From A Coffee Addict

You may have heard the expression, "Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic." In the same way, you could say "Once a coffee addict, always a coffee addict."

But before I go any further in telling you my story about coffee and all the whys and hows of quitting it, you should now that now is a good time to quit drinking coffee.

You've been eating mostly well, you eat your fruits and vegetables, you've been reading Frederic's newsletter - but you think, "a little cup of coffee once in a while isn't that bad." Plus it's good for the mood.

But I'm telling you right now that that cup of coffee, which I'm sure you're enjoying more often than you'd like to admit it, is preventing you from achieving the levels of health you desire.

Cappuccino, mocaccino, caffe latte, espresso: a dozen ways to reach heaven for a few minutes at your local café. But one day I discovered the gustatory delights of fancy coffee shops and went deeper down into the wicked universe of coffee. At first, it was to get up in the morning. I started drinking coffee in high school. I know because I'm like you.

Of course, my vow to become a raw-foodist ended all that madness. For many years, I resisted the temptation. But you know, once a coffee addict...

I admit having sinned many times. The lure of coffee sure got me more often than I'd like to admit it.

Think about it: Starbucks have popped up all over the place. You can go there with your laptop, answer your e-mails and surf the web on your laptop with their free wireless Internet access, enjoy your delicious coffee and get a bit of the feel that you're really part of this world, all of that for a few dollars only.

Petrene Soames writes in the article "Wake Up and Kick the Caffeine Habit for Good":

"Have you ever wondered why Starbucks is so popular? Why do even the spendthrift amongst us pay over the top prices for a cup of coffee? With great packaging and good marketing Starbucks fills a niche in the national psyche. Identification is a major component. We simply identify with our purchases. Starbucks caters to the fast on-the-go customer and to the kickback and relax customer. The ambiance of the outlets is comfortable and feels like a great place to be, personal enough to take someone new, but safe enough when you aren't ready yet to take that new person home."

" Starbucks, it would seem, oozes cool and we - the consumer - have bought into that big time. But it is not cool to stress our bodies with caffeine, and it is not cool to blanket our emotions with quick-fix products. The longer we hide our true feelings, the longer it will take for us to recognize our true selves. Isn't it really time in all our lives to stop swapping life experiences and happiness for comfort foods and drinks?"

But there's an ugly side to it. Contrary to common belief, even one cup of coffee a day is too much. According to a recent study done at Johns Hopkins University, which examined over 170 years of research on caffeine, true caffeine addiction can occur from drinking only one cup of coffee a day.

According to Melissa C. Stöppler, M.D.,

"Morning caffeine consumption can lead to increases in blood pressure, feelings of stress, and elevated stress hormone levels throughout the day and into the evening hours, according to researchers at Duke University. (...)

"(...) the effects of morning coffee consumption can exaggerate the body's stress responses and increase stress hormone levels all day long and into the evening, even when no further caffeine is consumed in the afternoon. Persons who suffer from stress-related diseases or conditions worsened by stress, such as cardiovascular disease and psychological conditions such as anxiety disorders, could be adversely affected by caffeine intake."

For me, even one cup of coffee taken in the morning will disturb my sleep late at night.

But that's just the beginning.

You don't really know exactly what type of hells are breaking loose in your body when you drink that little occasional cup of coffee you love so much. Just read on my website the articles I have on coffee (http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/ nutrition.html).

But let's be honest about it - half of the addiction or more is psychological. It has something to do with the ritual of the coffee drinker. First I suggest avoiding that too. Don't go to Starbucks. Avoid temptation. Then, once the physical detox is over, you can go back. Go hang out at Starbucks, and instead have a cup of herbal tea, or one of their magic smoothies.

A few words of advice: giving up coffee and replacing it with tea or green tea isn't a good approach. An alcoholic who wants to quit won't go from scotch to beer. He has to stop altogether. And the truth is that tea, especially black tea, contains generous quantities of caffeine. So you can get addicted to it just as you got addicted to coffee. Better to give it up entirely.

I couldn't end this week's e-zine without a little encouragement to all of my coffee drinking readers who are not so sure about getting off the bean:

I promise that you'll feel better. I promise that you'll sleep better. I promise that you'll have headaches less often. I promise that you'll have more energy. I promise that you'll feel better in your body. I promise that your mood will be better.

By the way, the best time to quit drinking coffee is when you think you don't have time to stop drinking coffee.

The Best Cup of Drip Coffee Possible

With a "good" cup of coffee costing almost as much as a good sandwich these days, more and more people are taking to making their coffee at home from an "old fashioned" drip coffee machine. With the influence of Starbucks and the others out there, people are demanding a better cup of coffee all of the time. This article should help you make the best cup of drip coffee possible.

Coffee from a can just doesn't work for the general public anymore. You know what I'm talking about and it sounds as lousy to you as it does to me. The good news is that great coffee beans can be obtained at pretty much any grocery store. If you use coupons (and if you don't, shame on you), you should do quite well if you aren't too worried about the brand name. My tip for you - worry about quality more than anything else. The big stores like Sams Club and Costco offer big bags of coffee beans at some very good prices. Your author's favorite, in case you're interested, is Kirkland brand (two pound) of Espresso Roast (Starbucks) that you can find at Costco.

Be willing to experiment with different bean types to find the kind of coffee you like best. For what it is worth, more times than not, I've found that a good espresso roast makes a great cup of drip coffee as well. Do experiment though, you just might be surprised at what you find.

Good beans deserve a good grind. You'd be surprised at the difference between a good grind and a bad one. If you don't have a good grinder at home, consider grinding the beans at the store where they were purchased as the grinders there often do a great job. Burr grinders are the best, and the most expensive.

It is probably obvious but good water makes a difference as well. The more things you take out of the water, the better your coffee will taste.

A good drip machine is also a must. More than anything else, the warming element is what you need to worry about. If you find that your coffee often has that scalded burned taste, the warmer might be too hot. And, of course, there is seldom a way to change that so, … you'll need a new machine.

Consider the French Press alternative. French presses are dirt cheap, make an incredible cup of coffee, and never leave you worrying about overactive warmers, water tube build-up and the like. Remember that the grind for French Press is different than normal drip coffee so grind accordingly.

What about people stuck in a bad coffee situation in the office or somewhere else? Here's a trick that can help with some issues: Bring in a cinnamon shaker and dash a little on the grinds before starting the machine. This will give the coffee a bit more taste, hide some of the bad taste and help with the aroma. Grab the coffee as soon as is brewed and, most of all, lobby for better coffee.

You're worth it.

About The Author

Chiacchia Del is the webmaster of Yo! Coffee, the Internet's hot spot for all things coffee. You can read more of her work at http://www.yocoffee.com .

http://www.yocoffee.com

Read this Article if You Like Starbucks Coffee

As a matter of fact let me recommend a book to you; "Pour Your Heart Into It" By Howard Schultz; it is the History of the making of the greatest coffee house chain in the World; Starbucks. It is truly amazing what Global Strategist Howard Schultz built; a world wide coffee brand which just keeps growing, where employees truly poor their heart into it with Starbuck's Legendary Service. The average store volumes are up 27% over last year and that means more and more people are switching to Starbucks. If you have been watching the stock charts at Starbucks you know that folks love Starbucks Coffee, some say they will drink nothing but Starbucks Coffee.

All in all this proves to be quite the winning combination both for the customer and for Wall Street; think on it. But why; well it is a combination of strategic locations, brand name, appealing coffee flavor and the fact that coffee is a basically a drug which effects the central nervous system of the human body in a way which pleases folks. In observing Starbuck's Success in the market place it is quite fascinating indeed as people line up to over pay; that is to say pay three to four dollars for a cup of custom coffee.

The Power of The Coffee Break

Coffee is not only big business in the United States and the West in general but it is a national pastime that people like to get engaged in very frequently to get that instant buzz and also to feel like they're part of the larger culture.

Coffee has been so infused in our culture that we have a time of day called "coffee breaks" which occurs every now and then in every single workplace in the United States. It's something that we've just taken for granted because we've become so accustomed to it. In fact every time you gain new employment the first thing you look for during your break is to see if there's a coffee machine in the employee lounge.

People who have more expensive taste like to go downstairs and across the street to their local Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts or any number of a gazillion stores that offers some sort of coffee. Now this isn't just in the mornings but also the afternoons and evenings and really whenever the craving hits that people will reach out for the coffee and shell out a few bucks for their favorite blend.

It's become our main excuse to step away from our desks every now and then to just enjoy the sun and the weather every now and then. Can you imagine a culture where we did not have these "coffee breaks" we would not be leave our desks as frequently as we can and do.

Recall all those times a co-worker goes out for coffee and asks "can I bring you anything back". So not only is coffee kind of personal escape, it's also a very social activity as well that allows people to connect to each other every now and then and refresh their bonds.

Viable coffee maker parts guides and articles can be downloaded from our website.

Viable coffee maker parts

New Career; Coffee Franchise Options, Good or Bad?

Are Coffee Shop Franchises a good business? Well consider the average Starbucks does over $80,000 per month. An interesting book primer to learn more about the coffee business might be "Pour Your Heart Into It" by Howard Schultz. It is worth a read and you can find used books on Amazon.com cheap enough, you will be glad you did.

Of course Starbucks is not a franchise. Recently, I met the head trainer for one of their licensees; Sheridan Hotels which was putting 1000 Starbucks Coffee Shops in their Hotels. But for the average person you cannot become a licensee or franchisee in the United States. So, you will need to look for other options such as; Coffee Beanery, Caribous or It's a Grind. Actually there are about 8 fairly good and growing options out there now. Now then, over all in studying Coffee Shop industry.

I have also talked with many franchisee's as I travel the country and do a little business writing and most are very happy with their businesses. One former franchisee said his business had failed, but as far as the Coffee Franchise option, well that is a good business model so I am not sure what went wrong there.

He claimed that it was not his fault and that arbitration was stacked against the franchisee and yet in arbitration both sides have equal say generally my experience has been that arbitrators are usually way too liberal and pro-franchisee, siding with them and not with the Franchisor. Consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Think Tank www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Your Guide To Wholesale Gourmet Coffee

I would like to have a grande caramel macchiato now so badly. Isn't it so perfect? You can taste the sweet caramel just as you can smell the aroma of the freshly ground coffee nearby. I know that everything you desire right now is a cup of great coffee. Just imagine it, a tall cup filled with rich coffee sitting before you. And this coffee is with your favourite flavour, with or without milk and sugar just as you like it. I personally cannot imagine that there is someone who doesn't expect his everyday coffee with anticipation. It is probably the best moment of the day.

But here it comes, you thought you would just whiz through the drive-through but you see eight other cards waiting in front of you. And you have to wait forever in order to get that fresh rich coffee. It might not take so long but you definitely don't feel like waiting any minute right now. Of course, you might have already thought up of a way to get rid of this awful routine. All you have to do is purchase a personal espresso super machine and wholesale gourmet beans.

Do you know a lot about wholesale gourmet coffee beans? What about home espresso machines? Let me share a little secret with you concerning java. To begin with, it has a great taste. Well, you might have already known that fact. Anyway, what really matters is that you know that you can prepare your very own java mixes and espresso drinks in your own kitchen. That's right, you heard me well. No longer should you rely on that drive-through teenager who may or may not use the old espresso grounds already in the coffee machine. This can be so unpleasant. Today you can buy quality wholesale gourmet coffee and the right coffee machine to get the coffee you deserve.

Personally, I don't see any better way to go. I like buying my own wholesale gourmet coffee beans because I know how old they are. That's how I don't have to use those Starbucks stores which use some of the cheapest beans. My best advice to you would be to purchase wholesale gourmet coffee beans online and I can assure you that you will end up with a finer cup of coffee. After all, all that matters is the fine equipment. Espresso machines are really popular these days. What people want is to be able to prepare their own caffeinated drinks at their homes. We no longer have to run to the coffee house downtown when we feel like having a cup of rich coffee. If you follow my advice, your next step will be hopping online and conducting a search for espresso machines and wholesale gourmet coffee beans. You would never regret if you purchase them.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning gifts. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Wholesale Gourmet Coffee

Wholesale Gourmet Coffee

Why You Should Buy Fair Trade Coffee

And many of us think nothing of spending four or five dollars at Starbucks for a gourmet espresso, latte or cappuccino. Here in the West we are massive consumers of coffee.

Most of these farmers are paid less for the coffee beans they grow that it costs for them to produce and pick them. What few of us think about as we sip our favorite brew is that coffee is grown by small farmers in developing countries.

In other words, for every gourmet coffee you and I enjoy, the grower of the beans used is descending into a deeper and deeper cycle of poverty and desperation.

It was in recognition of this cycle that the certification process for fair trade coffee was introduced in 1998.

When you buy a pound of fair trade coffee, $1.26 goes directly back to the coffee growers who grew it.

It doesn't go directly into the hands of an individual grower, but to the cooperative to which he or she belongs. Part of the deal with fair trade coffee is that farmers are required to band together in cooperatives. The money then goes to the cooperative and is shared among all the farmers.

The issue of farmers having to join a cooperative to benefit from fair trade is a complex one, with advantages and disadvantages.

However, the big benefit is that when $1.26 goes to the cooperative, and then to the farmer...they are receiving about the double what they would get outside of the fair trade coffee system.

In other words, when you or I buy fair trade coffee, we are providing the grower with twice the income he or she would normally receive.

Over 100 million pounds of fair trade coffee have now been sold in the U.S. alone. Better still, the numbers are growing fast.

Starbucks now offers fair trade coffees and recently Wal-Mart announced that it would start offering fair trade coffee through its Sam's Club outlets.

When Wal-Mart becomes a buyer, you can be sure that the impact on small coffee farmers in Central and South America, East Africa and the Far East will be substantial.

But when you pay that little extra, you'll be making a real difference to the lives of coffee farmers and their families and communities. Yes, it will cost you a little more to buy fair trade coffee.

finding the best of the bestquot in coffee

Tips for Finding Perfect Premium Coffee...

There is coffee and THERE IS COFFEE! You likely know about the generic quality coffees you find at the supermarket, using the inferior Robusta beans. And, in contrast, there is the alternative: the coffee regularly termed Gourmet Coffee you buy direct from roasters around the country. Popular large volume roasters, like Starbucks as well as most of the the smaller roasters dispersed about town, essentially utilize this far better grade, high altitude, shade grown Arabica bean.

That being said, and broadly known by all nowadays, how can you siphon out the crème de la crème of gourmet coffee beans to purchase?

To begin with, let’s hone in specifically on taste. Nowadays, coffee has become a “drink of experts”…

evolved into an art of reflection! We’ve begun to savor our coffee…flavor identify and define the subtle hints and nuances, as well as the qualities that identify the bean’s continent of origin. You as a coffee drinker, can begin to explore and experience the undertones of your coffee’s region, but better yet, begin to revel in the independently specific flavors of the bean defined by the specific hill and farm where it’s grown.

Coffee Cupping: Defining Coffee by its “Underlying Flavors”

There are, nowadays, a limited number of coffee roasters that independently test their coffee beans for taste observations and aromas. These beans are graded and assessed just like fine wine. This activity is called Coffee Cupping or Coffee Tasting. Professionals known as Master Tasters are the assessors. The procedure involves deeply sniffing a cup of brewed coffee, then loudly slurping the coffee so it draws in air, spreads to the back of the tongue, and maximizes flavor.

These Master Tasters, much akin to wine tasters, then attempt to measure in detail, every aspect of the coffee’s taste. This assessment includes measurement of the body (the texture or mouth-feel, such as oiliness), acidity (a sharp and tangy feeling, like when biting into an orange), and balance (the innuendo and the harmony of flavors working together). Since coffee beans embody telltale flavors from their region or continent of their origin, cuppers may also attempt to predict where the coffee was grown.

There is an infinite range of vocabulary that is used to describe the tastes found in coffee. Descriptors range from the familiar (chocolaty, sweet, fruity, woody) to the conceptual (clean, vibrant, sturdy) to the wildly esoteric (summery, racy, gentlemanly).

Following are a few key characteristics as defined by Coffee Geek. ( http://coffeegeek.com/guides/beginnercupping/tastenotes )

Key Characteristics

Acidity:

The brightness or sharpness of coffee: It is through the acidity that many of the most intriguing fruit and floral flavors are delivered, and is usually the most scrutinized characteristic of the coffee. Acidity can be intense or mild, round or edgy, elegant or wild, and everything in between. Usually the acidity is best evaluated once the coffee has cooled slightly to a warm/lukewarm temperature. Tasting a coffee from Sumatra next to one from Kenya is a good way to begin to understand acidity.

Body:

This is sometimes referred to as “mouthfeel”. The body is the sense of weight or heaviness that the coffee exerts in the mouth, and can be very difficult for beginning cuppers to identify. It is useful to think about the viscosity or thickness of the coffee, and concentrate on degree to which the coffee has a physical presence. Cupping a Sulawesi versus a Mexican coffee can illustrate the range of body quite clearly.

Sweetness:

One of the most important elements in coffee, sweetness often separates the great from the good. Even the most intensely acidic coffees are lush and refreshing when there is enough sweetness to provide balance and ease the finish. Think of lemonade…starting with just water and lemon juice, one can add sugar until the level of sweetness achieves harmony with the tart citric flavor. It is the same with coffee, the sweetness is critical to allowing the other tastes to flourish and be appreciated.

Finish:

While first impressions are powerful, it is often the last impression that has the most impact. With coffee the finish (or aftertaste) is of great importance to the overall quality of the tasting experience, as it will linger long after the coffee has been swallowed. Like a great story, a great cup of coffee needs a purposeful resolution. The ideal finish to me is one that is clean (free of distraction), sweet, and refreshing with enough endurance to carry the flavor for 10-15 seconds after swallowing. A champion finish will affirm with great clarity the principal flavor of the coffee, holding it aloft with grace and confidence like a singer carries the final note of a song and then trailing off into a serene silence.

Coffee Buying Caveat

Buying coffee simply by name instead of by taste from your favorite roaster (in other words buying the same Columbian Supreme from the same ”Joe’s Cuppa Joe Roaster”) definitely has its pitfall! According to Coffee Review, “Next year's Clever-Name-Coffee Company's house blend may be radically different from this year's blend, despite bearing the same name and label. The particularly skillful coffee buyer or roaster who helped create the coffee you and I liked so much may have gotten hired elsewhere. Rain may have spoiled the crop of a key coffee in the blend. The exporter or importer of that key coffee may have gone out of business or gotten careless. And even if everyone (plus the weather) did exactly the same thing they (and it) did the year before, the retailer this time around may have spoiled everything by letting the coffee go stale before you got to it. Or you may have messed things up this year by keeping the coffee around too long, brewing it carelessly, or allowing a friend to pour hazelnut syrup into it.”

Your savvy coffee-buying alternative is to look for roasters who buy their beans in Micro-Lots- smaller (sometimes tiny) lots of subtly distinctive specialty coffees. According to Coffee Review, “These coffee buyers buy small quantities of coffee from a single crop and single place, often a single hillside, and are sold not on the basis of consistency or brand, but as an opportunity to experience the flavor associated with a unique moment in time and space and the dedication of a single farmer or group of farmers.”

Coffee Review: Coffee Ratings

And finally, look out for the very small community coffee roasters that will submit their coffees to be 3rd-party evaluated by Coffee Review and other competitions for independent analysis and rating. Coffee Review regularly conducts blind, expert cuppings of coffees and then reports the findings in the form of 100-point reviews to coffee buyers. These valuable Overall Ratings can provide you with a summary assessment of the reviewed coffees. They are based on a scale of 50 to 100.

http://www.coffeereview.com/about_us.cfm

Bottom line for a certain premium purchase: To find the coffee that will ascertain most flavor satisfaction, seek out beans that been independently reviewed and rated. This approach will, without a doubt offer you the advantage of being able to choose the flavor profile suits you best in a bean. What’s more, it gains you certainty in quality due to its superior rating. The higher the rating, the better the flavor. True premium coffees start from the upper 80’s. By finding a roaster that consistently rates within the 90’s will ultimately buy you the best java for your buck!

Tips for Finding Perfect Premium Coffee...

THERE IS COFFEE!







Coffee Cupping: Defining Coffee by its “Underlying Flavors” “Underlying Flavors”

Coffee Cupping Coffee Tasting. Master Tasters

Master Tasters, body body acidity acidity balance balance



Coffee Geek. http://coffeegeek.com/guides/beginnercupping/tastenotes

Key Characteristics

Acidity: Acidity:

The brightness or sharpness of coffee: Sumatra Kenya

Body: Body:

“mouthfeel”. Sulawesi Mexican

Sweetness: Sweetness:

One of the most important elements in coffee,

Finish: Finish:

(or aftertaste)

Coffee Buying Caveat

by name by name by taste by taste Coffee Review,

Micro-Lots- Coffee Review,

Coffee Review: Coffee Ratings

Coffee Review Coffee Review cuppings of coffees

http://www.coffeereview.com/about_us.cfm

Bottom line for a certain premium purchase: the best java for your buck! the best java for your buck!

coffee facts fair trade coffee

In the case of Fair Trade coffee, it is the coffee farmers who get a boost from the agreement. The Fair Trade agreement, whether it is for a crafted item or for a harvest. This monitor makes sure the Fair Trade agreement is adhered to, supporting the small farmers growing coffee around the world. Fair Trade coffee is the first commodity to be set up with an independent monitor. This is very important, as coffee production is very labor intensive work for all concerned. The system ensures that the coffee was produced under fair labor conditions for the workers. Fair Trade certified coffee is the first product to use this independent monitoring system. Fair Trade payments are invested in education, health care, economic independence and environmental care. The farmers receive a living wage (they are guaranteed a minimum of $1.26/pound no matter what the market is paying); credit at a fair price; and long lasting relationships with the buyers. The Fair Trade coffee farmers are grouped into cooperatives around the world. As more consumers learn of this trend, they are jumping on the bandwagon to purchase more Fair Trade products. Are the workers treated well and paid sufficiently for their time? Is the product good for the earth? More and more people around the world are caring about how their products are produced. Why is Fair Trade Certified Coffee so important? Over 100 companies have signed on to offer Fair Trade coffee. You may recognize some of their names: Starbucks, Peet’s, Equal Exchange, Tully’s, Green Mountain and Diedrich are but a few. These companies represent over 7,000 retail shops around the world. The environment needs the support. Small farmers like the ones represented in the Fair Trade coffee farmers’ cooperatives take the best care of the land. Supporting Fair Trade means you are supporting the environment with your purchasing power. Fair Trade coffee farmers are too poor to clear cut the land or buy chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Their coffee is grown in small plots of mixed crops, and is grown organically. Buying Fair Trade coffee will help farmers and their families all around the world to break out of this cycle and live a better life. The grower then is kept in a cycle of poverty and debt, as the grower is often paid less than it costs him and his family to grow and harvest the coffee. The grower gets only a very small piece of the pie, while the consumer pays a high price at the stores. It rises and falls dramatically on a daily basis. The truth is the price of coffee beans is volatile. You’d think with the popularity of gourmet coffee, they’d be doing just fine. Why can’t the farmers do this by themselves?

The Fair Trade movement is to ensure that small farmers and craftsmen get a fair price for their work… whether it is for coffee, chocolate, or any other number of You may have seen this label on other foods or hand made items at your local store. The Fair Trade agreement, whether it is for coffee, chocolate, or any other number of items, creates a fair partnership between consumers and the producers of item in question. You may have seen this label on other foods or hand made items at your local store. The Fair Trade agreement, whether it is for coffee, chocolate, or any other number of items, creates a fair partnership between consumers and the producers of item in question. You may have seen this label on other foods or hand made items at your local store. The Fair Trade agreement, whether it is for coffee, chocolate, or any other number of items, creates a fair partnership between consumers and the producers of item in question. This monitor makes sure the Fair Trade agreement is adhered to, supporting the small farmers growing coffee around the world. Fair Trade coffee is the first commodity to be set up with an independent monitor.This is very important, as coffee production is very labor intensive work for all concerned. The system ensures that the coffee was produced under fair labor conditions for the workers. Fair Trade certified coffee is the first product to use this independent monitoring system. Fair Trade payments are invested in education, health care, economic independence and environmental care. The farmers receive a living wage (they are guaranteed a minimum of $1.26/pound no matter what the market is paying); credit at a fair price; and long lasting relationships with the buyers. The Fair Trade coffee farmers are grouped into cooperatives around the world.As more consumers learn of this trend, they are jumping on the bandwagon to purchase more Fair Trade products. Are the workers treated well and paid sufficiently for their time? Is the product good for the earth? More and more people around the world are caring about how their products are produced. Why is Fair Trade Certified Coffee so important?Buying Fair Trade coffee will help farmers and their families all around the world to break out of this cycle and live a better life. The grower then is kept in a cycle of poverty and debt, as the grower is often paid less than it costs him and his family to grow and harvest the coffee. The grower gets only a very small piece of the pie, while the consumer pays a high price at the stores. It rises and falls dramatically on a daily basis. The truth is the price of coffee beans is volatile. You’d think with the popularity of gourmet coffee, they’d be doing just fine. Why can’t the farmers do this by themselves?

the samovar tea lounge growth plan one slow sip at a time

Thanks to amazing support from our customers, vendors, and employees, Samovar Tea Lounge hasgrown from a little tea spot in the Castro, to becoming a huge presence in the tea industry, with our new location in Yerba Buena Gardens, a great online store, plans for regional rollouts, and phenomenal national, and international press. From the Dutch foodie community surrounding Bouillon Magazine, to the Chicago Tribune, to the Japanese tourist industry featuring us in Figaro Magazine, the world has received us with a warm embrace. Thank you.

Because of this strong public reception, we are constantly asked “Are you going to grow? Are you planning on becoming the Starbucks of tea?” I actually saw a recent reference in an online blog that suggested we are in fact owned by Starbucks, and that Starbucks is testing out the tea market by going undercover in “stealth mode” as Samovar Tea Lounge!

I was amazed, surprised, and slightly alarmed, and, felt it was very important to respond.

First, to set the record very straight: Samovar Tea Lounge is NOT owned by Starbucks. It is owned by Paul, Robert and Jesse, and a few of their friends. That’s it.

Coming out of the hyper-speed, consumer-frenzied, coffee-fueled dot com bomb era, we three wanted to do something that made a difference to us, to our community, and to the world. A tea lounge was that special something that we conjured up that would serve these needs. And it has made a difference!

498 Sanchez Street was a love of labor. We three built it with our hands, and we were the first staff: cook, dishwasher, and tea-maker. There’s been lots of changes in how we do things and in what we offer. But the core, to deliver the ultimate tea experience to make the world a better place, has remained the same. And fortunately for everybody, we now have an amazing staff that is much better than us three at making and serving tea!

Now about growth...
The mission of Samovar is to make the world better place by delivering the ultimate organic tea experience. And, we’re only effective if as many people as possible experience what we offer. If it were possible to accomplish our mission by maintaining our single original location at 18th and Sanchez, then, that is what we would do--have just that single store. However, the tea lounge business is a very physical, visceral experience, and we accomplish our mission by spreading this experience as far and wide as possible. So, to accomplish the goal, we’ve got to spread it far and wide and and as deep as we can through additional locations.

How do we do that?
That’s the business part. For us to grow as “far, wide, and deep” it takes money. Money is the lifeblood of business, and there are three ways for us to get money to grow:

1. Wait until our two locations yield enough money to allow for more locations.
Pro: We own the company, and this is a super slow, natural, organic growth.
Con: This is really, really, really....(maybe even too) slow. We are in a tight margin business, so to expect our margins to fund our growth would take a really long time. So long in fact that we might miss out on the momentum we’ve created thus far.

2. Get loans to grow.
Pro: We own the company, and get necessary money to grow it.
Con: Repaying loans takes away from the money we use to run the business. Paying interest on loans isn’t good. And, getting loans is a very lengthy process that generally doesn’t fully fund our needs anyway. Also, you have to put your first born children on the line in addition to everything else you own.

3. Get investors.
Pro: People aligned with our vision, our mission, and whom we get along well with invest money in Samovar because they want to be part of something good, exciting, and to contribute to what we’re doing. And they want to know they are contributing directly to making the world a better place through our expansion. And of course they want a return on their investment.
Con: Investors own part of the company. How much depends on the investors.

That’s it. Those are the ways we can spread the gospel of tea and accomplish our mission. It is my belief that there are a lot of people out there who want to make a difference. And, it just so turns out that by joining us, they will make a difference, because we’re making a difference.

The constant question then is “how fast do we grow?” I can openly state in response to the “Starbucks thing” that we will never be the Starbucks of fair trade tea .Starbucks is all about churning people through a line as quickly as possible (to ensure hitting estimates and projections for the stock market’s expectations) at counter service delivering highly addictive milk and sugar loaded caffeine beverages. That is the modern commodity of coffee shop business: churn the customers through asap, get their money, send them on their way, and welcome them back for the 4pm slump.

Therefore, it would be to our immediate demise if we were even to attempt becoming the “Starbucks of tea.” Personally, that’s an oxymoron that I don’t think is possible.

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fair trade tea