Take an extra second to savor that delicious brew of your favorite coffee blend. Because, if price is an indicator of value, that cup of coffee is now worth around 30 per cent more.

Coffee prices are soaring to rates near an international 13-year high after growth of crops in Colombia and Central America was slowed by poor weather. Experts are chalking it up to a crop failure, which is bad news for Colombian coffee bean farmers who are pulling in small, poor-quality crops for the third year in a row.

The farmers and international consumers are competing for the shortage of bean supplies, and with demand increasing in countries such as Brazil and India, the price per pound has hiked to about 45 per cent higher than last year’s. Colombia is one of the world’s largest suppliers of Arabica coffee beans.

Word of the crop failure has investors keeping keen eyes on Brazil’s upcoming harvest, too.

Prices in future contract bidding on December coffee reached a high of $1.88 per pound on Aug. 23, the highest rate since September 1997, on speculations of how the poor coffee returns from Colombia and Central America will affect the market. Later in the week, news that Brazil’s nearing harvest is on pace to be a record-setting crop sent the price diving to $1.70 before it returned to around $1.85 last Friday.

Brazil’s high crop yield is expected to increase the worldwide supply of coffee beans in several months, but it won’t be in time to rescue consumers from paying their share of the price hike.

Do-it-yourself coffee is going to cost around 10 per cent more this fall, due to price bumps from popular brands such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Folgers and Maxwell House. Demand is so high for coffee in North America, though, that a small bump in price at the checkout line won’t have customers foregoing their caffeine fix unless the price per pound climbs up to around $3.00, experts say.

Smaller chains and individual cafes report that they will take a watch-and-see approach before making customers shell out more for their cup of joe, a move that could take the opposite effect and have them walking out the door empty-handed. Most chains and individual cafes purchase bean supplies up to a year in advance and are reluctant to change prices due to temporary supply instability. The impact of the recession and the alternative brew-at-home method also has cafes worried about losing customers.
If the market doesn’t improve before next summer, though, cafes may not have a choice but to follow the market with a price increase.

Large chains Starbucks Coffee, McDonalds and Tim Hortons, however, have made statements reporting their decisions to absorb the rising coffee costs until at least the end of the year, when current coffee contracts end.

They hope to shield their customers from higher prices to avoid an inevitable hit on purchases after a $4.00 coffee becomes $4.50. It’s a loss that a response to temporary market fluctuations won’t be able to replace.

For the coffee enthusiast, a French press isn’t a maybe, it’s a must. A French press, also known as a coffee press, a cafetiere, a coffee plunger or a press pot, is an easy way to improve the quality of your coffee in about the same amount of time it takes to brew your favorite morning beverage in the traditional drip method. The results are amazing: the press method delivers coffee with a richer flavor and thicker body while creating a more elegant impression.

Why bother with a French press?

Coffee-drinkers can tell the difference between pressed coffee, which retains essential oils and sediments that are trapped in drip coffeemaker’s filters and eliminates the taste of the paper filter. This method will allow the full flavor intensity of your coffee grounds to survive the brewing process and make it into your mug in just minutes per pot.

You will need:

A French press (we recommend the Bodum French Press)
A burr-style coffee grinder
Coffee beans
A tablespoon
Boiling water measured to fill the press
A spoon or a chopstick

Get to know the French press:

The French press will be composed of a glass or plastic cylindrical beaker fitted with a lid and a plunger. The plunger holds a filter plate that is used to trap the sediment from the coffee grounds when the brew is ready to be poured.

How to brew the perfect cup of French press coffee:

• Measure water to reach the press pot’s fill line, but not above it, to make sure that there is room for the filter. Boil the water and let it cool briefly to the optimum temperature of around 195 to 205 degrees F.

• Grind the coffee beans to a course texture, being careful to avoid over-grinding the beans into a fine texture. Tiny particles will not be trapped in the French press method, so use a high-quality burr grinder to avoid creating dust and chunks.

• Add about two tablespoons of coffee grounds per 8 oz. cup of coffee to taste to the press pot.

• Pour the pre-boiled water into the press pot slowly to allow the gas to escape.

• Briefly stir the mixture with a chopstick or a spoon (about six strokes) to aid the filter in catching the sediment.

• Place the lid, with the attached filter and plunger assembly, onto the press pot and let the brew steep for two to four minutes, depending on the boldness of the beans used and the size of the pot.

• Holding the lid down firmly, grasp the plunger and slide it down in a straight, even motion, being careful to avoid turning the filter crooked. If it does, the grounds will escape into the upper-half of the pot.

• Wait about 30 seconds to allow the remaining sediment to settle.

• Hold the lid on while pouring and serve the coffee immediately, to avoid a bitter brew.

• Enjoy!

Alternatively, to make iced coffee, use cold water and leave the French press in the refrigerator overnight. Without the heat to damage the essential oils, the coffee will taste fresh and sweet.

Photo Credit: Sierra MS

Next time you're having a coffee with a friend or a colleague at work, you can use some of these 10 fun facts about coffee to impress them!

1. The Most Expensive Coffee In The World Comes From Indonesia

And it goes by the name of Kopi Luwak. Those who drink it insist that it is heavenly. It is apparently made from coffee beans that are eaten, partly digested and then excreted by the Asian palm civet, a weasel-like animal. Supposedly, the internal digestion adds a unique flavor to the beans, which are collected from the animal's feces and sold to the ultra-rich. Kopi Luwak sells for over $600 a pound, which works out to $50 per cup of coffee.

2. Northern Europeans Are The Biggest Coffee Drinkers

Northern European countries love their coffee. In fact, they drink by far the most coffee in the world with Norway, Finland and Denmark leading the pack. The average citizen of those countries drinks 10 kilograms of coffee a year, which is 3 times as much coffee as people drink in the United States.

3. But Americans Are The Leading Coffee Consumer

Our European friends may drink more coffee than us, but the sheer size of the American market makes us the largest consumer of coffee in the world. On average, we consume 450 million cups of coffee per day, which adds up to over 150 billion cups consumed in an entire year! To satisfy our need for caffeine, we import a third of the world’s coffee production - almost 20 million bags of coffee a year.

4. Coffee Is (Not) The Second Most Traded Commodity In The World

It is often cited that coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world after petroleum. It sounds good, but it isn’t accurate. Many commodities are traded for more value each year than coffee, including: petroleum, natural gas, copper, aluminum and gold. By some estimates, the global coffee industry is worth upwards of $60-$90 billion dollars a year, which is still very impressive.

5. Brazil Is The Largest Coffee Producing Country

No other country comes close to Brazil in terms of coffee production. Currently, Brazil’s coffee industry is responsible for 30-40% of the world’s coffee supply. After Brazil, Vietnam is the second largest producer of coffee in the world surpassing Colombia who now sits in third place.

6. Instant Coffee Was Invented By George Washington

Well, not the George Washington you’re thinking of though. Instant coffee was invented in 1906 in the Central American country of Guatemala by a Belgian named George Washington. He later immigrated to the United States and took his brilliant invention to the masses.

7. The Average American Drinks 3 Cups Of Coffee A Day

However, Americans are only 8th in the world in per capital coffee consumption with their daily average of 3 cups of coffee. By comparison, the average person in Finland consumes almost 6 cups of coffee each day.

8. Americans Love Their Caffeine And Get It Any Way They Can

While just over 50% of the American population older than 18 drink coffee each day, many Americans find other ways to get their caffeine fix. Other popular sources of caffeine include: energy drinks, chocolate bars, tea, soft drinks and weight loss supplements. In total, we each consume an average of 280 milligrams of caffeine each day, making it our favourite stimulant.

9. Seattle Is The Coffee Capital of the United States

With its rainy, overcast Pacific Northwest climate, Seattle has the most coffee shops per capital in the United States (35 per 100,000). The cities of Portland, San Jose, Denver and San Francisco aren’t far behind though.

10. Hawaii Is The Only Place In America That Coffee Is Grown

Coffee is grown in 53 countries worldwide, all located in the equatorial climate zone between the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. The only U.S. state that falls into this climatic zone is Hawaii. Coffee is also grown in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.

Photo Credit: TVG / Flickr

Official flag of the Oromia Region

Map of Ethiopia with the Oromia Region highlighted in red

Ethiopian coffee is often overlooked but has great characteristics. Known for its sweet blueberry notes at a medium roast but taking on a spicy boldness and body at darker roasts, it delivers a quality taste that one would expect from the birthplace of coffee.

You may not be aware that Ethiopia’s Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union harvests the best quality Fair Trade and organic certified, producing both world-class coffee and dramatic social change. The Oromia co-operative is celebrated around the globe as a model of successful, sustainable coffee farming. It was recently featured in the highly acclaimed 2006 documentary Black Gold, the story of Tadesse Meskela, manager of the Oromia co-operative, and his mission to save 74,000 struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. For more information about this, please visit www.blackgoldmovie.com.

Revenues generated by the Oromia co-operative are used to ensure food security for its members as well as to purchase and repair processing equipment. Oromia members are dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship and social justice in their communities. Women hold prominent positions throughout the organization, and all of Oromia’s award-winning coffee is produced according to the principles of organic farming.

Image credit (map & flag): Wikipedia