Monday Morning Coffee News

Happy Monday! A quick recap of some interesting news in coffee from last week:

– Starbucks plans to expand the number of its locations that sell beer and wine after 4 pm. Apparently 29 locations already do. – I had no idea any Starbucks did this. I find the idea intriguing, but also a little off putting. If I wanted to go to a bar, I’d go to a bar. I go to Starbucks for a different experience and I hope this new (-ish) addition to their menu doesn’t compromise that.

Starbucks serving alcohol at more locations (usatoday.com)
Why burger joints and coffee shops are selling booze (washingtonpost.com)
Starbucks Evenings (starbucks.com)

– One of the reasons for Starbucks increase in their menu items may be because coffee just isn’t as lucrative as it used to be. In recent years, energy drinks have become heavy competitors when it comes to caffeine consumption, especially in younger adults. – I’ll admit to a love of energy drinks (more specifically, Monster Energy Drinks, which I tend to call “writing juice”), but it doesn’t curb my love of coffee, which is a completely different beverage experience in my book.

Coffee Industry Threatened By Energy And Sports Drinks: US Coffee Drinking Trends (ibtimes.com)

– On the up side for coffee futures, Brazil is seeing a return to coffee crop favorable weather. This may halt the recent shortage in coffee and allow the price to drop. – Yay!

Coffee Prices Are Cooling Off (businessinsider.com)

– In some more studies done with coffee, experts are now looking into how people with liver disease can benefit from coffee, which has been shown to help prevent liver inflammation (correlated to cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, and hepatitis C) – Man, it seems like every week I find more and more reasons to love coffee 🙂