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Monday 27 May 2013

Climate Change Could Wipe Out Wild Arabica by 2080, Study Shows

Climate change may have devastating impacts on the long-term health of wild arabica, to the point of near extinction by 2080. That’s the thrust of a spine-chilling new study released by the London-based plant research group Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.

In collaboration with researchers in Ethiopia, Kew scientists used several climate change models to explore the damaging effects of climate change on various strains of arabica, with best case results showing 65 percent local deterioration by 2080 and worst-case results showing near extinction.

Here’s what some of the project’s researchers had to say about the frightening, first-of-its-kind study:
Aaron Davis, Head of Coffee Research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, says, “Coffee plays an important role in supporting livelihoods and generating income, and has become part of our modern society and culture. The extinction of Arabica coffee is a startling and worrying prospect. However, the objective of the study was not to provide scaremonger predictions for the demise of Arabica in the wild. The scale of the predictions is certainly cause for concern, but should be seen more as a baseline, from which we can more fully assess what actions are required.”

Tadesse Woldemariam Gole, from the Environment and Coffee Forest Forum in Ethiopia, says, “As part of a future-proofing exercise for the long-term sustainability of Arabica production it is essential that the reserves established in Ethiopia to conserve Arabica genetic resources are appropriately funded and carefully managed.”

Justin Moat, Head of Spatial Information Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, says, “The worst case scenario, as drawn from our analyses, is that wild Arabica could be extinct by 2080. This should alert decision makers to the fragility of the species. Our aim is to develop and apply these analyses to other important and threatened plants, on a routine basis. There is an immense amount of information held in museum collections around the world, such as Kew, and we have only just started to unlock their potential for assessing some of society’s most pressing issues.”

http://dailycoffeenews.com/2012/11/09/climate-change-could-wipe-out-wild-arabica-by-2080-study-shows/

Monday 20 May 2013

Weird facts about coffee


 
The name cappuccino comes from: The drink's resemblance to the brown cowls worn by Capuchin monks
  1. Espresso literally means: In Italian, the word espresso literally means "when something is forced out."
  2. Coffee was the first food to be  freeze-dried.
  3. 40% of the world’s coffee is produced by Columbia and Brazil
  4. Kopi Luwak, the world’s most expensive coffee (up to $600 per pound) is Made from coffee beans eaten and then excreted by a Sumatran wild cat
  5. Coffee beans grow on Coffee beans grow on a bush. 
  6. Most coffees are a blend of: Arabica and robusta beans are the most common.
  7. An ibrik is This Turkish pot makes quite the cup of joe.
  8. Arabica varieties such as Java and Mocha are named after: These beans are named after their ports of origin.
  9. Sixteenth-century Muslim rulers banned coffee because of: It was banned for its unusual stimulating effects.

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/10-weird-facts-about-coffee/#slideshow=slide1
 

Monday 13 May 2013

Coffee Meditation


Sit down somewhere quiet with your cup of coffee where you won’t have any distractions.

Take a deep breath in 1….2…..3…..and breath out 1…..2……3……

Now put your nose close to your cup of coffee and slowly smell the aroma.

Do you recognize a food in the smell of your coffee? ie. nuts, figs, oranges

Now, slurp your coffee with a loud noise. Let the coffee wash over your pallet?

What do you taste? Do you recognize a favorite foods? ie. almonds, cherries, popcorn.

Now set your coffee down. Take another deep breath in 1….2…..3….. and breath out 1…..2…..3……

Thank yourself for taking the time to slow down, meditate, and deeply enjoy your cup of coffee.

http://funwithcoffee.com/wordpress/2011/04/08/coffee-meditation/