A new kind of coffee is being made without using coffee beans. Companies like Atomo and Northern Wonder are creating this “beanless coffee” using things like date seeds and pea protein. This new coffee might be better for the environment and cheaper to make. Some people worry about how it will affect regular coffee farmers, but these companies want to change how we think about coffee.

Atomo is one of the main companies making beanless coffee. They sell their coffee in shops and online. They use special ingredients like date seeds to make it taste like real coffee. Other companies, like Northern Wonder, are trying different ingredients such as chickpeas and barley. Some are even trying to grow coffee in labs to make it taste more like the real thing.

Even though beanless coffee is getting popular, there are still problems to solve. It’s hard to make it smell and feel like regular coffee. The industry is new, and it’s unclear how many people will want to buy it. Some people might not want to change from regular coffee, but beanless coffee could be better for the planet and cheaper. As coffee changes, these new ideas might help coffee lovers enjoy their drink in a more eco-friendly way.

Original news source: New beanless ‘coffee’ emerges but does it taste any good? (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Write down words related to the article on small pieces of paper (e.g., coffee, beans, date seeds, pea protein, environment, farmers, Atomo, Northern Wonder). Have students pick a piece of paper and act out the word without speaking while the rest of the class guesses what it is.

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Assign one student as the news reporter and the other as the audience. The news reporter summarizes the article about beanless coffee to the audience in their own words. Then, switch roles and have the other student summarize the article.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of questions related to the article, such as “Would you try beanless coffee?” or “Do you think beanless coffee is a good idea?” Have students walk around the classroom and ask their classmates the questions, recording their answers. Afterward, discuss the results as a class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into teams and have one student from each team pick a word and draw it on the board without using letters or numbers. Their team members must guess the word based on the drawing.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, have students discuss and make predictions about the future of beanless coffee. Encourage them to think about whether it will become more popular, how it might impact traditional coffee farming, and whether they believe it will be successful in the long run. Afterward, some pairs can share their predictions with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What are some ingredients being used to make beanless coffee instead of coffee beans?
2. Why do some people think beanless coffee might be better for the environment?
3. How is Atomo selling their beanless coffee?
4. What are some different ingredients Northern Wonder is trying to use for their beanless coffee?
5. What are some challenges companies face when making beanless coffee?
6. Why might some people not want to switch from regular coffee to beanless coffee?
7. How might these new ideas about coffee help the planet?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A new kind of coffee is being made without using coffee beans. Companies like Atomo and Northern Wonder are (1)______ this “beanless coffee” using things like date seeds and pea protein. This new coffee might be (2)______ for the environment and cheaper to make. Some (3)______ worry about how it will affect regular coffee farmers, but these companies want to change how we think about coffee.

Atomo is one of the main companies making beanless coffee. They sell their coffee in (4)______ and online. They use special ingredients like date seeds to (5)______ it taste like (6)______ coffee. Other companies, like Northern Wonder, are trying different (7)______ such as chickpeas and barley. Some are even trying to grow coffee in labs to make it taste more like the real (8)______.

Even though beanless coffee is getting popular, there are still problems to solve. It’s hard to make it smell and feel like (9)______ coffee. The industry is new, and it’s unclear how many people will want to buy it. Some people might not want to change from regular coffee, but beanless coffee could be better for the (10)______ and (11)______. As coffee (12)______, these new ideas might help coffee lovers enjoy their drink in a more eco-friendly way.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is beanless coffee?
2. How would you feel if you tried coffee made from date seeds?
3. Do you like the idea of coffee made from chickpeas and barley? Why or why not?
4. Do you think regular coffee farmers might be worried about beanless coffee? Why?
5. What do you think about companies trying to grow coffee in labs?
6. How do you think beanless coffee could help the environment?
7. Why do you think some people might not want to change from regular coffee to beanless coffee?
8. Do you think it’s important for coffee to smell and feel like the real thing? Why or why not?
9. How would you feel if you had to choose between regular coffee and beanless coffee at a cafe?
10. What are some ways beanless coffee could be cheaper than regular coffee?
11. Do you think trying new ideas with coffee is a good thing? Why or why not?
12. How do you think coffee lovers can enjoy their drink in a more eco-friendly way?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. beanless
2. environment
3. ingredients
4. barley
5. industry
6. unclear
7. eco-friendly
8. affect
9. regular
10. labs
11. popular
12. planet

Meanings:
(A) To change or influence something
(B) The natural world around us
(C) Not easy to understand or see
(D) Good for nature and the Earth
(E) Liked by many people
(F) A group of businesses that make similar products
(G) Normal or usual
(H) Things used to make food or drinks
(I) Places where scientists work and do experiments
(J) Without using beans
(K) A type of grain used in food and drinks
(L) Another word for Earth
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What are companies like Atomo and Northern Wonder making instead of traditional coffee?
(a) Tea
(b) Beanless coffee
(c) Hot chocolate
(d) Lemonade

2. What special ingredient does Atomo use to make their beanless coffee taste like real coffee?
(a) Date seeds
(b) Pea protein
(c) Chickpeas
(d) Barley

3. Why are companies interested in making beanless coffee?
(a) It’s easier to make than regular coffee
(b) It has more caffeine
(c) It tastes better than regular coffee
(d) It might be better for the environment and cheaper

4. What are some companies trying as ingredients for their beanless coffee?
(a) Carrots and potatoes
(b) Apples and oranges
(c) Rice and noodles
(d) Chickpeas and barley

5. What is one problem with beanless coffee mentioned in the article?
(a) It’s too expensive
(b) It’s hard to make it smell and feel like regular coffee
(c) It has too much caffeine
(d) It’s bad for the environment

6. What are companies hoping to change with their beanless coffee?
(a) How we think about tea
(b) How we think about soda
(c) How we think about coffee
(d) How we think about water

7. What are some people worried about regarding beanless coffee?
(a) How it will affect regular coffee farmers
(b) How it will affect tea farmers
(c) How it will affect chocolate farmers
(d) How it will affect lemon farmers

8. Why might some people be hesitant to switch from regular coffee to beanless coffee?
(a) They might not like the taste
(b) They might be allergic to it
(c) They might not want to change
(d) They might not be able to afford it

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Some people are not concerned about how beanless coffee will impact traditional coffee farmers.
2. The future of beanless coffee is uncertain, as it is unclear how many people will want to buy it.
3. Beanless coffee is being made by companies like Atomo and Northern Wonder.
4. Beanless coffee might not be better for the environment and cheaper to produce.
5. One challenge with beanless coffee is making it taste and feel like regular coffee.
6. These companies use ingredients like date seeds and pea protein to destroy the coffee.
7. Atomo is a popular company that sells beanless coffee both in stores and online.
8. Northern Wonder is experimenting with ingredients like chickpeas and barley to make their beanless coffee.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What are companies like Atomo and Northern Wonder using to make their new kind of coffee?
2. Why are some people worried about how beanless coffee will affect regular coffee farmers?
3. How is Atomo selling their beanless coffee?
4. What are some different ingredients companies are trying to use to make beanless coffee taste like real coffee?
5. Why might some people not want to switch from regular coffee to beanless coffee?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What are some ingredients being used to make beanless coffee instead of coffee beans?
Companies are using things like date seeds, pea protein, chickpeas, and barley.

2. Why do some people think beanless coffee might be better for the environment?
Beanless coffee could be better for the environment because it might require less land and water to produce compared to traditional coffee farming.

3. How is Atomo selling their beanless coffee?
Atomo sells their beanless coffee in shops and online.

4. What are some different ingredients Northern Wonder is trying to use for their beanless coffee?
Northern Wonder is trying ingredients like chickpeas and barley to make their beanless coffee.

5. What are some challenges companies face when making beanless coffee?
Companies find it challenging to make beanless coffee smell and feel like regular coffee.

6. Why might some people not want to switch from regular coffee to beanless coffee?
Some people might not want to switch because they are used to the taste and smell of regular coffee.

7. How might these new ideas about coffee help the planet?
These new ideas about coffee could help the planet by reducing the environmental impact of traditional coffee farming, making it more eco-friendly.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) creating
(2) better
(3) people
(4) shops
(5) make
(6) real
(7) ingredients
(8) thing
(9) regular
(10) planet
(11) cheaper
(12) changes
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. beanless
Answer: (J) Without using beans

2. environment
Answer: (B) The natural world around us

3. ingredients
Answer: (H) Things used to make food or drinks

4. barley
Answer: (K) A type of grain used in food and drinks

5. industry
Answer: (F) A group of businesses that make similar products

6. unclear
Answer: (C) Not easy to understand or see

7. eco-friendly
Answer: (D) Good for nature and the Earth

8. affect
Answer: (A) To change or influence something

9. regular
Answer: (G) Normal or usual

10. labs
Answer: (I) Places where scientists work and do experiments

11. popular
Answer: (E) Liked by many people

12. planet
Answer: (L) Another word for Earth
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What are companies like Atomo and Northern Wonder making instead of traditional coffee?
Answer: (b) Beanless coffee

2. What special ingredient does Atomo use to make their beanless coffee taste like real coffee?
Answer: (a) Date seeds

3. Why are companies interested in making beanless coffee?
Answer: (d) It might be better for the environment and cheaper

4. What are some companies trying as ingredients for their beanless coffee?
Answer: (d) Chickpeas and barley

5. What is one problem with beanless coffee mentioned in the article?
Answer: (b) It’s hard to make it smell and feel like regular coffee

6. What are companies hoping to change with their beanless coffee?
Answer: (c) How we think about coffee

7. What are some people worried about regarding beanless coffee?
Answer: (a) How it will affect regular coffee farmers

8. Why might some people be hesitant to switch from regular coffee to beanless coffee?
Answer: (c) They might not want to change
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Some people are not concerned about how beanless coffee will impact traditional coffee farmers. (Answer: False)
2. The future of beanless coffee is uncertain, as it is unclear how many people will want to buy it. (Answer: True)
3. Beanless coffee is being made by companies like Atomo and Northern Wonder. (Answer: True)
4. Beanless coffee might not be better for the environment and cheaper to produce. (Answer: False)
5. One challenge with beanless coffee is making it taste and feel like regular coffee. (Answer: False)
6. These companies use ingredients like date seeds and pea protein to destroy the coffee. (Answer: False)
7. Atomo is a popular company that sells beanless coffee both in stores and online. (Answer: True)
8. Northern Wonder is experimenting with ingredients like chickpeas and barley to make their beanless coffee. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧