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Saturday, November 12

CoffeeGIANT.com launches automatic reorder site

(PRLEAP.COM) Carrollton, TX — CoffeeGIANT a leader in online coffee, tea and office consumables is pleased to announce the launch of a new automatic reorder website.
Consumers and business customers that want brand name coffees, teas and office consumables delivered at specified time periods can now set up an account on their new site easygiantexpress.com.

The customer has complete control over reorder groups, quantities and delivery schedules. Additionally, orders can be paused or deleted through an online control panel.

CoffeeGIANT considers this a signifigant breakthrough as their automatic order system has eliminated the need for customer intervention such as responding to emails or clicking links to complete customary reorders as some other services require. Automated reordering saves time, money and prevents order delays when an employee is out sick or on vacation.

For more information, contact CoffeeGIANT at 1.800.480.8071, or visit EasyGiantExpress.com

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Tuesday, March 29

Green Mountain enters China

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. will now be importing and distributing their coffee throughout Hong Kong and Mainland China. Green Mountain will supply coffee to Granco International, d.b.a. Green Mountain Coffee Company, Ltd., which will open five hundred branded retail outlets in greater Shanghai under the name “Green Mountain Café GMC Ltd.” is authorized to distribute Green Mountain coffee to institutional accounts and other existing coffee shops in Hong Kong and China.

Coffee and Tea Trade Journal, Vol. 177/ No. 3 - March 20, 2005

CoffeeGIANT.com is proud to present the full line of Green Mountain K-cups and Coffee Pods for your Keurig and Pod machine needs.

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Monday, March 21

What makes different coffee taste differently?

While tasting the coffee, you should try to discern whether the flavor, body, acidity and aroma of the coffee are pleasant. Here are the criteria that most tasters use to judge coffee:

ACIDITY
Acidity is a desirable characteristic in coffee. It is the sensation of dryness that the coffee produces under the edges of your tongue and on the back of your palate. The role acidity plays in coffee is not unlike its role as related to the flavor of wine. It provides a sharp, bright, vibrant quality. With out sufficient acidity, the coffee will tend to taste flat. Acidity should not be confused with sour, which is an unpleasant, negative flavor characteristic.

AROMA
Aroma is a sensation, which is difficult to separate from flavor. Without our sense of smell, our only taste sensations would be: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. The aroma contributes to the flavors we discern on our palates. Subtle nuances, such as “floral” or “winy” characteristics, are derived from the aroma of the brewed coffee.

BODY
Body is the feeling that the coffee has in your mouth. It is the viscosity, heaviness, thickness, or richness that is perceived on the tongue. A good example of body would be that of the feeling of whole milk in your mouth, as compared to water. Your perception of the body of a coffee is related to the oils and solids extracted during brewing. Typically, Indonesian coffees will possess greater body than South and Central American coffees. If you are unsure of the level of body when comparing several coffees, try adding an equal amount of milk to each. Coffees with a heavier body will maintain more of their flavor when diluted.

FLAVOR
Flavor is the overall perception of the coffee in your mouth. Acidity, aroma, and body are all components of flavor. It is the balance and homogenization of these senses that create your overall perception of flavor.

At CoffeeGIANT.com we feature our own in house coffee roaster, Sonora Roasters. Sonora Roasters takes pride in offering a full array of fine coffees created to meet the tastes of every coffee lover. All of their coffees are roasted to perfection. Whether blended or single-origin, these premier coffees are made with the finest Arabican beans for flavor.

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Thursday, March 17

Sonora Roasters' Cafe Italiano

Sonora Roasters has added a new dark roast to their line of coffees. They are calling it "Cafe Italiano". This dark roast is roasted to compare to Starbucks French Roast. With the demand for dark coffees rising, this should be a good seller for Sonora. You can find it on the www.coffeegiant.com website under Fresh Ground Coffees.

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Wednesday, March 9

Keurig v. FLAVIA

Which single cup coffeemaker is right for you?

Three of the most widely popular single cup coffee brewers are the Keurig B-100, Keurig B-50 and the FLAVIA SB100. Choosing the one that best fits you and your needs can be a daunting task. They are all three solid machines backed by solid companies so lets dig a little deeper into the pros and cons of each to help you make the best choice possible.

FLAVIA
FLAVIA Beverage Systems introduced the FLAVIA Brew-by-Pack to North America in 1995 and the popularity has sky rocketed ever since. The ease of use and wide selections of gourmet coffees, leaf teas and hot chocolate has kept the demand for this unit high.

The FLAVIA SB-100 uses a patented filter pack technology to brew its proprietary coffees, teas and hot chocolate. Each foil filter pack is a sealed packet with a sealed nozzle. When placed in the FLAVIA Beverage System the seal on the nozzle is pierced and water is injected into the pack. After a few seconds of infusion the bottom of the packet pops open and the coffee pours through the micro-perforated filter built into each packet into a cup. A small quick “puff” of air pushes any remaining water from the pack and you have an 8 oz. cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Currently FLAVIA offers 16 flavors of gourmet coffee, three of which are decaf, 9 are leaf teas including the “Wellness tea” line up and 1 hot chocolate. All beverages and packaging are completely proprietary to the FLAVIA Beverage System and are only available through FLAVIA distributors. www.coffeegiant.com offers the FLAVIA packet both by the rail as well as by the case. Each rail holds 20 packets of coffee and tea or 18 packets of hot chocolate and Creamy Topping. There are 5 rails in a case of coffee, 7 rails in a case of tea and 4 rails in the Chocolate and Creamy Topping due to the size of the packet. Choice and convenience are the advantages to this particular product line.

The FLAVIA SB100 brewer itself is a dark, grey brown in color and stands 14.5 inches tall, 9 inches wide and 13.5 inches deep. The water tank has a large opening when the lid is lifted, and holds 0.8 gallons of water or 14 – 8 ounce cups of water. Initial heat up of the water when first turned on is 3 minutes before you can brew a drink. After initial heating is finished, brew time per packet is 35-40 seconds.

Keurig B-100
The Keurig launched B-100 in September 2003 to give the users of the larger Keurig commercial models the opportunity to have a have a Keurig machine in a home or small office setting. The B-100 uses the same patented “k-cup” that the commercial models use. Keurig has partnered with Green Mountain to offer the full line of Green Mountain coffees in the k-cup for use with the B-100. However, Keurig has also allowed other roasters to package their individual lines of coffees and teas in the k-cup packaging allowing for not only a variety of flavors but also a variety of roasters. Besides the Green Mountain you can get Diedrich, Gloria Jean’s, Timothy’s and Van Houtte coffees along with Celestial Seasoning and Bigelow teas. K-cups come in a standard size box and have 25 cups per box.

The K-cup is a small plastic cup that is sealed on the top with a foil covering keeping the coffee fresh until used. When the cup is dropped into the Keurig machine, and the door is closed, a large needle pierces the top and hot water shoots into the top of the cup. The water is allowed to sit for a moment before the bottom needle pierces the bottom and allows the coffee or tea to flow through the enclosed filter into a cup.

The Keurig B-100 is a high tech looking unit in black and silver with a neon blue light showing through the water level indicator. It stands 15 inches high, 17 inches deep and 8 inches wide. The water tank is accessed from the top and holds 80 ounces of water or 8 – 8oz cups. It takes 8 –10 minutes to heat the tank when first turned on after which it has a brew time under 60 seconds. The Keurig B-100 has proven itself to be a solid machine and the wide choices of coffees and teas make this a convenient and popular machine to use.

Keurig B-50
The B-50 is the newest machine in the Keurig line, designed for home use only. Keurig presented this machine to the market place the end of 2004 for the holiday season. Using the same k-cup options it is also designed in the high tech black and silver design. The B-50 stands 13 inches high, 13 inches deep and 11 inches wide.

With the option of cup size the large cup setting brews a 7.25 ounce cup and the small cup brews a 5.25 ounce cup. The water reservoir holds 48 ounces of water or 6 large cups/ 9 small cups. It takes approximately 3 minutes for the initial heating of the water and 15 seconds to reheat between cups. Lower in price than the B-100 it is a great choice for the home use.

Now with a bit more knowledge of each of the three machines it may not be any easier to make a choice. The biggest differences in the three are pricing both initially and going forward. Keurig while slightly higher in price offers a wide variety of coffee and tea choices from various manufacturers. FLAVIA is less expensive but you are limited to their coffee and tea flavors, so it’s nice that they offer so many choices. Both companies have tea options but only FLAVIA offers hot chocolate, this may be important to you. Keurig has wider distribution and is easily ordered online, FLAVIA has limited distribution and it can be difficult to find a supplier.

CoffeeGIANT.com believes all 3 machines are well built single cup solutions that offer convenience and easy use, with no waste. That is why we offer all three to our customers.

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Monday, March 7

Welcome!

Looking for coffee news? Welcome to CoffeeGIANT's information section where you'll see product and taste reviews, product comparisons, troubleshooting tip, special coffee offers, trends, coffee recipes, and other resources to help coffee lovers around the world.

CoffeeGIANT is pleased to offer competitive prices on the best coffees from every corner of the globe.

If you have a coffee related article you would like to share with our readers please forward it to beth@coffeegiant.com

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