Tell Me What Your Coffee Is…
…and I’ll tell you who you will vote for President. Amazing how we can use various things to predict future events, isn’t it? BIGresearch conducted a survey recently. The idea was to see if you can tell which presidential candidate a person prefers based on which coffee they like better. And the choices are:
President:
a. Barack Obama
b. John McCain
Coffee:
a. McDonald’s
b. Starbucks
So what were their findings? People who drink Starbucks more prefer Barack Obama while people who drink McDonald’s more prefer John McCain. CNBC reports:
A recent survey found people who get their coffee from Starbucks prefer Barack Obama (44 percent) over JohnMcCain (37.8 percent), while McDonald’s coffee drinkers favor McCain (45.4 percent) over Obama (29.2 percent).
“If I were McCain, I would carry a McDonald’s coffee cup a lot,” says Gary Drenik, president of BIGreserach, which conducted the survey.
McCain made gains with surveyed coffee drinkers in August, as the percentage of people who say they prefer Starbucks slid 14 percent since February. Dunkin’ Donuts, meanwhile, has the highest percentage of customers who remain undecided (22 percent).
Now if you have any sense at all, you would be thinking that this is nothing conclusive. After all, you have demographics and other factors to consider. What are the other factors that lead people to prefer Starbucks over McDonald’s? Could the location (accessibility) have something to do with it? Perhaps the background of the people who prefer Starbucks or McDonald’s? Laura Stoker of UC Berkeley has the same idea:
However, the correlations are not causations, as Laura Stoker, an associate professor at UC Berkeley who specializes in political psychology, is quick to point out. Rather, demographics like age, income, race and location come into play, she says.
“A survey [participant] cannot express a preference for Dunkin’ Donuts if they’re not around where they live,” Stoker says. “It’s not just about whether conservatives are drawn into one place or another; the places where Starbucks are located which are urban tend to have a more Democratic constituency.”
Ahh, there you go. Still, it is amusing to read about such surveys, isn’t it? So which do you prefer, Starbucks or McDonald’s?;)
Starbucks And Clover Machines: Perfect For Each Other?
We have been hearing about these Clover machines for quite some time now. Supposedly, they make use of a distinct way of brewing coffee. Proponents of these machines – and some people who have tasted coffee brewed by them – say that once you have tried “Clover coffee”, you will never want any other kind of coffee ever. I cannot say that I agree as I have never tried coffee made by a Clover machine but hey, I would want to try one!
Anyway, despite the recent spate of news that Starbucks is in dire straits, it seems that the coffee giant is still alive and kicking. Though they have closed numerous stores all over the world, they are still in the process of revitalizing their product line. The news is that they have developed a new line of coffee specially made for the Clover machine. Before you get excited, you have to know that these special coffee will NOT be available in all of the Starbucks stores. Apparently, only 10 stores in Seattle will have them, plus about 30 stores in Boston, and some stores in San Francisco. If you are not from any of these areas, good luck to you!
So will this new line of coffee and the special Clover machine make Starbucks coffee better? I am sure that you will get different responses from different people. Those who already like Starbucks on the outset will definitely say yes while purists who have a dislike for the chain will most definitely say no.
Let us know if you ever get to taste these special brews yourself!
The Story Of The Coffee Cake
Have you ever wondered where the coffee cake came from? Today, coffee cakes are commonly eaten together with coffee – or any other drink, for that matter. In the old days, though, did they already have coffee cakes?
Rob Carlton tells the tale of the coffee cake:
Like most foods, coffee cake is an item that evolved over hundreds of years and across continents. People had been preparing honey cakes since biblical times. Gradually the French came up with galettes, the forerunner of the ubiquitous Christmas fruitcake. Galettes also lead to the invention of sweet yeast rolls that eventually resulted in Danish coffee cakes, which really did contain coffee, by the way.
For some reason, the Dutch and Germans in New York, New Jersey and Delaware became particularly famous for their coffee cakes. Their recipes from the colonial times are very similar to those used today. Meanwhile Scandinavians had introduced their versions as well as the concept of the coffee break — for which we are all ever grateful. The British have their own version that includes toffee.
By 1879, coffee cakes were well-known in America and there were already countless recipes for crumb cakes, streusel cakes and streusel/crumb-cake combinations. Streusel cakes have that swirl of cinnamon/brown sugar throughout the center while crumb cakes have a topping of crumbly flour, sugar and butter and cinnamon. However, food purists know that most Americans have these terms confused. Streusel (pronounced STROI-zuhl in German) means “granules” and actually refers to the crumb topping, not the swirl. Whichever way you pronounce it, the effect is still the same — delicious.
So there you have it, the story of how coffee cakes came to be the popular cake that we like today. Now I don’t know about you but I suddenly have this urge to get me some coffee cake!
Coffee Bad For Firefighters
Firefighters and policemen are known to have a particular affinity for coffee – and they are not the only ones. The common belief is that coffee helps keep them awake and on their toes while they are on duty. This is especially true for those who are assigned to the night shift, when “normal” people are asleep in their beds. Yet how true is this belief?
According to some researchers, coffee might actually be bad for firefighters! It may keep them awake but the caffeine content in the coffee can also have negative effects on the firefighters. So what are these negative effects that they found out?
Here are some of them. Caffeine may:
-distort a firefighter’s judgment
-raise the body’s core temperature
-increase oxygen intake.
Perhaps on a quiet night, in a normal situation, these effects would not have any impact at all. However, if a firefighter has a lot of coffee of in him and he had to respond to an emergency call, the adverse effects mentioned above might spell the difference between death and life.
The people over at the Victoria Fire Department are taking the results of this study very seriously. According to Paul Bruce, their chief, the first thing that a firefighter does when he gets to work is get a cup of coffee and most of the time, the cup gets refilled over and over – many times throughout the shift. The proposed solution? Perhaps firefighters should avoid caffeine prior to their shift and more especially during the shift as well.
Central Ohio To Enjoy Specialty Coffee From McDonald’s
I have always liked McDonald’s coffee – even the simple brewed cup that they served before the days of McCafe. I suppose my being a student who was unable to afford something more expensive back in the days had something to do with my affinity for McDonald’s brewed coffee. Still, when McCafe opened up, I was happy to have a taste of “specialty” coffee at a reasonable price.
Residents of Central Ohio are set to enjoy these blends pretty soon. McDonald’s announced that they are opening up McCafes in participating stores in the area.
Market Watch reports:
New coffees include Lattes, Mochas and Cappuccinos in a variety of options and flavors including Iced, Hazelnut, Caramel and Vanilla (regular and sugar free), and Premium Roast Coffee and Hot Chocolate. Most are available in small (12 ounces), medium (16 ounces) and large (20 ounces). Prices and participation may vary, but generally start at $1.99. Shots of espresso are also available.
With the new specialty coffees, McDonald’s is giving customers the choice of whole or non-fat milk.
McCafe Specialty Coffees start with coffee beans, which are harvested by hand in the warm climates of Central and South America, as well as in the mountainous regions of Indonesia. Only the finest, fully-ripened beans are used, ensuring great taste. A state-of-the-art espresso machine freshly grinds McCafe Specialty Coffee beans before brewing them under pressure, with high-quality milk and flavor syrups added.
For people in Ohio who are looking for reasonably priced and yet good tasting coffee, I suggest that you give McCafe a try.
You Drink Too Much Coffee If…
We all know about these kinds of lists. You do or have too much of something if… I was looking for jokes about coffee when I ran across a site about coffee humor and I really liked the list presented on the home page. I have picked a few to share with you, courtesy of Robin’s FYI.
• The only kitchen appliances you own are made by Mr. Coffee.
• You get a tax cut for all the coffee you bought.
• You get a speeding ticket even when you’re parked.
• You speed walk in your sleep.
• You have a bumper sticker that says: “Coffee drinkers are good in the sack.”
• You haven’t blinked since the last lunar eclipse.
• You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
• The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.
• You sleep with your eyes open.
• When you open your dish cabinet, and there is only mugs.
• You have to watch videos in fast-forward.
• The only time you’re standing still is during an earthquake.
• Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
• Your coffee cake, must have coffee in it.
• You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
• You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
LOL…there are lots more in the site I mentioned above, just click on the link to have more laughs. And here’s my favorite:
You introduce your spouse as your coffeemate.
Jura Capresso S9 One Touch
A couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a friend who works with Nestle and she was selling a new espresso machine for a couple hundred dollars. I was about ready to take her up on her offer but I realized that I didn’t have enough money. More so, I have been looking around for other kinds of espresso machines and I have found a couple that are in the more affordable range.
In my quest to look for a workable solution, I ran across a new espresso machine that I would really love to have. Dubbed the Jura Capresso S9 One Touch, this baby is fully automatic. I am not sure but it seems that it is not widely available yet but this site, 1stincoffee, is already offering units. This is the full description of the machine:
The Jura Capresso Impressa S9 One Touch brews from 1 to 16 ounces at a time using just the right amount of fresh ground coffee. The machine features a large 96 oz. removable water tank, 2 stainless steel-lined Thermoblock heating systems and an insulated milk container. Jura Capresso is the 1st and only company to offer One Touch coffee centers with insulated milk containers to keep cold milk cold.
All coffee, milk frothing and hot water functions are fully programmable. You can set the temperature, coffee volume and coffee strength for each button. The Jura Capresso S9 includes an integrated conical burr grinder and a separate coffee shoot for ground coffee. The S9 One Touch also dispenses hot water for tea or Cafe Americano. Other features include: large cup warming area, Clearyl water filtration, Automatic cleaning and rinsing functions, LED Dialog system, electronic sensors and a powerful 18 bar pump.
Now I would really love to get my hands on the S9 One Touch. Unfortunately, it is way too pricey for me at the moment. How much is it selling for? A hefty $2399. Donations, anyone? 
Another Police Officer In Coffee Scandal
What is it with coffee and police officers? If you remember, I wrote a post on Officer Garvin from Daytona some time ago. Apparently, he used his authority to get up to 6 cups of coffee everyday at a local Starbucks store. This time, the story is set in Chicago, where a policewoman has been suspended due to similar reasons.
The Sun Times reports:
Nevers, 55, was suspended for 15 months and ordered into counseling for allegedly using her gun and badge to demand free coffee and pastries from six Starbucks stores on the North Side between 2001 and 2004. Employees told the Chicago Police Board that Starbucks had an unofficial policy of giving a free tall cup of drip coffee to cops and firefighters in uniform.
But Nevers — a desk officer for most of her 14-year career because of a neck injury she suffered in the police academy — would usually come into Starbucks in plain clothes.
She regularly flashed her gun, and sometimes her badge, to get free coffee at Starbucks near her home, including stores at 3358 N. Broadway, 2525 1/2 N. Clark, 617 W. Diversey, 1000 W. Diversey, 1700 W. Diversey and 1157 W. Wrightwood, employees said.
I don’t know what is going on but it seems that there are more incidents like these lately. Is it just because they are now “coming out in the open” or it is just now that they are happening?
Have you got any cop-coffee stories to share?
What Is Peaberry?
If you are stumped right now and you cannot give an answer off the top of your head, then do not worry. I was feeling the same way when I first heard of peaberry. I knew it has something to do with coffee but other than that, I really didn’t have a solid idea of what it is.
I first heard of this from a friend (who I think was just pretending that he knew all about peaberry but in reality didn’t really know much, lol). He was not able to give me a definite answer as to what peaberry really is so I just went online to check for myself.
Wikipedia came through, as usual:
Peaberry, also known as caracoli, is a type of coffee bean. Normally the fruit of the coffee plant develops as two halves of a bean within a single cherry, but sometimes only one of the two seeds gets fertilised so there is nothing to flatten it. This oval (or pea-shaped) bean is known as Peaberry. Typically around 5% of all coffee beans harvested are of this form.
I found another more detailed description at CoffeeReview:
Throughout the world, the coffee fruit occasionally produces a single, rather than a double, bean. It grows to be small and round, with a tiny crevice that splits it halfway down the middle. Called peaberry in English and caracol in Spanish, these beans are often separated from normal-shaped beans and sold as a separate grade of the same coffee.
According to coffee folklore, peaberry grades are considered superior to normal grades from the same crop, apparently on the basis that, in peaberries, the good stuff that ordinarily goes into a double bean goes into only one bean. I am not sure peaberry tastes better than normal beans from the same crop, but it does taste different. Typically, peaberry is more buoyant and more brightly acidy, more complex in the upper aromatic ranges of the profile but somewhat lighter in body, than comparable normally shaped beans.
So there, we now know what peaberry is although I do not know if I have ever had coffee from this kind of bean. Have you? If so, how does the taste differ from “normal” coffee?
Coffee Culture Does Not Impress Aussies
If you thought that Starbucks was having problems in the United States market only, think again. Apparently, they are having even more serious problems down under. To date, the coffee chain giant has 84 stores in Australia. Of the 84, they are closing 61. The figures may seem minuscule as compared to the 600 stores they are closing in the United States BUT if you take into consideration just how many stores they have in the US (about 12,000), you will see that the percentage of closures is so much higher in Australia.
So what is the problem here? How come Starbucks has not conquered Australia? According to Chris Berg of The Age, it is because of the simple fact that Starbucks is selling the coffee culture and NOT the coffee itself. He writes:
So why has Starbucks worked in the US but largely failed in Australia? The secret of the company’s success in the American market wasn’t that it sold coffee. It sold coffee culture.
But when Starbucks came to Australia to bring coffee and the cafe culture to the masses, it found that we already had it. Particularly in Melbourne, we have better coffee and more relaxing cafes than anything that Starbucks brought with it.
Undeterred, the firm simply dumped what seemed to work in America into this country. When Starbucks opened an outlet in Lygon Street — a store that has since sat empty surrounded by bustling cafes — it became an amazing example of just how comprehensively a company could fail to understand its target market.
I find this perspective to be very interesting as it seems to hold some truth in it. Indeed, more than the coffee itself, Starbucks is associated with hanging out at a cool place. It is associated with meeting with friends over a cup of coffee. The article reminds me of some people I know who NEVER drank coffee until the Starbucks culture became popular.
What do you think, is there truth to Berg’s perspective?
