What Your Coffee Order Says About You

Coffee is a very popular, and healthy, beverage. Millions and millions of people around the world drink the stuff every morning, afternoon, evening, and night. With so many people around the world drinking coffee, people with varying interests and tastes (pun intended), there is certainly a wide variety of coffee options. 

Our fresh coffee team decided to put a little article together to talk about how your particular coffee order just might describe the type of person you are. Yes, the article is somewhat facetious, although you might find some truth in here, too. 

• The latte lover: Latte drinkers tend to seek out comfort, be chill, and reflect on things. They like to add in some cream and sugar to their coffee, which reminds of them of how there's always a little sweetness in a dark, bitter world. Their mug is often playful and they like to have shirts sporting an interest from their childhood. Like Thundercats. Their ideal way to drink coffee is to lay on the couch or comfy recliner, while wearing moccasins and comfortable jeans. 

• The espresso enthusiast: Always on the move and taking charge. Is that their fourth shot of espresso since the morning status meeting? I've lost count. They like abbreviated words in emails and texts to save time. Of course, they have a loyal personal assistant who is like a gatekeeper at Fort Knox. 

• The cappuccino consumer: The extroverted socialite (to any degree) who is creative and looks on the bright side of life (cue Monty Python). They are attached to multiple screens and conversations at once (whether the conversations are on devices or live will vary). They like to doodle and do other artsy things like paint, make origami, or build Pinterest crafts. They live at coffee shops.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The black coffee bud: The serious one. Straight-laced. Quiet, dedicated, and often a purist. Sometimes enigmatic. Presentation is as it should be: perfectly parted, professional hair, pressed suits (often black but other mute colors are welcome), either has a mustache or clean-shaven, sometimes sports fun socks. 

• The artisan coffee aficionado. The fashionable one, often wearing plaid, a beard or solid stubble, and either glasses or a scarf. If not wearing plaid, then a tight sweater will do. They live outside the mainstream lifestyle, never enters the big chain coffee shops, and they prefer to drink the expensive coffee that was extracted from some animal's fecal matter. Don't be shocked if their Instagram is full of overhead shots of art drawn in the foam (if they get a drink with foam). 

• The frappuccino fanatic. Blogger. Instagrammer. Pinterest poet. They do it all. Their eyes on their smartphone posting a tweet about the latest fashion guides and trends. Of course, they are always on the move and moving quickly. They stay ahead of the trends. 

So which coffee drinker are you? Or do you prefer a simple cup of K-Cup coffee or a cup of fresh ground coffee at home? Whichever you are, we love that you love coffee and express yourself genuinely! 

10 Coffee Trends to Expect in 2015

Every year, something new happens in the world of coffee and every time, there are trends that make people wonder, "Why are we doing this?" and there are also ones that make people wonder, "Why didn't we do this sooner?"

We have a list of 10 trends that we believe will happen next year; only time will tell if we are right or wrong. Let's hope we're right!

1. Using coconut/almond milk. There are some coffee shops that are using almond and/or coconut milk as options to regular milk but next year, these milks will be at every shop. Why? Well, people are looking for alternatives to even soy milk and these milks are already popular choices in stores. 
2. Coffee drive-thrus. These are already around and can be popular, depending on the area. However, these will become just as popular of a way to order your co
   
   ffee as going into the store. People don't always like to have to park their car, go into the shop, order, wait in line, then get back into their car and go. Expect to see more coffee shops with drive-thrus. 
3. Desserts from local bakeries. More coffee shops will have pastries from local bakeries instead of using pre-packaged goods. 
4. Chilled coffee over iced coffee. Due to droughts in many regions of the country, more shops are cutting back on water usage, which means switching to chilled coffee. 
5. Getting to see how it's done. Much like some shops already do, expect to be able to watch your coffee be made very easily. Of course, if you use a K-Cup coffee machine, then you can already see your coffee be made. 
6. Coffee being used as a marinade. Some chefs are discovering how coffee adds great flavor to meat. This isn't a coffee shop trend but it still fits with the list. 
7. Coffee used as a sleep-aid. That's right, some people are already using coffee to help them fall asleep. We're not sure how it works but bedtime coffee might be a thing. 
8. Single cup coffee machines in hotel rooms. Having the ability to make a real cup of coffee in the morning is something that frequent hotel travelers love to do instead of the toy-sized coffee pots they usually see. 
9. Blends from countries we don't usually see. We are used to seeing Brazil, Colombian, and French blends but expect to see blends from countries you didn't know had their own coffee blends. 
10. Small and mighty. As a nation, we are looking at Europe and liking their style of coffee, especially Italy, where coffee is small but packed with power. Expect to see more espresso style drinks become the norm. 

We love coffee and the styles that go along with it. At Coffeevines, we believe the best coffee is the coffee you brew yourself and can shop for when it's most convenient for you. 

Debunked Coffee Myths: 5 of Them

Coffee is one of the world's most consumed beverages, along with tea and water. Due to its popularity, there are going to by myths about it because people form their own theories about it. We have a list of 5 debunked coffee myths so you can live your life knowing the correct coffee information.

Whether it is K-Cup coffee, espresso, drip coffee, or other kinds, we myths for them.

1. Espresso has more caffeine than K-Cups. Espresso is a potent form of coffee when you consider the caffeine; however, that is because espresso is packing lots of caffeine into a little bit of liquid. So by volume, espresso wins. However, when you look at the numbers, both espresso and single cup coffee are actually comparable in terms of caffeine. The USDA states that 2 ounces of espresso has 120 mg's of caffeine while a 10 ounce cup of coffee has about the same amount. 
2. Arabica coffee is king of the [coffee] crop. Arabica beans are very popular, often more popular than robusta. Robusta beans are less popular due to their rubbery and acrid flavor that has caused many to consider the beans to be inferior. Approximately three-quarters of the coffee drinking world consumes arabica over rubusta. However, when you look at the market shares, robusta is miles in front of specialty grade and other certified coffees. 
3. The only coffee Italians drink is Espresso coffee. While they do love the stuff, about two-thirds of Italian coffee drinkers consume their coffee at home. Do they own countertop espresso machines? Most of them do not; many of them use a "moka pot" which is like an espresso machine but it does not make anything as strong as true espresso. They are very popular machines. 
4. Decaf is for the weak! This is not a fair assumption; many people avoid the caffeinated version for a multitude of reasons. Such as those who are pregnant: those with heart conditions, allergies, those who are easily affected by caffeine, people who drink it late in the day, etc. The bottom line is that just because you drink decaf coffee, doesn't mean you are not strong enough for real coffee. 
5. The gourmet coffee is too pricey. The old saying goes, "You pay for quality". And it is very, very true. You also pay for coffee that is worth more work, such as fair trade certified coffee and organic coffee. When coffee requires more work to harvest, roast, and brew, then yeah, it will be more costly. It is like buying a high-end car, it wouldn't be fair to the manufacturer to charge the same price as a less quality car. 

American Coffee Trends in 2014

Coffee used to be something that people would just order because they knew it tasted good but more importantly, it woke us up. Nowadays, that is not quite the case. The amount of coffee we drink has changed as well as how we drink it.

The amount of Americans who drink a cup of coffee everyday has dropped down to 61 percent this year, a two percent drop from last year. However, those who drink java have become more prone to ordering drinks that are more espresso-based, like lattes or cappuccinos; these coffee drinkers have increased by 18 percent, a 5 percent increase from last year.

Gourmet coffee has taken a big increase in popularity, increased 31 percent since last year to a total of 34 percent of coffee drinkers opting for gourmet coffee everyday. Gourmet coffee is anything that is espresso-based as well as coffee made by beans that have been deemed gourmet.

Single cup coffee has also taken a sharp leap in popularity. With sales increasing 3x over the past few years. According to studies, 29 percent of American coffee drinkers claimed they brew their coffee from k cups, up 20 percent from last year. More and more Americans are buying single serve coffee brewing systems and finding their coffee online from online coffee retailers. 

Nearly 15 percent of American coffee drinkers reported that they have at least one single cup coffee brewer in their home or office. Those who use drip brewers have fallen to 53 percent since last year, that's more than cut in half than last year's numbers.