Coffee

Sometimes, a cup of coffee is more than just a cup of coffee. That, at least, is the fervent belief of two Arizonans, one a buttoned-down Presbyterian minister, the other a tie-dyed Roman Catholic renegade. They are convinced that a steaming cup of cafe arabica could do nothing less than help solve the problem of illegal immigration. And that's just for starters. They also believe it can bring together liberals and conservatives, fulfill the Old Testament's prophetic vision of a "new heaven and new earth," and bring the wolf together with the lamb.

Starbucks raised eyebrows when it recently started offering coffee for $7 a cup. But that's nothing compared to a brew that goes for a hefty $50 per serving. Why does this coffee cost so much? Because the beans first have to be eaten, digested and then pooped out by an elephant. Apparently that's an exotic enough process to fetch a price of $500 a pound, making this one of the world's most expensive blends. The coffee is called Black Ivory and hails from Thailand. It was unveiled last month at a handful of luxury hotels catering to, well, the sort of people who can afford a $50 cup of joe. Quiz: The year in business "When an elephant eats coffee, its stomach acid breaks down the protein found in coffee, which is a key factor in bitterness," Blake Dinkin, who has spent $300,000 developing the coffee, told the Associated Press . "You end up with a cup that's very smooth without the bitterness of regular coffee.

How will we know when the recession is ending? Watch the coffee index, says Steven Burd, chief executive of Safeway Inc., the Pleasanton, Calif., supermarket company that owns Vons here in Southern California. Speaking to investors about Safeway's third-quarter profit, Burd said shoppers were starting to trade up to more expensive items after a long period in which they had gravitated to less costly goods. "When we went into the recession, we saw a change in the mix of lattes versus coffee, and now we've seen -- it's early but we're seeing -- a trend back to lattes," Burd said.

For the last 42 years, the Big Island of Hawaii has celebrated its world-famous java each November at the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival . This year's celebration of all things coffee and more begins today (Friday) and continues through Nov. 11 at various venues on the leeward (Kailua-Kona) side of the island. One of the most important, and interesting, events is the cupping competition Wednesday and Thursday. Visitors are invited to sip the entrants' brews alongside judges who will be evaluate the various Kona blends in a variety of categories.

Despite such speedy-sounding names as Full Throttle, Amp and Rush, energy drinks pack a punch that is generally no stronger than coffee, according to Consumer Reports. A comparison of 12 popular energy drinks, published in Consumer Reports' September issue, found that the caffeine in 8 ounces of various brands ranged from 50 to 145 milligrams, though most were in the 75-to-80-milligram range.

California's coffee heritage includes a little-known and ill-fated foray into coffee agriculture. According to historian Luther N. Steward Jr., the push began in 1874 when Californians, "aroused by the high price of coffee"--at the time, Java beans went for 31 cents a pound--planted seeds from around the world in an attempt to raise a local crop.

A few cups of regular coffee per day might help prevent gallstones, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. The study, conducted by the Harvard University School of Public Health, found that men who drank two to three cups a day had a 40% lower risk of gallstones than those who did not drink regular coffee. Men who drank four or more cups a day had a 45% lower risk.

Coffee, that ancient, aromatic morning jolt, is one of the world's most popular drinks, and a major industry in Brazil, the largest producer, and other countries of Central and South America, Africa and Asia. In the United States, which is the No. 1 importer and buys 25% of the world's annual crop, coffee companies have been given a boost in recent years by the boom in retail outlets such as Starbucks and their specialty brews. But these are not the best of times for growers of the humble bean.

Russ Parsons received more than 50 letters about his cover story, "The New Coffee Connoisseur," in last week's special issue on coffee. Here are just a few of them, plus two relating to the issue as a whole. --- JUST read your article ... nice. I'm a Montana cowboy and I thought I would throw my two cents in. At 45 years old, I have finally figured out the perfect coffee trick (for me). I buy green beans from a local store, roast them somewhere between the first crack and the second crack.

Brewing the best cup of coffee possible is not brain surgery, but it's a bit more complicated than just buying the priciest pound around--a $60 bag of Jamaica Blue Mountain from Bloomingdale's. Some tips from Jay Isais, Coffee People's director of coffee, who declares that "there is an optimum way to brew coffee; all else is compromise": * Do not use boiling water or you risk scalding the ground coffee. Just under a boil is the appropriate temperature.