While a "Suspended Coffee" might sound like something that culinary wizard Heston Blumenthal has whipped up for one of his magical mystery dinner parties, it is in fact a new social movement that is sweeping the world.
The idea of a suspended coffee originated in southern Italy (a caffe sospeso), where someone buys an extra coffee or two in addition to their own order. These are reserved for someone less fortunate when they are in need of a free hot drink.
The idea has caught on like wildfire! The web is literally buzzing with articles and stories about supporting those in need through the purchase of suspended beverages and food .
The idea has sparked pages on Facebook, with one entitled "Suspended Coffees" has nearly 40,000 supporters.
But not everyone is in favour of the idea.... Karen Mercer of Enfield Chase station’s My Coffee Stop is one such person...and raises some very good points that many people seem to have overlooked. (The post "Is suspended coffee a good thing?" is a great read!)
First of all, the price you pay for a cup of coffee is not the price it costs to make. Does the coffee shop get to pocket the profit? Do they contribute it back towards other suspended coffees? How can you be sure that the suspended coffee you buy will go to a person in need? And how can you be sure that any extra unclaimed coffee money gets to a good cause?
Starbucks obviously thought along these lines when developing their approach to helping support the suspended coffee movement: When you pay for a suspended coffee, we’ll give coffee to that value to our longstanding charity partner, Oasis, which will then distribute the coffee to its community hubs across the UK, and we’ll match the value of each suspended coffee in a cash donation to Oasis. This will help provide warmth and comfort for those in need.
Personally, I think the idea is a great one in theory, but probably not in everyday practice. On a small-scale, I think it would work really well, but on a larger scale of international cafe chains, there are bound to be issues. But certainly nothing that couldn't be worked out!
No matter what your views on the suspended coffee debate, the wonderful thing about the hype and debate is that it has made many more people aware of the problem with homelessness, and made them realise just how quick and easy it is to help in even the smallest way.
Hopefully members of the coffee industry, big and small, will take advantage of people's interest in helping those less fortunate.
