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Burn it to earn it: Starbucks London Fog Tea Latte

*by Claire Charlton, Detroit Running Examiner
January 29, 2009

You hear tea is good for you, so you back off on your morning cup of coffee to enjoy a steaming brew. Good for you! Research shows that the antioxidants called polyphenols found in tea may reduce heart attacks, protect against certain cancers, reduce the inflammation of arthritis and boost bone mineral density.

So you pull up at your favorite Starbucks and order up a tall…no make it a grande, wonderfully-named London Fog Tea Latte. Mmmmm, the scent of bergamot and lavender fills your nose as you take your first sip.

Enjoy that London Fog, because with 2% milk, a grande will give you 200 calories. I’d blame the milk and the sweet vanilla syrup for that, Detroit Runners!

At any rate, be sure to run two miles to burn off that extra 200 calories. And if you are substituting London Fog for your usual Starbucks Latte, you’re getting an extra ten calories!

If you are an afternoon decaf drinker, here’s some interesting news about Starbucks and their p.m. brewing practices.

*Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-1226-Detroit-Running-Examiner~y2009m1d29-Burn-it-to-earn-it–Starbucks-London-Fog-Tea-Latte

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Save money by making your coffee
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Dunkin’ Donuts’ war on Starbucks

With the latte giant reeling from overexpansion and a softening economy, the doughnut maker took aim at its upscale rival. Now McDonald’s has joined the coffee fray as well. Can Starbucks pull through?

*by Joseph V. Tirella, MSN Money

In late 2007, Dunkin’ Donuts made a surprising announcement: In a national taste test in 10 major U.S. cities, the chain had put its most popular brew up against Starbucks’ — and clobbered the coffee conglomerate, 58% to 42%.

The test was held even in two cities where Dunkin’ Donuts had a distinct disadvantage: Los Angeles, where the company doesn’t have a single store, and Starbucks’ hometown of Seattle. “We wanted to show that nationwide, people prefer Dunkin’ Donuts to the perceived leader,” says Frances Allen, the company’s brand-marketing officer.

Armed with the test results, Dunkin’ Donuts immediately launched a national multimedia advertising campaign that essentially declared war on Starbucks. Its timing was perfect: The latte giant was overextended, battered and vulnerable. Its stock had slid from the mid-$30s to the mid-$20s over the previous year (it was below $10 this week); its on-every-corner strategy had left it overextended, with too many unprofitable locations; and the global economy was about to fall off a cliff.

Meanwhile, Starbucks was facing an attack on another front: McDonald’s had joined the coffee fray as well, positioning itself as an alternative provider of premium coffee. The fast-food giant plans to outfit most of its 14,000-plus U.S. stores with a McCafé, a coffee bar that will sell espresso-based drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes.

More than a year later, Starbucks’ pain is obvious. The company reported a 97% drop in profit for the fourth quarter of 2008 — partly due to a $105 million restructuring plan — and is struggling to regroup. It has announced the shuttering of about 800 U.S. stores, restored visionary leader Howard Schultz to the CEO’s seat and made wholesale changes to its menu. The company’s latest round of layoffs, announced Wednesday, will eliminate 6,700 jobs.

It’s not clear whether the one-time darling will be able to come back. Today’s economic climate is tailor-made for a blue-collar brand like Dunkin’ Donuts, already a $5.3 billion-a-year business “Dunkin’ is a cheaper way for consumers to get their high-end java fix,” says longtime beverage industry analyst Bump Williams, the head of Bump Williams Consulting.

[Read More]

*Source: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/StockInvestingTrading/dunkin-donuts-war-on-starbucks.aspx

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It seems like it would make more sense to brew it in the afternoons - isn’t that when the most demand for decaf is?!
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If you want a cup of decaf at Starbuck’s, you might have to wait a few minutes.

*January 28, 2009

The coffee chain will stop brewing pots of decaf after noon.

The move is in an effort to waste less and save $400 million by September. A Starbucks spokeswoman says decaf will still be available on request. But it will take about 4 minutes to brew.

*Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/consumer&id=6629932

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Over 100 Gourmet Coffees and Teas
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Ancient Tea Tradition Inspired Great Art

"BAMBOO IN SNOW" by Korean Lee-Lee is among the works in "Tea Culture of Japan." (COURTESY OF KOO NEW YORK AND LEE-LEE-NAM)

*by Roger Catlin | The Hartford Courant
January 29, 2009

There is a simple grace to the new exhibit at Yale Art Gallery, “Tea Culture of Japan,” which opened this week in New Haven.

Like the life-size portable tearoom that is a showpiece of the spare exhibit, there is exquisite restraint to the examination of 1,000 years of tea culture, largely through the display of rare artifacts.

Exhibition curator Sadako Ohki, the gallery’s Japan Foundation Associate Curator of Japanese Art, says the show, subtitled “Chanoyu Past and Present,” may be the first of its kind in the U.S.

Rarely have so many artifacts — about 100 — been gathered to tell the story of a culture that developed over centuries, was cherished by families, and continues today. Part of the reason is the cost of the pieces, some of which date from the ninth century, when the practice brought from China to Japan.

Families tended to keep the pieces as heirlooms. Ohki says collectors only recently developed a taste for the pieces. Much of the current show is from the collection of Peggy and Richard M. Danziger.

“Chanoyu,” a term meaning “hot water for tea,” is a method of preparing tea that involves a tea ceremony, though that term has fallen out of favor due to its religious connotations.

The simple approach that began in medieval times (with tearoom entrances kept small so that all had to bow when entering) has remained constant; the calligraphy and shapes continue in the modern age, with snow falling gently on bamboo on a video screen now instead of rice paper.

“Tea Culture of Japan” continues through April 22 at the Yale University Art Gallery, where admission is free.

[Read More]

*Source: http://www.courant.com/entertainment/museums/galleries/hc-artweek0129.artjan29,0,2467621.story

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Fresh Find: Electric Tea Kettle

*by China Millman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thursday, January 29, 2009

Making tea seems like the simplest of tasks — boil water, pour over tea — but there’s always some fancy new gadget promising to transform your tea into an astonishing culinary experience. I’m very skeptical about such devices, but occasionally I’ll come across one that actually seems worth investigating.

As long as you start with good tea or coffee, the temperature of the water often means the difference between a good and a great cup, and that’s where Breville’s new variable-temperature electric tea kettle offers something new.

Four settings allow you to quickly heat water to specific temperatures: 175 degrees for green tea, 185 for white tea, 195 degrees for oolong tea and 212 degrees for black tea. There’s also a setting for 200 degrees for French-press coffee. The kettle beeps when it reaches the proper temperature and maintains that temperature for up to 20 minutes.

One caveat: At $149.95 (on Amazon.com and at Williams-Sonoma.com) this kettle isn’t cheap, so if you’re only an occasional tea (or French press) drinker, then you should probably stick with a stove-top kettle or a less expensive electric model. But if you find yourself constantly breaking out the thermometer to measure the temperature of your tea water, this kettle may be the best thing that ever happened to your mornings.

*Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09029/945225-34.stm

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Downloadable Valentine Tea Bag Wrapper And Tea Tags

Creature Comforts has created an adorable Valentine tea bag wrapper and tea tags that you can download and print and give to your special Valentine. I love the look of the delicate heart tag dangling down the side of the mug!

*Source: http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/01/downloadable_valentine_tea_bag.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954

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Tea Dam Cup

The Tea Dam Cup allows your tea to slowly infuse as you drink it. Perfect for people who like their tea slowly steeped.
*Source: http://www.holycool.net/2009/01/tea-dam-cup.html

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Green tea plus exercise speeds the loss of tummy fat

*by stephanie Gibson, Columbia Fitness Examiner
January 26, 2009

Yes, green tea is in the news again!  I bet that tummy fat part will get it some attention, too.  If reducing your abdominal fat is part of your fitness goals, consider adding green tea to your diet.  Studies have suggested that green tea provides a boost to weight loss when combined with an exercise based weight loss program.  That’s the key phrase, “when combined with an exercise based…..”.  It’s not the magic bullet, it is a part of your overall plan.  Studies have also shown that the abdominal fat tends to be the first to go.  That is very significant becauseabdominal fat, or visceral fat, is the type that is most dangerous for your health.

The study, published in the February issue of The Nutrition Journal evaluated 132 obese adults.  They all consumed a diet that was consistent in daily calories and participated in 180 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise.  They also drank a daily beverage containing 39 milligrams of caffeine.  However, one group drank green tea with 625 milligrams of catechins, an antioxidant that is the main component of green tea.  After 12 weeks, the participants that drank the green tea lost almost twice as much weight as the caffeine group.  The tea drinkers lost an average of 4.4 lbs. and larger declines in total abdominal fat, subcutaneous abdominal fat (fat right under the skin), and triglycerides.  The control group lost about 2 lbs.

Scientists aren’t sure how green tea works its magic.  They believe it speeds the rate at which fat is broken down in the body.  It may also increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, lowering the risk of diabetes.  Considering this information and the fact that green tea also is chock full of healthy antioxidants and phytochemicals that are helpful in the body’s defense against cancer, it may be worth a try.  A good habit to acquire would be replacing some or all your coffee with green tea.

*Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-1980-Columbia-Fitness-Examiner~y2009m1d26-Green-Tea-plus-exercise-speeds-the-loss-of-tummy-fat

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Frito-Lay Japan’s Coffee and Green Tea Snacks Create a Buzz

*Steve Levenstein

Frito-Lay Japan has decided that “Coffee Crisp” should be more than just a pretty name. Their new Caramel Macchiatto and Green Tea Latte flavor corn chips pack two cups of coffee’s worth of caffeine into each bag.

The so-called “caffeine snacks”, just introduced to the Japanese market on January 19, are basically puffed corn bites that use real coffee, chocolate, tea and milk to provide a pleasing flavor that is, to most North Americans, very un-Fritos-like.

The sweet flavors also mask any residual bitterness from the star ingredient: caffeine. Each bag contains 150 mg of the eye-opening stimulant naturally found in coffee and, to a lesser degree, tea.

Frito-Lay Japan has been very active in testing out unusual snack flavors with Strawberry Cheetohs being a good (relatively speaking) example. The company also markets Honey-Butter Doritos in Japan so it’s safe to say they’re up for anything.

These caffeine snacks do sound promising, perhaps more for their content than for their taste. Students cramming for exams and workers pulling all-nighters to beat a deadline will love them - why drink coffee and munch corn chips separately when Frito-Lay’s conveniently combined them for your nerve-jangling pleasure?

*Source: http://inventorspot.com/articles/fritolay_japans_coffee_and_green_tea_snacks_create_buzz_22715

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Coffee maker smackdown results: Intelligentsia sweeps the Western Regional Barista Competition

*by Deborah Netburn
Jan 26 2009

It’s official. Southern California rules the coffee world. Baristas from the Silver Lake coffee shop Intelligentsia took first, second and third place at the 2009 Western Regional Barista Competition on Sunday, leaving competitors from nearby LA Mill, San Francisco’s Ritual and Santa Cruz’s Verve in the dust.

In your face, Northern California!

The first place winner, Nick Griffith, came as no surprise to those who have been watching the competition closely. “Just look at him,” a coffee-world insider said, noting his mellow Tobey Maguire-esque demeanor. “How could he not win?”

Each competitor had to make three drinks: an espresso, a cappuccino and a specialty drink of their own invention. I had assumed it was the specialty drink portion of the competition that set a competitor over the edge, but apparently, I thought wrong. Stephen Morrissey — the 2008 world barista champion — told me it’s the espresso that is both the hardest to make and the most important to nail if you want to win. “It’s very difficult to make a good espresso,” he said. “I’ve only had 15 to 20 good espressos in my life.”

Still, for those of us with a less refined coffee palette, it’s the specialty drink part that most impressed. Second place winner Devin Pedde dazzled the audience by tasting his own espresso during his round and deciding on the spot which additional ingredients would complement the coffee. First-place winner Griffith prepared a deconstructed drink sipped in three parts.

Griffith’s win earns him an automatic spot in the semi-finals of the U.S. Barista Championship held in Portland, Ore., beginning March 5. His airfare and hotel will also be paid for. But this is not the end of the road for any of the competitors — everyone who competes in regionals is also welcome to compete in nationals.

Now the question remains: Will Griffith go all the way to world competition? Check back here in March to find out.

For more information on the competition, check out Joshua Lurie’s awesomely detailed report at www.foodgps.com/coffee.

*Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2009/01/coffeemaker-s-1.html