Coffee’s New Buzz

Whether you’re a Coffee Black, a Half Caf’ Light and Sweet, or a Skim Vanilla Latte Hold The Foam kind of person, it might be time to break routine and try something new. For fans of the morning brew, here are three new takes on java you might want to try:

For the Extreme Foodie Kopi Luwak (aka Civet coffee): It’s pricey and, to some, truly bizarre (appropriately covered in the Vietnam episode of the Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods. Named for the Indonesian word for coffee, kopi, and for the Asian Palm Civet, luwak, this brew is made from the undigested, defecated beans of the Civet which inhabits Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and other surrounding areas. Coffee berries are one of the animal’s favorite foods, and the digestive process breaks down the proteins which typically make coffee bitter, giving this version a sweet, unique taste. The beans are collected, cleaned, lightly roasted and made into $60+/a cup coffee – which fans say is worth every penny. It’s not the easiest brew to score, but it can be found at Funnel Mill in Santa Monica.

For the DIYer Cold-Pressed Iced Coffee: From foodie blogs to Facebook walls, it seems that people are hot over cold-pressed iced coffee. Incredibly easy to make, interested drinkers need only to mix coffee grounds (large, coarse grind is best) with water (former barista redbeki’s Instructables’ post states 8 oz. coffee to one gallon water is a good ratio), and let the mixture sit at room temperature or refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Just strain out the grounds with a coffee filter or fine mesh sieve, pour over ice, and add your favorite fixin’s. Fans rave about the less bitter, less acidic brew which lets the background flavors of the bean shine through.

For the Decaf-Only Drinker Teeccino Herbal Coffee: Take the jitters and the acidity out, add a few nutritious attributes and a unique taste, and you get Teeccino. While this might be the furthest from traditional coffee flavors, decaf (and health) fans should definitely give it a try. Made from roasted and brewed fruits, nuts, grains and herbs rather than coffee beans, Teeccino has no caffeine and no acidity and boasts high levels of potassium (to boost energy) and soluble fiber (to enhance digestion). Available in a variety of flavors, the taste is a little fruitier or nuttier than regular coffee, with some being more coffee-like than others. * trendcentral articles are designed to be trend reports, not endorsements * The Intelligence Group is a trend-forecasting and marketing Consultancy focused on Gen X, Gen Y and Tweens. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated studies, The Cassandra Report, Tween Intelligence, Latino Intelligence, and Mom Intelligence, contact Alina Goncalves at 212-277-5299 or via email at agoncalves@intelg.com.