Coffee consumption is an internationally shared and enjoyed morning wake-up routine, pastime and social event. A great morning brew brings smiles to faces from every country around the world. These smiles bring the world together, speaking the same language of comfort and joy. Whether it be gourmet coffee or a classic homestyle brew, and whether you prefer coffee in the form of coffee beans, ground coffee, k-cups or coffee pods, a great cup of coffee is a worldwide favorite.
 
Just take a look at the numbers: coffee consumption has never been bigger. You might be surprised to know that the United States is far down the list of the world's top coffee drinkers. In fact, Finland is home to the world's highest per capita coffee consumption. The Fins consume coffee at an astounding rate of over three times higher per person more than in the United States. The official list, compiled by the World Resource Institute in 2008, states that on average, each person in Finland consumes 12 kilograms of coffee per person each year.

Taking second place in these coffee-drinking standings is Norway at 10 kg. In third, and you might be noticing a trend here, is the frigid country of Iceland, where residents consume an average of 9 kg of coffee. Trailing closely behind are Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Aruba, Canada and Germany, at rates decreasing from 8.7 kg to 6.4 kg. The United States sits at 26th place in the standings at only 4.2 kg of coffee consumed per person annually, even though the U.S. consumes about 45 per cent of the world's coffee. And people from the United Kingdom drinks much less coffee than most Europeans, according to the charts: it sits at 47th place at 2.8 kg.
 
In Finland, coffee is far more than just a social drink. It is a way of life. Decades ago, alcohol was banned throughout the country and coffee was the favorite drink for social gatherings. Because of this, cafes became popular gathering places. Now, coffee has become a staple in the local economy by creating and funding jobs at cafes throughout the nation. Vietnam has also decided to cash in on the increasing popularity of coffee over the past few decades by making coffee beans a major cash crop. When the idea was implemented, however, it forced the price of coffee down worldwide and almost caused the market to collapse. The industry responded by identifying market saturation points, introducing quality control plans and encouraging higher standards through the introduction of new varieties and blends of coffee.
 
Today, coffee consumption is even growing in countries that were originally recognized as tea-drinking nations. Asian countries like India, China and Japan are now jumping on the gourmet coffee bandwagon after a successful rebranding of the coffee industry by the International Coffee Organization. Coffee consumption is now an internationally loved luxury and economy stabilizer with the accepted price tags of about $4 for a specialty coffee with a particular flavor. And as long as the public will shell out that money for a good brew, coffee consumption will only continue to climb around the world.

Thanks to offchance / flickr for the coffee consumption map.

How To Store Coffee To Preserve Its Freshness

An important part of keeping your coffee fresh and delicious is storing it properly. Stale coffee will not provide the same flavor as fresh coffee, and you should not have to choose between drinking bad coffee and throwing it away—which would leave you in the position of having to buy more coffee. So, let us talk about how to properly store coffee.

Whether you are storing ground coffee or whole bean coffee makes little difference. They are stored in much the same way. It is important to note that whole bean coffee lasts about ten times as long than ground coffee in storage. Ground coffee is good for about a month and whole bean for about ten.

With that in mind, make sure that your stored coffee, whether it is ground or whole bean, is protected from the following: air, moisture, heat, and light—in that order. Unfortunately, while some people appreciate the aesthetic of coffee beans, it is not recommended that they be stored in any ornamental containers out in the open. The light will do a lot of damage, and ornamental containers generally are not airtight, which is the most important factor in storing coffee. Ask yourself: Is being able to see your coffee beans out in the open really worth the price of bad, stale coffee?

Another point to consider: Avoid freezing or refrigerating your coffee. Any contact with moisture will, in fact, cause the coffee to deteriorate. Instead, find somewhere that is dark, dry, and cool to store your coffee. Also make sure that you put it in an airtight container. When looking for the right place to store your container, keep in mind that cupboards located near the oven are more likely to be warmer, which is a bad thing. Find a cupboard that is away from the oven, but that is also between other cupboards (so that it is the most blocked off from sunlight); this will be an ideal place to store your coffee.

In addition, keep in mind that the coffee containers that purchased coffee comes in are usually not very good for long-term storage. You are going to want to buy your own airtight canisters to make sure that the coffee is sealed properly. They are a small and worthy investment.

Lastly, keep in mind the amount of coffee that you actually drink. While some ways of storing coffee are better than others, it will still eventually go bad—and it will lose its freshness even sooner. Thus, if you buy much more coffee than you can reasonably drink within an appropriate timeframe, you are only wasting coffee—or tempting yourself to drink bad coffee in an effort to cash in on your initial investment. It is a lose-lose situation. But the solution is simple: Buy an appropriate amount of coffee, keeping freshness in consideration, among other things. And remember that whole bean lasts much longer than ground coffee. This is also true of some other coffee types, such as single-serve coffee pods. The individual coffee pods come pre-sealed, making them easier to store and longer lasting.

With this information in mind, good luck finding a system that works best for you. Enjoy your coffee.

Sumatra Coffee: An Indonesian Delight

Sumatra coffee has become widely popular around the world. It’s known for having a full, syrupy body and very low acidity, along with hints of spice and herbs. It also has an earthy aroma. It’s an intense coffee with a distinctive taste that lingers in your mouth long after each sip.

Sumatra coffee comes from a large island—called, you guessed it, Sumatra—located in Indonesia. It has a population of over 38 million people. Additionally, Sumatra is responsible for 75 per cent of Indonesia’s coffee production, along with 70 per cent of Indonesia’s total income. As a result, Indonesia is the world’s fourth largest coffee producer.

Indonesia has an ideal geology for growing coffee, so it’s unsurprising that coffee has become such a boon to the country’s economy. The history of coffee in Indonesia is an interesting and colourful one.

Indonesia’s independence in 1945 played a big part in its coffee history. Coffee used to be controlled by Dutch plantation owners, as Indonesia was still under colonial rule. But after independence was achieved, many of the plantations came under control of the new government. Others were closed down. Nowadays, about 92 per cent of coffee production is controlled by small farmers and cooperatives.

Most Sumatra coffees are dry-processed, but others are semi-washed (compared with Colombian coffee, for example, which is washed thoroughly). The result of dry-processing is a coffee with a heavier body and a sweeter, smoother, more complex taste. Accordingly, Sumatra coffee beans have the reputation of being one of the heaviest, smoothest, and most complex coffees in the world.

Most Sumatran coffee is grown inland from the southern coast, but some is grown farther west.

Lintong and Mandheling are the market names for the coffee grown along the southern coast. Lintong coffee is grown in a rather small region that is just southwest of Lake Toba in the district of Lintongnihuta. The plots of coffee are dispersed over a rolling plateau of ferns and clay, and are grown without shade or chemicals.

Mandheling coffee, on the other hand, is a more inclusive label. Mandheling refers to Lintong coffee as well as coffees grown under similar conditions. These other coffees are grown in the regency of Diari, which is just north of Lake Toba.

The western-grown coffee is usually labelled as Gayo Mountain coffee, and has a reputation for being sweet and clean. It is higher-toned and lighter in body than Mandheling and Lintong.

We offer a variety of Sumatra Coffee Blends from Wolfgang Puck and Reunion Island.