CoffeeFest 2018

 We attended Coffee Fest in Baltimore, MD this past March. Coffee Fest is a well known coffee and tea trade show that is highly populated in the industry. They host national competitions, such as 'America's Best Espresso' (we were a semi-finalist!), 'America's Best Cold Brew', and the "world Latte Art Competition open'. The competitions use a head-to-head bracket system which makes the experience more exciting. Vendors are set up to showcase up and coming products.
     A trend in espresso, and coffee in general, was a lighter roasted brew, where the acidity was pronounced. The 'Cold Brew' final four had a variety of options to chose from, one of them being a brew that was set in the same room as tea, allowing the aroma [taste and smell] of the cold brew to take on the scents of tea although the drink was coffee. Many of the cold brews available had notes of berries and/or citrus fruits. There were several gluten free baked goods to try. There were many of granola/oat/nut/energy bars to sample. Workshops were held by professionals and attended by our competitors and staff concerning tea information, an open panel of coffee roasters, trends in consumers and specialty drinks, etc.  We also learned more about how the united States is now beginning to produce tea as there is a tea farm in South Carolina called, 'Charleston tea Plantation'; Here is the link:
www.charlestonteaplantation.com/

 

Local Honey

Honey is a staple in coffee shops; it sweetens tea and can be steamed or drizzled overtop of a specialty coffee beverage. Since 2004, one year after the company started, Muggswigz Coffee and Tea Company has been buying local honey. It's important to note that the company has not just been buying any honey, but made the choice to buy local honey indigenous to our area, on purpose. Alexander Haas, Muggswigz Artisan Barista and Founder stated, "There is a lot of 'honey' that is imported from china that is largely rice syrup and not actual honey. Buying local ensures more trust and transparency in the transaction, ensuring the quality and integrity of the product. Also being a beekeeper myself, I understand the importance of bees in our ecosystem so the more bees around my community the better!"

According to thehoneybeeconservatory.org, here are 5 reasons why buying local honey is beneficial:

1.) Keeps Beekeepers in business

2.)  It's good for our Agriculture: buying local honey from beekeepers allows for the bees to stay in the community and pollinate. Nearly 1/3 of the food we eat relies on pollination.

3.) Protect the environment: local honey doesn't have far to travel so the carbon footprint is reduced.

4.) Helps with Allergies: 'Anecdotal evidence' suggests that the honey ideally should be from miles from your home, ensuring that it has traces of the allergens and/or pollen spores that cause you trouble; similar to a vaccine effect.

5.) Safety: Some importers were selling honey that was mixed with sugar syrups and illegal antibiotics. With local honey, you avoid consuming honey that could be hazardous and you also avoid supporting those 'honey launderers.'

Muggswigz Staff Generous Donation

This past year, our Muggswigz staff participated in our Employee Charitable Donation program. Employees donate money into a pool. At the end of the year, the employees chose how the money will be donated. This year, our employees donated a generous $2616.40 to the Invention Project at the National Inventors Hall of Fame!

The Invention Project focuses on Middle school aged children and allows them to create inventions from their ideas and then bring those inventions to the market. This Program encourages kids to use their imagination while they build strong friendships and self expression. The students receive hands on experience as they are teamed up with local teachers who help bring their inventions to life all the while following a program set in place by the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

 

Coffee Consumption Trends

    According to an article by Nick Brown, highlighting the coffee consumption Trends produced by the National Coffee association titled, '2017 US Coffee Drinking Trends Include More Gourmet, More Youth,' a younger generation of Americans prove to consume more coffee on a daily basis. Data produced from the National Coffee Association has shown that coffee consumption has increased over the past year. The National Coffee Association produced a news release titled, “Daily Coffee Consumption Up Sharply,” stated that 62% of Americans consume a coffee beverage on a day to day basis. Those aged 60 and above are in the age group with the highest consumption of coffee on a daily basis at 68%. There was also a trend of children ages 13-18 consuming coffee at a rate 6% higher than last year; reaching an astounding 37%.

 Over the board, daily coffee consumption throughout all of the ages of the individuals studied (ages 13 and up) has increased, even if only by 2%. The percentage of individuals who had consumed an espresso beverage within the past year had an increase for 2017, shooting up 6%. This past year, the National Coffee Association also produced a new category of coffee drinks called, ‘Non-espresso based beverages.’ This included blended up/frozen drinks, nitrogen infused, and cold brew.