Market jitters - Monday March 18, 2013:

An overabundance of coffee beans is causing jitters in the commodity. Prices are now at their lowest in nearly 3 years. That's because of mounting stockpiles in Colombia and a bumper crop in Brazil. Right now the global supply of coffee for the year is set to exceed demand by nearly 300 million pounds. In Colombia the supply is up 6.7% since the beginning of the year. In Brazil the latest figures show 71% of the crop sold, down from 87% a year ago.

America’s coffee cup is half full

Why the U.S. coffee market may still be far from saturated

Brought to us by our good friends at MarketWatch & Jeremy Olshan

America’s coffee cup seems filled to the rim.

Hot or iced, drip, French press, espresso, Chemex or Keurig, each of us downs about 23 gallons of joe a year on average. It’s in our blood. It’s also on our streets, where Starbucks(US:SBUX)  outposts outnumber hospitals and colleges. And even on our resumes: 161,000 people list “coffee” as a skill on LinkedIn. See: Coffee as a skill on Linkedin

But the truth is, our cup is half empty. We could be drinking a lot more coffee and, in fact, we used to. In 1946, when America’s thirst for coffee peaked, each of us swallowed about 48 gallons a year on average, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture — more than twice current consumption. “We’d drink coffee with breakfast, coffee with lunch, and coffee with dinner,” says John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest. “And mostly, we’d drink it at home.”

What makes midcentury America’s passion for coffee all the more amazing is what passed for a decent cup back then.

Read the rest here

Coffee fix found in baking

Brought to us by Angela Shellard of the North shore News:

FOR many of us the day just doesn't start until we've had our coffee fix.

Be it a creamy latté, decadent caramel macchiato or dark and intense espresso, coffee is one of the world's favourite beverages. 

But instead of drinking a cup of Joe, how about savouring the tantalizing flavour and aroma of fresh coffee in baked goods? 

Here are three yummy coffee-themed confections that, wouldn't you know it, taste fantastic with a steaming cup of your favourite brew.

Read the rest    : http://www.nsnews.com/life/Coffee+found+baking/8124746/story.html#ixzz2OEQBJzbJ

Latte to stay, or Latte to go?

Beautiful two piece set of high quality porcelain by Konitz. 

9 ounces, black lettering on white. Travel mug comes with silicone lid. Click to view