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Aug 15
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Cup Of Excellence Enjoyed By All (Except Indonesia)

By ACE, alliance for coffee excellence, burundi, COE, Cup Of Excellence, Indonesia, Qima Coffee, Wire, yemen

For 20 years now, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) has been putting on Cup of Excellence competitions to cup, score, and ultimately auction off some of the best coffees produced in a given country. Beginning in 1999 with the inaugural competition in Brazil, the Cup of Excellence has expanded into 11 total countries, including Guatemala, Colombia, Rwanda, and Burundi. This year, ACE was poised to add yet another country to that list this fall with the first ever Indonesian Cup of Excellence competition. But due to funding issues, ACE has announced the postponement of that competition.

The Cup of Excellence was going to be the culmination of a pilot project started by ACE earlier this year, but according to a statement released earlier this week, “the organizing committee and country coordinators within Indonesia (SCAI) have hit a few hurdles in terms of funding and ACE has made the decision to temporarily postpone the on boarding of the Cup of Excellence into Indonesia.” No timeline for the reimplementation of the program were given, but the ACE has stated that one requirement will be that “SCAI can properly fund and manage the program.” In the statement, they do offer hope of having a clearer picture of how to move forward some time later this year.

But it’s not all bad news coming from ACE. Last week saw the completion of the seventh Cup of Excellence competition in Burundi. 131 coffees from 11 provinces were entered into this year’s competition, with a total of 23 of those going on to auction. The winning coffee, a naturally processed Bourbon from the Gatukuza washing station in the Ngozi province scored a whopping 90.13, the only coffee to break the 90-point mark. A washed Bourbon from the Gitwenge washing station in the Kayanza region just barely missed the mark, taking second with a score of 89.92. These and the other 21 selected coffee will be made available via internet auction on Thursday, September 19th.

And last month, ACE teamed up with Qima Coffee, a London-based importer of Yemeni specialty coffee, for a first-ever Private Collection auction. Out of a field of nearly 500 micro-lots, a total of 33 coffees were selected to be put up for auction. With over 400 bids placed from buyers in 10 different countries, the auction raised a total of $163,664.19, averaging a price of $36.13 per pound. Top honors go to producer Yahya H. Al-Lahaba “from the region of Sana’a, Al Hayma Al Kharijiya and a member of Al-Ruwad Cooperative,” whose 92.5-point naturally processed coffee fetched a total of $199.05 per pound from buyer Prussian Blue Coffee in China.

For more information on upcoming auctions or past results, visit the Alliance for Coffee Excellence’s official website.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Top image via the Alliance for Coffee Excellence

The post Cup Of Excellence Enjoyed By All (Except Indonesia) appeared first on Sprudge.


Source: Coffee News

Aug 14
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Jim Gaffigan’s Decaf Hot Take Is Un-American

By CBS News, comedy, decaf, Jim Gaffigan, Quality Time, Wire

Jim Gaffigan is a comedian. He tells jokes, many of which are funny. But there are just some things that shouldn’t be joked about. One of those things is coffee, specifically decaf. But in noted curse word enthusiast Gaffigan’s shock-comedy fashion, on his recent visit to CBS News to promote his new Amazon Prime comedy special Quality Time, he decried decaf coffee as un-American. And this time he has gone too far.

In the video, Gaffigan, better known as “that guy from the ‘meow’ scene in Super Troopers,” turns up the ad hominem attacks on decaf coffee drinkers, calling them “decaf weirdos” and “coffee traitors” and refers to the beverage itself at “dirt liquid.” Gaffe Again even states that “decafers” are the “real problem” plaguing America right now.

But I’ll tell you who the real problems with America are. It’s those looking to turn a quick buck by dividing the country with their inflammatory rhetoric. It’s your Tuckers Carlson and your Seans Hannity, and yes, your Jims Gaffigan. These are the real scourges of our democracy.

And I’ll tell you something else: there is no love more pure than that of a decaf drinker for coffee. They do it solely for the taste itself, not for any jittery jolt side effects. If there were more people in this country with that sort of capacity for love, America would be a less divided place. And you wanna know a little secret? Without decaffeinated coffee, there would be no extracted caffeine with which to load up your Monster energy drinks, and for better or worse, Monster is perhaps the most true expression of America as it currently stands. I don’t think it’s an over-exaggeration in the slightest to say that decaf coffee is like Jesus Christ, dying so that lesser beings may live.

And Gaffigan, a devout Catholic, has the gall to take shots at the lord and savior of the caffeinated? Have you no decency, sir?

If there is one respect in which Gaffigan is correct about decaf being un-American, it is that the majority of decaf is not produced in America, but in Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Colombia. But ole Lady Liberty, the original Keeper of the Flame, says to give us your tired, your pour, your huddled masses yearning to be caffeine free. That’s some pure, uncut America right there, brother, welcoming in those who aren’t from here with open arms.

Gaffigan, the physical manifestation of cream and sugar, wants you to believe otherwise.

But I say enough is enough. It’s time we stand up for our decaffeinated brethren and recognize them for who they truly are: the truest Americans of us all. Stick to Hot Pocket hot takes, Jim.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Top image via CBS News

The post Jim Gaffigan’s Decaf Hot Take Is Un-American appeared first on Sprudge.


Source: Coffee News

Aug 13
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Study Finds Link Between Caffeine Consumption And Migraines

By American Journal of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, caffeine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Headaches, migraines, Suzanne Bertisch, Wire

It’s not all roses when it comes to coffee consumption’s affect on individuals, though I’d gladly keep my head buried in the grounds or lie—to myself and to others—to espouse the contrary. But alas, a new study from researchers at Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health finds that caffeine consumption in migraine sufferers can trigger an attack.

But don’t worry, migraine sufferers, it’s not any and all caffeine consumption; there’s a discrete point of no return: three caffeinated beverages.

For their study that was recently published in the American Journal of Medicine, the researchers followed 98 adults with frequent episodic migraines for at least six weeks, having them log diaries twice daily. In the diaries, participants would report on the total number of caffeinated beverages they consumed—coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks—“headache reports detailing the onset, duration, intensity and medications used for migraines,” as well as “information about other common migraine triggers, including medication use, alcoholic beverage intake, activity levels, depressive symptoms, psychological stress, sleep patterns and menstrual cycles.”

Using “self-matching,” an approach where the number of migraine attacks on days without caffeine were compared to the number on days with caffeine or an individual level, the researcher found “no association between one to two servings of caffeinated beverages and the odds of headaches on the same day.” They did find, however, higher incidents of same-day headaches where the participant consumed three or more caffeinated beverages. Participants who infrequently consumed caffeine saw a similar increase in headaches at even one or two beverages.

Principle investigator Dr. Suzanne Bertisch, a Harvard Medical School assistant professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess, had this to say:

This study was a novel opportunity to examine the short-term effects of daily caffeinated beverage intake on the risk of migraine headaches. Interestingly, despite some patients with episodic migraine thinking they need to avoid caffeine, we found that drinking one to two servings per day was not associated with higher risk of headache. More work is needed to confirm these findings, but it is an important first step.

These results comes as somewhat good news for coffee-loving migraine sufferers. Caffeine has been generally thought of as a cause of headaches, and according to this research, in some cases it is. But it may not be true across the board. Two cups of coffee may just be the way to go.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

The post Study Finds Link Between Caffeine Consumption And Migraines appeared first on Sprudge.


Source: Coffee News

Aug 12
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Baratza Is Heading To Oakland For A Meet The Makers Events At The Crown

By baratza, california, events, grinders, mahlkonig, Meet The Maker: Baratza – Grinder Quality Inside and Out, oakland, Pierce Jens, Quinn Anderson, The Crown, Wire

If there’s one grinder brand coffee professionals and home users alike can agree on, it’s Baratza. Sure, everyone wants a towering Mahlkönig EK43 to act as a literal pillar to your coffee devoutness, but who’s got the counter clearance for that? I know I don’t (but Mahlkönig, if you’re listening and want to send me one, I’ll remove a cabinet or two to make it work). Baratza is the best of both worlds that exists in both worlds. You’re just as likely to find an Encore or a Sette at your coffee-geek friend’s house as you are to see a Forte at your local cafe brew bar.

And now the Bellevue, Washington company is taking the 800-mile trip down the I-5 to the Bay Area for an event on Wendesday, August 21st. Taking place The Crown in Oakland, Meet The Maker: Baratza – Grinder Quality Inside and Out is a grinder deep dive for all levels of coffee geekery.

Baratza Support and Service Managers Pierce Jens and Quinn Anderson, respectively, will be on- and for the first-of-its-kind road event, where they will be leading a variety of topics as they relate to the company’s grinder roster. The day begins with a “how and why” of Baratza’s grinder design and build, specifically as it relates to “performance, value, and sustainability.” This will be followed by a “tips and tricks” session to learn ways to improve the quality of your brew and maintain your grinder.

And perhaps the coolest part of the event, at least for current Baratza owners, the Support and Service team will troubleshoot and fix when possible any issues ailing their grinders. FOR FREE. As someone who recently got their grinder kajiggered by a not-so-tiny rock in a bag of Chiapas, this is the part of the even that speaks to me. Or I guess I could stop being so lazy and recalibrate it myself—it’s really not that hard—but then who would be there to keep you abreast of all the coffee news?

Meet The Maker then caps off the night with beer, wine, and appetizers as well as a test of your grind knowledge that could result in you winning a brand new Baratza grinder.

Meet The Maker: Baratza – Grinder Quality Inside and Out is completely free to attend, but registration via Eventbrite is required, which can be done so here. Don’t just show up with a handful of grinder parts expecting them to find the little plastic detent you lost somewhere along the way (definitely NOT speaking from experience here); you’ve gotta have a ticket. And as of writing this, there so just 30 remaining, so if you want to go, you should act fast. It all kicks off 5:00pm on Wednesday, August 21st and The Crown in Oakland. For more information, visit the Meet The Maker: Baratza – Grinder Quality Inside and Out Eventbrite page.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

The post Baratza Is Heading To Oakland For A Meet The Makers Events At The Crown appeared first on Sprudge.


Source: Coffee News