It was
the scourge of the Ottomans - the Dutch - who first got that
bean to grow outside its homeland. Now it had been handed
over to the French. What la Roque had witnessed at the Jardin
des Plants on that very special Sunday was the Mama tree.
It was her progeny that travelled the perilous seas to Dominica.
And from there, her grandchildren moved on, jumping from
the Caribbean to French Guyana and then to Brazil, becoming
the founding nurseries of the great coffeeempires of South
and Central America. more>>>
COFFEE AND CAFÉS IN AMSTERDAM
A
new generation of coffee establishments have taken over from
the old 'Brown Cafés'
Sitting in
Gary's Muffins, sipping a frothy cappuccino and munching
a toasted onion bagel oozing with cream cheese, you might
easily be in San Francisco or New York. The fact that you're
in Amsterdam isn't all that surprising since the energetic
duo who launched this thriving little chain are Americans
- one from the East coast and the other from the West. But
the open, light, friendly and relaxed ambience at Gary's
couldn't be more in contrast to the dour, dark and often
dingy Brown Cafés where Amsterdamers have traditionallycongregated...more>>
CAFÉ ROYAL
The Café Royal stood rather pompously like a regal icon on Regent
Street – though the iconic nature of this garish rendezvous had
more to do with Louis XIV than Victoria. It was, most definitely French
in both food and fashion. That its back door opened out onto the fringes
of Soho, however, meant there was another side to the place perhaps
a bit more disreputable – appealing to that combination of opposites,
the Bohemian Prince or the High-minded Pauper. more>>>
CAFÉ DES PHARES
Café des
Phares overlooks the Place de la Bastille, seemingly oblivious
to the noise and the clamour, the soot and grime, the fumes
from the endless trail of automobiles that clog this dreary
roundabout like metallic litter.... more>>>
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COFFEE IN THE NEWS
The
week's roundup of coffee related stories
Coffee
prices fell from its highest in eight months as the dollar
rose and equities declined.>>>
The
Fairtrade movement’s drive to source more goods
from conflict zones has led to the first gourmet coffee
being ordered from the war-torn Democratic Republic of
Congo.>>>
The
Korea Food and Drug Administration said it found potentially
harmful germs and high levels of bacteria in iced coffees
and ice at 11 well-known chains, including Starbucks,
McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts.>>>
Ethiopian
coffee exports will fall by 30-40 percent in 2009/2010,
Ethiopian officials have blamed bad weather for near
total crop failure in some southern growing zones this
season. >>>
Colombia,
the world's No. 3 coffee exporter, will not default on
its export commitments despite having a shortage of arabica
beans, but sees some delays in deliveries >>>
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CAFÉ BUZZ
All
across France, cafés and bars are closing by
the thousands and their mortality rate seems to be
accelerating because of the recession, changing drinking
and dining habits, and the stress induced by the money
culture. >>>
In
2004, Ho Chi Minh City saw the beginnings of a new
cultural highlight, book cafés. Despite intense
competition they have thrived. >>>.
Local
community-based cafes that serve as a place of social
exchange for neighborhood residents are becoming more
widespread in Japan.>>>
Starbucks
Corp., the world’s largest coffee-shop operator,
is pushing some U.S. landlords for as much as a 25
percent reduction in lease rates, taking advantage
of a declining real estate market to save on rent. >>>
Several
coffee shops set to open next month in the Czech Republic
plan to offer more than the usual array of cafe services.
As they sip their drinks, visitors will also be able
to surf the Web, get help in building social networking
profiles or even chat with reporters working right
next door putting together their local newspapers.The
newsrooms-cum-cafes are part of a new venture in so-called
hyperlocal journalism, which aims to reconnect newspapers with
readers and advertisers by focusing on neighborhood concerns
at a neighborhood level. >>>
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