2009 Coffee News – Everything From Coffee Wars To Coffee Viagra

It’s about that time. I can’t believe how fast 2009 flew by. It seems like just a few weeks ago, I hit publish on the first Daily Shot Of Coffee blog posts. It’s actually been about seven months since Daily Shot Of Coffee launched.

In that seven months, the weekly Fresh Brews segments have become some of the most popular posts. It’s not hard to see why with posts that included subjects like coffee flavored beer and bikini coffee shops.

What do you think were some of the most interesting or important stories of the 2009 coffee world? Want to venture a guess on what might happen in 2010?

Top Coffee New Stories

These were the stories the dominated the headlines through the year.

The Coffee Wars
Fresh Brews: Coffee Wars

Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s and Starbucks all realized that the drive-thru coffee market was a huge cash cow. They each took steps to take over the consumer coffee market. The result was a lot of new items on the menu. The winner? Well, time will tell.

Undercover Starbucks
Starbucks to open second ‘stealth’ coffee shop
Hidden Meaning Of The Starbucks Logo

Starbucks decided to do more than just change up their menu. They launched two Starbucks stores that don’t even have the Starbucks name on the sign. Some people said they were just trying to imitate the local coffee shops. Others said that they were being innovative. There’s plans to open up more, so it must be working for them.

Bikini Coffee Shops
Bikini-clad baristas fill cups at Torrance coffeehouse
LA coffee shop’s bare ambition to buck economic downturn with bikini-clad waitresses

Apparently good coffee isn’t enough to sell coffee these days. In many cities, coffee served by baristas dressed for the beach are all the rage.

Starbucks Instant Coffee
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Available in all US and Canada Locations on Sept. 29
Poll: Do You Like Starbucks VIA?

Starbucks ventured into the instant coffee market this year. People either love it or they detest it. I’m in the middle, thinking it’s better than regular instant coffee, but it doesn’t compete with a freshly ground and brewed cup.

Weirdest Coffee News

And some news was just weird. When I was doing the research for these stories, I couldn’t predict what I would find next.

Coffee Viagra
Malaysian authorities seize ‘Viagra coffee’

Enforcement officials said the coffee was mixed with sildenafil to “perk up” drinkers beyond the usual stimulation provided by caffeine.

That’s the exact same description that I used when the article first appeared. It’s a line from the story. I still can’t come up with a better description than the author of the original article.

Baseball Player Blames Coffee
Yankees Outfielder Blames Coffee For His Poor Performance

The Yankees went on to win their 27th World Series Championship, but back in June they were struggling. Johnny Damon blamed his mediocre fielding and sub par at bats on drinking too many caffeinated drinks. Crazy talk!

Coffee Flavored Beer
Coffee-flavored beer among best out there

I love coffee and I’ve been known to have a beer or two once in a while. I never thought of combining them, but it is something I’d like to try.

Coffee: The Video Game
Cruel Coffee Machine Will Taunt You And Make You Jump For Energy

A video game designer created a coffee machine that requires you to move around and more to get your coffee. The games range simple as drag and dropping your virtual ingredients into the virtual coffee cup or playing some sort of action game to earn your coffee. Cool idea, but way too much effort for me in the morning.

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This was part of the Daily Blog Tips 2009 In Review Project.

Photo by Brendan Wilkinson

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