Starbucks To Cough Up $100 Million For Baristas
A San Diego judge has just become a hero to a hundred thousand (estimated) Starbucks baristas. How so? He ordered Starbucks to pay its baristas – both former and current – more than $100 million. This order is the result of a case filed against the giant coffee chain claiming that the company did something illegal by allowing supervisors to receive tips, which should have gone to the baristas. Here’s the report from The Telegraph:
In a ruling that the company immediately said it would appeal, the judge said the company must pay back around $87 million in tips plus interest of $19 million.
Starbucks recently launched a series of initiatives aimed at boosting its business, which has suffered from a dip in sales and a near-50 per cent fall in share price over the past year.
It was not immediately clear how the $100 million might be divided up between the estimated 100,000 current and former baristas [who make the coffee] who have worked for Starbucks in California since 2000.
Terry Chapko, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying that the baristas were “subsidising Starbucks labour costs” by helping the company pay its supervisors.
“This is about getting money back to the lowest-paid employees,” he said.
Do you give tips when you go to Starbucks? Does it bother you if the tip went to the supervisors as well as the baristas? I think they should all share it – but that’s just me. If I were a barista, I’d be one very happy camper right now, though.
Guatemalan Coffee: Nueva Alianza
For the socially conscious coffee lover, the best way to enjoy one’s coffee would be if the beans originate from fair trade practices. In today’s society wherein the less fortunate are being stepped on by the “haves,” it is sometime easy to just ignore the ills of society. Guatemalan coffee – fair trade, I should say – was brought to my attention by one of our readers who recently went on a trip there.
Brian Rogers and his wife went on a trip together and stumbled upon the little town of Nueva Alianza in Guatemala. In their travel blog, they featured this town, their history, and the good coffee that they produce. This incited me to do more research on Nueva Alianza coffee. As it turns out, there is more to this coffee than the beans themselves.
Reading up on the Comunidad Nueva Alianza (I suppose in English this is Nueva Alianza Community), I was impressed at how the families of the community were able to surmount the obstacles that had beset them for generations. They were preyed upon by a landlord and at some point, they banded together to stand up to the unfair practices. Today, the community is owned and ran by the same forty families who withstood the test of time. They are part of a cooperative which grows organic coffee and all the proceeds of their efforts are divided between the community members.
It is really impressive how they reached the point where they are right now. According to Brian Rogers, though, this kind of success is not common. There are countless other coffee farmers who have experienced the same problems and didn’t travel the same road as the Nueva Alianza members. For the Nueva Alianza community, however, their story is something that they would cherish and is something that would touch the rest of the world – through their coffee.
No Coffee For Women?
Translation: “According to The Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice; passing coffee to women is not allowed.
Thanks for your cooperation!”
All I can say is thank God I am not where that sign is. Lallamona posted a couple of pictures in her blog last week and it has been creating quite a stir in the blogosphere – and why not?
I only posted one of the pictures as the other one has nothing to do with coffee (although it is equally atrocious). The sign made me think – why on earth should coffee not be served to women? Is it something about coffee or is it something about women? I may be treading on dangerous ground here, stepping on cultural toes, if you know what I mean. Yet I cannot help but “yelp” about the sign! (I did in fact literally yelp when I read the sign in the blog.)
Are coffee beans evil? Hmm, maybe in a sense – they do something to your system to make you feel better and perkier. Are women to be protected from this “evil”? I think not! I am sure you guys are ready to voice out what you think as well! (By the way, I like the category this post was placed under: Tell the truth and run – now I gotta run!)
Wake-Up Call and Coffee
All people have to sleep some time and all people have to stay awake as well. This is what the caffeine in coffee brews offer, especially the black brewed coffee known to give that extra kick to wake up the drowsy eyed person.
Offices store coffee for a reason. It is not primarily because your boss would want a cup every time he walks into his office. It is a necessity for people who need to work hard on routine work and at times during extended hours to get the job done. Deadlines are the easiest underlying culprits to which people need to resort to drinking coffee to keep them awake.
It has been proven over the years that coffee wakes up minds. But the consumption level should also be monitored since excess intake may lead to nervous misalignments and may be bad for the overall health of a person especially if he abuses his health and lacks the necessary sleep to recharge his normal stored energy.
Technorati Tags: coffee, caffeine, black coffee
Gourmet Coffee Secrets: Soil and Altitude
Gourmet coffee beans originate from proper care and selection in the harvesting process. The secret behind their fine quality manufacturing lies heavily in their environmental surroundings. It has been proven that the processing of such fine coffee beans owe it a lot towards where it comes from, that of which is usually in the slopes of volcanic mountains that offer high elevation and fertile and rich soil.
The high elevations is good for coffee beans since it offers a more moist surrounding coming from the cloudy attributes that the atmosphere provides at such elevated levels. This also minimized the need for excessive sunlight rays that may ruin the quality of the coffee beans if they are not placed in the right amount of temperature.
The fertile soil where coffee beans are laid comes from the hot lave that are emitted from the earth�s core, full of nutrients from centuries before being brought to the surface. If there is one thing that should be taken into consideration, it is the fact that quality does have a price. In this case, having to harvest them from steep slopes of volcanic structures is a hard effort on the part of the people who would have to farm them out of their locations.
Technorati Tags: gourmet, coffee, blends, brewed coffee
Coffee Cups and Work
Employees would usually see the usual Styrofoam coffee cups at work. Usually a person would need a wakeup call of sorts since chances are, people would start a day slow before their adrenaline would start pumping and energize them to perform their assigned tasks and move through the motions of taking part in a hyperactive working environment.
Coffee is believed to make people awake, get them on their feet and continued to perform duties as needed. This especially holds true for people who need to put in the extra hour to accomplish work, notably the people who need to perform overtime work to meet deadlines.
So what does a coffee in coffee cups bring? It offers a formula for being awake and get on with the job expected to be delivered. Caffeine may be bad for the body, but in times of need, the human mind and body will need all the assistance it would need from any source available and possible.
Technorati Tags: coffee, caffeine, work, office, organization
Espresso or Cappuccino: What Comes First into Mind?
Finding yourself in a coffee shop where you are not familiar with the offered menu would have its instances where people may want to order that comes into mind. In such cases, an Espresso or a Cappuccino would immediately come into mind, depending on what is available.
Of course, the normal coffee beverage would also come into mind, but for people who want to discover new preparations or house specialties of a coffee shop, it would be best to test out what difference they have to offer in such cases.
Espresso and Cappuccino vary in preparation but they are normally the same hot beverages that people would prefer. Sweetness and creaminess, it would all depend on how the outlet would present them, but in the end, they are still the same hot drink that everyone knows today anywhere they may find themselves at. It all boils down to the secret ingredients that would indeed make a difference in making them signature coffee recipes today.
Technorati Tags: espresso, cappuccino, coffee, brewed coffee, caffeine
Coffee at the Right Time
Drowsy eyes, tired minds and fatigued body are normal for people who work their butt off trying to finish the never ending duties and responsibilities that they should finish to meet deadlines and such. Sleep is something that will naturally suffer but the recourse to stay awake always points to the good old fashioned coffee to keep the eyes open but the mind slowly sinking fast.
Coffee has earned this distinction, a lot of which has to do with the caffeine that they contain that stimulates the body in keeping it awake. Most doctors would say that excessive intake of caffeine is bad for the body since it affects the blood stream and is really a form of abusing the body in its regular working clock.
But in these times, such has been a choice. Either to sleep and be content or work until you can to be able to maintain their level of proficiency. Some would call it unfair but looking at todays people, such has been a common picture of people wanting to save their name in the face of efficiency and reliability.
Technorati Tags: coffee, caffeine, brews, work, overtime
Craving for Ice Blended Coffee Frappuccinos
Blame it on Starbucks, but the craze that blended iced coffee with whipped cream and chocolate drizzles on top has signaled the obvious efforts by other coffee companies to indulge in such same coffee drink preparation that has been aimed for all ages. While coffee was never known to be suitable for children, the option of having them decaffeinated allows them to enjoy the coffee drink as well with some twists in flavor and presentation.
While some would consider such drinks as fattening, it would depend on the product knowledge on what components of the usual blended coffee or familiarly known as frappuccino, made famous by Starbucks, has been a drink demanded by millions since its inception.
To date, it is an automatic identifying mark for people to relate such frappuccinos with Starbucks. They are usually available in coffee, mocha, caramel and Rhumba. The best way to see which the best is is to try them all out. But a word of caution, once a person enjoys his first order; dont expect it to be the last!
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Drinking That HOT Irish Coffee
Irish coffee is a familiar item that people would see in the menu list of coffee shops and has been among the preference for people since it mixes coffee, sugar, cream and whisky in one good hot drink for the body. Originally invented at Foynes by Mr. Joseph Sheridan it was conceived to be a warmer drink for the travelers who would find themselves in colder climates like that of the United States and Europe. Irish coffee was believed to hit the spot and has been brought out until today regardless of weather conditions for its unique mixture and blend.
Whiskey and wine may arouse the curiosity of minds, but surely, it has been a preferred coffee mixture today. Noticeable is that the cream would usually float above the coffee but due to its warmth, it melts and maintain its position on the upper part of the drink. A lot of manufacturers have taken up Irish coffee concoctions today such as Baileys and Kentucky coffee and has been common tag towards coffee to this day.
Technorati Tags: irish coffee, coffee brew, whiskey, baileys
