| Coffee Industry |
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Excerpt: Starbucks' salted caramel hot chocolate: Some may have a hard time snubbing Starbucks now that they're serving this hot chocolate ($3.40 to $4.20). The chain's decent hot chocolate comes topped with a swirled pile of whipped cream, caramel stripes then a sprinkling of artisan sea salt and turbinado sugar. Get it in a real ceramic cup, sit down at the cafe and sip it slowly, chomping a little bite of salt-topped whipped cream in each delicious sip. www.starbucks.com . Hub 51's butterscotch pudding with salted caramel sauce: Portions at this hip American spot are generally pretty huge. But one of our favorite offerings comes in a petite double-shot glass. It's butterscotch pudding topped with salted caramel sauce ($3) and it packs enough flavor for about five desserts. Balance it with a strong cup of black coffee. Hub 51, 51 W. Hubbard St.; 312-828-0051.
Source: Eng, Monica. "Sweet trend weds silky , briny tastes- Salted Caramel." Chicago Tribune (IL). 9 Oct. 2008. Access World News. NewsBank. University of Texas at San Antonio, John Peace Library. San Antonio, TX. 15 May 2009
Excerpt: While Starbucks gets a lot of credit for the popularization of the cold coffee-flavored drink trend thanks to its Frappuccino, the current actual leader of the ice coffee pack is Dunkin’ Donuts. Having brewed fresh ice coffee year-round for more than 25 years, the company takes great pride in having pioneered the industry-standard double-brew system for ice coffee, in which a double portion of ground coffee is used in the base brewing to ward off dilution by ice. The chain even lays claim to selling nearly one-third of all the restaurant ice coffees sold in the U.S. It’s clear that times are changing, and the competition heating up, when this vested and venerable chain introduces a rainbow of fruit-, spice-, and nut-flavored ice coffees. During the May celebration of the second chainwide free ice coffee day, an estimated four million cups of ice coffee were dispensed by the chain’s nearly 6,000 domestic units.
Excerpt: Cold Stone Creamery posted a double-digit sales increase following the February launch of its new product, ice cream cupcakes. In the short time since the cupcakes were introduced, Cold Stone has sold 1.75 million of them nationwide, according to the Technomic Food Service Monitor. The cupcakes were promoted at an introductory price to appeal to value-conscious consumers, the industry analyst said. Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2009/04/13/daily75.html ------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt: The number of restaurant chains offering lattes and specialty coffee on their menus has grown in the past year, according to Technomic Information Services, a Chicago-based food service consultant. But consumer willingness to pay as much as $4 for specialty coffee is waning, said Sara Monnette, Technomic's senior manager of consumer and market research. That's where chains, like McDonald's, are stepping in with lower-priced alternatives and trying to get a taste of that business, she said. She said she expects to see more promotions offered to draw in customers to sample specialty coffee drinks. Price is a selling point for coffee drinkers like Chris Stortenbecker, 26, a teacher who lives in West Rogers Park. "Lately I've been drinking coffee mostly because it's stronger caffeine-wise and it's cheaper," he said. But while a latte is more expensive than a regular cup of joe, it still is a reasonable drink option, said Kristin Figard, 26, a musician who lives in Evanston. "I like the price, and it has a flavor without it being too strong," Figard said. The number of people trying lattes probably is growing now that lattes are more widely offered, said Matt Milletto, vice president of Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup, a specialty coffee consultant based in Portland, Ore. Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/red-030309-latte-main,0,1442872.story ------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpt: "It's been a real journey from when we started to where we are today," Luke Shaffer says. He uses his mechanical engineering background for making the coffee. Alexis was an industrial engineer, which helps with the way the shop is run. "We never stop learning. Every day, we learn something different to improve our quality." Coffee is 95 percent water, so the Shaffers filter the water they use for odor, taste and hardness. They usually offer six varieties of coffee, such as Columbian, Bolivian, Peruvian and Sumatran, depending on availability. A Clover coffee brewer is the heart of the process. He describes it as an upside-down French press machine that "allows us to precisely control the water temperature to a tenth of a degree, and also the brewing time." Coffee enthusiasts know that water should be a little cooler than boiling for best results. The Clover brewer lets Luke set the temperature of the water to 205 degrees Fahrenheit when it first touches the ground beans… Trial and error has taught Luke that slight variations in grinding, temperature and brew time are needed to make the most of different beans. A cup of Columbian brews in 42 seconds. He uses a digital timer placed on top of his espresso machine to brew that style for 20 to 30 seconds. Source: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/s_616704.html ------------------------------------------------------------- |
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