February 11 Links

It's that time again. Here are some coffee highlights from the last week:

There’s “Portland Weird” and then there’s “Silicon Valley Weird”. When you go to this link, be sure to watch the video of the robot that visits a local coffee shop in Mountain View, California. It’s kind of cool—and kind of creepy. link

Smuckers is raising the price on Folgers coffee, the third price increase in the past year. Just one more reason to stop drinking Folgers. link

Growing middle classes around the world are bound to have a long-term effect on coffee prices, as consumers demand better quality. MarketWatch has a short article about the effect the expanding middle class in Brazil is having on coffee prices. link

Coffee won’t make you fat, but what you put into it, might. link

Oliver Strand of the NY Times admires the pour-over culture that the US has imported from Japan. link

Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz has joined the board of directors of Groupon, which is reportedly planning an IPO later this year. Is there half-priced coffee in the future at Starbucks? I doubt it. Hopefully the company will have better TV commercials. link

Speaking of Groupon, Colin Smith does not think the company should have rejected Google’s $6 billion takeover offer. He raises some good points. link

It might be possible to find some wicked good coffee in Boston after all. link

The BBC has a video report about how rising coffee prices should be good for India’s coffee growers. link

A coffee shop in New York City is taking the direct-trade model of coffee sourcing very seriously, only selling Rwandan coffees that it buys directly from farmers. link

A Winlock, Washington artist paints swirling figures rising from coffee cups in sepia tones. His paint? Coffee grounds mixed with water. And you thought you were obsessed with coffee. link

And finally, in time for Valentine’s day, an ode to “Timeless Coffee Love” from Portland Roasting Coffee’s blog. link