Coffee And Health

By. Marilyn J. Schwader

In the early days of the coffee craze, before the first Starbucks arrived in my town, I owned a tea and coffee house for several years. At the time, espresso was something new for most people, and a lot of my customers had questions. I decided to teach a class on coffee at the shop, and learned in the process that there are several misunderstandings about buying, storing, and grinding coffee that when corrected can lead to a much more enjoyable cup of coffee.

True coffee connoisseurs know that buying coffee beans in small amounts that allow you to brew your coffee within a day or two of being roasted will result in the closest to a perfect cup of java. If you keep the beans in an air-tight container the flavor will remain strong for seven to ten days. Contrary to popular belief, storing beans in your refrigerator or freezer will actually diminish the flavor. There are two reasons for this. First, the beans will soak up the flavors of other stored items. Secondly, moisture affects the oils in the roast. Better to store that container on the counter (in a dark, cool place, if possible). If you can't smell an aroma or it's unpleasant, the beans are past their prime.

Soapy water can leave a residue, so when cleaning your coffee storage, use a dry cloth or paper towel to soak up the oil. Clean the container regularly because oil can get rancid over time. Also, frequently clean the equipment you use for brewing. Again, don't use soap because of the residue. Instead use vinegar and salt and rinse thoroughly.

Always grind only the amount you will use immediately. Once exposed, the oils in the beans disperse, affecting the coffee flavor. If you grind your beans the night before you brew your morning cup, you will be losing flavor. Switch to grinding in the morning, unless you don't want to wake your sweetheart with the noise from the grinder. How fine or coarse the grind should be depends on how long the hot water will be in contact with the coffee grinds. The shorter the length of time, the finer the grind so that the surface area is maximized. Here are the consistencies you will want for the different methods of brewing:

Drip Brew: Grind to a character similar to table sugar if the drip cycles range from four to six minutes. Grind to a finer consistency if less.

French Press: Use an extremely coarse grind.

Espresso: Very fine, powder-like. The extraction time of espresso should be between 25 and 30 seconds. If a one ounce extraction takes longer, use a coarser grind; if it takes less time, grind finer.

How much coffee do you grind? For brewed (and French Press) coffee, three tablespoons for eight ounces of water. For espresso, an ounce (7 grams) for a single shot. Double that for a double shot.

Time and again I heard from my customers that they had no idea what a good cup of coffee really tasted like until after they had followed these easy guidelines. Try it. It's the small things that will make your coffee drinking experience sublime.

By. Nicholas Webb

Here is an article that tells the secret of creating the perfect foam with steamed milk for making a wonderful cappuccino. As you'll see creating the perfect foam isn't as easy as it may seem ...

Most places that serve cappuccinos in the United States have not trained their baristas in the art of properly frothing milk. The foam that they create is usually a dry, tasteless, large celled collection of bubbles that sit on top of the espresso like a meringue.

With a little care, you can create steamed milk that is velvety smooth like the texture of wet shaving cream. The bubbles will be so small that you can barely see them! This is the way it's supposed to be, because this way, it will blend with the espresso, creating a harmony of the flavors instead of a dry, tasteless cap floating on top. Let's Begin.

First off, it's important to start with cold milk that's just out of the fridge. Pour the milk into the steaming pitcher until it is just about 1/3 of the way full. Milk will double to triple in volume after the frothing process. A stainless steel pitcher works best. It will dissipate some of the heat, allowing more time to infuse air into the milk before the milk gets too hot.

For a home made cappuccino, you'll have to learn the art of creating a perfect foam.

Also use a thermometer to get the milk to the correct temperature of 145 degrees. There are many thermometers made for this purpose that will clip onto the side of the pitcher for convenience.

The Technique:

Purge the steam wand onto a damp towel by releasing the valve for a few seconds. Be very careful not to burn yourself, the steam will be extremely hot. This purging will get all of the water out so you don't get it in your milk.

Next, submerge the wand into the milk and quickly turn the steam on full power. Avoid letting the tip of the wand come out of the milk. This will cause splattering and create large, tasteless bubbles.

Adjust the wand so that it is pointing off center in order to get the milk to flowing in a rapid, circular motion. Maintaining this fast, circulating vortex is vital.

Then, slowly lower the pitcher until the tip of the wand is just below the surface of the milk (keeping the circulation going). When you can hear a hissing noise, similar to bacon frying, you have reached the perfect position for the wand to inject air into the milk.

Try to maintain this hissing noise while keeping the milk rotating. You will have to slowly lower the pitcher as the milk volume rises in order to keep the wand tip just under the surface.

By keeping the milk flowing in a rapid circle, any large bubbles that are accidentally created will be rolled into the milk and eliminated. Continue steaming until the milk reaches 145 degrees. Be careful not to get the milk too hot, it will scald giving it a bad taste.

That's pretty much it! If you have a few large bubbles, you can try to get rid of them by tapping the bottom of the pitcher lightly on the counter. Serve immediately and enjoy some of the silkiest frothed milk you have ever tasted!

One more thing, now that you know how to properly steam the milk, notice how few coffee houses have baristas that take care in this process. Very few use thermometers and end up scalding the milk, or leaving it too cold.

Most will just leave the pitcher sitting there while the wand blows into the milk. Some will use an up and down motion, but this does absolutely nothing for creating tiny, velvety bubbles. It's the rolling action of the milk that's needed.

If you find a barista that shows this skill of frothing milk, then stay with him! He's been trained and probably takes pride in what he does.

Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. Green coffee is one of the most traded commodities in the world, often described as being second only to crude oil although this often repeated "fact" should be subjected to more careful scrutiny. Due to its caffeine content, coffee can have a stimulating effect in humans. Today, coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide.

It is thought that the energizing effect of the coffee bean plant was first recognized in Yemen in Arabia and the north east of Ethiopia, and the cultivation of coffee expanded in the Arab world.The earliest credible evidence of coffee drinking appears in the middle of the fifteenth century, in the Sufi monasteries of the Yemen in southern Arabia. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas.

Coffee berries, which contain the coffee bean, are produced by several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown species are Coffea canephora (also known as Coffea robusta) and Coffea arabica; less popular species are liberica, excelsa, stenophylla, mauritiana, racemosa. These are cultivated primarily in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted, undergoing several physical and chemical changes. They are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavour. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways.

Coffee has played an important role in many societies throughout history. In Africa and Yemen, it was used in religious ceremonies. As a result, the Ethiopian Church banned its secular consumption until the reign of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia. It was banned in Ottoman Turkey in the 17th century for political reasons, and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe.

Coffee is an important export commodity. In 2004, coffee was the top agricultural export for 12 countries, and in 2005, it was the world's seventh-largest legal agricultural export by value.

Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and its impact on the environment. Many studies have examined the relationship between coffee consumption and certain medical conditions; whether the overall effects of coffee are positive or negative has been widely disputed. However, more recently it was determined that the method of brewing coffee is important.

By Nicholas Webb

One of the things people think of with Italy is it's coffee. In fact Italian roast coffee is perfect for bringing a touch of Europe to your home. Can 50 million plus Italians all be wrong? Well, with Italian roast you can't go wrong either.

Generally speaking, Italian Roast coffee is darker in colour than most roasted blends of coffee and consequently develops an intense, full-bodied flavour from the blend of Pacific and Latin American origins. It seems to be richer and fuller and has a bit of a bite to it. The aroma is balanced and complex.

Why the name Italian Roast when coffee comes from Brazil?

As is known, most of the coffee we drink today originates from Latin America or the Pacific, so where does the name Italian Roast come from?

Well, the name Italian Roast derives from the dark roasted blend style that is commonly used in Italy. And do the Italians know a thing or two about their coffee? I think they do. Naturally it goes without saying, if you grind your own, Italian roast coffee is perfect for making authentic espresso. If served in Illy Collection cups, for instance, you cant go wrong.

There is espresso coffee and espresso coffee, but with an Italian roast blend the difference is clear

In fact, most of today's household names, such as Gaggia, Lavazza and Illy are Italian family companies that have conquered the world with their particular blends of coffee, targeted marketing and wonderful coffee making machines. Gaggia, for instance started business in the 1940's, not so long ago, but they are recognised as a well respected coffee-company in most of the world.

Similar with Lavazza, started in Turin, not only famous for its coffee, but also a prestigious calendar, similar to that of Pirelli. And what espresso lover isn't familiar with the Illy Collection; neat espresso cups with exclusive designs produced in limited numbers.

Do you think all this could have been possible without a deep knowledge and respect for coffee? Italian roast must deserve some of the success of these companies.

Many sober, law abiding people who would never dream of knowingly taking a mind- altering drug, actually consume one every day. Chances are that youâ??re doing it too! What is this drug? â?" Caffeine!

Caffeine is so pervasive in our culture and in many other cultures that we often forget it is literally a drug that affects our brain. Caffeine is present in coffee, tea, many cola drinks and over the counter medications.

The real question isâ?"is caffeine a bad drug, or is it â??okayâ??? Is caffeine even better than â??okayâ??, does it do good things for us?

The verdict on caffeine, particularly when taken in the form of coffee, seems to be mixed. There are nutritional advisers who claim that coffee makes us age faster, wears out our adrenal glands, and causes all sorts of untold damage to our cells. Other researchers claim that coffee, especially if itâ??s freshly roasted and ground, is full of antioxidants, and therefore good for us. Most doctors say that drinking one or two cups of coffee a day is probably not harmful. And of course there are others who say we ought to avoid caffeine altogether.

Many of us feel that we cannot really get going in the morning until we have had our first cup of coffee. We often continue to use it throughout the day whenever our energy appears to be flagging and our brain seems to need additional help to think more clearly.

Does caffeine really enhance mental performance, or is that just a myth? Yes, caffeine does give a temporary boost to brain cells. But the amount required to improve mental performance is not very high. Even half a cup of coffee will be enough to give your brain a boost that lasts several hours.

Oddly enough, more caffeine is not necessarily better. In one test done when high-level executives were given the equivalent of fourteen cups of coffee in a day, they made their decisions faster, but the decisions were not of very good quality.

Not every person reacts to caffeine in the same way. Some people experience greater mental clarity, alertness and productivy after a cup of coffee. Others become jittery, anxious, or depressed. Although caffeine will keep most of us awake if taken at night, it does not have this effect in everyone.

In some older people, coffee or tea can improve memory and alertness enough to partly offset the effects of aging.

It is true that caffeine is mildly addicting for most people. Some people can quit using caffeine with absolutely no withdrawal symptoms, while others will feel headaches, fatigue, and experience cravings for caffeine for weeks.

Caffeine works by blocking one of the neurotransmitters--adenosineâ?"which normally tells brain cells to calm down. Brain cells that have been affected by caffeine will remain excited and on high alert for several hours.

The most noticeable negative effect of caffeine is that it can interfere with sleep. In most people, drinking coffee, tea or cola in the late afternoon or in the evening will cause insomnia. The quantity and quality of sleep will be greatly reduced, setting in motion a vicious cycle, where the person affected will feel so tired all the next day that he drinks a lot more coffee in order to try feel awake.

If this is happening to you, cut back on the amount of caffeine you consume each day. You may experience fewer withdrawal symptoms if you cut down gradually. You may wish to substitute green tea for some of your cups of coffee. Green tea has some caffeine, but not as much as coffee.

Better yet, consider substituting exercise for some of those cups of coffee. If you can't leave your workplace, at least get up from your chair periodically. Do a few stretches, walk around a bit, and jump up and down a few times. Take some deep breaths. A little exercise break can revitalize your brain without giving you the caffeine jitters.

Remember that your brain wonâ??t really benefit from more than one or two cups of coffee in a day.

This article is taken from the new book by Royane Real title "How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better, and Be More Creative"

Coffee can likely contribute to greater health of the consumption of fruits and vegetables,
according to the results of scientific research by experts of the United States (U.S.).
The scientists counted the number of anti-oxidant content (anti-free radical ingredient red) in more than 100 types of food including vegetables, fruits, nuts, various spices, oils and beverages.
The findings are then combined with existing data on the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the contribution of each type of diet the average American.
Coffee proved to be the source of the largest anti-oxidants from every time and level of consumption.
After coffee the following sequence is black tea, bananas, dry beans, and corn.
The American people have a source of anti-oxidants than coffee consumption compared to the type of food or other drinks, and so far there was no food or drink that matched the coffee, "said chief researcher Professor Joe team Vison from Scranton University in Pensylvania.
Both caffeinated coffee or decaffeinated both contribute the same anti-oxidant levels.
Meanwhile in the UK coffee consumption was lower than in the United States, recorded only 47 percent of British people who regularly drink coffee or instant coffee powder, according to market analysts Mintel body.
Anti-oxidants help the body dispose of substances harmful to the body radicals, destructive molecules that damage cells and DNA (blue print of the smallest living cells).
Anti-free radical element is associated with a number of benefits and health benefits including protecting a person from the get cancer or heart disease.
The results of these studies shows Coffee may reduce the risk of liver and colon cancer, type II diabetes and Parkinson's disease.
But Vinson suggested that coffee consumption was fixed at the level of one or two cups per day. But, he said again, it is also important to keep attention to the benefits of fresh fruits and fresh vegetables.
"Unfortunately, consumers take advantage of vegetables and fresh fruits in the amount less, a far better health than other foods viewed from the side with the nutritional value of vitamins, minerals and fiber," Vinson said at the time the results of his research at the annual meeting of the union American chemist (States) in Washington DC.
The results also showed that compared with other food ingredients, "date" also contain the highest antioxidant.
But because Americans consume dates in a very small amount of the contribution to the U.S. public health standards are not so great.
Cranberry fruit and red wine also contain anti-oxidants are high.
A spokesman from the British Society of coffee drinkers said: "The results of this research has emphasized the fact that coffee consumption in the current amount, approximately four to five cups a day not only safe, but also provides many benefits for health.

If you are a fanatic coffee drinker, would not hesitate to convince myself, coffee is safe for consumption during no exaggeration, is not it? Do not be surprised if, since the former is always there so many parties who accused ringleader of coffee as the emergence of various health problems. Call it heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, or whatever it was. In fact, recent research shows, coffee is rich in antioxidant substances and contain hundreds of antibacterial compounds and pain. Although the results of this discovery was exciting, but do not drink coffee and then casually without rules, yes! To get the benefits, simply limit the consumption of 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning only. Well, to be more clearly again, following some statistical data which you should consider.

Many Benefits

Did you know, in America there are over 160 million coffee drinkers? It is assumed everyone in the country are taking Uncle Sam's Coffee average 8.8 lbs of coffee per year. While the heaviest coffee addicts in the world apparently citizens of Finland, the consumption of coffee could approach 30 lbs per year. Amount not less, of course. Other statistics reveal, no less than 19 thousand studies that try to analyze the impact of coffee. Although the results of this research are often saddled with other interests - such as the personal interests of the penggagasnya - these are the things that were agreed upon many parties. Consume 2-3 cups of coffee a day is still tolerable because it is more rewarding than the danger. Recent studies also show, when drinking coffee in reasonable limits can reduce the risk of colon cancer. Perhaps this is related to the habit of regular bowel movements. Coffee also reduces the risk of gallstone disorders, liver cirrhosis, and a series of other diseases, since it proved a lot of coffee contains antioxidants that are good for health. Therefore, antioxidant content of coffee has turned out to higher levels than other favorite beverage, like tea or fruit juice.


Antioxidants Sources

Some studies also dedicated to the patients with diabetes and Parkinson's. This study reveals, drinking a cup of coffee a day can reduce by half the risk of Parkinson's disease, a disease that is attacking the brain, which causes the patient's body is always shaking and impaired movement. Likely caffeine content in coffee can protect brain cells damaged in Parkinson's disease. However, women undergoing hormone replacement therapy will not reap any benefits from drinking this coffee. May be because the hormone estrogen weakens the effectiveness of caffeine in coffee. In addition, women who drank coffee to 3 cups of coffee per day, will decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes by about 20-30 percent. Coffee is believed to enhance or accelerate the delivery of insulin into the body tissue. And experts now are still doing the research to test if the various antioxidants contained in coffee (among other amino acids klorogenik and caffeine) can help fight Alzheimer's disease. This opinion may be related to the caffeine stimulates the area's role in the brain thinking. In fact, people with asthma who drink coffee actually has a chance of about 25 percent to decrease asthma symptoms. This is understandable, because one of the compounds in coffee is a theophylline bronchodilator that acts as a salve respiratory alias.

Reduce Disease Risk

A study conducted recently in Brazil also confirmed, coffee consumption can increase the ability of sperm motion. This research continues to examine what kind of coffee that can be counted on to help the men who belong to less fertile. Coffee also contains polyphenols, a substance that is suspected to reduce the risk of cancer and coronary artery disease. Contrast, coffee is formulated with added caffeine, it was deliberately omitted kafeinnya content. And caffeine is what helps you be more careful thinking, because it makes you stay focused, especially when faced with the kind of work that is less favored. Other research states, caffeine can increase scores on a series of tasks related to cognitive abilities, such as taking decisions in a fast learner, and not easily awakened during deep sleep. No other because of the caffeine found in coffee proved capable of providing signals to the brain to respond faster and agile processes in the brain's memory. Coffee can also improve your mood and make you feel more energetic. The news that no less menggembirkan, coffee contains antioxidants that was proven to improve the health of the body as a whole.

Here are some benefits that have proved successful learned from coffee:

* Reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's
* Has antibacterial content
* Reducing the risk of gallstones enlargement
* Maintain mental stability
* Reducing the risk of worsening of diabetes type 2 (but if you are diabetic, of course, avoid or at least reduce consumption of coffee)
* If you are free from high blood pressure, coffee probably will not benefit this
* Reducing the risk of all cancers
* Increase physical endurance
* Reduces headaches.