coffee

Exploring Coffee's Past To Rescue Its Future

Dan Charles — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:02:25 +0000

At the Center for Tropical Agricultural Research and Education (CATIE) in Turrialba, Costa Rica, you can touch the history of coffee — and also, if the optimists have their way, part of its future.

Here, spread across 25 acres, are coffee trees that take you back to coffee's origins.

"The story starts in Africa, no? East Africa," says Eduardo Somarriba, a researcher at CATIE, as we walk through long rows of small coffee trees.

These trees came directly from forests in Africa.

Azuquita Pa'l Cafe: What Coffee Songs Mean To Latin America

Jasmine Garsd — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:49:41 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZOLOggfWp0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgpn4wBlFzo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8C8_P8l2Cc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IIopGu_LLc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3hBU9aRoT0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z03pc4_ixu0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-RlQM1u0_c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1wpTgmW8NE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Er-HgiCq7w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDokxiFCQwQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=584t773W6hk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw9b0i6XN2M

The Rise Of Women In The Coffee World

Allison Aubrey — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:44:09 +0000

The inspiration for NPR's Coffee Week arrived in an email last summer.

How Coffee Influenced The Course Of History

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:19:49 +0000

Coffee is a powerful beverage. On a personal level, it helps keep us awake and active. On a much broader level, it has helped shape our history and continues to shape our culture.

Coffee plants grow wild in Ethiopia and were probably used by nomadic tribes for thousands of years, but it wasn't until the 1400s that people figured out they could roast its seeds.

Going The Distance To Test Those Feel-Good Coffee Labels

Dan Charles — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:34:42 +0000

What does it take to find guilt-free coffee?

Much of our coffee comes from places where the environment is endangered and workers earn very little — sometimes, just a few dollars for a whole day's work. Coffee farmers have helped cut down tropical forests, and most of them use pesticides.

It doesn't take much effort, though, to find bags of coffee with labels that promise social and environmental improvements.

Journey Of Specialty Coffee, From Cherry To Cup

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:13:42 +0000

When we wanted to know how the growth of the specialty coffee movement is influencing the lives of farmers, we took a trip to the mountainous region of Huehuetenango in Guatemala.

Here, we met farmer Miguelina Villatoro, owner of Finca El Paternal.

How Coffee Makes The World Go 'Round

Dan Charles — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:09:12 +0000

Coffee is more than a drink.

What Do Our Work Coffee Mugs Say About Us At WLRN?

Sarah Gonzalez — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Before we start the new year, we want you all to get to know us a little more intimately. Turns out our work coffee mugs say a lot about us!

We've psychoanalyzed each other's coffee mugs to bring you this audio postcard from us, your WLRN reporters, editors, anchors, bloggers, producers and social media gurus. I would say this is one of those posts you actually want to listen to.

Check out our slideshow and tell us which one of us is your work-coffee-mug-soul-mate.