And for the REALLY bad news-- coffee prices going up...

[TreasonousBastard]

I was just reading in the Times that, thanks to global warming, Colombia's Arabica coffee crop is down by as much as 70%. Some coffee plantations families have owned for generations may be going belly up.

Seems that the newly warmer and wetter climate in the hills where they grow the stuff both encourage pests and discourage bean growth.

[pengillian101]

1. Sorry to hear it.

I've pretty much lost my coffee craving. I used to inhale it 7 am till lunch.

Not so anymore. I sleep in and barely drink one cup before lunch. Boring lifestyle. I am up half the night. My sleep cycle is really off.

[Denninmi]

2. I don't drink coffee at all.

I never have. I can tolerate a little bit of coffee flavor in desserts and chocolate, but that's about it.

For the truly addicted, if it became unaffordable or unavailable, would something like chicory be an acceptable substitute?

[rasputin1952]

3. Chicory! That's blasphemy!!!

:D

As a serious coffee addict, I find the news that the blessed elixir will rise in price, it's high now, I don't even want to contemplate what it will be shortly...70% is an incredibly high percentage to be affected.

As an aside...During the Civil War, the South used chicory as a substitute for coffee which as quite plentiful in the North and distributed throughout the war to the Federal troops. On several occasions, Confederate raids on supply lines were spurred because of the coffee that would be on the wagons. it became such a nuisance that a large portion of cavalry troops were pulled in to protect the supply trains. On at least two occasions, Confederates raided a supply train, and went after the sacks of coffee. The beans were green and needed to be roasted before they could be ground up and used for the drink. Incredibly, while a fire fight was going on, several Confederates started a fire, roasted the beans, broke them up with rifle and pistol butts , tossed them into a pot with water, fired off a few rounds at the fleeing Federals...then sat down and had a coffee klatch right there on the battlefield. Coffee was also a powerful instrument in trade with the Confederates as well...a small bag would be traded for tobacco which was scarce in the North. Soldiers would often meet up and trade for goods that were scare on either side, coffee and tobacco being the primary mediums of exchange...:D

[yellerpup]

4. Fascinating!

Thanks for the history lesson. Coffee has been getting pricier by the week and with this news there doesn't seem to be much chance of the price leveling off.

[rasputin1952]

5. The CW has always fascinated me...

there are so many odd tales that go with the conflict. Even though passions were high, both sides realized that they were fighting fellow citizens and occasionally fellow family members. There is one case, during the Pettigrew/Picket Charge on 3Jul1863, where at The Angle where Confederate troops broke through the Federal line, a Confederate bayoneted a Federal, pinning him to the ground. When they looked into each others faces, they had the horror of realizing they were brothers. Both survived the battle and the war and were as close as ever after the war.

As for coffee during the conflict, it was held in such high regard by both sides that the Sharp's Co. actually made about 100 carbines that had a coffee grinder in the stock. You popped open the door to a little chamber, put the roasted beans in, turned a crank and out of the butt came ground coffee. If you ever come across one of these, they are, even in poor condition, worth many thousands of dollars! In several cases, during battles during the CW, Confederates would actually cease pressing the advantage to go after coffee brewing in the early morning at Federal campfires. It got to be enough of a problem that commanders set times of attack to later in the morning so that the Federals would be done w/their morning brew before the attack. There was also a change in tactics concerning rallying points after an attack of raid, because troops would converge on the supply wagons that contained food and sundries like shoes, boots, socks and other necessities...while leaving ammunition and arms wagons alone, (at least until they got their fill of food, socks and shoes).

[yellerpup]

6. I am trying to recall the quote from Shelby Foote about

the CW. Something along the lines of, "Never have so many fought so valiantly and sacrificed so much for (paraphrasing here) such a terrible reason." One of my Cherokee Ggg-grandfathers was killed "down South" in the CW, but no record remains of when and where. He left my Gg-grandfather an orphan before he was 7 years old (his mother died shortly after he was born). Coffee was popular among the Cherokee from the moment it was introduced to our tribe. There have been times when I have told myself I would kill for a cup. /;^)

[rasputin1952]

7. Sorry to hear of the loss of your Ggg-father...

sadly, the CW was bound to happen from the inception of the Constitution. It might have been different if slavery ere abolished at the time, and if Native Americans weren't seen as "less than men" by those who were setting the stage for genocide. For some things, this nation has reason to be proud...for others, there is a great shame that cannot be ignored.

[yellerpup]

8. The way he was conscripted into the CSA is an interesting

piece of history. And the "less than men" point of view wasn't disproven in a court of law until 1877 when NAs were recognized as human. Despite the fact that natives of this continent fought in every war the USA ever waged, the first of them were not granted the right to vote until 1926 and the last of them in 1961 (Utah). Every single one of them was proud of their country, and IMO had no reason to feel ashamed. Now, the perpetrators of that genocide--that's a whole different story! :hi:

[rasputin1952]

10. The perpetrators were the one's I was speaking about...

NA's have a very long and proud histories, that should never be swept under the rug and certainly never dismissed. I am often astounded that prejudice still runs through many people and because of this, it is difficult for everyone to move forward. Progress is being made though...it's a long process, too long.

[yellerpup]

11. Two steps forward, one step back.

This is the basic step of the dance of life.

Anyone who studies history with an open heart is a handful of aces in my book.

[japple]

12. I've read (don't ask me where) that some southerners used

roasted and ground okra seeds as a coffee substitute. I've never tasted okra coffee, but whenever I fry it, I love the taste of the "burnt" seeds.

[rasputin1952]

13. I heard that as well..

but haven't been able to verify it. Certainly sounds plausible.

Another thing about the South, starting in early 1863, there was a severe shortage of nitrates for gunpowder. Many of the convalescing Confederates and others went form house to house, farm to farm, to collect buckets of urine to retrieve the nitrates in the urine. It has been said that some half a million gallons were used to create some 30 tons of gunpowder.


The devastation to the South during and after the war ensured that the livestock levels didn't rise to pre-CW levels until 1932, 67 years.

[grasswire]

9. yep

this may put some coffee houses out of business.

[hippywife]

14. So far the Sumatran we buy

is still the same price it's been for several years now. We'll see what happens in the near future. :hi: