[27.11.2003, 14:30]
Tea Baths - New Fashion in Beijing ... For centuries, it has been a tradition in China to drink tea. But lately, the Beijingers have started using tea for a new purpose - taking baths. During the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), rumors swept China that taking tea baths could help prevent people from being infected by the disease, the Xinhua news agency reported. Many of the Chinese started taking baths. Surprisingly, after several days of such a treatment, many of them reported unexpected results: tea baths relieved lumbago, improved skin and cleared away weariness. Experts claim that tea contains rich inorganic mineral elements, which have proved to be effective in diminishing inflammation and removing fatigue. About 150 grams of tea are needed for a bath. Law quality and old tea is normally used for this purpose. It sells for 10 yuan (1.2 USD) per 500 grams.
In the last two years the total tea output in China amounted to 700,000 tons a year, with law quality tea accounting for 50 percent of the output. China annually exports about 250,000 tons of tea. //Teapoetry.com//

[26.11.2003, 10:30]
Green Tea on Duty of Hygiene* ... One of the Thai companies has recently announced that it has started the production of hygienic products made from green tea containing components (see kuking.net).
It became known that green tea aroma neutralises bad smells. The idea of using antioxidant, antibacterial and deodorising properties of tea is not that new and has been successfully used by Japanese companies, which produce everyday consumption goods containing green tea, the most popular of them being green tea soaked cotton products like socks, T-shirts, towels and undergarments.
* Hygiene (Hygeia), the ancient Greek Goddess of health, the daughter of the God of medicine, Asklepios.
Hygiene is defined as the principles of maintaining health; practice of these.

[24.11.2003, 11:00]
Coffee Houses in Trade Centers ... Two more Moka Loka coffee houses have been opened in Moscow. This time cafes were located on the territory of the German “House and Garden” markets. According to the concept, applied by every trade center of the chain across the world, each market can provide space for only one eatery - in Moscow these are Moka Loka coffee shops.
Both of the 50-seat coffee shops cover an area of some 120 m2.The menus are expected to undergo slight changes. While strong drinks will be completely excluded from the menu, German national cuisine is planned to be introduced on the initiative of the landlord. The average bill is at the same level. As part of the Moka Loka project, another 2 coffee shops are planned to be opened in Moscow this year and 10 shops next year. As for the expansion to the Russian regions, Moka Loka coffee shops are expected to be opened in Yekaterinburg, Nizhniy Novgorod, Barnaul and Almata. //Yarmarka.net//

[21.11.2003, 17:00]
A Silver Medal Winner in the World Barista Championship will run training courses in Moscow ... Early December an official opening of the Barista Training School of the “Montana Coffee” company will take place in Moscow, with Asa Jelena Petterson, a Silver Medal winner in the 4th World Barista Championship in Boston (USA), invited as a teacher. The training center of the company-organizer will offer several days of training for both professional baristas and bars, cafes and restaurant-employees. A program for those continuing professional development is aimed at preparation to the Russian and World Championship. The courses will be conducted by Asa Jelena Petterson.
Bar-, cafe- and restaurant-employees will be provided for a basic course which will include information on coffee growing, as will as espresso and cappuccino preparation technique.
In the end of the education program, baristas and professionals of the specialty coffee market will have an opportunity to watch the skills demonstrated by the notable guest.

[19.11.2003, 11:00]
A Coffee Tin for Visiting a Lecture ... A famous banker Oleg Gusev, running for mayor in Yekaterinburg, Russia, was accused of illicit pre-election agitation with elements of bribery of voters, the fact of election law violation being fixed by reporters from the local TV channel. In one of the streets of the city, a focus-group of young people was inviting passers-by for a Nescaffe coffee tin to stop and listen to a 25-minute lecture on a candidate Oleg Gusev. The youths, not suspecting that they are being shooted by camera, readily told that they normally gathered 30 to 40 visitors a lecture - mainly pensioners - with around 7 lectures a day. They also said that this was not a single agitation center in Moscow, there were actually several of them Later the group was detained by police. Giving comments to the above event and having nothing better to say, Gusev declared that bribery of voters was a planned provocation organized by rivals. The banker intended to send a complaint to the City Election Committee. //Apiural.ru//

[19.11.2003, 10:00]
International Barista Competition ... The Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) has announced the first international barista competition. Combined barista teams from Norway and Denmark - countries-founders of the European speciality coffee concept - will meat in Copenhagen on 22 November 2003. Not only will the visitors get an opportunity to experience an exciting match between the two countries, the day also will features barista jam sessions and workshops, in which speciality coffee professionals and amateurs will be able to meet with some of the world’s leading baristas, communicate with them in the informal atmosphere and demonstrate their barista skills.
The competitions will gather all the World Champions beginning from the first World Barista Championship:
Robert Thoresen, Norway - 2000
Martin Hildebrandt, Denmark -2001
Fritz Storm, Denmark - 2002
Paul Basset, Australia - 2003

[17.11.2003, 10:30]
“White Collars” Run Robberies of Transported Goods ... During the course of the last three years, members of the Transported Consignments Thefts Department (TCTD) of the West Siberia Transport Police Station (TPS), which specializes in cases involving goods robbery, have registered a number of various robberies of consignments transported by railway. According to the information agency REGNUM, consignments of consumption goods are often stolen from goods trains in transit, with carriages arriving empty at the Siberian station. Offenders are now not very fastidious about choosing an object and the way of theft. “Civilized” ways of theft have been in the lead lately.
Among the objects of robbery are tea and coffee. A report by the TCTD on cases of theft of consumption goods, tea and coffee included, demonstrates scales of offenders’ activities and the mechanisms they use.
For example, a half empty carriage with tea arrived at the station “Kleshikha “, Novosibirsk, from the station “Ruchji”. The consignment lacked 68 boxes of tea, the sum of the damages estimated at 37 thousand rubles. Tea was taken through the technical cavity in a carriage.
A certain “fixer”, leading a criminal group, has managed to steal a whole container of coffee by bribing several railway employees who had an access to documents. Using forged passports, certificates and banking accounts, the group made a train arrive at the wrong destination to rob it out completely.
Today the criminal layer of “spotters” consists mostly of so called “white collars” - swindlers or civil servants having access to documentation and selling the information to the criminal groups.
Robbers of goods usually act in groups, which have a strict hierarchy and structure, and seldom act on their own. //Regnum.ru//

[14.11.2003, 10:30]
Flood can prevent farmers from gathering in the coffee harvest in time ... Vietnamese farmers fear that the flood can prevent them from taking the coffee crop in time. Caused by heavy rains, the flood has claimed 16 lives for the last two days, local authorities said to Reuters. The severe flood has also slowed the traffic down. //Grani.ru//

[14.11.2003, 10:30]
Automobile fueled by tea ... A 34 years old Hindu, Ramar Pillai, has demonstrated his invention, a car fuel, to scientists at the recent exhibition in Madras. The “wonder-fuel” is claimed to be made of tea, lemon juice, salt and a small amount of gasoline, this strange mixture being an excellent petrol for most carburetor-engineers.
A “New-York Times” reporter tested the fuel on his own car and admitted that the car was running smoothly and the engine was working perfectly. “Tea for cars” costs only 5 cents per liter and makes engine exhaust quite harmless. Specialists believe the invention of the Indian school dropout can revolutionize the global energy industry and lead to the sensational price drop.
For three years already the Indian Edison has been earning his living by selling his “gas” to neighbors and acquaintances. He makes over 100 liters of the fluid each day in his basement laboratory. After presenting the “magic fluid” at the international exhibition, Pillai’s petrol became an object of interest for oil monopolies. There have been several attempts to kill the inventor. Now Ramar Pillai is being guarded round-the-clock by several policemen. Prominent scientists are studying the invention. //Teapoetry.com//

[13.11.2003, 15:30]
Coffee, please! ... While in Moscow and Saint Petersburg coffee boom has subsided already, In Novosibirsk it is just starting. Coffee-Terra, the largest operator in the city, runs a chain of coffee shops of the same name and a Sushi Terra. The average account in the cafes amounts to 80 to 120 rubles. Around $50,000US had been invested in the business, with the payoff period about one year. Three more Coffee Terra coffee shops and a Sushi Terra are to be opened in the future year in Novosibirsk, according to the general director and co-owner of the company, Konstantin Lokonov.
Erik Shogren, the establisher of the New York Coffee coffee shops chain, which is being located on the territory of New York Pizza pizzeria, opened yesterday another coffee shop on Kalininka Square, the total number of coffee shops in New York Coffee chain being five now.
The second floor of a coffee shop Traveler’s Coffee was opened in Novosibirsk two weeks ago. Christofer Tara-Brown, the owner of the cafe (Eric Shogren’s former business partner) disclosed his plans to open two more coffee shops in the first quarter 2004, slowly but steadily moving to the planned number of 15 during the next four years.

From an article “Restaurant business in Novosibirsk: “European eateries in Siberia” //Vedomosti.ru//

[11.11.2003, 16:00]
The ” Association “Rusteacoffee” supports customs ... The increase of indicative prices of tea in Russia will improve the market competition, said general director of the Association “Rusteacoffee”, Ramaz Chanturiya yesterday. End October, 2003 State Customs Committee of Russia (abbreviation in Russia GTK) amended the Edict “on measures strengthening customs price control” to increase for example the minimal price of black and green tea imported to Russia from $1,8 per kg to $3, packet tea from $3 to $5. (INTERFAX) //Vedomosti.ru//

[11.11.2003, 15:00]
At the age of 123 she drank minimum 6 cups of coffee a day… ... Hava Rexha, the oldest woman in Albania, died at the age of 123, news agency ITAR-TASS reported. The mother of six children, she had spent her whole life in a native mountain village of Shushice and outlived her 4 children.
Home-folk said that Hava drank minimum 6 cups of coffee a day and ate mainly cheese and butter. Surprisingly, the woman had never been ill. //NTV.ru//

[11.11.2003, 14:00]
The new anti-HIV method found ... Japanese scientist have found that tea contains molecules which block the binding of HIV to human cells.
At present all the existing anti-HIV therapies try to cure the already infection affected cells. However, the research showed that the major component of green tea possesses the inhibitory effect in the attachment of HIV to human cells.
The results of the research offer a new perspective for the treatment of the disease.
Previous studies of human reaction to tea found that people drinking tea several times a day have lower cancer and cardiovascular death rate and suffer arthritis rarer. The research also showed that drinking black tea leads to the reduction of cholesterine by 7 to 11 percent. The information was published in the November 2003 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. //Newsinfo.ru// //Svoboda.ru//

[10.11.2003, 13:00]
Customs Fight Cover Products ... In a letter of the State Customs Committee (abbreviation in Russian: GTK) of Russia No. 01-06/42822, the list of risk group and cover group products has been expanded (the old list is indicated in the letter of GTK No. 01-06/29152) from 45 items to 115 items to include “roasted caffeinated coffee”, cellphones, colour monitors, and many others. The letter gives the right to customs to undertake closer checks of the products listed. However the list of cover products (those products which serve as a cover for risk group products when passing customs) was slightly reduced. //2z.ru//

[10.11.2003, 10:00]
Orimi Trade expanding its production ... General director of Orimi Trade company, Sergy Kasjanenko said November 5th that the company is planning to double whole bean coffee output at the factory in Saint Petersburg. According to Kasjanenko, total investment into the production capacity expansion amounts to about $4 million US. It is planned to produce 7,000 tons of organic coffee per year, a quarter of total sales across Russia. //Kommersant.ru//

[05.11.2003, 13:00]
Barista teams faced off in barista competitons ... On November 3rd 2003, under the auspices of the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE), Team Barista Competitions for the price of the “Coffee&Tea in Russia” magazine were held in Moscow.
A team-winner representing a coffee shop Coffee Bean was awarded the main prize. Segafredo and Berry coffee shops took the second and the third places.
Each company-participator was presented by two baristas. Teams all had only 15 minutes to impress each member of the jury by preparing and serving 3 coffee drinks - two classical and one signature drink.
The competition was judged under the international rules. Beside taste and technical skills of barisi, jury took into account the way a team presented its own work. The important criteria for the jury was also how baristas served their drinks. (how did the coffee look, was the work space and dish clean and so on).
Among the participants of the competitions were baristas from coffee shop Berry (Rostov-on-Don), Coffee Bean (Moscow), Cofffee House (Moscow), Mocka Locka (Moscow), Chernaya Koshcka (Black Cat) (Moscow), Shokoladnitsa (Moscow), Segafredo (Moscow) and Zen Coffee (Moscow).
Competitions lasted one day as part of the Autumn Session Business-Forum “Food Service”.

[05.11.2003, 13:30]
Spend some nice time at a cafe over a cup of coffee, tea and photos ... A photocafe will open soon in Moscow. Authors of the idea think that you will find an equal service neither in Tokio nor in New-York or Paris, as the visitors of the new cafe will be able to get printed pictures taken with a photocamera or a digital camera and simultaneously have a friendly talk over a cup of tasty coffee, tea or some other favorite drink. You can also unhurriedly look at the photos, which preserved memorable moments of your trip abroad or birthday party, select the best of them, then order duplicates for your friends and get the ready pictures right on the spot. From here you will also be able to e-mail photos to wherever you wish. Besides, if a person wants a drink, he does not have to call a waiter. All he needs to do is to click on a picture of a drink on a computer screen on your table for the drink to be served immediately. All the visitors’ wishes will be satisfy without delay, as magic Jinie - Drive Photo Cafe system - gets down to business.

[04.11.2003, 16:00]
Indian Plantation Sector Received Government Support ... According to the Indian business news agency, on October 21, Indian trade and finance ministers met with the representatives of the Indian plantation industry, including tea, coffee and rubber industry, which currently face a deep economic crisis caused by the fact that relatively high net price of the products can not stand up to the severe competition on the foreign markets.
The problem was addressed at the meeting and a program to handle the crisis was offered.
The first item of this 5-item-program is to introduce a privileged 9 percent interest rate (down from 11 percent) on the loan, amounting up to Rs50,000 (around $1,000US). Second, as part of the program, customs tariff on imported machines and mechanisms for plantation industry will be reduced from 50% to 5%. Third, the program includes the cancellation of a 25% income tax for plantations selling coffee on the domestic market. The last two items of the program are the introduction of incentive bonuses for orthodox tea producers (extra 7 rupees for a kg of orthodox tea) and measures targeted at marketing and promoting tea.
Trade minister called the Tea Board India to set a minimal price for green leaf within a 15-day term.