Our first issue of BCE was May 26, 2000. We started with an email newsletter (68 issues) and later switched to its present form on the WWW.
We get traffic on this website from all over the world, and I really enjoy keeping you informed on the wonderful world of specialty coffee. Our mission hasn’t changed…
We want to promote good coffee. I want to educate, learn, and entertain about coffee.
Original post by Robert
ACTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Specialty Coffee Association of Europe has just awarded the Better Coffee World Award to George Howell, founder and CEO of The George Howell Coffee Company. “US-based specialty coffee pioneer George Howell, was named the winner of the Better Coffee World Award, the association’s highest honour.”
George proudly adds this to his other treasured prize, the
Original post by Robert
Coffee consumption may lower blood uric acid levels — The precursor of gout
High uric acid levels in the blood are a precursor of gout, the most common inflammatory arthritis in adult men. It is believed that coffee and tea consumption may affect uric acid levels but only one study has been conducted to date. A new large-scale study published in the June 2007 issue of Arthritis Care & Research
Original post by Robert
Eggplant reminds me of Trebbiano. Neither is particularly distinctive. Both are rather ubiquitous around the Mediterranean. They often get paired with other more powerful partners, like garlic or oak. One can find many variations of either, from pureed to roasted, barrel fermented to distilled. It seems many people don’t understand either too well, and along with that goes a dearth of appreciation. But dependable and always ready are both of these workhorses in the Italian stable.
I absolutely love eggplant. It is my comfort food; it is the ingredient that I have spent more time working with in the kitchen than any other. Except, possibly, eggs. In fact, the two in combination would often make a meatless Friday meal, for the observant ones.
Looking at wine, Trebbiano has been my silent friend. Always fresh and affordable, never in fashion. Not cool enough to be a Pinot Grigio or trendy enough to be a Grillo. It missed the Riesling wave of popularity, and never quite found the audience a Chardonnay has. It rarely aspires to greatness, although there are ones out there that get a lot of buzz.
So these two jilted items, do we think they care? Do they know we think?
Last month, I brought eggplant seeds back from Italy, called Black Beauty. They grow into wonderful big bottomed plants. Today, in my garden, they shuddered under the torrent of rain that pelted their young frames. If they make it through the next 30 days, we should be able to harvest a good crop.
More and more, I am less interested in what people think Italian food and wine is. I relish the stories that have been handed down. My aunt Elvira, in Calabria, told me the story of our way with eggplant. She testified with a fire and a skillet. What she passed along to me 30 years ago, was part of our family’s culinary history. It was wonderful to see her cousin Amelia, my aunt in Texas, who also had a way with the black beauty. These two, who never met each other, knew each other through their eggplant heritage. And I was lucky to witness both of them working in the kitchen.
Likewise with Trebbiano. There was a man in Grottammare, Dottore Spinelli, who passed his knowledge along to a young winemaker in Abruzzo, Claudio Capellacci. In the locality of Controguerra, he passed the torch of his passion to the young man. It was like a lightning bolt. History of countless generations of winemaking transmitted to the up and coming adults.
Dottore Spinelli was a wonderful man. He had a Ray Bolger-like head, shaped like a grape. When he drank wine his head would turn red from the top, like a sunset. Over the evening his head would become almost beet red, and he would tell stories that had been handed down from previous generations. That was how wine was, and is, made. Without the stories we wouldn’t have the map. The road to discovery is taken with the help of the ones who went before.
One night Dottore Spinelli was coming down the hill from Controguerra in Abruzzo, back to his home in Grottammare. He was with his wife of many years. They were in their little Lancia and missed one of the hairpin turns in the dark night of the country. It was an accident that only one of them recovered from. He lost his partner and the love of his life. After that, it was only a matter of time; he lost the will to go on.
How will you be remembered? Is there a wine you have made into a wonderful masterpiece? Or a recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation? Will someone mourn your passing, missing your touch and your laugh? What will you contribute to the carousel of humanity, on this tiny little planet off in the corner of a minor galaxy? Trebbiano and eggplant, even if they are misunderstood on a daily basis, have left a legacy.
Original post by Italian Wine Guy®
“a canadian study has shown men who drink four or more cups of coffee a day reduce their risk of gout.”
ok, ok, we coffee lovers are used to the idea that our favorite beverage in moderation appears to have many health benefits. but even so, this one took me by surprise.
gout? isn’t this disease like, so benjamin franklin? do people even get gout nowadays?
indeed, they do, much to my amazement. and coffee helps.
since high consumption of dairy products also appear to reduce gout, i guess you’d better take your java as a classic noo yawk reg-uhla.
Tags: coffee :: health :: gout :: bread coffee chocolate yoga :: frelkins :: fortune elkins :: bklyn :: brooklyn
Original post by fortune
Quick trip thru the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel - a left turn - a right turn - I’m lost in Red Hook - a rolling cell phone call - I’m near - another left turn - a parking space - voila - LeNell’s -
I had heard about LeNell’s from friends - at trade shows - from the internet - frustration - Manhattan bound - it remained a world away -
Spoke with them a few times - tried for Sazarac 18 year old - forgetaboutit - they used their allocation for regulars - as well they should -
So on this sunny Sunday - left the wife in her garden - yes - may be Manhattan bound - but the garden and pond are real - magnificant - headed out on an adventure - a pilgramage -
Arrived a few minutes before noon - the gate was still partially down - you′re not allowed to sell spirits in NYC before 12:00 on Saturday - bottle goods or even at a restaurant - much to the frustration of "bruncher’s" looking for a Bloody Mary or "hair of the dog" if they wake up too early -
Small store - very informal - depth in bourbons and ryes for sale - limited wines - unique picks - vodkas - rums - lots of partials around the room - labels no one has ever heard of in a commercial NY store - LeNell uses them for seminars - I have to attend -
Browsed for about 15 minutes - got involved in a discussion on what to buy - what was unique today - learned of the barrel of rye due to arrive - reshaped my purchase plans -
The final selection -
Elijah Craig Single Barrel 18 Year Old - bought a bottle on my last trip to New Orleans - drank about 1/3 before leaving town - TSA regs on liquids prompting the donation of the remaining 2/3 rds to a friend with a residence in NOLA’s Irish Channel - the 12 year old is available all over - but the 18 year old - - - very special -
Van Winkle Family 13 Year Rye - highly recommended by LeNell’s - I have a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon 23 Year old - actually I have a bottle that I cherish - you have to be a "really" good friend before I bring this out - i.e. - a diminishing resource -
Isiah Morgan Unaged Rye - this one has been bought strictly on faith - distilled in West Virgina - clear rye - supposedly very smooth - we shall see -
And that was it - headed back to Manhattan - my return visit will be much easier - absolutely will be worth it -
Original post by hb Herr
Things one learns in Lafayette, La.:
Cajuns are descendants of Acadians who left Nova Scotia, N. Brunswisk & Prince Edward Island during the 1700s..
"In the Great Expulsion of 1755, around 4000 to 5000 Acadians were deported from Acadia by the British many later settled in Louisiana, where they became known as Cajuns. Later on many Acadians returned to the Maritime provinces of Canada, most specifically New Brunswick. During the British conquest of New France the French colony of Acadia was renamed Nova Scotia (meaning"
Étouffée simply refers to smothering or braising meat or veggies in its own juices.
Blackening fish is very unCajun.
A seafood gumbo with tasso (Cajun smoked pork) is perfect paired to crisp German Riesling.
While not Cajun, the smoked duck quesadillas (w/fresh jalapeno, sour cream and pepper jack cheese) at The Blue Dog Cafe in Lafayette is so good it makes on produce tears of joy. I already have an ahnvee for this dish.
Original post by beau
“the uk coffee shop market is set to nearly double in size over the next decade, new research has predicted. . .
“having grown at more than 15% annually for the past eight years, the market is set to expand further to 6,000 outlets with estimated turnover of more than £2.5b within seven to 10 years, according to consultancy allegra strategies.”
long-time readers will recall the day bccy linked to the stats confirming what many of us had suspected; that the british had switched from a tea-drinking majority to a nation of coffee lovers.
and that’s a-gonna double in just 10 years? i know many people are shocked to discover that japan is the planet’s 3rd largest coffee importing country (they’re not a majority tea country any more either) and we all know china (and here) and india are moving fast to coffee.
this is of course the best way to raise coffee farmers out of poverty and to encourage coffee agriculture, so we coffee drinkers can enjoy higher-quality beans. increasing consumption globally – reaching out to educate in places historically into tea, as well as in coffee-producing countries themselves – should remain a top priority for all those who appreciate coffee as a fine beverage!
Tags: coffee :: consumption :: growth :: retail :: coffee shops :: britain :: uk :: bread coffee chocolate yoga :: statistics :: frelkins :: fortune elkins :: bklyn :: brooklyn
Original post by fortune
Photo by Chema Madoz
After a brief visit to the hospital, we headed back to San Francisco, where three of the four of us headed back to New York and Italy. I remained in the city. Staying in the Marina district, I walked down to an Italian spot called A16. It was a busy Saturday night and the place was jammed with folk. Somehow I couldn’t get myself to walk in, maybe I was too shook up, maybe being around too many people was too much at that point. I stopped a few doors down ate a little sashimi and went to bed. I was sore for three weeks.
Two weeks after the accident, I was in Italy for the wine fair. I felt lucky to have escaped mortal injury. I knew when I saw my Gates of Hell that either I was going down or somehow we would walk. I guess the Italian Wine Trail wasn’t finished with me, yet.
There is a disturbance in The Wine Force. I have felt it lately. The wine industry is a mess. Consolidation, large getting larger, small spin-off companies surfacing like little republics after the fall of the Soviet Union. They stay in business just long enough to distract, like mosquitos after a warm summer rain. Warehouses are full, good salespeople are hard to find, managers even harder. Online wine commerce is growing. The dollar is weaker by the day and gasoline prices have risen 20+% since February. Getting Italian wine to America, without the wineries raising their prices, is already a challenge. And yes, some of them are raising their prices. Well that will work itself out in the marketplace, no need to gnash and wail over that one.
9:00 PM and a call tonight from a little Osteria. The owner was having a difficult time with a supplier. Because of this small distributor’s stupidity, the owner couldn’t get any wine, by law. And he had a couple of big parties. So I went over to sort things out. He was out of wine and needed a dry white to cook with, a sec for the sauté. Over a plate of Pasta alla Norma, we talked it over. Things are tough enough for the small business person, without having to deal with jerk vendors.
So again it’s late and I’m driving home. And everywhere people are driving like Hell was closing in five minutes and they were all rushing to get in before the gates slammed behind them. One guy was even backing up from an off ramp thinking those of us who were going forward wouldn’t mind if he went against the flow of traffic, at 50+ miles per hour. Once again, the Angel was watching over me.
So what wine am I drinking tonight? I chose not to drink at the restaurant, although I had fresh strawberries that had been sitting in Sicilian Merlot for a few hours. That was a very nice thing to do for the Merlot.
But at home, all I wanted was my Sicilian orange brandy. I am becoming my grandfather with his nightly tass of brandy, un cognacchino. And after a day in the jungle, it’s really nice to sit in the quiet and peace of my lair with my glass of sunshine.
After all…tomorrow is another day.
“ Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy.” — Samuel Johnson
Original post by Italian Wine Guy®
“guatemala has launched a canned coffee drink in a drive to introduce japanese-style drinking habits and raise languishing domestic consumption.
the central american country is a major origin of high-quality beans used to make ready-to-drink canned coffee, which sells massively in japan, but guatemala’s home coffee consumption is low and has barely grown in recent years.”
how very interesting! of course long-time readers know that an important step in stabilizing the coffee market and providing a secure livelihood for coffee farmers and their workers is to increase consumption in coffee-producing countries.
but that’s hard to do, because most coffee-growing nations are frankly poor, where many citizens find access to clean water and electricity difficult. this makes it hard to brew and enjoy coffee.
what the average guatemalan is used to calling coffee, as all long-time readers know, is weak brew made from the worst beans, those too bad to export, with toasted corn as a filler, and a lot of sugar. needless to say that’s a very acquired taste.
what i find of particular interest is that statement from the head of anacafe, the guatemalan coffee agency, that improving the quality of the coffee in the canned drink is what spurred sales. even people without a cultivated taste in coffee can instantly tell good from bad and prefer the good!
Tags: coffee :: consumption :: guatemala :: statistics :: canned :: ready-to-drink :: rtd :: bread coffee chocolate yoga :: frelkins :: fortune elkins :: bklyn :: brooklyn
Original post by fortune