COFFEE NEWS ROUNDUP: WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 15TH
Another week of political turmoil, landmark elections, apocalyptic weather and a clearly uncomfortable horse. Powered by various online echo chambers, near-constant news coverage and a general sense of pervading dread, it can seem like the world is constantly teetering on the brink (I’m not saying it isn’t).
Thankfully, the world of coffee is here to bring you back down to earth. If doing this weekly coffee news roundup has taught me anything, it’s that the coffee industry chugs happily along no matter what’s happening in the wider world—with one or two obvious exceptions.
Not that it’s not exciting—this week we have bribery, malfunctioning planes and a Ukranian scam artist named Dmitry. Buckle up.
Blue Bottle starts selling California-grown coffee: $65 for 100 grams - via SF Gate
Not content with selling its soul to Nestlé, Blue Bottle has decided to have another go at confusing and/or angrifying its customer base by selling a 100 gram tin of coffee for $65. Granted it’s a Gesha-Caturra blend grown in California, and it's probably amazing, but still, that seems a lot. Even for San Francisco.
Read more here.
Guy Invented A Fake Coffee Shop To Scam Free Games, Developer Says - via Kotaku Australia
As far as ways to get free games go, this one seems a bit of a stretch. According to an independent game developer, someone named Dmitry contacted them trying to solicit a few free Steam keys, which is apparently something that happens all the time to indie game developers.
However, Dmitry went further than most, claiming to operate a coffee shop with a video game theme and promising “exposure” in return for the free games. Of course it turned out to be a scam, but an impressively in-depth one (until the developer googled the cafe’s location and it turned out to be a remote piece of Ukranian scrubland).
You can read more here, or the original Imgur post here.
Coffee Maker Forces Plane to Make an Emergency Landing - via Extra Crispy
Airline coffee, much like airline food, is a much-maligned aspect of travel for the coffee connoisseur. It’s never good—unless you risk the wrath of airport security and bring a hand grinder, Aeropress and beans onto the plane with you. However, until now it has never actually endangered any travelers (although anyone who has mistakenly accepted a cup from a well-meaning flight attendant might disagree with that statement).
A Southwest flight from Orlando to Houston was forced to make an emergency landing after a coffee maker on board malfunctioned and filled the cabin with fumes. Luckily that was the extent of the issue, and after a bit a delay the flight was able to continue on its way. Presumably everyone ordered tea after that.
Read more here.
Former state Senator allegedly took Dunkin' Donuts coffee as a bribe - via LA Times
Former Massachusetts state senator Brian Joyce, charged this week with taking bribes worth millions of dollars, apparently had a bit of a coffee habit. Among other kickbacks, he allegedly accepted over 700 pounds of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee—although he insisted “no decaf”. He also allegedly took more than $125,000 in “legal fees”, but that’s far less worrying.
This case raises many questions, the main one being who the hell drinks that much Dunkin' Donuts coffee? Have some dignity, man.
Read more here.
Is coffee good or bad for you?
This week it seems like coffee is good for you. (Hooray!)
According to Healio, patients with colorectal cancer who drank at least two cups per day both before and after diagnosis showed a lower chance of death than those who abstained completely. 52% lower, in fact. It can even be decaf, they say, just so long as it’s coffee. Which is certainly positive news for coffee lovers.
However, don’t go celebrating just yet. Cosmopolitan claims that drinking coffee first thing in the morning can lead to bloating. So I guess you’ll have to decide whether it’s worth the risk.
Super coffee is also a trend to watch for 2018, apparently. Basically, it’s coffee infused with chia seeds or protein powder or Wonderflonium or whatever, and it will give you superpowers I guess.
2018 is going to be a fun year, isn’t it?
Articles worth your time this week
How Can Used Coffee Grounds Create a Greener Industry? by Alejandro Franco
Your Future Coffee Could Be Bought Using Amazon Stock by Kristin Houser and Tony Peccatiello
A Brewer’s Guide to Choosing a (Good) Coffee Grinder by Rafaella N. Rossi
Until next week, keep drinking good coffee.
