INeedCoffee INeedCoffee monthly Caffeination Information
 
 

Home / Business /

Coffee Librarian 2005

by Patricia Wood

The Coffee Librarian is a segment which is included in our monthly newsletter.

July

Q. How do I find contact details for coffee distributors?

A. Some of the best resources for this type of information are paid subscriptions such as Thomas Food Register and ReferenceUSA. These are online databases that provide detailed profiles such as key personnel (in addition to address and telephone number). Additionally, Ukers’ International Tea & Coffee Directory & Buyers’ Guide comes out every year with a subscription to Tea & Coffee Trade Journal. Section two of this guide contains contact details for supplies and services.

For free methods to obtain contact details for coffee distributors, there are various methods you may try. Go to switchboard.com and type in "coffee distributors" (without quotes) in the business category search. You can either limit by city/state or leave it blank to search the whole United States. You will see addresses and telephone numbers listed for coffee distributors. You can also try doing a general Google.com search by typing, within quotes, "coffee distributor" or "coffee distributors." This search should yield the individual Web pages of coffee distributors.

August

Q. How do I find recipes that call for coffee as an ingredient?

A. First, try the recipes listed here in the INeedCoffee recipe section. Next, try searching by ingredient in major recipe-finding Web sites such as allrecipes.com, epicurious.com, and mealsforyou.com. (Just type in the word "coffee" in the search box of each of the sites.) Such recipes as coffee cookies, coffee frosting, or even how to make coffee specialty drinks can be found on these sites. There’s no limiting to just food recipes, however. There are even recipes on how to make coffee body scrubs or how to make coffee-scented kitchen soap. For further searching, try doing a general Google.com search with keyword combinations such as "coffee recipes."

Happy eating and cleaning!

September

Q. How do I find movie titles that have coffee-related plots or scenes?

A. Go on the Internet Movie Database and do a title or keyword search in the drop-down menu for "coffee." Such movies as "Fight Club" or "Sidewalks of New York" are listed. The New York Times movie review search feature can also be searched by keyword. Such movies as "Frankie and Johnny" and "Dirty Harry" are listed. This site offers reviews of movies, but registration is needed in order to read the articles.

October

Q. What types of journals, newsletters, Web sites will keep me up-to-date on the coffee industry or coffee-related topics?

A. Here are some sources that should keep you up-to-date on the coffee industry and coffee-related topics. Most of these sites have some free content. Many also offer a paid subscription option.

Also: Coffee Universe has an interesting list of specialty publications such as coffee zines

November

Q. How do I find online vocabularies/glossaries of the coffee terminology?

A. The Internet is full of online vocabularies, but some are not comprehensive or may not be from reliable sources. Many organizations and businesses that are in the coffee industry have some solid Web sites dedicated to coffee terminology. Try these:

If you still can't define a term, try doing a Google.com search for the term, but be careful to analyze the source for authoritativeness.

December

Q. How can I find online coffee-related images?

A. Try using the Google search engine specifically for images at images.google.com. Type in such terms as "coffee beans" or "coffee cup," and you will see thousands of images in the results. The Coffeeresearch.org Web site also has vast array of browsable coffee-related images such as a cupping table or a French press. Also, for an interesting collection of coffee-related art prints, try the Fulcrum Gallery and click on Cuisine & Food, then Coffee & Tea.

 

About The Coffee Librarian

Patricia Wood has been a librarian for over 10 years in public and corporate library settings.  She is also passionate about coffee, which has led her to merge her two interests by supplying research tips for coffee-related questions.