The Nutella Cafe is finally opening in Union Square

“Nutella stans of the eastern seaboard, your time has finally come: the Nutella Cafe in New York City opens on Nov. 14, in all of its ridiculously decadent, Instagrammable glory. In case you have not also been tracking this cafe so intensely that employees at Google are probably concerned about your Nutella search history, a bit of background: in June, Ferrero announced the opening of a Nutella cafe in the Big Apple, marking the second such cafe in the U.S. after the original opened in Chicago in 2017. The menu at the Chicago location is already drool-worthy enough — now, many of those fan favorites are about to hit the New York location, which also includes new menu items that will make your Nutella-loving heart sing.

Before we even get into the menu, though, you need to know that this new cafe is a capital E Experience, from the decor to the merchandise to ordering the food itself. The new cafe, which is located in Union Square, is so Instagram-worthy that it has attracted crowds long before its opening. The front door is a Nutella jar; the ceiling is crafted to replicated Nutella spread; even the light fixtures are based off of the yellow flower on the iconic Nutella jar. The place is wall-to-wall Nutella, lined with unique merchandise, a gelato station, a coffee station, shelves of Nutella goods, and a massive light fixture that says “Nutella” on it that covers an entire wall.”

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The Continued Evolution of Coca-Cola’s Portfolio

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“(…) The products, which debuted at the 2018 NACS Show in Las Vegas, tap into trending categories and insights, said JC Harvey, director of retail channel strategy and commercialization at Atlanta-based Coca-Cola.”

“Far Coast is the company’s foray into the explosive cold-brew coffee segment. Slated to launch in January, the products are packaged in resealable aluminum bottles and feature single-origin coffee beans. Varieties include Single Source Ethiopian, Signature Blend Latin American and Café con Leche, which includes milk.

In the premium water category, Coca-Cola’s smartwater brand is expanding with two varieties: smartwater alkaline and smartwater antioxidant. Like the original product, both are vapor-distilled with added electrolytes for taste. The antioxidant water is infused with selenium. Alkaline water is ionized and has a higher pH level than regular drinking water.”

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2019 US Coffee Championships Coming to Kansas City

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“The 2019 U.S. Coffee Championships (USCC) will be taking place in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 15-17, according to an announcement from USCC organizers today.

USCC events are typically held in conjunction with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Expo, where thousands of coffee professionals are already gathered each year. Yet this year, the World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup competitions are taking place during the SCA Expo in Boston in April, meaning U.S. champs must be crowned ahead of that event.”

“This is a special year because the U.S. Coffee Championships will take place outside of the Specialty Coffee Expo,” Melissa McGuinness, senior event manager of national competitions at the SCA said in today’s announcement.”

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Dunkin’s Espresso Flavors Craft Beer For Fall

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The two iconic beverage brands have come together for the first time to launch a balanced, malty tasting, smooth brew starting October 1. The 12 ounce bottles and drafts will be available throughout the fall season, at select retail locations across the Eastern U.S.

Harpoon Dunkin’ Coffee Porter first premiered September 27 at Dunk-toberfest, the aptly named introduction to Harpoon’s annual Octoberfest event.The new, 6% ABV Dunkin’ Porter has a smooth mouthfeel with aromas of espresso and dark chocolate. The brew pairs perfectly with fall favorites like hearty stews, seasonal desserts, tailgating and, Dunkin’s signature donuts.

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102-year-old Orwasher’s Bakery is preserving NYC nostalgia while adapting to the times

“The original Upper East Side location of Orwasher’s opened in 1916 on East 78th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues by a Hungarian immigrant named Abraham Orwasher when a swatch of Yorkville was known as “Little Hungary.” The Orwashers used family recipes for the high-quality rye, black, and grain breads of their homeland, baking them all in a basement brick oven and delivering the loaves by horse and carriage. Thought the Upper East Side location looks small from the outside, there were, literally, millions of pounds of dough being mixed there. Doing a quick calculation, Keith estimates that this amounted to more than 10 million loaves of bread over its 103-year history. Today, Orwasher’s churns out between 9,000 and 10,000 loaves a day!”

“He describes the vintage East Side store as “an oasis.” When you walk in, “it seems like you’re going to a country store in Vermont.” But even though the 1,200-square-foot West Side location on the corner of 81st and Amsterdam is a bit more modern, the customer base is quite similar. A lot of people used to travel across town and now have a store closer.”

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The Smart Espresso Profiler (SEP) Adds Flow and Pressure Profiling to Virtually Any Machine

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“Until recently, it has required thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of specialized equipment to accurately measure and act upon several of the more important factors in espresso brewing — factors such as the duration and force of pre-infusion, the pressure profile for the rest of the shot, and the cutting-edge tweak du jour: the flow rate.

These barriers to entry might be disintegrating, however, now that espresso accessory-maker Naked Portafilter has developed and launched a new tool for home and professional baristas that appears to be breaking the field wide open.

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Coffee Can Extend Longevity for People with Kidney Disease, Research Shows

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“According to the researchers, approximately 89 percent of the U.S. adult population drinks caffeine in some form daily, while 14 percent of Americans have chronic kidney disease.”

“The reduction in mortality was present even after considering other important factors such as age, gender, race, smoking, other diseases and diet,” Miguel Bigotte Vieira, one of the study’s lead authors, wrote, addressing the medical community “These results suggest that advising patients with kidney disease to drink more caffeine may reduce their mortality. This would represent a simple, clinically beneficial, and inexpensive option, though this benefit should ideally be confirmed in a randomized clinical trial.”

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Where Can I Get the Freshest Coffee in the City?

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“It isn’t hard to find a good cup of coffee in New York City, but if you’re on the lookout for a cup of joe that tastes like the beans were picked yesterday and shipped to the coffee shop this morning, you’ll need to ask an expert. Erika Vonie, the first woman to win the New York Coffee Masters competition and the director of coffee at roast-to-order start-up Trade is here to help. (She’s also a certified Q grader, which is something like a coffee sommelier.”

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FSMA Status Update: Compliance Requirements and Upcoming Deadlines

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“One of the most notable pieces of federal legislation addressing food safety in the past century, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), was enacted on Jan. 4, 2011 — amending section 415 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). Companies that manufacture, process, pack, or store food, including coffee, must comply.

The FSMA requires companies in the United States with these food facilities to submit additional registration information to the FDA. It also requires companies to renew the registration on a biennial basis, providing the FDA with authority to suspend the registration of a food facility in certain circumstances.”

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Spiking Coffee Gives New York Bars a Fresh Buzz

Coffee shops, restaurants and bars around New York City are now spiking coffee drinks.  Customers are happy with the new concoctions and barista-bartenders are becoming inventive.

Kobrick Coffee Company is a coffee bean roaster that operates a retail shop in the Meatpacking District.  Besides the usual coffee drinks, the café serves “coffee cocktails” which are alcoholic drinks mixed with caffeine.  The Mexican Jumping Bean is a top-seller, and is made of espresso, tequila and liqueur.

SushiSamba, a Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant in the West Village, serves an espresso martini made with Bacardi Black rum, spiced maple syrup and dark chocolate liquor.

Fair Weather Bushwick, a bistro in Brooklyn offers a Shochu Latte during brunch that’s made with shochu (a Japanese distilled beverage), espresso and hazelnut syrup.

Mother’s Ruin, a popular bar in NoLIta, serves a Coffee Cordial Boozy Slushy which is served frozen and made up of coffee, white rum, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Sweetleaf Coffee, a café located in Long Island City and Williamsburg, makes a Java Flip from Jamaican rum, bourbon, egg yolk, cream and coffee liqueur.  Cold brew coffee is condensed and raw sugar is added.

Sweetleaf’s coffee and cocktail service don’t overlap, with cocktails starting at 5PM.  Mr. Vincent Vee, an experienced beverage manager is quoted as saying “They’re both high-profit businesses, but they’re only high profit for a short period of the day.  So when you have them both behind the same doors, it can make a lot financial sense.”

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