Health Sciences Center just announced the results of some new findings regarding excessive coffee drinking and Type 2 Diabetes. The research suggests 12 cups of coffee or more per day can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 70 percent among American Indians.

However, OU Health Sciences researcher Dr. Madona Azar also has a warning about this latest research, "Twelve cups is a pot of coffee. Caffeine has a lot of health benefits, but moderation is the key. Also keep in mind that it will predispose you to heart problems."

Researchers suspect the antioxidants in coffee are a big part of the success in warding off diabetes. Baristas like Melody Harwell at the downtown Oklahoma City coffeehouse Coffee Slingers are not surprised.

Harwell says, "Coffee is amazing. It lowers blood pressure. It's high in antioxidants and it's a nice supplement for fiber." Researchers only studied caffeinated coffee, decaf was not included.

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Coffee wouldn’t want us sitting for too long

Were there to be an open microphone at the funeral service Monday morning for the Rev. James Coffee, folks might still be sharing stories and tributes come Tuesday morning, or Wednesday. The good pastor himself wouldn’t want to subject the people he loved to sitting through all that. As Coffee, who died Tuesday at age 76, used to say, “The mind can retain only what the behind can sustain.”

So there won’t be an open forum at Monday’s 11 a.m. service at Community Baptist Church. Vivian Coffee promises there will be plenty of time for sharing memories and testimonials at a celebration of her late husband’s life that will happen in a few weeks.

HEY, ATHLETICS FANS,there may be no more important place to be at 6:45 p.m. next Tuesday, the 13th, than the main auditorium at Santa Rosa High.

Schools Plus will host a town meeting on saving the imperiled spring sports at the city’s high schools and middle schools.

There will be a discussion of funding for the arts, too, but springs sports is Topic 1 because of the school board’s vote to eliminate them next year.

Some potential donors are considering partnering with Schools Plus to help keep spring sports alive at the high schools, and it’s important that community members show that the sports program is important to them.

“The more community support we can demonstrate, the better it will be,” said John Bribiescas, a founder of Schools Plus.

Bribiescas is pleased that the school board member Bill Carle will come to the Tuesday’s meeting with updated budget figures, and he’s hoping for a large and spirited crowd.

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