While the rest of the world is focused on Greece's exit from the euro zone, the news that caught my eye is Finland finally getting its first Starbucks café. Although this first one is in the Helsinki International Airport, I expect it won't be long before the green mermaid logo becomes as omnipresent in Finland's neighborhoods as it is in the rest of the world.

I wonder why it took so long for Starbucks to arrive. After all, the Finns don't simply like coffee -- they love it. They drink buckets full; if coffee-drinking were an Olympic sport, the Finns would carry off the gold medal every time.

With their 260-year history of coffee shops and the world's highest per-capita coffee consumption at about five cups a day, you'd think Finnish demand would create plenty of room in the market for new entrants.

Up until Starbucks' entry on the scene, the Finns' coffee economy seemed to have comfortably accommodated a couple of Scandinavian chains with many outlets (one chain, Wayne's, has an unabashed American vibe, although it's really Swedish), plus zillions of mom-and-pop shops.

So, world travelers, rejoice! Now you can sip a familiar-tasting venti latte while you ponder weighty matters. Such as how you'll explain to the folks back home why you bought that shaggy reindeer pelt from the Helsinki airport gift shop instead of the usual duty-free booze and chocolate they were expecting. Figuring that one out may require two lattes.

So, world travelers, rejoice! Now you can sip a familiar-tasting venti latte while you ponder weighty matters. Such as how you'll explain to the folks back home why you bought that shaggy reindeer pelt from the Helsinki airport gift shop instead of the usual duty-free booze and chocolate they were expecting. Figuring that one out may require two lattes.

And as for my Nordic friends -- the Starbucks invasion seems to me to be a fair and just retribution for the countless hours wasted by Americans on those crazy addictive "Angry Birds" from Finland. Drink on!

Coffee News

Caffe Culture Show 2012 in London

16th - 17th May 2012

London Olympia National Hall, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UX

Caffe Culture Show 2012 in London Olympia Exhibition Centre presents an excellent selection of leading industry manufacturers and suppliers who can offer new opportunities to coffee retailers and the coffee industry in general.

Whether you own a café, buy amounts of coffee or want to take a look at the new products in the coffee market, the Caffe Culture Show in London Olympia is ideal with the top coffee industry manufacturers and fine suppliers all under one roof. If you are searching for quality products and inventive suggestions to offer you the edge on the mass-produced, make sure you stop by at the Caffe Culture Show '12 in London Olympia.

Caffe Culture Show in London Olympia will let you meet industry producers and great dealers. In fact, the exhibition exhibits more goods and fine products than any other similar exhibition in the UK. Caffe Culture Show '12 in London Olympia will feature an even broader range of products, from coffee machines to crockery and technology this year.

Exhibitors at the Caffe Culture Show in London Olympia include Espresso Warehouse, Cadbury UK, Lotus Bakeries, Lavazza Coffee Ltd and more. Make the most of this greatly focused trade exhibition in London by making fresh contacts with best industry suppliers and gaining commercial benefits. Caffe Culture Show '12 in London Olympia will be an information-led event about a variety of coffee products with chief industry figures attending the show.

Registration to attend the Caffè Culture Show this May is now live. Register yourself and your colleagues for free tickets by visiting www.caffecultureshow.com/register.

Check out the video below of a previous Caffe Culture event.

Coffee News

Here at Latte London we love everything to do with coffee and the industry

We especially get excited when we get to check out the new machines and products that will be coming on to the market. But one of our favorite things at the moment has to be Latte Art. If you don’t know what that is, it is when a pattern or design is created on the surface of your Latte

It takes a lot of practice to master the art but once you get the hang of it, the designs you can make will have your friends and family impressed with your new skill. Check out the video below teaching you how to create Latte Art Good luck & remember practice and patience makes perfection :-)

Coffee News

It's UK coffee week from April 23rd - 29th and it is the nation’s biggest celebration of coffee

It provides an opportunity for the coffee and foodservice industry to unite while raising money for Project Waterfall.

The London coffee festival is taking place at the Old Truman Brewery, Brick lane London from the 27th - 29th April. Check out the video below for clips from last years event and information about project waterfall and how the money raised goes toward providing clean drinking water for African coffee growing countries.

Over £100,000 was raised in 2011 let's hope that this amount is doubled in 2012.