Java Lovers Buzz Over 'Latte Art'

Coffee shop owner faces 90 days in prison over workers' attire

(NEWSER) - Washington state has seen a racy new trend in the last few years: that of "bikini baristas" who use skimpy attire to sell coffee in this most competitive of markets. Bikini baristas have been charged with prostitution and indecent exposure, but only now has one of the cases made its way through court. The owner of Yakima's DreamGirls was found guilty of indecent exposure by requiring employees to wear bikini tops and short, nearly see-through shorts. More»

This cup o' joe is quite fancy

(NEWSER) - Attention coffee snobs: You have a new mecca. Starting today Café Grumpy in (where else?) New York will offer a $12 cup of coffee. That’s just coffee—not a cappuccino or a latte—so why the high price tag? “There are flavors you would expect in a really nice glass of wine,” the president of the distribution company tells the New York Post , going so far as to call it “a cacophony of nuances.” More»

This sure ain't Starbucks, so don't go in blind

(NEWSER) - Americans love their coffee, and if you’re among those who are way beyond Folgers and are starting to tire of chains like Starbucks and Peet’s, perhaps you’re ready for the so-called “third wave.” Cafés of this genre offer high-quality coffees—drip and espresso—often roasted on the premises, and can tell you pretty specifically about each kind of bean they’ve ground—just then, and for just one cup—to make it. More»

Girls at Grab-n-Go coffee shop gave customers a little extra

(NEWSER) - Five bikini baristas at a Washington coffee stand were charged with prostitution today after an undercover police investigation. Police say the women sold extra services from the stand—quick flashes of nudity, licking whipped cream off their co-workers, allowing customers to grope them, etc. That kind of for-pay touching, the Herald reports, counts as prostitution. And the coffee stand's name? The Grab-n-Go. More»

(NEWSER) - Just as Starbucks is scaling back its European expansion, McDonald's plans to open hundreds of new outlets offering high-end coffees and pastries on the continent, reports the Financial Times. “We can become the biggest seller of coffee in Europe,” boasted McDonald's chief financial officer. The company plans to launch 1200 new McCafés by the end of the year. The coffee shops operate inside or next to conventional McDonald's restaurants. More»