National Coffee Day: Get Your Free Cup!

Today is National Coffee Day. In celebration there are a few places were you can get a free cup of coffee. 

Dunkin’ Donuts is participating.  To get your free cup of coffee from Dunkin’ check out their website for the “free” coupon!  ‘Fans can enter to win the grand prize — a trip for two to Costa Rica, a tour of Dunkin’s Coffee Lab and 60 months free coffee — by submitting a video, 60 seconds or less, describing why they deserve the title of ultimate fan. The contest and announcement were timed to celebrate the company’s 60th birthday and pay tribute to September 29.

Some  local places may  be participating as well, but coffee giant, Starbucks, will not be celebrating by giving away free coffee, which is honestly a shock to me.  I thought for sure they would be on board.  Oh well!!!

View the original article here

Tea Set Recalled by International Coffee & Tea and US Consumer Product Safety Commission

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a voluntary recall of approximately 1600 Tea Sets sold by  International Coffee & Tea, LLC, dba The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®, of Los Angeles, Calif.  They were also sold in their stores in  California, Arizona and Nevada.  They were sold online at http://www.coffeebean.com/.  The sales took place from from March 2010 through August 2010.

This recall involves the Tea for One “Flourish” design tea pot set, which includes a stackable teapot and cup. The teapot and cup are white ceramic with matching metallic foil decorations on each. The tea cup is marked “Dishwasher and microwave safe” and “Made in China” on the bottom, in English and French.

The tea sets pose a risk of fire when placed in the microwave because of sparks from the metallic decorations. Only one incident has been reported of the product sparking in the microwave and no injuries have been reported.

September 17, 2010 · Filed Under recalls

View the original article here

Folgers “Home For The Holidays” Contest

The sights, sounds and aromas of the holiday season often stir up a sense of nostalgia and a yearning to be at home with family.  This year, Folgers® is once again helping to make that happen for five lucky families as part of the second annual “Home for the Holidays” contest.    To enter, America can visit www.folgers.com from October 1, 2010 through November 30, 2010, and submit a 200-word essay answering “What is the best part of wakin’ up at home during the holidays with Folgers coffee?”   Five winners will receive a seven day, six night trip in December 2010 for themselves and up to three other guests to travel to their hometown destination within the 48 contiguous United States.  Each trip includes round trip airfare, hotel accommodations, a rental car, $1,000 spending money and a Folgers gift basket.  Travel origination and destination must be within the 48 contiguous states. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C. 18 years old or older.  Void where prohibited. See www.folgers.com for Official Rules, entry information and complete details.

View the original article here

New York Women Attracted To The Smell of Coffee

A study has shown that New York women are attracted to the smell of coffee, according to a report by NBC New York
.

The study was conducted by the  Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation and sponsored by Ax Men’s Grooming Products.

The study also noted that women around the US prefer different smells.  In Philadelphia they like the smell of clean laundry, in Los Angeles the prefer lavender and the ladies of Dallas like campfire smoke.

View the original article here

Starbucks Plans Selective Price Increase

Starbucks has made the decision to raise the price on some of its drinks after its announcement that it would absorb the rising cost of coffee.  The decision is due to the price of green Arabica coffee.  They said Wednesday that due to the near 13 year high on the green beans along with the rise in the cost of dairy, sugar and cocoa, they must raise the price on larger sizes and hard to make drinks.

“Over the last six months, a highly speculative green coffee market and dramatically increased commodity costs have completely altered the economic and financial picture of many players in the coffee industry,” said Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz, in a statement.  

The prices have been rising from the roasters for months  and Starbucks has resisted changing its prices up until now, but “the extreme nature of the cost increase has made it untenable for us to continue to do so.”

View the original article here

Kona Coffee Faces Quarantine Due to Pests

Hawaii had decided to go ahead with an “emergency administrative rule” to quarantine Kona coffee. They hope to keep a coffee berry borer, which is a tiny beetle that is smaller than a sesame seed, from spreading to the other islands.

The beetle bores into the coffee cherry, which contains that coffee bean, to lay its eggs. The larvae feed on the coffee bean and reduce the bean’s size and quality, agriculture officials said. Agriculture officials have found 21 areas in south Kona that are infested with the pest.

The quarantine would require green, non-roasted coffee beans to be treated with heat or insecticide before they’re shipped off the island. “Depending on how it comes out, the effects of the quarantine could be disastrous for those of us who grow Kona coffee,” said Bruce Corker, president of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association.

Those who would be most severely impacted is the organic Kona coffee farmers. The Kona Coffee Farmers Association is calling for a ban on the import of all foreign green coffee beans into Hawaii, because they believe that’s how the bug got here.

View the original article here

Starbucks and Yahoo Team Up to Offer In Store E-Books and Movies

Starbucks has teamed up with Yahoo to offer their customers e-books and movies in an attempt to encourage them to “stay a while” and purchase more items at Starbucks.

Starbucks, who traditionally charged for wireless internet, began their free wireless internet campaign in July of this year.  Now when you access Starbucks’ wireless service, you will be welcomed to watch moves, read books or enjoy access to some paid sites  from their partners, some of which include The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, Apple’s iTunes, local news provider Patch, and Zagat.

If you want to read the books at home, you may purchase them through the internet service.  Starbucks makes a small profit from the purchase.  

The e-books on the network are being offered through the Bookish Reading Club, a partnership with publishers, including Harper Collins, Hachette, Penguin, and Simon & Schuster.

Some books will be offered as excerpts only – but the customer will have the option of buying the whole book if interested. Some material will be made available on the network before its release date. One of the first such offerings is a preview of Anita Shreve’s upcoming novel “Rescue.”

View the original article here