Interested In A Professional Career In The Coffee Trade?

Interested In A Professional Career In The Coffee Trade?

Coffee is the second most commonly traded commodity in the world, as measured by monetary volume, after crude oil. Coffee, without a doubt, is big business. This is good news for coffee lovers and aficionados who can turn their passion for the brew into a permanent occupation. Coffee demand goes well beyond using beans for hot or cold beverages only. Cooking with coffee is an established trendy culinary practice in many upscale and specialized restaurants. The menus feature dishes with many savory sauces which include coffee as one of the ingredients. Take a quick look at titles of published cook books, recipes, and cuisine news and you will see the use of the brew just about everywhere.

Let's take a look at some of the occupational paths available in the coffee trade.

Coffee Supplier: a middleman between the coffee grower and the bean-buying enterprises. A coffee supplier needs to be an expert in coffee varietals, types of beans, sales and marketing trends, supply and demand conditions for the various types of coffee. Strong business and organizational skills are necessary. Coffee trading includes a complex system of packaging, shipping, export regulation, and transportation coordination. The supplier needs to have great personal skills to communicate with coffee growers on their level and also communicate with coffee buying executives using a very different business language. Foreign language skills are extremely useful, particularly Spanish, since so much coffee is produced in Spanish speaking countries.

Coffee Taster: a very "cool" occupation that requires an extremely advanced sense of taste and smell. Tasters exist for wine, champagne, beer, orange juice and many other consumable products. Coffee tasters are very important in the trade. Professional coffee tasters can distinguish differences between 100 types of coffees. The main purpose of taster is to determine the quality and usability of beans and to develop new blends. The coffee taster does not actually swallow the brew. Instead, the coffee taster sucks it from a spoon to the back of the mouth to sample the flavors with the tongue and then spits out the sample.

Coffee Trader: Arabica coffee futures and options are traded in New York on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE, formerly the New York Board of Trade). Robusta coffee futures are traded in London on Euronext.liffe. There are other international exchanges that trade coffee futures in other foreign locations. Becoming a coffee trader requires knowledge about fluctuation in prices, production and seasonal variations from country to country, keeping up with news about weather, politics and social changes that can impact coffee production. Most of all, a trader needs to have nerves of steel to withstand the emotional and peer pressure that is normal in commodity trading pools where fortunes can be made and lost in a matter of hours or minutes.

Coffee flavorist: this occupation requires an undergraduate degree in either biology or chemistry with specialized food studies at a post graduate level. Most coffee flavorists are passionate about the brew. They are also very curious individuals who love experimentation to find that "next unique flavored brew." The coffee flavorist spends the day mixing and matching specific compounds in order to create unique flavors. Not surprisingly, many flavorists are also very good cooks.

Coffee Inspector: this occupation requires very good knowledge about the beans, ground coffee quality and ingredient testing. Most coffee inspectors work for organizations that are certified to assist with inspection and certification services at docking stations, ports, warehouses and large coffee processing centers. Coffee inspectors inspect bulk shipments and certify quality-control laboratory coffee tasting. The coffee inspector makes sure that bulk coffee buyers receive the correct quantity and quality of beans ordered.

Coffee "Barista:" originally, this term was used in Italy for uniformed bartenders or trained "mixologists" familiar with all types of drink mixtures. Due to the growth in the gourmet coffee industry, the term barista has become synonymous with an expert in producing espresso, espresso-based drinks and many other kinds of coffee beverages. A trained coffee barista knows precisely how much hot water should be forced through the mesh of an espresso machine and for how long in order to create the perfect froth from steamed milk or allow the espresso to form a natural dark. Many baristas also practice "coffee art" and master the art of creating shapes on the brew with milk, cream, coffee flavorings and other ingredients available.

The list continues with many more specialized work opportunities in the trade for coffee lovers. So, what about taking a break and enjoying a delicious cup of White Chocolate flavored coffee or Chocolate Cinnamon Hazelnut flavored coffee?

Delicious and Easy Cappuccino and Espresso Recipes

Delicious and Easy Cappuccino and Espresso Recipes

While coffee-based beverages remain as popular as ever, more Americans are looking for a do-it-yourself way to enjoy high-end coffee bar style cappuccino and espresso drinks at home. Fortunately, there are many affordable products on the market to assist the home brewing enthusiast in their quest for the ultimate coffee concoction. Regardless of which product you choose, there are endless recipes and combinations of ingredients to literally spice up your daily infusion.

First you need choose the basis of your beverage: coffee or espresso. Coffee can be drip-brewed, percolated, instant or cold-pressed. Any of these methods are very inexpensive. An espresso-based beverage is more likely to satisfy the sophisticated palette of the coffee connoisseur. To do this at home however, requires more of an investment in the brewing equipment. Real espresso machines cost upwards of $1,000. An affordable and popular alternative are the single-serving type of machines such as the Tassimo, where you invest in the machine and purchase pre-portioned packages of espresso varieties to brew a serving at a time.

Still confused about the difference between coffee and espresso? Espresso is a method, first originated in Italy, of extracting flavor from the heart of the coffee bean. The technique employs a pump-driven machine to force hot water through the ground coffee beans at high pressure in a short time frame -- usually between 20 and 35 seconds. The amount of water used is only about ¾ of an ounce, and the resulting taste is described as smooth, thick, rich or sweet. So the obvious differences between coffee and espresso are 1) the amount of water used and 2) brewing or pressing time. Coffee is generally brewed for 4 to 6 minutes depending on the method and individual preferences.

Cappuccino is espresso mixed with equal parts of steamed and frothed milk. If you don’t purchase an espresso machine with milk-steaming capabilities, you will have to steam and froth your milk the old-fashioned way -- on a stove. The frothing process involves skimming and stirring the hot milk. To layer the milk and espresso, allow the freshly frothed milk a moment to rest and separate (foam on top and milk on the bottom). Pour the steamed milk into your cup first, then pour in the espresso, and top it with the frothed milk using a spoon.

The creative possibilities go on from there. One of the most popular twists on the cappuccino is adding a sprinkle of powdered cocoa or cinnamon. Other combinations take their inspiration from favorite foods such as traditional desserts or candy bars. Try these super-easy recipes or experiment with making your own!

Milky Way Cappuccino-- 2 shots espresso, 1 shot chocolate syrup, 1 shot caramel

Java Chai Espresso -- 1 shot espresso, prepared chai concentrate, steamed milk, ½ ounce almond syrup

Cafe Corretto -- 2 shots espresso, 1 shot brandy, cognac or flavored liqueur

Cafe Romano-- 1 shot espresso, served with a twist of lemon or lemon peel

Rocky Road Cappuccino -- 1 serving of your prepared cappuccino, 1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur, 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce, 1 teaspoon of marshmallow crème and ¼ teaspoon finely chopped nuts

Butterscotch Creme Cafe -- 1 serving coffee, 3 tablespoons butterscotch syrup, 2 tablespoons of half-and-half cream

Ginger Spiced Coffee -- 1 serving coffee, 1 small piece finely chopped crystallized ginger, 1 cinnamon stick

Cafe Borgia -- 1 cup coffee, 1 cup hot chocolate, 1 shot cream, sprinkle of grated orange peels

Chocolate Mint Truffle(for the non-coffee drinker) – 1 cup hot chocolate, 2 chocolate coated mint candies topped with 1 tablespoon whipped topping and 1 fresh mint sprig

Espresso Martini -- 1 shot espresso cooled to room temperature, 1 shot premium vodka, 1 splash liqueur in flavor of your choice (try amaretto, Irish creme, Godiva chocolate or any favorite), garnish with 3 whole espresso beans

Mexican Coffee -- your favorite brewed coffee, 2 cups whipped topping gently mixed with ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

French Vanilla Coffee-- your favorite brewed coffee, equal portion of milk heated to scalding temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cinnamon stick, sweetener to taste

If you are hosting a winter party and feeling a little adventurous, you may want to try a festive twist on the usual coffee and eggnog choices. Try this Betty Crocker recipe for 16 servings of Cappuccino Eggnog:

Ingredients -- 6 eggs, slightly beaten; 2/3 cup table sugar; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 5 cups milk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 cups hot espresso; 1 cup coffee liqueur or brandy; 2 cups heavy whipped cream; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; ground cinnamon

Directions -- Stir together eggs, granulated sugar and salt in a Dutch oven pan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over low heat 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly, just until mixture coats a metal spoon; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Stir together coffee and liqueur. Gradually stir coffee mixture into egg mixture; keep warm. Just before serving, beat whipping cream and brown sugar in chilled large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Gently stir 2 cups of the whipped cream into egg mixture. Pour into mugs. Top with dollops of remaining whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve immediately!