Alan's Corner

Another Market day has come around and although the weather forecast is for a wet Thursday evening and night the rain is supposed to clear away during the rush hour, so hopefully we will be okay.

Apologies for missing last week. There is no truth to the rumor that I was in deep depression because Tottenham beat Arsenal. Actually I was but we live to fight another day.

This week during our Coffee Tasting, we will be tasting four coffees. They are:

1. Breakfast Blend--This coffee is a blend of 3 different origins. It has a light body yet has quite distinctive cupping characteristics. It would be no secret to most to know that Java is the background of this blend however the other two coffees must remain a well kept secret.

2. West Sumatra-- A medium roast. Merdeka Coffee hunted for several days to locate this small Estate which is located high on the slopes of an active volcano. It has hints of almond and an after taste of grapes and port.

3. Bali--A medium roast. Grown at a reasonable altitude on the slopes of the mountains that straddle northern Bali. The height this coffee is grown determines that it is not going to produce some of the clarity and flavors seen in our other Indonesian offerings. However this is still a decent cup. It exhibits traces of Cedar and Oak in the cup with a soft wine finish underscored by tangerine and light chocolates.

4.Old Sumatra Dark--a dark roast. Blended from some of the finest Sumatra coffees that Merdeka have been able to source. The beans are roasted to a stage where the oils from the inside have been forced out and begun to bead on the surface. This coffee is one of our best sellers and with its lower caffeine levels can be drunk at anytime of the day.

So there we are, 4 coffees to taste on Friday( no charge),we look forward to seeing you at the market.

Now for this weeks soccer news:

Forbes magazine have recently published their annual top 50 list of the World's most valuable sports team. Included in the top 10 are 3 soccer teams, 1 baseball team and 6 NFL teams. Claiming the spot is Manchester United (owned by the Glazer Family) valued at $2.75 Billion. Arsenal are in 7th position at 1.5 billion and the other soccer team is Real Madrid from Spain in 5th position at 1.5 billion. The other teams making up the top ten are the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Houston Texans and the New York Jets. English soccer is awash with cash due mainly to TV money and sponsorship. So do the foreign investors buy the teams for the love of sport or are they looking for a financial return. More on this subject next week.

Keep your fingers crossed for good weather, see you tomorrow.