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GUATEMALA CITY, May 31 (Reuters) – Prolonged humidity in the wake of deadly Tropical Storm Agatha may expose coffee plants in El Salvador and Guatemala to potentially destructive pests and diseases, worried growers said on Monday.

Central American coffee output has disappointed this season, hurt by extreme dry weather and heavy rains, and the aftermath of the storm that killed at least 113 people across Central America is a new concern.

But Guatemalan growers group Anacafe said landslides were unlikely because coffee trees stabilize soil, protecting farms from the storm that hit Guatemala.
In neighboring El Salvador, a team from the Salvadoran Coffee Research Foundation, or Procafe, said Agatha downed shade trees on farms, but that no damages to crops have been reported so far. The first named storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season, Agatha on Saturday slammed into Guatemala, Central America’s largest coffee producer, destroying homes, washing away bridges and felling telephone lines.

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coffee blog - Espresso Essential

(CNN) — In an ever-evolving, increasingly crowded beverage market, Starbucks is waking up and smelling the coffee. The problem is it’s not their house blend.

“Here’s a statistic that people are surprised by. Despite the long-term success that we’ve enjoyed, we have less than 10 percent share of coffee consumption in North America. And less [than] 1 percent share internationally,” Starbucks Chairman, President and CEO Howard Schultz told CNN Money.

Advertising Age also recently pointed out that despite Starbucks being the world’s largest coffeehouse chain with more than 13,000 locations in more than 50 countries, even its most devout customers purchase only three of every 10 cups of coffee they drink from Starbucks.

So, who is stealing Starbucks’ mojo?

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coffee blog - Espresso Essential

New research shows too much coffee really can stunt your growth. Pregnant women who consumed six cups’ worth of caffeine a day have smaller babies on average compared to those who drink little caffeine, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Researchers also found the earlier women kick the caffeine habit, the better. Caffeine intake starts affecting the fetus’ length from the first trimester, lead study researcher Rachel Bakker said to TopNews.

Researchers from Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, followed more than 7,300 women over the course of their pregnancy.

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