STiR coffee and tea magazine

Volume 3, Number 1

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STiR tea & coffee industry international 11 Vibiemme Replica 3G Vibiemme produces 2, 3 and 4 group versions of the Replica espresso machine. Those with independent boilers produce steam and water from the primary with a second for coffee brewing. The dual boilers allows more precise control of temperature for each extraction. Vibiemme was the first to successfully combine the thermosiphonic E61 with multi-boiler technology. The VBM-61 is the most advanced technology in its class, controlling temperatures (precise to the degree), service cycles, coffee consumption, automatic cleaning of groups, pre-infusion for each coffee and electricity consumption. The company also produces the Replica Piston, a manual lever machine that is quiet, energy efficient and conveys the tradition of Italian espresso and barista expertise. Learn more: www. vbmespresso.com Fitea Infuser: Brew on the Go The makers of the PACHIT coffee filter have introduced a new infuser for tea. The Fitea is the ultimate tea infuser for loose leaf drinkers on the go, according to Aiko Takeuchi with Osaka-based OHKI Co., Ltd. The transparent infuser is suspended from the rim of the cup enabling leaves to unfurl for full flavor. The infuser is made of a synthetic silk-like material and fits any diameter tea cup. "You can make great tea anytime, anywhere: home, office, traveling or camping," said Takeuchi. The infusers are compactly folded and boxed in a carton of 30. The Fitea dripbag makes a premium presentation when sampling fine teas and is ideal for retailers to sell from the shelf. Learn more by emailing: info@ohki-okilon.co.jp or visit www.ohki-okilon.co.jp. Cupping Card and Flavor Wheel CRS Coffeelands Blog introduced a farm-facing cupping form in January that suggests to growers the potential of their coffee and points to farm practices that will improve their score. Blogger Michael Sheridan observed that "growers could use a form with notes that are farm-facing and prescripting. One that doesn't just tell them a coffee is good or bad, but also tells them why." "Ideally it would also give them an idea of the quality frontier of their farms - the highest scores they can realistically hope to achieve through improvments in practices they can control," wrote Sheridan. Learn more: coffeelands.crs.org/ (No. 381) Counter Culture Coffee modified the classic flavor wheel for similar reasons. The revision assists roasters with adjectives and intensifieers for coffee with a version suitable for cupping labs that describes roasting and green coffee faults such as "over roast" and "aged" as well as "faded" and "stale bread." Learn more: www.counterculturecoffee.com FARM MILL POTENTIAL husbandry harvest wetprocess drying storage/ OTHER QUALITY transport FRONTIER NOTES: NOTES: NOTES: NOTES: NOTES: NOTES: 26 STiR tea & coffee industry international "Mercanta is delighted to support Grounds for Health in their mission to save women in coffee-growing communities from a preventable death." – Craig Hensman, Director, Mercanta Coffee Contact: Jane Dale, Development Director development@groundsforhealth.org www.groundsforhealth.org/donate GET INVOLVED: BECOME A SUPPORTER P r even ti n g C e r v i ca l C an ce r i n C o ff ee - G r o w i n g C o m m un iti es G r ounds f o r H ea l t h THE POWER OF COFFEE PARTNERSHIPS INTERNATIONAL COFFEE COMPANIES AND GROUNDS FOR HEALTH ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO PREVENT CERVICAL CANCER IN COFFEE-GROWING COMMUNITIES. It is essential to focus research on sustainable productivity in relation to preserving ecological components long gestation terms." Other work being carried out in Sri Lanka include the planting of both high and low shade trees, thus minimizing the impact of high temperatures; soil improvement through mulching and composting, thus improving the water retention properties of the soil (but labor intensive and so costly to implement); enriching the soil through leaf fall; providing a habitat for small birds and other fauna which feed on pests that are harmful to tea; and crop diversification in areas where conditions are not optimal for tea. Attempting to combat change in Africa The Tea Research Foundation of Central Africa (based in Mulanje, Malawi) has also been working to develop new clones that can cope with changing conditions. "We have developed some hardy vegetatively propagated cultivars (168, 175, 185, 198, and 213) that are withstanding the adverse effects of climate change," Albert Changaya, director of the foundation said, "In addition, these cultivars are high yielding and of superior quality. And we are urging farmers to interplant shade trees such as Grivellia sp (a shrub with ovate leaves and red flowers) in the tea fields. If farmers can afford it, irrigation is a very suitable option and agronomic practices such as mulching, fertilizer application, and pruning help to avoid exposing the plants to stress." "When we replant, we are taking care to do so with drought-resistant varieties and we are also going back to growing shade trees in some of our areas," agreed Alexander Cathcart Kay of Satemwa Tea Estate, Malawi. "We will be increasing the area under irrigation and reducing tea in marginal sites. There is also a general review of most agronomic practices such as plucking, pruning cycles, fertilizer regimes, etc., since the long-tested model is not as suitable to changing conditions." In Uganda, Fred Ssegujja, chief factory manager, McLeod Russel Uganda Limited detailed the work being carried out. "Retention of vegetative matter on the ground to reduce water loss; compost/ mulching of young tea to improve on soil water retention; soil erosion control; the establishment of drought resistant tea clones and Eucalyptus; the protection of natural forests and the planting of indigenous trees; the adoption of good agricultural practices and international standards such as Rainforest Alliance's Sustainable Agriculture Standard, and Fair Trade." The Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) has recognized the threats to sustainable agriculture and has successfully implemented a range of projects in Kenya. At the start of the first of their projects, a three-year private partnership with GIZ (German Development Agency), "climate modellers CIAT (The International Centre for Tropical Agriculture) mapped Kenya's tea producing regions (based on climate alone) to predict which areas would be most affected by climate change in 2000 and 2050. Using this information, we chose five KTDA (Kenya Tea Development Agency) factories and the smallholders that supply them. Using KTDA's extension officers, promoter farmers (peer to peer learning) and farmer field schools, smallholders will EQUIPMENT NEWS

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