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Coffee Facts 101, WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COFFEE

Hello,
I think I have sort of figured out how to make this a much more user friendly blog, than before! I have added a google + widget where you can click on to follow me. I have also added a follow me by email thingy on the top right side of the screen. I have also tried to delete those double postings, and I think I got so aggressive, I deleted a few posts that are essential to the project. So forgive me if you have read this one but this looks like one I deleted, and you should know.
This is a closer look of coffee facts, that a lot of people either don't know or there are misconceptions about. So here goes,
Coffee is only able to be grown within a 1,000 miles of the equator. This means all of the world's coffee is grown between the Tropic of Cancer, and the Tropic of Capricorn. That's it which means climate is essential in growing trees that ultimately produce this legal drug! I always told people, I am selling the only legal addictive drug in America, and nobody cares! I gotta have my caffeine, in fact, there have been multiple studies done that people who try to stop drinking coffee, get withdrawal symptoms like headaches, depression, social withdrawal and overall feeling lousy. Pretty crazy but true.
It takes approximately 5 years for a healthy coffee tree to produce 1lb of useable coffee per season. The America's produce 2/3s of all the coffee in the world and Brazil produces 40% of the entire world crop that is consumed! Wow go Brazil. It is funny too because within the coffee world Brazil is not, the GOURMET coffee the world thinks, but guess what? That gourmet coffee you think you are drinking I bet has some grade of coffee from Brazil. Now there is a board who regulates grading, but I have been in this business for over 25 years and I highly doubt, that grading board is answering to any governing body. My thoughts are, regardless of the size of the bean which is easy to measure, the type, cup profile and defects per million, by the way is pretty hard to watchdog. In other words, when you are dealing with non-regulated agencies, or I shouldn't say that, I should say agencies that have a less than written down spec, well, I don't know about you but Barnum and Bailey based their business model on; There's a sucker born every minute! Not a bad model. But that's the pessimistic side, there are a bunch of farmer's who do it the right way and are very proud of their yearly crop! Cheers to them!
It drives me absolutely crazy that I have been with people and they will always say, wow, sorry I am so jumpy but i just had a double espresso! What? Espresso generally has 1/3 the caffeine as a regular cup of Dunkin Donut's medium coffee. My first reaction is always, ok yeah maybe you should check the medication you are taking daily! Come on!!
Coffee is still one of the only agricultural products that is still 98% hand picked! There is no cotton GIN, or some technological breakthrough to pick this stuff. It is largely grown in volcanic ash, at high elevations, for the best grade beans, and hand picked by under paid worker's or families with no health benefits, minimum wage or anything else. These are largely third world countries! Don't even get me going on organically grown! Yeah because Jose and his family in Costa Rica who's family has owned 35 hectares of coffee trees, purchases some life changing chemical to make the coffee taste or grow better, or they found a way to give the trees, HGH, so they yield a pound in three years as opposed to five! GIVE ME A BREAK!! Don't even get me started on Fair Trade Coffee. My take on that is, great make it fair trade and make sure the farmer's and their employees benefit from 100% of the upcharge. Hey here's a great idea? Why doesn't that happen and anyone that is committed to Fair Trade pays that plus, a small administrative fee to get it done, ON TOP OF THE FAIR TRADE PREMIUM! Come on  man, these people are making $12 a week picking coffee. Do you know it takes 2,000 hand picked cherries, because coffee beans are cherries that bloom in season and then are picked. It takes 2000 cherries with 2 beans per cherry, that is 4,000 beans to make a pound of coffee! That's crazy! So stop complaining that a cup of coffee costs you say $2.00 or even more. Think of the work and love that goes into it. That is before it get's to the manufacturer's, and then ultimately the consumer! Stop!
The largest beans are grown in Nicaragua, they are called Margogoipe and they are beautiful, large beans with a nutty flavor and look great in a blend or by themselves.
Anyway, all I am saying it is an agricultural product that can vary from year to year, much like some of our favorite blends of wine. But no one is complaining if they have to pay $5 more for a bottle of their favorite Bourdeaux or California Cab because of whatever, a perfect growing season. Anyway, I had to post this again because, I believe I deleted this and it is an essential piece of the blog! Stay safe in London, be vigilant in America and everywhere. Thank you for following, Joe

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