Though his powers are mostly ceremonial, Hungarian President László Sólyom (left) has recently made it clear that he is not shy about using this influence whenever he thinks it can be put to good use. Not only has he shocked the Hungarian political scene by suggesting that Parliament recall Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, he is putting the kitchen at the luxurious Sándor Palota (center) behind the cause of organic and "fair-trade" foods, having recently selected an official coffee that meets his high moral standards, and tastes pretty good, too.

This afternoon we went to have a sample of the coffee in question, at Treehugger Dan's Bookstore Café in District VI. Sold by the cup and in bulk, "Natura Equa" (above right) is picked by well-paid and treated campesinos in several different dél-amerikai countries, and processed down in (where else?) Italy, by a firm based in Brescia called Caffé Agust.

According to Treehugger's sources, Sólyom, who is well-known for his green sensibilities, had been lobbied by several NGOs interested in fair trade to consider putting fair trade coffee on the presidential menu. His people conducted some sort of tasting, and Treehugger's brand of Earth and peasant-friendly brew came out on top.

While we agree that it tastes pretty darn good, what struck us more was the fact that compared to other high-grade bean coffees available in Budapest, "Natura Equa" seems a relative bargain, costing Ft 2,200 (€8.00) for a half-kilo, compared to at least Ft 3,000 at most local gourmet coffee emporiums. (And only Ft 250 a cup at the café.) Which is not to be scoffed at, considering that Sólyom will likely have to spend the better part of his term using his moral suasion to help the spendthrift Hungarian state finally learn to live within a budget.