Coffee and Tea Newsletter: April 2010
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coffee and tea festival

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Keurig Coffee K-Cups Guide

With so many incredible K-Cup Coffee choices available, it may be a bit overwhelming to try to choose the one that is the best for you.

And what’s the difference between extra bold coffee k-cups, dark coffee k- cups, and medium roasts coffee k-cups anyway? No matter what brand you love, from Tully’s to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to Gloria Jean’s, the options for home brewing on your Keurig single cup coffee brewer are endless. Use this guide to find exactly the right coffee or tea for your tastes.

Extra Bold Coffee K-Cups
For the boldest flavor of any K-Cup, extra bold roasts give you that extra boost of intensity. Extra bold is perfect for anyone who loves a strong cup of coffee, as there are 30% (with some brands it's 20%) more coffee grinds for each brew, giving you even more of that richness and body that helps you get going when you need to. The amazing variety of extra bold roast K-Cups are bound to offer you something to love.

Dark Roast Coffee K-Cups
Brewed to perfection by coffee lovers the world over, dark roasts offer a deep, aromatic flavor that will give you the pick up you need to start your day or keep you churning through your afternoon. The longer and slower a coffee bean is roasted, the more the flavors are allowed to develop, giving dark roasts the fullest, deepest body possible. Dark roast K-Cups are the simplest way to get the most flavorful, delicious cup of coffee right at home.

Medium Roast Coffee K-Cups
Simple yet delicious, medium roasts are for anyone who is just looking for a plain old good cup of coffee. Not dark and complicated as some dark roasts can be, medium roasts are a lovely balance of flavors that are ideal for any time of the day. Try one of the amazing medium roast K-Cup flavors and see why this blend is a favorite for many coffee lovers.

Light Roast Coffee K-Cups
The go-to coffee choice for most Americans, light roasts offer just the right amount of flavor and depth to make coffee drinking a satisfying and relaxing experience. With subtle but crisp characteristics, light roasts are flavorful without being too overpowering. Ideal for adding cream and sugar, light roast K-Cups will please almost any coffee drinker.

Flavored Coffee K-Cups
A treat for any coffee drinker, old and new, flavored roasts give you a fun spin on the typical cup of joe. Great for dessert or for a mid-afternoon treat, there are an amazing variety of flavors to choose from in K-Cups. Enhanced with ingredients like vanilla beans, spices, and

fruits, flavored roasts are an easy calorie-free way to give your bland cup of coffee a little lift.

Decaf Coffee K-Cups
Love the coffee but not the caffeine? Then decaffeinated K-Cups are just the answer for you. Using state-of-the-art technology, our roasters have been able to remove the caffeine without compromising the delicious flavor that coffee lovers crave. It tastes so wonderful that you’ll hardly notice the missing ingredient. Sacrifice the caffeine without sacrificing the flavor.

Fair Trade Certified Coffee K-Cups
Keurig is proud to offer a range of K-Cups that are Fair Trade certified. In order to be called Fair Trade, a coffee must have been purchased directly from small coffee farmers or cooperatives for a price that can sustain them at a living wage. Also, the conditions of the farming must be sustainable to producers and buyers, making Fair Trade products a good choice all around! Not only is Fair Trade good for the planet and its farmers, but it also tastes delicious.

Organic Coffee K-Cups
In order to receive the official USDA Organic seal of approval, a coffee must be chemical-free and grown in an organic environment. Organic K-Cups are free of synthetic chemicals like pesticides and are produced in the most environmentally friendly manner possible. You can feel good about enjoying an earth-friendly product that is also delicious and flavorful.

Hot Cocoa K-Cups
Made from the finest chocolates in the world, hot cocoa K-Cups are a treat that cannot be refused. Topped with a gooey marshmallow and served in an oversized mug, you can sip your way to happiness. Perfect for kids of any age, hot cocoa K-Cups warm the heart and soul.

K-Cup Coffee Variety Packs
For the Keurig user who just can’t decide on one flavor, K-Cup Variety Packs are the perfect solution. Get a taste of all of the best flavors and share them all with your friends and family. Perfect for holidays and entertaining, variety packs give everyone a choice.

Read more about Coffee K-Cups at Aromacup.com

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Honey: History and
Gourmet Tasting June 16
92Y NYC

Presented by Francine Segan

Explore the fascinating history and many distinct flavors of honey in this unique tasting. Learn to differentiate the sublime flavors of a dozen types of honey, including French lavender, blueberry blossom, Hawaiian honey with tones of butterscotch and vanilla, and the famed tupelo honey, which comes from a flower of southern Georgia. Sharpen your palate and become a honey connoisseur!

Journey through the past and present of our favorite foods with Francine Segan. Programs include rich histories and delicious tastings.

Francine Segan is the author of The Philosopher's Kitchen, Shakespeare's Table, Movie Menus and The Opera Lover's Cookbook and has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs.

Wed, Jun 16, 2010, 7:00pm-8:30pm 92Y: Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street, NYC. Code: T-LP5FW43-01 Price: $40.00. www.92Y.org 212-415-5500

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How to Make Good Tea
At-A-Glance Guidance From Sara’s Tea Caddie
  1. Boil freshly drawn water and let it cool to the appropriate temperature.
  2. Put tea leaves into the pot, use 3 to 3.5g (5g for Gyokuro) for each cup.
  3. Pour water into the pot and allow 1 to 1 1/2 (2 1/2 for Gyokuro) minutes for infusion.
  4. The tea should be completely poured out into warmed cups at each infusion, leaving no liquid in the pot.
Teas
Temperature and Infusion Time
Sencha regular 155 - 160F for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes
makes up to 2 infusions
Sencha deep steamed 155 - 160F for 1 to 1 1/4 minutes
makes up to 3 infusions
Kukicha 175F for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes
Hojicha 190F to boiling for 1 to 1 1/4 minutes
Gyokuro 130 - 140F for 2 1/2 minutes
Put generous amounts of tea in a small tea pot. Do not submerge tea leaves completely inside the pot allowing for some breathing space.
Genmaicha 175 - 195F for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes
higher quality requires slightly lower temperature similar to the technique used in Sencha
Maccha Genmaicha 180 - 195F for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes
Maccha 190F
Put a teaspoon of Maccha (2g) in a larger tea bowl. Pour hot water (60cc) into the tea bowl and stir quickly with a bamboo whisk until fine small bubbles appear.
Source:  www.teacaddie.com

Sara’s Tea Caddie imports and distributes the finest Japanese teas. They specialize in high quality Japanese tea varieties that are typically produced by smaller and more exclusive tea producers. Their mission is simply to share with U.S. consumers the fabulous green teas the Japanese have been enjoying for hundreds of years. www.teacaddie.com

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Coffee Growers Alliance
Great Coffee Traded Fairly

Perhaps, in an effort to match their willingness to pay a premium price for superior quality coffee, many of today’s discerning coffee drinkers also want to know their coffee’s country of origin—some going as far as inquiring about a particular region or grower’s co-op. These consumers are also inquiring about and insisting on fair trade coffee.

Fair Trade, as defined by the Fair Trade Federation, is a system of exchange that seeks to create greater equity and partnership in the international trading system by paying fair wages in local context; supporting participatory workplaces; ensuring environmental sustainability; supplying financial and technical support; offering public accountability, respecting cultural identity; building direct and long-term relationships; and educating consumers.

“From the coffee grower’s side of the business, great strides are being made,” said Martin Kabaki, VP Operations at the Coffee Growers Alliance Company. “The growers are getting to visit foreign markets where their coffee is sold, attend global coffee conferences, visit coffee roasting plants to observe how their coffee is roasted, and meet the end consumer. They are also learning about fluctuations of the coffee commodity,” he added. “In Uganda, for example, commodity fluctuations are relayed from the New York Board of Trade to the growers who had, until recently, been secluded within the fence posts of their coffee farms” said Kabaki.

Mr. Kabaki often relays this story in strong support of the Coffee Growers Alliance Company (Jacksonville, FL), a company he helped form in 2004. “A group of coffee growers from Kenya came to Seattle, WA for a coffee conference and quickly noticed that a pound of Kenya AA, a product of their own farm, was selling for $16.00 a pound. After some quick math and some currency conversion, they realized that when they deliver the same one pound of coffee to their local processing mill they got paid a measly 16 cents!”

The group from Kenya realized that the only way to cut off the middlemen would be to attempt to gain full control, where possible, of their crop from “seed to cup”. This is the platform on which the Coffee Growers Alliance Company (www.growersalliance.com) was built. This unique company is registered in the USA as a female and minority owned company and is managed by actual coffee growers from Kenya.

Growers Alliance Coffee Company is owned by a co-op of the actual coffee growers who supply coffee to the US. This unique situation offers benefits to both the coffee farmers and the end-consumers.

Farmers get financial reward: For every bag that the Coffee Growers Alliance sells, part of the profit is donated back directly to the coffee growers. These finances will help to improve the farmers’ standard of living and to help fund improvement projects, including plumbing, electricity, and housing.

Consumers get superior coffee: The Coffee Growers Alliance Company will only sell straight origin (unblended), gourmet quality coffee making certain that the coffee experience represents the true aroma and taste of the particular country of origin.

Currently, the Alliance offers coffee from Kenya, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. Most of the coffees are sold through their online store at www.growersalliance.com. The coffee is sold in 12oz bags (ground or bean) for $9.99.

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Tea Culture
History, Traditions, Celebrations, Recipes & More
By Beverly Dubrin

Hot, cold, sweetened, black, herbal, caffeinated, decaf: the drink may be ancient, but more and more people are discovering the elegance, versatility, downright good taste, and even the health benefits of this delicious beverage. And they want to find out even more: the different flavors, the best methods of preparation, and the fun ways to enjoy a cup at home, with others at a party, shower, or any other special occasion.

Tea Culture will find an audience among those beginning their journey of tea. It marries valuable basic information with beautiful photos and illustrations to provide an overview of tea—from ancient times to the present. Dubrin offers advice on how and when to drink tea, whether to choose bagged or loose, and which varieties to choose from. Find out how much caffeine is in different types, and about the popular herbal alternatives. Of course, you’ll learn how to brew a really good cup—and even turn it into a fancy drink, like a green tea latte or a tea cocktail! And there’s still more: a discussion of tea’s healthfulness and tips on incorporating it into a range of products for personal and home care.

This overview of tea culture is a beautifully illustrated guide to tea history and preparation. It will delight tea lovers, especially those who are new to the world of tea.

BEVERLY DUBRIN is a food journalist and tea-lover. For over 20 years, she published her private newsletter, Beverly Dubrin's Where-To-Guide, about food, shopping, and travel, and now authors Beverly Dubrin’s Where-To-Guide blog http://wheretoguide.blogspot.com. A graduate of Brown University, she previously handled Information technology for several large American computer manufacturing companies. She lives in California.

9 x 8; 144 pages; color photos and illustrations, recipes.
Published: February 2010. ISBN 10: 1-936140-05-5;
ISBN 13: 978-1-936140-05-3 $18.95 hardcover.

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Save The Date!
6th Annual
Coffee & Tea Festival:
February 19-20, 2011


coffee and tea festival

Exhibitor Kits Available Now!

www.CoffeeAndTeaFestival.com

 

 

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