Cup of Excellence winner hits a record $35 a pound

The top coffee in mid-November’s Cup of Excellence auction attracted a record price of $35.05 per pound after bidding from an international group of speciality traders and roasters, the organisers said.

Japanese trader Maruyama Coffee, acting for the Mikatujuku Group, Itoya Coffee and Orsir Coffee won the coveted coffee, 24 boxes of wet processed typica from Maurico Ramiro Diez de Medina’s Agrotakesi farm near Yanachi in the Sud Yungas region.

The average price for the winning Bolivian coffees in this year’s fifth Cup of Excellence programme rose to $7.77 a pound, the organisers said, with total auction proceeds up by over $100,000. There were seven Presidential award winners (scoring over 90 points from the international jury) among the thirty top coffees in the programme.

The second highest price went to a lot of 20 boxes of a caturra and criollo cross from the Café Jacaranda farm operated by Crus Elia Choconapi near Caranavi. Another Japanese bidder, UCC Ueshima Coffee Co, won the lot by offering $12.80 a pound.

A $12.35 per pound bid from Canadian-based 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters and Café Imports secured the 21 boxes of red catuaí from the Luis Yujra Arismende’s Café Alan Coffe farm.

Among the other successful bidders in the Bolivan Cup of Excellence auction were Mercanta the Coffee Hunters for Andronicas World of Coffee and for Bolling Coffee in the UK, as well as fellow British concerns Has Bean Coffee, Origin Coffee and Gala Coffee, Iceland’s Kaffitár, Kontra Coffee from Denmark, Ireland’s Bewleys, Sviezia Kava from Lithuania, and regular participants Solberg & Hansen and Kaffebrenneriet from Norway.

Source: Scae.com

Cup of Excellence

Iphone Barista

Barista is a new application for iPhone users, it can be found using App Store and costs 2,39 EUR. It is about making quality espresso at home and covers step-by-step instructions on the most common espresso beverages. It also contains tips and techniques such as selecting, storing and grind coffee beans, tamping and extracting single and double shots, texturing milk, pouring latte art and much more.

More info can be found at Baristaapp.com

In the mood for a macchiato? Like to make one at home on your own espresso machine? Barista, a recent arrival on the App Store, can guide you through each step in the process of creating a caffè latte, cappuccino, americano, mocha, and other delightful expresso beverages. It also offers tips — on selecting and storing coffee beans and creating “latte art” — and a handy glossary.”

Barista iPhone Application

Top 5 Coffee mugs

When you come in contact with coffee every day, which i’m sure you do (otherwise you wouldn’t be here), a lot of different parts take a big role in your life. For an example, if you would like a very nice espresso you should considder buying the correct coffee beans, otherwise you would never be able to get it just right. Altough it could be very decent, not perfect. Also the coffee/espresso machine is very important, and so is the grinding process. But in the end there is only one part remaining. That’s right, the coffee mugs. I’ve looking around on the web and i’ve found the 5 coolest coffee mugs’s to show you. Some are available on the market, others are concepts.

1) Gun Mug

It’s a killers favorite coffee mug
Just have a look at it! I can’t imagine ever seeing a cup this original! To bad it doesn’t have a function but i’m buying one for sure!

The Gun Mug

2) The Lock It Mug

Tired of your collueges stealing your mug? This gives the word mug a (w)hole other meaning by Israeli designer Efrat Gommeh. His Lock Cup is a basic coffee mugs with a hole in it. A plug for the hole with a keyring is included so you can carry around the plug on you.

Lock It Mug

3) myCuppa Mug

This one is actually for sale at Amazon and is also available for tea, they have inside printings to make sure you know what kind of coffee/tea you are drinking.

Coffee mugs mycuppa

4) Zoom Lens Coffee Mugs

Are you obsessed taking pictures of everything? Stylish photo’s full of effect’s and art? Check this out! To bad it’s just a concept!

Coffee zoom lens mug

5) Knocking Mug

If the n1 on my list doesn’t do the job then you may start looking into this one.

Brass Knuckle Mug

NexPod – Nespresso cup replacement

NexPod refillable Nespresso cups NexPods are single use capsules made to fill in an easy and clean way to be used with your Nespresso coffee machine. It works with both coffee and tea.

How do NexPod cups work?
1. Insert the circular paper filter in the cap of the pod
2. Use the pod itself to gather the coffee and close the capsule directly in the coffee bag to avoid spilling
3. Press the ground coffee in the pod
4. Clean the edge of the capsule before closing it (To prevent leaking)
5. Insert the NexPod capsule into your Nespresso machine