Leap Back and Leap Ahead with B5

So, B5 is doing a leap year thing.  I am pretty boring, in that I tend to live the same way year after year.  I thought it would be more fun to look back, and look ahead at coffee.
Looking back four years, and looking ahead four years…I checked around and the big coffee news four years ago was that Peets had introduced a new  African Blend of coffee.  Here is more from the article:

The introduction of this blend highlights a Tanzania lot that Peet’s purchased directly from a group of 645 small-scale growers, representing the first time that coffee growers in Tanzania have been able to bypass the national coffee auction and sell directly to roasters. This historic accomplishment was made possible through the support of Peet’s non-profit partner, TechnoServe, an organization committed to supporting entrepreneurial men and women in the developing world.

That is pretty impressive, in my opinion.  Four years ago Fair Trade coffees were not as well known as they are today.. It was, as far as I know, a pretty new concept.

As far as four years from now? Wow…The future of coffee is pretty open.  Corkscrew shaped cups so astronauts can drink coffee in space.. sounds pretty incredible to me.  I think that the local coffee shop will be increasingly the place to meet.  I am going to go out on a limb and say that as we return to a more locally based society, though, there will be a return of the Mom and Pop shops..only mom will be frothing milk, while pop customs roasts fair trade coffee beans in the back.