First thanks for all your help in helping us choose a name for our coffee shop. The name will be Steamin’ Joes. Our web address is http://www.steamingjoescoffee.com . We will be opening our coffee shop in North Georgia in the Marble Hill area.

Sometimes, what goes in your gourmet coffee can be as important as the coffee itself. In 1961 Nestle revolutionized the way we drink our coffee by introducing the world’s first non-dairy powdered coffee creamer. Borden’s followed not long after with Cremora, and powdered non-dairy creamer became a staple in many American kitchens.

In the mid-70s, Rich Foods introduced Coffee Rich non-dairy liquid creamer, marketing it as a creamy substitute for half-and-half for those who could not tolerate milk, or were avoiding dairy fats. Since then, things have not been the same. These days, half the dairy freezer at the supermarket is filled with non-dairy coffee creamers in a wide variety of brands and flavors, some especially created to accent gourmet coffee.

In 1980, a new player hit the supermarket shelves. International Delight made it easy to have delicious flavored coffees at home, without having to buy expensive flavored coffee. You could buy it in the dairy aisle in any one of three flavors: Irish Cream, Cinnamon Hazelnut or French Vanilla. Within months, Coffee-mate followed with its own line of coffee creamers, featuring Vanilla, Hazelnut and Irish Cream flavors. Since then, both companies have taken to introducing new flavors, limited edition flavors and holiday flavors on a regular basis. Take a look at what the major players in the coffee creamer market are offering.

Coffee-Mate

The first and still the biggest of the bunch, Coffee-Mate has expanded its line enormously over the past few years. Catering to their customers’ tastes, Coffee-Mate has even held contests to allow customers to choose their limited edition flavors (vanilla chai spice and coconut crème are the two most recent entries). Coffee-Mate now offers twenty different flavors, including:

Flavored

Amaretto, Chocolate Raspberry, Cinnamon Vanilla Crème, Coconut Crème, Crème Brulée, Vanilla Crème, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Irish Crème, Toffee Nut, Vanilla Caramel, Vanilla Nut and Vanilla Chai Spice

Seasonal Flavors

Eggnog, Gingerbread, Peppermint, Mocha, Pumpkin Spice

Special Edition

Blueberry Cobbler, Pralines & Crème

However, there are many other differences between coffee creamers than just the flavors. Coffee-mate especially has introduced some innovations in packaging and in chemical makeup to enhance its brand. For those watching their fat and sugar intake, among the specialty coffee creamers made by Coffee-mate, are fat free and sugar free versions of many of its most popular flavors (in case you were wondering, all the Coffee-mate flavors have 0% trans fat). In addition, they offer coffee creamers in three different forms: powdered, liquid and the newest, concentrate – which comes in a very cool portion controlled pump bottle. Any cup of gourmet coffee will benefit from a specialty coffee creamer.

You can also buy Coffee-Mate in several different kinds of packaging. The standard liquid creamer needs to be refrigerated, but if you buy Coffee-Mate in individual serving size plastic cups (boxes of 50), you can keep them on the shelf. The powdered Coffee-Mate variety, which comes in most of the same flavors as the liquid (including fat-free and sugar-free), also does not require refrigeration.

Coffee-Mate comes in original, non-flavored versions, both liquid and powdered, and has recently announced that it will be introducing a non-dairy half-and-half in the near future.

International Delight

When International Delight introduced their portion-control liquid flavored coffee creamers, they launched an entire new category of food products. International Delight was marketed as a luxury, and it certainly tasted like one. International Delight is now available in nine different flavors, including fat free and reduced sugar versions of their most popular flavors. The International Delight flavors include:

Original Flavors

Amaretto, Cinnamon Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Irish Crème, Southern Butter Pecan, Vanilla Hazelnut, Vanilla Toffee Caramel and Hershey’s Chocolate Caramel

Fat Free Flavors

Fat Free Amaretto, Fat Free Cinnamon Hazelnut, Fat Free French Vanilla, and Fat Free Irish Crème

Reduced Sugar Flavors

Reduced Sugar French Vanilla and Reduced Sugar Hazelnut.

International Delight coffee creamer is available in pints, quarts and individual portion control sizes. The pints and quarts must be refrigerated, but the individual single portion cups can be stored on your cupboard shelf until they are opened. Similar to Coffee-Mate, International Delight is non-dairy and certified kosher, though both popular non-dairy creamers contain sodium caseinate, which is made from solidified milk.

If you happen to run a coffee service or offer gourmet or regular coffee in the break room at your office, providing a variety of flavored non-dairy coffee creamers is a great way to give your customers or employees a choice of flavors without having the make separate pots of coffee to satisfy every taste.

Starbucks. When you say the name, it automatically conjures up an image: an upscale coffee bar with light wood, glass and chrome. The invigorating and inviting aroma of brewed coffee and the café atmosphere has made Starbucks the best-known specialty coffee roaster and server in the world. Starbucks has done an excellent job of branding their company – it is the only coffee brand that is on the list of 100 most recognized brands in the world. What makes the Starbucks brand and the Starbucks coffee experience so ubiquitous that it ranks up there alongside Google, McDonalds and Coca Cola in name and brand recognition?Sheer size and Starbuck’s number of locations has something to do with name recognition and popularity. With over 16,000 shops worldwide, Starbucks is certainly one of the most visible brands in the world. However, this is not a matter of the chicken or the egg – in order to become so visible, Starbucks had to start off with something special in the first place. It is that “something special” that defines the Starbucks coffee experience.The Third PlaceSince the opening of its first stores in Seattle, Starbucks has striven to be more than just a place where you buy coffee. Howard Schultz, company President and CEO, defined the atmosphere that Starbucks attempts to create when he said “We’re in the business of human connection and humanity, creating communities in a third place between home and work.”The Third Place concept informs the design of Starbucks shops. While coffee takes center stage, the design is meant to make customers comfortable. To further customer comfort and social interaction, most Starbucks stores mix upholstered chairs and sofas with hard-backed chairs around tables. Most Starbucks stores offer free electricity to their customers so that they can plug in their laptops and all U.S. Starbucks offer Wi-Fi access through AT&T. In addition, many Starbucks feature a well-stocked reading and game shelf to encourage customers to settle in and hang out with friends for a while.The Coffee ExperienceMore than anything else, of course, Starbucks is about the coffee. The company started out as a premium coffee roaster, and they stayed true to their roots by serving nothing but excellent coffee. As of early July 2008, Starbucks announced that they would be changing the way that coffee is made and served in their stores around the world in an effort to provide the best coffee experience possible. The changes will be rolled in across the U.S. by the end of 2008, and include a commitment to grind and brew many coffee varieties to order, as well as to discard any coffee that has been brewed for more than thirty minutes.In order to enhance the coffee atmosphere, Starbucks employees are requested to avoid wearing strong perfumes that might interfere with the coffee aroma, and nearly all Starbucks around the world are non-smoking indoors. The preservation of the coffee-centric atmosphere was the reason that Starbucks abandoned its short-lived foray into serving breakfast sandwiches. According to some sources, the smell of the breakfast sandwiches overpowered the coffee aroma, making the coffee cafes smell like diners – an image that the company does not want to present.All About the CoffeeThe Starbucks coffee experience extends to brewing your own Starbucks coffee at home. The coffee roasts that Starbucks have chosen for sale are those that best reflect the rich coffee flavor and aroma of your local Starbucks. Those roasts tend to lean heavily toward darker roasts, because it is easier to maintain consistency of flavor across batches when roasting darker. Darker roasts also tend to be more ‘coffee’ flavored than lighter roasts, which allow the variations of region and season to be more readily apparent. Since 2000, the Starbucks coffee experience has also included feeling good about your coffee choices. That’s the year that Starbucks started selling its line of Fair Trade Certified coffee. As of 2005, Starbucks was the largest single buyer of Fair Trade certified coffee in the world, buying over 11.5 million pounds of FTC coffee – about 10% of the entire U.S. volume of Fair Trade sales. The amount accounted for about 6% of the company’s total coffee buying for that year. While some activist groups pressure Starbucks to increase the percentage of Fair Trade coffee that it offers for sale, company spokespeople point out that they pay above market price for coffee and that they also deal with many small growers who can’t afford the cost of Fair Trade certification.The Starbucks Coffee ExperienceThe Starbucks coffee experience can be summed up in just a few words: great coffee in comfortable surroundings served by an attentive staff and produced by a company that cares about our world. With great tasting drinks and a commitment to creating a fun atmosphere, it is no wonder why Starbucks has become a household name.

Being able to brew your own coffee at home is a great way to get the pick-me-up that you want with the convenience that you need, but if you do not drink a lot of coffee then you could end up making too much with a traditional coffee maker. Single-cup coffee makers are available, but many people shy away from them because they worry that they simply may not work as well as larger coffee makers or that they cost more than they are worth. There are affordable single-cup solutions to help you make the coffee that you want at home, without sacrificing the quality of your coffee or having to settle for a second-rate coffee maker; you simply have to know where to look and what to look for.

Brookstone’s Stainless Steel Single-Cup Coffee Maker

Combining functionality with style, Brookstone offers a single-cup coffee maker that should not break the bank. For under $40 you get a stylish coffee maker that goes well with almost any décor, packed full of features that can help you to enjoy a perfect cup of coffee with very little effort on your part. The Brookstone stainless steel single-cup coffee maker comes with a travel cup, a permanent mesh filter. This eliminates the need for a disposable filter. It also features a coffee scoop that is the perfect size so that you can fix exactly one cup of coffee. The double-walled stainless steel construction ensures that your coffee stays hot while also making sure that your Brookstone coffee maker is not going to break.

Hamilton Beach JavaOne Pod Brewer

Pod brewing is a popular option for single-cup coffee makers, but many pod-brewing coffee makers are prohibitively expensive. The Java One pod brewer from Hamilton Beach offers the convenience of pod brewing without the cost, as it can be purchased for $30 or less. You should not have to worry about keeping up with filters, since the coffee pods that the JavaOne uses contain all of the coffee grounds within a sealed filter pod so that you can brew your coffee and then throw the pod away. Your coffee brews quickly, and you can clean up your JavaOne coffee maker just as quickly once you are finished. Though you are limited to the coffee blends that are available in Java One pods, everything from Columbian decaf to French Roast and even Earl Gray tea are available in pods.

Keurig Mini Brewing System

Weighing in at the higher end of the “affordable” spectrum, the Keurig Mini Brewing System costs just under $80 (though this price includes 10 of the Keurig K-Cup coffee portions as well.) Using the Keurig Mini Brewing System, you can heat eight ounces of water in around three minutes, letting you brew a single cup of coffee in very little time. The Mini Brewing System uses Keurig’s patented K-Cup portion system, eliminating the need for filters; you simply place one of the K-Cups (which are about the size and shape of a coffee creamer package) into the coffee maker and start your brew cycle. The coffee maker penetrates the K-Cup’s lid and begins brewing the coffee inside of it, and you can simply throw away the used K-Cup once your cup of coffee has finished brewing. Cleanup is easy, and the Mini Brewing System is compact enough that you can take it with you when travelling or store it easily at home.

Black & Decker Cup-at-a-Time Coffee Maker

If you are looking for an economy single-cup coffee maker, the Black & Decker Cup-at-a-Time coffee maker is the way to go. Available for under $20, the Cup-at-a-Time may not have all of the advanced features of some of the other single-cup coffee makers on the market but it can still brew a good cup of coffee. The permanent mesh filter can be used by itself or in conjunction with disposable cone filters, holding enough coffee grounds for making a single cup of coffee. The Cup-at-a-Time coffee maker requires you to supply your own cup, but it accepts any cup with an 8-ounce to 12-ounce capacity. The coffee maker can also be used to brew hot water for tea, hot cocoa, and other items such as instant noodles and single-serve soups.

Many people enjoy brewing coffee, but traditional coffee makers sometimes brew more than you want. This is the main advantage of choosing a one-cup coffee-brewing product. The one-cup system allows you to brew just enough coffee for your morning pick-me-up. There are many products to choose from which all have their own set of features. When choosing a one-cup coffee brewer, you should take into consideration the price and which features you are looking. Although it is expensive, the Keurig Mini Brewing System is feature rich and it can create the perfect cup of coffee that you would expect.

Suzanne Bradley is a freelance writer who writes about style and living, often offering suggestions about certain brands of products to try such as Keurig.

There is nothing that lifts the spirit and puts one in a pleasant and relaxed mood than the smell of freshly brewed coffee. This delicious beverage is enormously beneficial in the office not only because of its stimulating attributes, but the effect it has on the brain as well. Needless to say, the chances are that workers will become energized and potentially more productive. Most office workers simply love their coffee because it gives them the necessary lift to make it through the day. The effect of the coffee aroma on the average personOften the unique smell and aroma of coffee takes one back to pleasant times with family or friends; this can be a welcome break from stressful workloads or never ending office tasks. According to recent research done on the effect coffee has on the brain, it has been discovered that it definitely improves short term memory and speeds up your reaction time as well. In other words you can actually become more alert and productive by drinking coffee; this rumor is not completely untrue. The scent of coffee has such a powerful effect on the human brain that it is even being used in alarm clocks. The smell of fresh brewed coffee is definitely a lot more pleasant than having a buzzer or loud music go off in your ears. On weekdays the lovely smell can get you leaping out of bed and head straight for the coffeemaker, or, on weekends, make you roll over and continue having pleasant dreams of a scrumptious breakfast accompanied by your favorite coffee.Studies into the effects of coffee highlight the beneficial qualities of coffee. There are of course negative effects of drinking too much coffee, however a moderate amount of coffee consumption during a work day will most likely keep a person alert and productive. Those who drink more than a moderate amount open themselves up to risks such as accelerated heartbeat and anxiety. That being said, the one-cup-in-the-morning coffee drinker tends to lose steam in the latter part of the day while the 3-4 cup-a-day worker lasts till the end. It really depends on the specific person in question. A vast majority of workers agree on the fact that a good quality, warm brew is soothing and relaxing. Some feel that management is taking good care of them when the coffee service has been hired that provides good quality and affordable coffee. Office policies differ vastly and in many cases workers are allowed to have coffee anytime during the day and may even leave the office from time to time for a quick trip to the coffee shop. There are some companies that do not allow workers to leave the office during work hours, but they may enjoy a cup of coffee any time of day. The benefits of a coffee delivery service Time is of the essence in every business, as is money. However, not only can the employee save money by utilizing a coffee service, but the company also can benefit in the long run. Coffee drinkers drink coffee all day long, perhaps reaching 10 cups a day. All of this coffee drinking during the work day can slow production, especially if there is no coffee available in the office. Some research has shown that large amounts of coffee consumption can also lead to dehydration and loss of concentration. Nutritionists suggest that heavy drinkers should occasionally include fruit juices and water in their consumption to prevent this from happening. Too much caffeine can also be the cause of rising stress levels. This is according to research but like everything else no two people are affected in the same way.Other products and servicesCoffee services do not only specialize in coffee but in other beverages as well. The various types of coffees may include the hot brew that is either decaf or with hot milk. The cold varieties would be press iced coffee, iced latte or mocha. Espressos would include cappuccino, macchiato, mocha or latte.Obtaining a free quote from coffee delivery service providers is not difficult at all. The quote will include what type of services you require as well as the amount of people that will make use of the service. Other services like filtered or bottled water are also offered. Hot soup as well as hot chocolate and sandwiches are also on the menu of some service providers. Besides offering gourmet and organic coffees some companies also have a snack menu that can be ordered daily. Reliable and reputable service providers can save time and money when it comes to providing coffee to office staff members. An office coffee service will help to keep your workers focused, energized and comfortable, knowing that there will always be fresh-brewed coffee nearby to give them that extra boost.

Many employers often wonder what their employees want, besides a raise of course. The answer might be surprising. A number of Fortune 500 companies have discovered that one of the most treasured perks they provide for their employees is something they might never expect – coffee! A break room well-stocked with a variety of coffees and other beverages is high on the list of perks that employees are looking for. More and more employers are finding that the very best way to give their employees something they will enjoy is by bringing coffee pods into the employee break room.

Coffee pods first made their appearance on the market about a decade ago. At the time, they were expensive and there were few varieties available. The critics were not kind about the coffee either, but all that has changed. Today, coffee machines that use coffee pods are among the most popular office coffee machines on the market, and with good reason. Why choose coffee pods for your office break room? Take a look at what some of the best makers of single serve coffee makers with coffee pods offer your office.

Consistently Good Coffee

Previously, many workers felt ‘office coffee’ was synonymous with mud. No matter how good the coffee you started with, it soon turned into oily black sludge. That was partly because the pot inevitably sat on the burner and scorched the coffee, and partly because the machine just didn’t get cleaned often enough. With coffee pods, those issues are grievances of the past. Each pod is pre-measured with the precise amount of coffee, tea or cocoa to make one perfect cup at a time. Also, because you are only making one cup at a time, there’s no coffee to turn to burnt sludge in the bottom of the pot. The coffee maker does not pick up all the oils from the brewing process either, meaning that you get fresh, clean coffee every time around.

Easy Cleanup

Coffee pods also mean no more messy drips and grounds on the counter of the break room. The coffee grounds are completely contained in the pod. When the coffee is done, you just eject the pod and throw it away. Your coffee room will stay clean, making it a more inviting place for your workers to brainstorm and work together.

Save Money

When the best coffee in town is right there in the break room, your employees are far less likely to wander off looking for a coffee shop. More time at the office and less time spent standing in line waiting for a cappuccino at the local shop is good news for you. Your employees will be happier and more productive. At the same time, they will be saving money on all those specialty coffees bought over the counter. Even if you decide to establish a coffee fund, they will be paying far less per cup for coffee pods at the office than they will for a paper takeaway cup from the local shop.

Everyone gets what they like!

One of the best things about replacing the office coffee pot with a single cup brewer and a coffee pod system is the selection of beverages available in coffee pods. With selections of coffee ranging from light breakfast blends to full-bodied espressos, everyone in your office can have the style and flavor of coffee that they like best. Coffee enthusiasts can find flavored coffees among varieties such as vanilla, hazelnut, mocha and even blueberry. Even better, most of the single serve coffee systems that use coffee pods are not confined to just making coffee. Depending on the supplier you choose, you may be able to also receive an assortment of flavored teas and gourmet hot chocolate drinks as well.

The Best Coffees Available

As single cup coffee makers have gained acceptance and popularity, the selection of coffees available in coffee pods for brewing has grown exponentially. The biggest reason for that is the number of nationally known fine coffee roasters who have jumped on the bandwagon to offer a variety of their coffees in pod form so that you can enjoy the same coffees that you love at the coffee shop. Among the coffee roasters who now offer their coffee in pods are Seattle’s Best, Starbucks, Melitta and Baronet. Java One offers a wide variety of coffee blends, and Senseo, makers of the Senseo single serve coffee system offers their own line of a dozen different coffee varieties that range from a light, tart Brazilian that will please most American palates to their latest gourmet offering, a rich, sweet, dark coffee appropriately named Café Noir, with just a hint of chocolate in the finish.

Your office staff will appreciate the investment in a coffee pod brewing system. A coffee pod system can pay for itself in happier workers and increased productivity, and your staff just may vote you supervisor of the year.

Each year, the National Coffee Association of the USA publishes their report on National Coffee Drinking Trends. The report has become one of the bibles of the coffee industry. The 2008 report has recently been made available, and the NCAUSA web site gives a brief summary of what the organization has found out about how we Americans like our coffee. Here are some highlights from the 2008 Coffee Drinking Trends report:

Single-serve coffee systems and one cup coffee makers were first introduced in the late 1990s, and have become more and more popular with each passing year. If you are considering a one cup coffee maker for your house or office, there are a number of things you should consider in making your decision. Types of Single Serve Coffee MakersThese days, a one cup coffee maker is more than a just a miniature drip coffee maker. There are many different kinds of coffee makers that only make one or two servings of coffee at a time. They include some of the oldest types of coffee makers in the world – the French press and the steam mocha pot, for instance. However, when most people refer to one-cup coffee makers today, they’re talking about automatic coffee makers. These fall into two different types of machine – a drip coffee maker that serves up one cup of coffee at a time, or the so-called single-serve coffee systems that use pods, cups or some other sort of special delivery system for coffee.The first thing to consider when deciding on a single cup coffee maker is whether you’re willing to be limited in your choice of coffee. The major brands of single serve coffee makers – Senseo, Tassimo, and Keurig – all require that you use coffee that is specially packaged for their machines. If a wide selection of coffees is important to you, or if you have a specific favorite, you’ll either want to be sure that the coffee maker you choose offers your favorite brand of coffee or choose a standard drip coffee maker that brews a single cup at a time.What to look for: One-Cup Drip Coffee MakersThere are only a few considerations if you’re choosing a one-cup drip coffee maker. They include:

An office coffee service can save you money in surprising ways. That may seem to go against the traditional wisdom that says doing something yourself is always cheaper than paying for a service, but providing coffee for your office staff and clients can add up in the accounting books in places where you don’t see it. Contracting with an office coffee service can increase productivity, increase staff and customer satisfaction with your company and reduce the unexpected overhead costs of coffee in your office.

Is coffee costing your company money?

If your company provides coffee for the staff and clients, then you probably think you have a pretty good idea of what your coffee costs are. Bankrate.com, one of the premier finance websites on the Internet, points out costs that few businesses consider when totaling the cost of providing coffee service for their employees. Among those “hidden” costs are the amount of time it takes to shop for break room coffee supplies and the time your accountant or bookkeeper spends tracking coffee expenses for your annual expense reports. Those may seem minor, but when you consider how much you are paying your accountant, it can add up surprisingly fast.

Believe it or not, even those businesses that do not have a break room on premises where they provide coffee for their staff and customers could be losing money by not employing a coffee service. When you provide coffee service on premises, none of your employees are leaving the building to pick up coffee at the local coffee shop; trips that add up in terms of lost productivity and time out of the office. By contracting with a coffee service to provide fine coffee for your employees, you can increase the amount of time that your employees are at work and focused on their jobs.

Can a coffee service increase your company’s profits?

The surprising answer to that question is “absolutely!” Here are just some of the ways that providing coffee through a coffee service can affect your bottom line.

- Providing coffee service for your staff improves employee morale.

Happier employees are more productive employees. While coffee may seem like a very small thing in the larger scheme of things, providing good coffee (especially free good coffee) to your employees’ rates very high with them. In a number of surveys, researchers asked employees to name something that their employer does that makes them feel valued and appreciated. In nearly every survey, more employees named free coffee than any other perk.

- Offering fine coffee to your customers increases their positive feelings about your company.

Anything you do to make customer or client experience with your company will show up in your bottom line, even if it can’t be easily quantified. Offering your customers a cup of gourmet coffee is one way to make them feel valued and appreciated. This is a lesson learned by high-end hair stylists, doctor and dentist offices and even upscale retail stores. Give your customers good coffee, and they will leave feeling far more appreciated, which can translate into a better bottom line for your business.

- Coffee can improve focus and can increases productivity.

A recent study measured productivity in workers who drank coffee during the day against the productivity of workers who do not drink coffee at the office. They found that workers who drank coffee at their desks were more focused on their work and completed more work than their co-workers who did not. The difference between the two groups of workers became more marked as the day went on. In fact, most of the coffee drinkers avoided the typical mid-afternoon slump in productivity entirely. A good coffee service can improve your bottom line by increasing productivity and reducing errors. Not to mention, your employees most likely will not be heading out the door to grab a coffee at the local coffee shop if they have a great coffee service providing coffee in the break room.

Using an office coffee service is less expensive

In many cases, the coffee service will provide a high-end coffee maker for your office for free as long as you purchase a minimum amount of coffee from them. Depending on the quality of the coffee that you choose, a coffee service for your office will cost between 4 cent and 19 cents per cup; the 19 cent figure is for Starbucks coffee from a coffee service. The machines ranges from double burner pour-over coffee makers to fancy bean-to-cup coffee machines that dispense gourmet espresso, complete with frothed milk.

If you are considering providing coffee for your office, or if you already provide free coffee for employees and customers, take a look at what a coffee service can do to save you money on your coffee.