"coffee bean" news and stories

Did you watch the debates on Friday? The political campaigns are really heating up as we head into the final weeks before election day. Even the food blogs, normally partisan-free zones, are full of political stories.

There are a whole bunch of ways for you to cast your vote via the food you pick this year. Inventor Spot has gathered a list of seven of those opportunities. Make your preference known through Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavors, lollipops, hot sauce and beer. I especially like the coffee choices from Fresh Beanz Coffee Company.

Voting with food or beverage items may not have as much impact as the ballot you'll cast on November 4th, but it sure tastes a heck of a lot better!

Starbucks' seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte, which returned to stores just a few weeks ago, is one of their most popular flavors. While it doesn't exactly taste like pumpkin, the flavors are undeniably reminiscent of fall and the upcoming holiday season. It's so popular, that other coffee chains are adding pumpkin drinks to their menus, too. The LA-based Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has just introduced their Pumpkin Pie Latte and Pumpkin Pie Ice Blended drinks, which will be available only through November 1. Their drinks are flavored with a thick pumpkin spice sauce, which is sort of similar to the banana puree that they used to make their summery banana drinks - it's not like adding a scoop of pumpkin, so don't worry if you prefer your coffee without vegetables. Peet's Coffee and Tea, another west coast chain, is scheduled to release some pumpkin spiced drinks within the next couple of weeks, as well.

I'm a coffee aficionado (or as they might say it in Panama, aficionado de café), but I'm also on a budget. And although I'd love to drink nothing but that lyrical Stumptown Sidamo or the deep, dark, delicious Thundermuck, well, $10 a pound is a but much for every day.

Thus I was delighted to see a new 12-ounce can of coffee for only $3.99 at Trader Joe's last week: Panama Café Duran. My little sister Jenny lives in Panama and I've drunk Duran before; it's the everyday coffee found in every Panamanian supermarket. I know it's decent, and in the hands of Trader Joe's it is fresh, balanced, and just dark enough to satisfy that part of me that longs for those polished mucky beans so revered here in Portland.

Yesterday I picked up another can and as I was reaching for it another woman was looking at the green-and-yellow can, considering. "It's good!" I said, "and cheap!" I know you're going to be in Trader Joe's, and you'll be wondering, too. Go for it.

Last summer, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a Los Angeles-based coffee shop chain and Starbucks number one international competitor, offered banana flavored drinks, including a Banana Caramel Ice blended - their signature cold drink. The drinks were made with a banana puree and the chain stopped selling the seasonal drink at the end of the summer. According to the New York Post, Starbucks is launching a very similar line of drinks this summer at its US stores. The banana-caramel and banana cream Frappuccinos are already being sold at stores in Australia and New Zealand. Though some people miss the Coffee Bean's banana offerings, it is safe to assume that the fact that they are no longer on the menu is an indication that they were not entirely popular. Only at the end of the summer will we be able to tell how the drinks did at Starbucks. The drinks are scheduled to be released in May.

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