Maxwell House and other corporate coffee prices rise

Just in case you need another reason to buy Vienna Coffee Company coffee...

NEW YORK Aug 6 - Reuters announced on August 6th the following information...

"Kraft Foods raised the list price on select Maxwell House and Yuban ground and instant coffees in the United States, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

The increases are 30 cents per lb equivalent on ground coffees and 2-1/2 cents per ounce on instant, said Bridget MacConnell, Kraft spokeswoman.

The price hike comes three days after trendsetter J.M. Smucker Co raised list prices 9 percent for most of its Folgers, Dunkin' Donuts, Millstone and Folgers Gourmet Selections coffees sold in the U.S. retail market.

The Maxwell House Cafe line of specialty soluble items is not included in the price change, Kraft said.

"Increases are due to sustained increases in the cost of green coffee," MacConnell told Reuters in an email.

Arabica futures KCc1 trading on ICE have surged 35 percent over the past two months, reaching a 12-1/2 year high on Aug. 2 at $1.8150 per lb. There are steep premiums on the physical market as top washed-arabica producer Colombia and Central America continue to face tight supplies. "

(Reporting by Marcy Nicholson - http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=marcy.nicholson&> )

Cupping for a new blend

At Vienna Coffee Company we are always looking to improve our coffee, and make new blends of coffee that will tantalize your taste buds. Here are a few pictures taken from this Monday during one of our cupping sessions. "What is a cupping session?" you might be asking yourself.

Cupping is one of the coffee tasting techniques used by cuppers to evaluate coffee aroma and the flavor profile of a coffee. To understand the minor differences between coffee growing regions, it is important to taste coffee from around the world side-by-side. Cupping is also used to evaluate a defective coffee or to create coffee blends.

In this picture, Bob Knoll is doing the first step of the cupping process, smelling the ground coffee before water has been added. The next picture is Audra actually tasting the coffee once the water has been introduced to the coffee. The next step would then be to taste it again after it has been sitting for a little while. The coffee will have different aromas and flavors at each process of the cupping. Knowing all of these flavors and aromas can help to make the perfect blend for anyone's pallet.

Are you interested in learning more about cupping and would like to join us for a cupping? Please email cristi@viennacoffeecompany.com for more information.

Espresso and Latte Art Class

On June 26, 2010, Vienna Coffee Company hosted an Espresso and Latte Art class at their roastery. With people from all around east Tennessee area attending, instructor Les Stoneham started the class talking about coffee from farm to cup. With beautiful pictures from his travels to the coffee growing regions, he helpped the students understand how much work and love goes into each and every bean. He also explained how important it is as a barista to create the perfect shot to allow all that hard to show through.

To further explain this point, the second half of the class was hands on where each student could create latte for themselves. He made sure that each student knew what to do and why it's important to do each step.

This is a picture of one of the lattes he poured as demonstration. To close out the class, student were invited to partake in yummy sipping chocolate and a plethera for munchies.

If you are interested in going to our next class. Make sure to sign up for our newsletters, check our facebook, or check back here for more details.



Thank you to our Veterans

In honor of Memorial Day and all the wonderful men and women who lost their lives serving our country, we wanted to take this time to thank and remember their sacrifice.

Here are some wonderful and heartfelt stories from some of our customers...

"My daddy, Staff Sargeant E. Milton Heider U.S. Army. He hit the beach at Normandy the day after D-day. He was a proud veteran, man and the best daddy anyone could ask for. Quite a snappy dresser too! Love you daddy! Miss you :(" - Bobby Montgomery

"Honoring the service of my Groenhout men: son, 2nd Lt. Adam Groenhout (USMC); husband, LCDR Brian Groenhout (USNRet); and his father, Eddie Groenhout (USN, WWII - Pacific Theater). "Old Grandpa Groenhout" (the Dutch immigrant) would have been proud." - Angela Groenhout


Thank you to everyone who served and continue to serve our beautiful country!