Vietnamese Cold Brew coffee from California, ready to drink
Those of you who know about coffee culture in Vietnam will know that the East Asia country is famed for two things: its Robusta beans and Vietnamese coffee. Both are getting into the spotlight of late, with quality Robusta being more accepted as a worthwhile alternative to 100% Arabica blends and Vietnamese coffee popping here and there in cafes around the world.
Read full storySparkling coffee juice - Yes, you read it right
If the thought of mixing coffee with fruit juices makes you shiver, think again. Not only coffee in itself is originally a cherry, thus basically a fruit like strawberries or mangoes, but the cherry is usually ignored and wasted, as farmers use only the internal beans to make coffee. The beans are where the most caffeine is, and the cherry outside is only lightly used to ferment the coffee and donate to it additional flavors. Then it is discarded, generating waste. As with many other parts of the coffee processing, the cherries are a byproduct that is not currently much used, if at all, by the coffee industry.
Read full storyThe cultivation origin of whisky does influence its taste
It may seem obvious to some, but there’s an age-old conundrum of whether the influence of the environment (ground, air, water and so on) where the raw materials used to make whisky was cultivated in influences the final taste. Although aged spirits go under a lot of changes in aroma and taste, developing new ones and losing others that were initially present, a new research shows a link between the terroir where the whisky’s barley or grain was cultivated and its taste in the glass.
Read full story3D printed meat is coming to the USA
It seems like a sci-fi movie, but it is a reality. 3D printed, plant-based meat is the principal product of the Israeli-based Redefine Meat. Thanks to a financing round led by Happiness Capital, Hanaco Ventures, CPT Capital and other international investors, the company has accrued $29 millions. These funds will be soon used to move forward with plans of launching the plant-based meat alternatives to international markets in Europe, Asia and North America. In total, Redefine Meat has now raised $38 millions.
Read full storyFinally a fast pour over
Being a serious coffee drinker means to explore various brewing methods and tweaking them all to our personal tastes. Researching the perfect cup takes effort, time, and passion.
Read full storyKitKat made of rice: Nestlé is keen on launching it soon
In a focused effort of much of the food industry to increase their plant-based offerings, Nestlé has announced that it is perfecting the formula for a vegan KitKat based on rice and is going to be soon available. These were the words of Alexander Von Maillot, head of Nestlé’s confectionery business.
Read full storyA modern Moka pot. Will it also be better?
The moka pot, or stovetop pot if you prefer, is a long beloved way to brew coffee. Rich, strong, somewhat espresso-like, it has seen a recent resurgence in popularity due to the number of home brewers that are constantly looking for the very best cup of coffee for their tastes.
Read full storyLow and no alcohol spirits boomed in 2020
Anybody who has visited a supermarket in the last years has noticed: “spirits” that are very low in alcoholic content or completely alcohol free have taken an increasingly large space on the shelves. This reflects the increasing demand of consumers for a tasty drink that won’t have consequences for their health. The spirits industry has listened and a plethora of bottles boasting little to no alcohol but still being categorized as “spirits” has made its appearance in the last years.
Read full storyDairy-identical ice cream launched in over 5000 stores
First of all, what’s “dairy-identical”? Well, it may simply be a marketing term but it is supposedly meaning that a product has been made to closely resemble, nearly being identical then, a dairy product using no dairy ingredients. Being vegan, then. Resembling in all, not just in taste. This includes smell, texture, consistency and mouthfeel.
Read full storyVegan tourism is booming
We are well past the days when veganism was a fringe movement, mostly identified with hippies, nature-lovers, and not mainstream. Even those of us that keep eating meat are well aware of the vegan options present in supermarkets, of what is vegan and what is not (mostly), and that the phenomenon is not something marginal but an increasingly large minority of Americans identifies as vegan. Studies and statistics have shown how veganism is getting accepted and spread as fast as ever (58% of Americans want to eat more plant-based food and overall the vegans in the USA grew 1% to 7% between 2014 and 2017).
Read full storyVodka from coffee? Yes, why not?
You wouldn’t think that good vodka could be made from anything that’s not a grain or potatoes. Surely not with anything that is a bean, like the coffee we normally brew is. But you would be wrong as a New York-based startup just released their vodka made from discarded coffee. And it is supposedly good at the taste and for the environment. Let’s see why.
Read full storySpirits continue to gain market share in the US
It has become a tradition by now, as it is the 11th consecutive year in which spirits have gained market share in the US. That market share has been eroded from the beer and wine ones, new data from Discus (Distilled Spirits Council of the US) show.
Read full storyU.S. roasters winners of Good Food Award 2021 announced
Fourteen companies throughout the US have been awarded the annualGood Food prize in the coffee category. The 2021 edition of the competition that awards their prize to the most transparent, fair and with an excellent final product food companies, is the 11th ever held. The winners were selected among 25 finalists announced last fall. The event was held last Friday, virtually due to the ongoing pandemic. This year's coffee roaster winners are the ones I'm going to focus on here.
Read full storyNespresso vs Espresso: how do they compare?
There is a long held debate on whether Nespresso is real espresso or not, and how does the coffee produced by a Nespresso machine compare with what a proper espresso machine can produce. Some have chimed in on whether Nespresso constitutes real espresso before, so there's no need 'to repeat that here. You can read about whether Nespresso is actually espresso at Nespresso is real espresso if you are more interested in that and come back here later.
Read full storyIs there concrete evidence that coffee companies' sustainability efforts have an impact?
Sustainability in coffee is a term that is being tossed around a lot these days. Sustainability means better wages for the coffee workers, transparent costs, being a little impactful on the environment as possible (ideally being net-zero carbon emissions), greater efforts in traceability of the coffee and a more equal redistribution of the earnings from the coffee sales.
Read full storyNestlé to double sustainability spending for their Nescafé brand
The food giant has pledged to invest over 700 million of Swiss francs (equivalent to $787 million) over the next decade on a program that includes responsibly sourcing all Nescafé's coffee. That practically means tracing supplies back to the singular groups of farmers by 2025. The program includes an objective to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 for Nestlé. The sum pledged is more than double of what the company has spent in the past 10 years.
Read full storyParler isn't "free speech", according to Tim Cook.
Parler is back as of yesterday. The controversial app found a new host in DDos-Guard, which is controlled by two Russian men and provides services including protection from distributed denial of service attacks. They have been known to host various sites that were used by extremists and conspiracy theorists to spread their theories.
Read full storyCoffee, and especially espresso, may be really good for your health
2 new studies found a positive correlation between the consumption of coffee and a lower risk of early death risk and prostate cancer. Especially drinking espresso was found to have many beneficial health effects in prolonging our lives.
Read full storyIs coffee at risk of disappearing? Scientists gathers to look for alternatives
About a month ago a group of scientists and coffee experts gathered in the south of France to discuss, test and reflect on the future of the coffee for not only decades, but centuries ahead.
Read full storyPandemic erased about a quarter of US coffee shop market, report shows
The COVID-19 pandemic hit hard on the coffee shop market, with nearly a quarter of all the shops in US being erased by it, according to the latest annual report from coffee market research groupAllegra World Coffee Portal.
Read full story