According to legend you can thank a goat centuries ago in Ethiopia that wandered off and chomped on some red beans and became very energetic, and was noticed by its goat herder. Given the crazy antics of most goats, one has to wonder how the goat herder even noticed this. Was it doing back flips? Trying to ride other goats? Who knows? We can but imagine.
]]>So, you drink coffee, huh. You, like millions of others worldwide, enjoy a cup of “joe” morning, noon or afternoon. Perhaps you sip it from your reusable coffee cup (trendy) or enjoy it from a “café near me” or one of the many coffee shops dotting the metropolitan and urban areas.
The Arabian Peninsula is well known today as a major source of oil, yet by the 16th century it was a hub of coffee cultivation and a source of wealth – the first black liquid gold. Yemen's climate and fertile soil offered the ideal conditions for cultivating rich coffee harvests. It must have been a marvel for travelers to behold – a land of alert, clear thinking, and wide awake inhabitants.
So impressed were the travelers and the results of gulping down coffee, over a hundred years later Europe was catching the coffee fervor with coffee houses springing up all over London – perhaps a foreshadowing of Starbucks to come 300 years later.
Though not everyone was happy. It was labeled the “bitter invention of Satan,” by the naysayers and a wellspring of protest grew so great that Pope Clement VIII intervened, tasting it and gave it God’s blessing. The Monks were vindicated.
With the renaissance and the age of enlightenment fully in hand by the 17th century, and religious restraint loosened, and of course, exploration of the new world (the Americas), coffee seeds were trapeised all over the world by merchants, shippers, brokers, missionaries, travelers, traders, colonists and artists – in short, the dark black beverage began waking the world up. By the end of the 18th century, coffee had become one of the world's most profitable export crops (Home Ground).
Prior to coffee’s introduction beer and wine were drunk as breakfast ailments. The mind boggles as to the state of the workplace and society after breakfast time – tiddly people wandering about though their happiness quotient would be high. As coffee consumption at breakfast increased, society must have become a more clear- headed productive place (Home Ground). Could we go as far as to say that coffee was instrumental in improving society? Perhaps.
Approximately 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed every year (Home Ground) – sixty six times more than people alive on the planet.
Coffee is huge business and there are claims that it is the second-largest traded commodity on the planet, second only to oil. It’s of international importance. If you are a coffee drinker or coffee trader/grower, imagine waking up one morning only to discover that drones had obliterated one of the world’s major sources of coffee and the price had soared or coffee supplies dried up. Jobs and industries would be ground to a halt overnight. Cafes would be putting up out of stock signs, and people dragging their decaffeinated minds through the slog of the day.
Many of us have come to depend upon its uplifting properties and are now beholdened to it. The humble coffee bean is still the same, though of course it is now cultivated in South America and anywhere else it can thrive, and we have moved light years past the Monk’s first brewing attempt of simple hot water and coffee beans. Coffee is now roasted, ground, packaged, blended, graded, and served in a variety of ways.
A portion of the few dollars you pay for your coffee wend its way back to the coffee beans growers, arguably the most important people when it comes to your morning latte. However, as most coffee producing countries are still widely underdeveloped, it pays to enquire about the source of your beans,
Advocates like Fair Trade, who say there are over 125 million people globally whose livelihood depend on the coffee trade, are primarily focused on improving the lives and businesses of coffee producers by guaranteeing their fair pay and ethical treatment.
Support of sustainable growers has been increasing steadily over the past few years and is projected to keep increasing. But with a trade this big we could be much more conscious of seeking out coffee beans that have been sustainably grown without causing deforestation, land erosion, or water erosion. If you want to know where you can get Fair Trade options you can see a great list here.
https://www.homegrounds.co/history-of-coffee/
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/2356/top-coffee-trends.html
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/coffee-pods-nespresso-recycling
http://www.ncausa.org/about-coffee/history-of-coffee
https://www.marketplace.org/2019/01/23/cold-brew-coffee-straight-hotness-right-now/
]]>What is cold brew coffee?
It’s surprising how many people have asked me this question. Some mistakenly assume that cold brew coffee is iced coffee, which it isn’t -
iced coffee is simply regular, hot brewed coffee poured over ice cubes to achieve the chilled feel.
Cold brew coffee on the other hand is made with cold water instead of hot. Traditional hot brewing relies on heat to extract the bold taste from the grinds. Cold brew, however, relies on the process of coffee soaking for many hours to slowly release the flavor. This process can take anywhere between 12 and 24 hours depending on what type of flavor the drinker wishes to achieve. For example, Starbucks claims that they allow their cold brew to soak for 20 hours before serving it to their customers.
Cold brew coffee is best enjoyed on a warm Summer day, which means it’s not very popular right now. But it won't be long until the wet, cold weeks we’ve been experiencing will blow over soon and that we finally get some warm sunshine in which to enjoy some cold brew.
What is the difference compared to warm brew?
There are several reasons cold brew coffee is becoming more popular.
One is because cold brew allows the coffee to naturally soak without the use of heat. Heat quickly forces the flavor out of the beans, causing a more bitter flavor, while the cool water soaking for hours allows the taste to extract without any rush. The reward for this method is a more full, richer enjoyment of your coffee!
Secondly, cold brew is becoming more popular because of how easy and obtainable the brewing system is. You can easily find a recycled jar or larger bottle to use without having to purchase an expensive new brewing system. If you can’t find one, ask a friend, your neighbor, or even your mother. One of them are bound to have something! You can have more fun decorating your cold brew jars as well.
Does cold brew have more caffeine?
Wouldn’t we all love to know that one? Anna Brones, owner of the “Kitchn Blog”, [kitchn misspelled on purpose] says in her article:
“temperature (and amount of coffee) aren’t the only things that will affect your coffee’s caffeine levels. “There are a number of variables, including time, temperature, grind size, flow rate (how fast water flows through grounds), contact time, and coffee type (arabica vs. robusta).
But let’s face it nobodys ‘perfect’ cup of coffee is the same as the next, so we have given a brewing guide to get you started but play around with it and keep us updated on your perfect blend.
How to make your own cold brew
Everyone has their own specialty of coffee they prefer. If the cold brewing flavor is something you like, are interested in trying, or are curious on how to make your own, then you’ll be pleased to know that there are several easy ways to make your own cold brew coffee. You can use a cold-brew coffee filter tube and mason jar for larger batches, or you can simply use a french press if you just need one good cup per day.
First, grind your beans into a semi-fine mixture. Never over-grind, as this can clog your filters. Next, you use two tablespoons of ground coffee for each cup of cold water and stir. Leave overnight at room temperature to soak for at least 12 hours. After that, you can simply remove the filter and enjoy a naturally brewed coffee. The wonderful thing is that you can either sip on it right away, or if you don’t feel like cold brewing every day, you can create a larger batch and store away in the fridge for several cups later. It can easily last up to two weeks without spoiling!
Coffee shops and cafes are the new dairies of the 21st century. Once, nearly every corner had a small dairy on it, though most of these have shut due to the cost cutting of the supermarket chains. A lot of these once-dairies are now cafes or small coffee hang outs. Why? Coffee is a fundamental part of food culture all around the world, and its consumers demand access to it. They are also a great alternative to pubs to gather in and have a natter.
As a foodservice operator or restaurant owner, it’s important to stay ahead of new trends so you can capitalize on what’s new and popular. Here are some general trends that appeared in the coffee industry (Jones):
Currently, would you believe that the fastest growing demographic of coffee drinkers is between the 13 to 18 year old age group. As a result of this rapid growth, the coffee industry is changing and creating new drinks that appeal to the tastes and wants of the younger generations, such as coffee shakes and sweetened alternatives and ready-to-drink coffee.
The cold brew coffee is a new trend that has caught the attention of investors and consumers, the flavour is seeped out of the grinds over 12 - 24 hours with cold water. This gives a full rich flavour without any heat to bitterness to brew, giving a new category to the coffee culture and as it can be made and stored for up to two weeks there are some great sustainable options like our Mason Jar Cold Brew Filter. Another bonus is that without heat and the risk of bitterness it does not require a diploma to make! The immersion of coffee to the ready-to-drink category, has grown incredibly, having a notable 580% sales growth in the U.S. from 2011 to 2016 (Sago). See our cold brew blog here.
Let’s get down to some hard hitting info on you and your coffee needs. Some coffee habits contribute enormously to the increasingly urgent plastic pollution crisis. You can see in this infographic from Associated Coffee that it is not a great situation, but I'm pretty sure we already know that. Hence the reason we have decided to make reusable coffee a key category for us at Intentionally Sustainable, We are on a mission to find a reusable product to suit every caffeine addict out there and why not start at the top with these three big players in the pollution game:
Currently, the world uses up to 16 billion disposable coffee cups each year. Those cups represent 6.5 million trees cut down, 4 billion gallons of water and enough energy to power 54,000 homes for a year. The decision to use a disposable or reusable cup might actually be the most environmentally intense decision of the whole coffee supply chain (Hoag).
Therefore, it is important to generate an ecological conscience in both coffee shops and consumers to reduce the use of disposable cups. A good option is to start using reusable coffee cups, which can significantly reduce this important source of plastic pollution in the coming years.
Sales of coffee pod machines have rapidly increased during the past decade, from 1.8 million units in 2008 to 20.7 million in 2018 (Moskwitch). By now, more than 40 per cent of US households own an espresso pod machine; in the UK, it’s nearly one third. This new trend of making coffee is generating an inordinate amount of waste due to the single-use coffee pods. About 39,000 of these coffee pods are made worldwide per minute, while up to 29,000 are dumped in landfill sites (Moskwitch).
However, pods and capsules can take a more sustainable strategy, even better than other methods of making coffee. Recyclable stainless-steel pods, and reusable plastic pods capsules, can be an innovative technique to reduce waste and take advantage of this new method (Moskwitch).
The main problem of plastic stirrers is the economics. A bag of 1000 plastic stirrers costs little more than $5. This is far cheaper than any other option for coffee-on-the-go, and though some may change to sustainable options, many will continue to think in terms of short-term budgets rather than saving the planet.
We will have, arriving very soon, some beautiful Stainless Steel Reusable Coffee Stirrers. Many of us carry around reusable straws now, so these will make a great addition to your Stainless Steel Straw set, and help environmentally conscious coffee drinkers reduce the plastic pollution caused by the disposable plastic stirrers.
Because of the importance of coffee in our culture and its prevalence in food service, restaurant owners and operators must keep up with what's current. More importantly, because younger generations are joining the coffee culture, having a new market to develop and explore.
In the same field, due to the current increase in the coffee culture, ecological awareness of the coffee pollution problem is very important too. At the government level, at the coffee shop level and the level of the individual, we need to create a more environmentally friendly coffee culture with feasible alternatives that help us to keep drinking this incredible beverage without causing negative effects on the planet.
References
Hoag, Becky. The environmental impacts of a cup of coffee. 6 February 2019. https://www.dailyemerald.com/arts-culture/the-environmental-impacts-of-a-cup-of-coffee/article_91d1dd12-29d4-11e9-a9f8-57afefbf473a.html. 30 August 2019.
Home Ground. History of Coffee: Where Did Coffee Originate and How Was It Discovered? 2019. https://www.homegrounds.co/history-of-coffee/. 26 August 2019.
Jones, Janine. Top Coffee Trends of 2019. 2019. https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/2356/top-coffee-trends.html. 26 August 2019.
Moskwitch, Katia. Turns out coffee pods are actually pretty good for the environment. 3 May 2019. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/coffee-pods-nespresso-recycling. 30 August 2019.
National Coffee Association USA. The History of Coffee. 2019. http://www.ncausa.org/about-coffee/history-of-coffee. 26 August 2019.
Sago, Renata. Cold brew coffee is straight hotness right now. 23 January 2019. https://www.marketplace.org/2019/01/23/cold-brew-coffee-straight-hotness-right-now/. 30 August 2019.
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