The LuLac Edition #5, 433, September 6th, 2025

 

FOOD-TASTIC 

NEWS

JAVA

 

Caffeine levels aren’t the only things spiking for coffee drinkers lately.

Prices for coffee have soared, fueled largely by volatile weather that’s reduced crop harvests among major growers like Brazil and Vietnam, according to analysts.

Ground roast coffee prices in the U.S. hit $8.41 per pound in July, a record high and a 33% increase from a year ago, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Coffee prices ebb and flow according to supply and demand, as they do for other commodities. Extreme weather in major producers like Brazil and Vietnam crimped supply, pushing up prices.

U.S. prices for all coffee varieties (including roasted and instant coffee) were up 14.5% year-on-year in July — the second-highest annual inflation rate for any CPI category behind eggs, according to the consumer price index.

Price pressures “should be easing off” in the near term, said Danilo Gargiulo, a senior research analyst at Bernstein.

But 50% tariffs that the Trump administration levied on Brazil threaten to put “upward pressure” on coffee prices, according to an August report from the International Coffee Organization. 

Like all commodities, coffee prices are a function of supply and demand.  While I have never drank coffee, I have empathy for those who use it.

COFFEE PRICE WATCH

DUNKIN’ $3.28

STARBUCKS $3.45

POUR $2.90

ABIDE       $3.75        

COFFEE INCLUSIVE $3.50 

Prices based on largest available. Basic large coffee.

 

HOTDOG!!!!!

The Wilkes-Barre lunch from  Ferris'  

Wilkes-Barre is blessed with three great hot dog venues. There are two Abe’s, one on South Main, the other on Barney.  Then Ferris’ is right next door to Abe’s on Barney. You can get kraut on your dogs at Barney but South Main Abe’s and Ferris’ don’t offer that option. Me? I go back and forth between the two Abe’s when I occasionally have the craving. 

In Scranton the Keystone lunch has great Texas dogs while Coney Island has the traditional dog fair. You can get footlong dogs at Ranch Wagon on the Dallas Highway and the Taroney’s in the Tuft Text plaza in Plains.

 

TAKE A PEEK AT GREEK

We came across a very good Greek restaurant in Mountaintop called The Greek Shack. It is anything but a shack. The menu features traditional Greek gyros that are out of this world and really beat out the competition from other entities that offer them. The gyro I had was filled  with fresh vegetables and succulent lamb that really rang that flavor bell. For dessert there is Baklava homemade ice cream which they produce on Thursdays.

An intriguing side note is a sausage dish with blood oranges in it. A lot of places will make their own homemade sausage, but it will be inconsistent. This one is not. And I’m told by the staff, it is the biggest seller in the place.

Indoor and outdoor dining facilities are available. When you approach the eatery, don’t think it’s a food truck thing. That’s for the road. The inside is bright, pleasant, the plates and cutlery aren’t cheapplus the staff is accommodating. Here’s a look at their menu. 

 

THE GREEK SHACK 

683 South Mountain Blvd. 

Mountaintop 570 550 2444

 https://www.thegreekshack.com/