COFFEE TASTE BURNT LATELY? HERE'S WHY

Roasters are sneaking cheaper robusta beans into their blends to save money. Will coffee drinkers revolt?  I came upon this story by Kim Peterson in a tweet from coffee expert Jack Groot.  Have you noticed that your coffee tastes different lately? A little bolder, perhaps even bitter? Does it seem to have more caffeine?

Coffee companies are sneaking more robusta beans into their grounds as the price of the higher-grade arabica beans has spiked, Reuters reports. Very few roasters are actually admitting to doing this, but the evidence is as plain as day: U.S. robusta imports soared by 80% in the first quarter, while arabica fell by nearly a third.

Higher-quality arabica beans have a milder, more delicate and complex flavor than robusta. They're harder to grow and more expensive. Coffee experts say robusta, by contrast, tastes like burned rubber. Robusta also has a lot more caffeine.

Robusta coffee has been dismissed for years. In fact, U.S. coffee merchant COEX Coffee International never traded robustas five years ago, Reuters reports. Now the company said 40% of its business is robusta.

That raises a big question: Who's using all that robusta? Reuters guesses it's the national retail brands sold in supermarkets. Only one major roaster has admitted to using more. Massimo Zanetti, which makes the Chock Full o'Nuts and Hills Bros. brands, said it upped its robusta content by more than 25%, according to Reuters.

Everyone else is quiet.

There's only so much robusta Americans will take in their coffee blends. And roasters seem to be pushing the limit -- an understandable move, given the wild increases in coffee prices in recent years.

But coffee prices have come way down. Arabica futures hit a two-year low this week, in fact. So will the roasters that switched to robusta return to higher-quality arabica now that costs have settled? Unless there's a consumer backlash, the answer is no.

Shoppers on tight budgets are trading down to less expensive coffees, willingly accepting a slightly harsher taste in order to save a few dollars. That means robusta's popularity is probably here to stay, and the coffee industry is adjusting to this new reality. That's good news for Vietnam, the world's biggest grower of robusta.

Rest assured that our Paniola 100% Kona Coffee is all Arabica.  Our Café Pinon de Nuevo Mexico is made with a blend of Central American coffees…all Arabica.  And our Cowboy Action Coffee…the Offifcial Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society…a blend of Indonesian and Ethiopian is, you guessed it, all Arabica!

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

TENDERIZE YOUR STEAK WITH COFFEE

I recently read a health blog that has a great substitute for meat marinades.  Now I agree that meat marinades are an excellent way to spice up a steak, but those marinades are often made with a lot of salt (sodium) and a lot of extra calories that I surely don’t need.  Well, the health blog I read, called The Greatist (which reminds someone of my age of Jackie Gleason, but I digress) the blog suggests you soak your steak in a little coffee and skip the extra sodium.

The process is unbelievably simple, really:

Try soaking your steak in coffee for about an hour before grilling.  That’s all you have to do for tender, flavorful, smoky meat without the extra calories and sodium. In fact, ground coffee also makes a incredible, crusty rub for all of your grilling favorites.

It might sound a little strange, but the amazing sounding combination of coffee and steak makes it worth at least a trial run. We hope that you’ll use our coffee but either way please let us know if you give it a shot yourself.

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when someone says, "How are you?” And you say, "Good to the last drop."  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

HOW TO STAY CAFFEINATED WHILE TRAVELING: WITHOUT DRINKING BAD COFFEE

Making good coffee at home isn’t rocket science. It’s as simple as grinding beans, heating water and mixing the two in a French Press.  Of course, there’s a lot more to good coffee than just that, but making a solid cup of joe at home is very possible. However, according to the Daily Shot of Coffee blog, making good coffee while traveling isn’t as simple.  If you travel at all you know that just about every hotel has a coffee pot in the room or at least in the lobby and there are gas stations at every exit on the interstate, but once you’ve spoiled yourself with smooth, flavorful, home-brewed coffee from the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company, it’s hard to down the hotel’s  bitter, stale brews.  Before your next trip, spend just as much time planning which coffee gear to pack as what clothes to bring along.  If you are the coffee fiend I think you are, you’re probably obsessed with good coffee.  If that’s true, no matter if you’re traveling by air, land or sea, you could make sure that have enough room for a few coffee related necessities.  Now you might think that you have everything until you check into the Hotel from Hell and find that you have no way to heat the water. Or the little drip coffee maker looks dirty and neglected. To make matters worse, the nearest coffee shop is 24 miles away and who knows if it is even a good one.  You could use the microwave to heat the water in the paper or plastic coffee cups but it is not the easiest or the quickest way, and you could melt the cup!

To prevent future near death experiences, a blogger that I read created an updated list of essential coffee gear that he’s packing.  Here are his tips and they’re pretty good.

Whole Bean Coffee – Pretty much a given.  I, of course, suggest our Paniola Kona Cowboy Coffee which is always sold whole bean.  You could grind it at home but ground coffee goes stale. Buy whole bean and grind it just before you brew. I recommend picking up our whole bean Kona online from KonaCowboyCoffee.com and then you’ll have it before leaving home.

Coffee Grinder – You’re going to have to ground that coffee somehow. It is easier to get a small blade grinder to take with you when you travel.

French Press –Take a small French Press but be careful you don’t break the glass.  You could also try a pour over but don’t forget the filters.

 Electric Kettle – Whether you’re staying at a hotel or grandmother’s lake cabin, it’ll guarantee that you have a hot water source.

What do I do, you may ask?  I take a microwaveable cup in case the in-room coffee maker looks funky and I eliminate all of the above with Hula Girl Freeze Dried Instant Kona Coffee.  And you can get a package of that from me at any trade show where you find the Cowboy Coffee Saloon!

Do you want FREE coffee?  The very first cowpoke who saunters up to the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon at the Single Action Shooting Society’s World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting and Wild West Jubilee: End of Trail, June 16 – 24 at Founders Ranch in Edgewood, New Mexico and asks for it, will get a free, that’s FREE bag of CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico…our newest fusion coffee made with a proprietary blend of Central American coffees and real New Mexico pinon nuts!

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when Instant coffee takes too long.  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

COFFEE AND LONGEVITY

Could drinking coffee allow us to live longer?  A large new study suggests it's possible, according to a blog I read last week.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health examined data on more than 400,000 adults over the age of 50.  Overall, coffee consumption was associated with a lower rate of early deaths, including deaths due to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, infections, injuries and accidents.  The reason behind the link is uncertain. Although researchers caution that a further study is needed, they say the antioxidants found in coffee might be important.

We’ll have more on this as it develops.

Do you want FREE coffee?  The very first cowpoke who saunters up to the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon at upcoming trade shows and asks for it, will get a free, that’s FREE bag of CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico…our newest fusion coffee made with a proprietary blend of Central American coffees and real New Mexico pinon nuts!

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when your life's goal is to amount to a hill of beans.  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

EIGHT WAYS TO REUSE COFFEE GROUNDS

Morning caffeine is a guilty pleasure that whispers in a voice too alluring for me to resist.  That’s probably true for you, too.  But I read in a Treehugger blog that some Spartan souls give up the magical bean because of the costly distance it has to travel from where it is grown to where you keep your coffee maker.  Costly in fuel and costly in carbon and costly in cleared jungle and a whole lot of other things that some people find important enough to quit drinking it.  C’mon!  Not me.  And, I hope, not you. One thing is for sure; it's generally a long journey for coffee beans to travel from exotic climes to the kitchen counter.  The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company brings in coffee beans from Kona, Hawaii, Central America, Indonesia and Ethiopia.  So instead of quitting and putting a lot of people out of work, let’s honor those coffee beans and coffee growers and coffee processors and coffee haulers and more with some extra chores before condemning the used coffee beans to the trash. For those who add their spent dregs to the compost bin, yeah, you can still do so in many of these applications once their mission has been accomplished.

1.     Soften Skin
Exfoliate with a body scrub made of coffee grounds, coconut oil, and a little brown sugar. Gently massage it on in the shower, rinse, be soft.  The Kona Cowboy Coffee Company manufactures many coffee bath products, such as Regina, Queen of the West, Cowboy Coffee Soap, Sweet Coffee Scrub and Coffee Bath Soak.  Check them out on our website at KonaCowboyCoffee.com

2.     Please the Flowers
Use coffee grounds as mulch for acid-loving plants – like roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreens, hydrangea, and camellias – they like coffee grounds for the natural acidity and nutrients they add to the soil.

3.     Sadden the Ants
Sprinkle your coffee grounds around areas of ant infestation to deter them.

4.     Deter Gastropods
Yes, gastropods.  You don’t have to look them up, just know that used grounds are said to repel snails and slugs.  Oh, they’re gastropods.  Just sprinkle the grounds in problem areas.

5.     Simplify Fireplace Cleaning
Before cleaning the fireplace, sprinkle with dampened used coffee grounds.  Ah ha!  The damp coffee grounds weigh down the ash and thus they eliminate clouds of smoke-flavored dust.

6.     Make a Sepia Dye
Soak used grounds in hot water and use as a dye bath for Easter eggs, fabric, and paper for a lovely, soft brown tinge.  My father once dyed a pair of white but stained tennis shoes in coffee and it worked!

7.     Keep Cats at Bay
I know, I love ‘em, too.  But sometimes they get where they shouldn’t be.  Keep kitties out of the garden with a mixture of orange peel and used coffee grounds distributed around plants.  If you live in an area like we do it’s not a problem because you don’t dare let them out lest they become lunch for a mountain lion.

8.     Encourage the Carrots
Here’s a way to boost a carrot harvest.  Simply mix the seeds with dried coffee grounds before sowing. The extra bulk makes the tiny carrot seeds easier to sow and the grounds, with that wonderful coffee aroma, can nourish the soil and help repel pests.

Do you want FREE coffee?  The very first cowpoke who saunters up to the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon at the Ruidoso (NM) Convention Center’s Lions Gun Show, May 26-27, and asks for it, will get a free, that’s FREE bag of CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico…our newest fusion coffee made with a proprietary blend of central American coffees and real New Mexico pinon nuts!

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when people can test their batteries in your ears.  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

COFFEE BREAK BENEFITS

The most amazing part of my day is a coffee break.  If you are anything like me coffee breaks have become a part of your daily routine.  For me, taking a break for coffee is like having a mini vacation, no matter what I was doing moments before.  Well, it turns out that the coffee break routine has multiple benefits that will help to strengthen your body, your mind and even your relationships.  I found the Top 3 Coffee Break Benefits in Coffee Cup News.

BODY

I’m sure you’ll agree with me that coffee is the best beverage ever and therefore has many properties to it that help maintain the health of our body.  Taking coffee breaks will help strengthen our bodies’ antioxidants. We’ve mentioned before that the antioxidants in coffee have numerous health benefits.  So if you want to maximize your vitality while drinking something that tastes amazing grab a cup of coffee on your next break at work.

MIND

Caffeine is known for its ability to help you think sharply and increase your ability to retain information.  Taking a coffee break is not only beneficial in the moment but also pays out dividends later in the day by helping you work with an increased mental efficiency.  So next time you have trouble remembering a colleague’s name take time for a 20 minute coffee break.

RELATIONSHIPS

As you know, coffee makes you a better person.  Of course you knew that!  And thus coffee helps us establish and maintain good relationships with people.  I can think of no better way to spend time with friends than enjoying a good cup of coffee.  Coffee helps stimulate conversation and puts you in a better mood while you enjoy it.  So, the next time friends says they want to hang out, meet up at a local coffee shop or better yet make a some outstanding coffee at home and invite your friends over.

WHAT’S THE BEST COFFEE?

Well, of course, we think that the best is Paniola 100% Kona Cowboy Coffee…or…Café Pinon de Nuevo Mexico made with real New Mexico pine nuts…and…Cowboy Action Coffee, the full bodied Official Coffee of the Single Action Shooting Society.  What?  You think we wouldn’t take an opportunity to get in a plug?

By the way, why do YOU take a coffee break?

Do you want FREE coffee?  The very first cowpoke who saunters up to the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon at the Ruidoso (NM) Convention Center’s Lions Gun Show, May 26-27, and asks for it, will get a free, that’s FREE bag of CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico…our newest fusion coffee made with a proprietary blend of central American coffees and real New Mexico pinon nuts!

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you're so wired, you pick up FM radio.  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

MAGICAL WEIGHT LOSS SUPERBEAN?

With all of the current health challenges we face today, obesity-related symptoms are at the root cause of nearly every problem in front of us. 

A story published on WEBWIRE last week mentioned the Pure Green Coffee Bean Extract was recently talked about in one of the most viewed health shows in the United States.  What caused the news to spark interest was a recent study at Scranton University in Pennsylvania, which showed significant weight loss results after using green coffee beans in their purest extract form.  During the study, participants were instructed to make no exercise activity changes nor dietary changes to evaluate the green coffee bean extract for 22 weeks.

The health benefits of green coffee beans are due to a substance related to chlorophyll found in the raw green beans.  According to the study, green coffee bean extract works by signaling the liver to stop the absorption of fat and speed up the process in which food is burn using the Chlorogenic Acid found in green coffee beans.  Health professionals have come to the conclusion: Chlorogenic Acid is responsible for the weight loss benefits of green coffee. 

The reason why regular coffee doesn’t have any weight loss benefits is because roasting the beans at high temperatures destroys the Chlorogenic Acid in them. But roasting is also responsible for the taste and aroma of coffee.  Green coffees beans are bitter in taste and don’t have a catchy smell, like coffee does.  The health benefits of green coffee beans have nothing to do with caffeine. In fact, green coffee beans only contain around 20 mg of caffeine per serving, compared to a cup of coffee which may contain over five times this amount.  Because the raw green coffee beans are extremely bitter, research recommends taking a pure green coffee bean supplement instead. 

The most exciting health benefit of pure green coffee extract is that people don’t have to exercise excessively, or change their diets overnight to lose a decent amount of weight.  With that said, having a balanced diet and exercise is always encouraged for an overall better state of health.

Do you want FREE coffee?  The very first cowpoke who saunters up to the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon at the Ruidoso (NM) Convention Center’s Lions Gun Show, May 26-27, and asks for it, will get a free, that’s FREE bag of CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico…our newest fusion coffee made with a proprietary blend of central American coffees and real New Mexico pinon nuts!

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time.  Join up, become a member, comment and have fun!  You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553.  Just copy and paste to your browser.  You can also find us on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/#!/jackshuster.  And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when your taste buds are so numb you could drink your lava lamp.  So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!