Tag: Coffee

Waka Coffee & Tea Revamps Its Premium Instant Brand

Instant, freeze-dried coffee and tea company Waka Coffee & Tea is expanding its staff, distribution, and of most interest to consumers their product line as they come into a fresh $725,000 investment.

The Cali-based coffee concern is going to release a refreshed brand with new packaging marketing lingo usually reserved for specifically coffee and not instant. Waka does this in hopes of finding some space both on typical grocery store shelves as well as pantries across the U.S.

Waka was founded in 2018 by David Kovalevsk. So far, they’ve mostly had success through Amazon sales but recently brought their products to the international market through the California online health and wellness retail platform iHerb.

Waka isn’t the only company in recent years that made a go of making specialty coffee instant coffee. Other companies include Swift Cup, Sudden Coffee and Voila. Unfortunately, both Voila and Sudden are no longer in operation.

Waka founder Kovalevski stated that around the world instant coffee maintains its popularity, it is in the U.S. market where consumers are only familiar with sub-par legacy brands of instant coffee. Kovalevski said it is an opportunity to show U.S. consumers that “specialty” and “premium” coffee can be instant coffee.

Waka’s package redesign has several purposes. First, they are making the new packaging as light weight as possible for shipping purposes. Using new, simple graphics reinforce the effortless nature of the premium, instant coffee brand as well as strongly highlighting Waka’s promise to donate 4% of their profits to clean water projects.

 

The Future of Coffee Growing Land

New research from Switzerland brings new evidence to the conversation about the land coffee is grown on—the study found that climate change will reduce land suitable for growing coffee by 50% by 2050.

Specifically, the researchers’ analysis found that land with the best suitability for coffee growing in the world’s five largest coffee-growing countries will be reduced by 50% by climate change under all scenarios. Moderately suitable land will be reduced by more than 30%.

The new study repeats, almost exactly, the warning a 2014 study made, that lands for growing coffee will be cut in half by the middle of the new century. This is a serious warning about the sustainability of the coffee industry.

The study comes from Zurich University of Applied Sciences. It was led by Roman Gruter. The study used data from fourteen global climate models and three scenarios of future emission predictions. It estimated the effects on the land and soil for crops. It considered things like slop, texture and pH.

The study also looked at the future land availability for crops like avocados and cashews. However, the study found that coffee lands happen to be in the most danger from climate change.

 

First Ever Cup of Excellence Auction, Indonesia

At the first ever Cup of Excellence auction in Indonesia, buyers from all over the world to turned up. Bidders paid up to $30USD a pound on average for 26 different varieties of Indonesia’s best coffees.

In total bidders paid out over $360,000 for the 26 micro-lots available at the auction. Wataru, Japanese coffee trader, made the winning bid for six of the choicest lots. This included an $80 per pound pledge Wataru made on behalf of their client Yamatoya Coffee for the most valued lot at the auction.

This highly valued coffee is a honey-processed product. It is a blend of the Ateng, P88 and Gayo 1 varieties grown by Dilen Ali Gogo on the Aceh island. Yamatoya, the purchasers, plan to promote it as the best Indonesian coffee.

A Wataru representative stated that Indonesia is a favored country of origin for coffee connoisseurs in Japan. He said that their coffee has a special sweet and earthy flavor that is also spicy. While Sumatra is the most well-known, there are many islands producing very good coffee.

The five most cherished lots were bought from representatives from six different countries. The organizers of the auction also noted that Indonesia’s own roasting company and coffee supplier called Kopikina Coffee was represented at the auction as well. They purchased a lot from Java Bawat, grown by Saeful Hadi.

 

Holiday Spiced Coffee

This is a Holiday Spiced Coffee topped with cream and sprinkles of cinnamon and cocoa.

 

Ingredients

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup coffee beans

10 crushed cardamom pods

2 star anise

½ quart water

1/3 cup powered sugar

½ cup Kahlua

1/3 brown sugar

1 tbs sweetened cocoa

1 tsp cinnamon powered

Serves 6

Instructions:

Chill the whipping cream, the mixer bowl and the wire mixer attachment.

Mix coffee beans, cardamom, star anise and water in a one-quart pot. Simmer on low until liquid reduces by half.

Whisk the cream with wire attachment on medium to high speed until forms soft peaks, this should take about 1.5 minutes. Add sugar and whisk until forms firm peaks, 2-3 minutes.

Filter coffee to separate the solids. Next mix with the Kahlua and brown sugar. Split equally into 6 cups. Top with of cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon and  cocoa.

 

 

Healthier Peppermint Mocha Coffee

Here is a healthier option for a popular and delicious winter themed coffee drink, the Peppermint Mocha Recipe.

 

Ingredients

Depending on mug size, 3-4 cups of your milk of choice

¾ cup of coconut sugar

4tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

4 shots of espresso or about 6 oz

1 tsp peppermint extract

 

Serves Two

Prep Your Milk: In a medium or small saucepan, over medium heat, warm the milk, cocoa powder, and coconut sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat. Add peppermint extract and combine by stirring.

Brew Coffee: Brew espresso by whatever method you have available.

Create the Drinks: Froth the peppermint mocha milk created above until it gets a nice foam. Add espresso and pour frothed milk overtop.