You won't find a recipe for it in any book. And it may not even be in your favorite barista's vocabulary. But, caffè sospeso delivers a pick-me-up like no other.

Said to have originated in Naples roughly a century ago, caffè sospeso is an act of kindness through coffee. The name translates to "suspended coffee" in English. This heartwarming tradition entails paying for an extra drink, to be set aside for a stranger in need, when placing an order at your favorite cafe.

It's customary for the barista to keep a track of the number caffè sospeso that have been paid for by patrons of the establishment and give them out whenever someone comes in asking for a suspended drink. The person receiving the suspended coffee can be someone who's fallen on hard times or simply a regular who forgot his wallet that particular morning. It's an honor system that thrives on the kindness and honesty of the participants.

With much of the European Union grappling with austerity measures, a bit of goodwill goes a long way and caffè sospeso has spread from Naples, where Dec.10 was formally declared "Suspended Coffee Day," to the rest of the continent. Likewise, it's far from unheard of in Australia. Stateside, this trend is just starting to emerge but it already has some devoted supporters. Coffeehouses from New York and Pennsylvania to Wisconsin and Seattle have started to implement the feel-good, pay-it-forward system. Starbucks has also jumped on board, though with a slightly altered program restricted to the UK.

That's not to say caffè sospeso is without its detractors. Consumerist, a website owned by Consumer Reports, ran a series of blogs questioning the suspended coffee movement. With names like, "Coffee Shop Owner: Quit Asking Me to Offer Suspened Coffees Already," and "Why Ordering 'Suspended' Coffees For the Needy is Stupid And Inefficient," these blog posts come out swinging against the grassroots revival of caffè sospeso. Reasons cited include everything from "it feels scammy," to shops are already prone to giving away drinks to build goodwill, and there isn't a means test -- so anyone could claim a freebie and abuse the system.

So while the coffee runs hot, the debate is just heating up. We want you to weigh in. What are your thoughts on suspended coffee?

The powers that be at Colgate-Palmolive Company have announced plans for a toothbrush with an integrated caffeine patch to deliver that morning jolt. Perhaps they didn’t read our blog about the FDA investigating the use of caffeine in traditionally non-caffeinated products. Or, maybe, they’re hoping the promises of multi-tasking and efficiency will have you considering this quirky invention.

The idea is to embed chemicals into a patch located within the toothbrush head. The chemicals would be slowly released through use. Colgate has already filed the patent for the toothbrush and mentioned potentially using the system to deliver a variety of flavors and even medications - including painkillers and appetite suppressants - as well as caffeine.

So, what do you think? Will you give the caffeinated toothbrush a try or will you be sticking by your tried-and-true brew?

Just the other day, we released a video outlining some of the reasons why Whole Latte Love is "the" coffee destination on the Internet, and it got me thinking. Having worked here for close to a year now, I've been involved with several projects aimed toward improving our customer's experience when using our site, and seen just how dedicated our staff is to make shopping with us as pleasant as possible. But besides our low prices and huge selection, there are a few other reasons why we should be at the top of your list as far as coffee is concerned.

Did you know that Whole Latte Love is an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau? And that we have an A+ rating? Have you seen our active coffee community? Participated in one of our contests? Tuned in with Marc and Morgan for a look at all new products? Read our Weekend Brew newsletter? Oh, and did I mention our blogs? There's a whole world for you to explore! But, if you're really just here for the shopping, you can save time and money with our I-DEAL$ feature, while our Compare-O-Matic can help you find the machine to meet your exact specifications.

To sum things up, we've got great deals, great selection, and we'll support you before, during, and after your purchase! Whole Latte Love really is the place to be when it comes to coffee!

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Taking a step back from any kind medical or health-related motivation for doing so, I recently found myself contemplating my coffee consumption on a more personal level. Without thinking too hard about it, I'd probably say that I drink about four cups of coffee a day. Of course, this doesn't include the occasional pots of tea I toss back as well. In reality, four cups is probably a too conservative of an estimate. But, it was enough to make me stop and consider my daily coffee quota. So, I decided to compile the following list of reasons that, on any given day, I might use to justify all of the coffee I drink.

	1. Because I'm tired: I imagine that this is at the top of a number of lists, mine included, but the caffeine in coffee and its energizing effect is one of the primary reasons I drink it. In college, my tea habit gradually transformed into a coffee habit and I guzzled copious amounts, as I battled the biological imperative to sleep and the rigours of higher education.
	2. Because I'm cold: This might not be 100% relatable, but here in Rochester, NY, the weather has a way of staying cold and wet for much longer than it should. Some days, when I'm bundled up in my chair, nothing thaws me out quite like a cup of coffee.
	3. To stretch my legs: Given the incredible advantages of working for a company that sells all things coffee, there's a drip coffee maker and an espresso machine not more than five feet from my desk. However, there's also a Gaggia Accademia in our kitchen, the perfect distance for a little walk to shake things up during the day.
	4. To be social: Coming as a surprise to nobody, the delicious and magical properties of coffee are possibly the world's worst kept secret. When I get up to grab a cup, there's a pretty big chance that I'll bump into somebody else doing the same and get the opportunity to make some conversation. Okay, maybe it's not that exciting, but, getting to know your coworkers is never a bad thing.

Alright, those were the reasons why I might grab a cup of coffee, or four, during the day. I'll leave you with a few of the responses I got from a survey I circulated around the office asking my co-workers why they drink coffee.

Please excuse the lengthy title, and I don’t expect many of you to be particularly familiar with the Harris + Hoole coffee chain, but don’t worry, you will be. Coffee culture is as big a part of society in the UK as it is here in the States, and similarly, there’s no shortage of coffee drama in the UK either. Harris + Hoole is a chain of 10 cafes in the UK that opened up in 2012, identifiable by their trendy interiors and little guy feel, aka, they aren’t like Starbucks.

For the average coffee drinking citizen, Harris + Hoole must have seemed like a great alternative. Founded and operated by the three Tolley siblings, coffee entrepreneurs and down to earth people, how could one say no? That is, until their secret got out. Enter Tesco, the third largest retailer in the world and rumored 49% shareholder of Harris + Hoole. The company’s CEO, Nick Tolley, claimed that Tesco would have little to do with day to day operations and the Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke made a claim that the Harris + Hoole brand had its own value and that it was the Tolley’s business and that they (Tesco) were merely helping them to realize their potential.

Needless to say however, people felt duped. Their lovely indie coffee shop was actually funded by a huge retailer, and to great effect mind you, as there are plans to open an 11th H+H store in Whitstable in the UK. Many people have now claimed that they wouldn’t have had anything to do with Harris + Hoole if they had known Tesco was involved from the beginning. That, and the majority of the backlash the company has faced was due to people have felt that they were mislead, that a corporate behemoth was masquerading as a family owned coffee chain.

Bear with me now as I segue to our next topic of discussion to events taking place here in the US. I’ll admit that reading about the whole Harris + Hoole situation was interesting to me on its own, but a recent development has got me thinking about it even more. When I found out that the Denver based coffee distributor Boyer Coffee Co. had just named former Walmart executive Mark Goodman as their president and CEO it got me thinking. According to Pamela Boyer, the daughter of the company’s founder, Goodman was hired as a result of her father’s wishes to find a “...professional executive that could lead Boyer coffee to the next level of growth...” At the moment, Boyer is a roaster and distributor that operates out of an old schoolhouse that was converted into a cafe and roasting facility. Also, Boyer’s cafe is incredibly charming.

So for a recap, Boyer is a local roaster in Denver, family owned, operates out of a delightful converted schoolhouse, and just hired a former Walmart  executive to help “lead Boyer coffee to the next level of growth.” When the Tolley family needed money, they turned to Tesco. With a former Walmart executive in charge Boyer Coffee Co. it’ll be interesting to see where they might turn. Might the Boyer family turn to Walmart under Goodman’s guidance to acquire the resources to grow and expand their company?

While all of this is me speculating, I couldn’t help but notice some of the parallels in the circumstances. Will Boyer Coffee Co. become the next Harris + Hoole? And more importantly, would people accept a chain of cafes owned by Walmart? Can specialty coffee blend with big business? The Tolleys did it, it’ll be interesting to see who else throws their hat into the ring.

Coffee and Soda, I’ve written about them before, and probably will again because I’ve found that tea pertaining to coffee has a tendency to now and again coincide with what’s going on in the world of soda. It would be hard for anyone to deny that coffee has become increasingly more popular in the US within the last few decades. With cafes like Starbucks popping up on every corner, and home baristas taking the plunge into the world of specialty coffee, it’s no surprise that as we drink more coffee, we’d be drinking less of something else. In this case, that something is soda.

Now, while all of this makes sense, something about these former soda drinkers might surprise you, most of them are young people. People between the ages of 18 and 24 are among those who have begun substituting coffee for soda. Looking at this demographic, the first thing that comes to mind is college students. I know that in college I guzzled coffee like I had a wooden leg, and I haven’t stopped since. Cafes suit the “on the go” lifestyle of college students and as we become more and more conscious of our health, alternatives to sugary drinks become even more attractive. In my last article regarding coffee and soda, I took a look at a press release from the American Academy of Neurology, linking increased soda drinking with an increased risk of depression, and increased coffee drinking with a lowered risk.

The last, and possibly the largest facet to trend is the rise of coffee culture, which is a global phenomenon. Among our own citizens as well as those in India and China, more and more people with disposable incomes (middle class young people primarily) are flocking to cafes for a place to sit back, socialize, and sip on a latte. Why else would Starbucks be pushing so hard in the Asian market? And, according to a graph published in The Atlantic Magazine, soda revenues have decreased rather steeply from 2005 to present, whereas coffee revenues have been steadily increasing.

Declining revenues don’t mean that soda is going away forever however. New alternatives to traditionally buying a 12 pack or a 2 liter at the store, such as the popular Soda Stream, provide people with a means to still enjoy soda in a more affordable and environmentally friendly way. The point is, people still drink soda, and still enjoy soda, despite the dangers associated with it and the efforts of some politicians to better control it. The beverage as a whole has come under a lot of scrutiny lately, scrutiny which has caused it to be shunned in favor for coffee (in some cases).

I can’t say I’m super surprised by things happening the way they are, I’m actually quite happy about it. Personally, I don’t drink that much soda, and with all I’ve been reading lately, I’m just fine with that. At the end of the day, there’s really only so much you can drink of anything, and in my case, I’d prefer it was coffee.

The results of this year’s Good Food Awards were a pleasant surprise for us Rochester, NY residents, with our very own Joe Bean Coffee Roasters’  Nicaragua Don Roger direct trade coffee being selected as one of 15 finalists in the coffee category.

For those of you who didn’t know, the Good Food Awards are the result of a collaboration of farmers, journalists, grocers, and producers involved in the food industry through the organizational efforts of Seedling Projects, an organization dedicated to sustainable food. The key criteria required of entrants is that their product reflects a commitment to environmentally and socially sustainable food.

The Nicaragua Don Roger coffee is grown and processed by a one Mr. Roger Mairena whose high standards and incredibly well maintained farm allowed him to produce some award winning coffee. As for the aforementioned Joe Bean Coffee Roasters, they’re a local coffee roaster and cafe located at 1344 University Avenue right here in Rochester. In any case, it’s always nice when somebody from the local community is recognized for what they do. Bravo, Joe Bean!

Anybody with a latte habit can tell you how expensive it can get, but what if you didn’t have to pay for your coffee, just your time? Russian entrepreneur Ivan Meetin turned this concept into a reality with his chain of cafes where people are charged based on how long they spend in the cafe and not the amount of coffee they drink. From a business standpoint, it makes pretty good sense though. For many people, the coffee is secondary to the welcoming environment of a cafe, where you can generally find things like free wifi, plush furniture and a cozy atmosphere.

Part of the reason coffee chains like Starbucks have taken off now in India and China is the appeal of having a place to go to spend time with friends or simply to get out of the house and relax. For somebody who drinks a lot of coffee paying for just the time might be a pretty sweet deal actually.

Frothing milk is a tricky business. Much like brewing espresso, there are a number of factors and techniques to consider when trying to create the perfect microfoam. While we've made tutorials and videos outlining the steps to making a good cappuccino or latte, we've never really addressed the subject of frothing with different kinds of milk... until now.

Today was an exciting day as we assembled participants for an event that came to be dubbed the "Froth Off." Assembling five identical Gaggia Brera espresso machines and five different kinds of milk (Soy, Skim, 1%, 2%, and Whole) we made a cappuccino with each one to see what differences we could find. But, before moving on to our findings, here's a little chart we threw together outlining the calorie information for the milk we used.

Calories per 1/2 cup:
Soy: 45 (2x the calcium of dairy milk)
Skim: 45
1%: 55
2%: 65
Whole: 75

As you can see, the results of our little experiment were rather varied. The separation of layers in the Soy and Skim milk was surprisingly more pronounced than the other varieties. In terms of what I'll call “foam longevity” the Skim milk held its foam for quite a while, whereas the foam on the Soy milk fell rather quickly. The foam on the 1%, 2%, and Whole milks was pretty consistent, although it seemed a bit creamier on the whole milk. The coolest thing I found about all this was that no matter what kind of milk you enjoy, you can still steam and froth it for your favorite drinks.

General Frothing Tips

• Purge your wand first! Before frothing, always make sure to purge any that might have condensed in your steam wand before frothing.
• Keep things cold! Cold milk and a cold pitcher will give you a little more time to work with your milk. When frothing, always keep the temperature of the milk below 160 degrees. Using a frothing thermometer is a good way to keep an eye on how hot your milk is getting.
• To stop frothing, cover the air intake hole! When frothing with a pannarello wand, if you simply want to heat the milk as opposed to frothing it, submerge the air intake hole on the side of the wand in your milk.