The Best Cup of Drip Coffee Possible

With a “good" cup of coffee costing almost as much as a good sandwich these days, more and more people are taking to making their coffee at home from an “old fashioned" drip coffee machine. With the influence of Starbucks and the others out there, people are demanding a better cup of coffee all of the time. This article should help you make the best cup of drip coffee possible.

Coffee from a can just doesn’t work for the general public anymore. You know what I’m talking about and it sounds as lousy to you as it does to me. The good news is that great coffee beans can be obtained at pretty much any grocery store. If you use coupons (and if you don’t, shame on you), you should do quite well if you aren’t too worried about the brand name. My tip for you – worry about quality more than anything else. The big stores like Sams Club and Costco offer big bags of coffee beans at some very good prices. Your author’s favorite, in case you’re interested, is Kirkland brand (two pound) of Espresso Roast (Starbucks) that you can find at Costco.

Be willing to experiment with different bean types to find the kind of coffee you like best. For what it is worth, more times than not, I’ve found that a good espresso roast makes a great cup of drip coffee as well. Do experiment though, you just might be surprised at what you find.

Good beans deserve a good grind. You’d be surprised at the difference between a good grind and a bad one. If you don’t have a good grinder at home, consider grinding the beans at the store where they were purchased as the grinders there often do a great job. Burr grinders are the best, and the most expensive.

It is probably obvious but good water makes a difference as well. The more things you take out of the water, the better your coffee will taste.

A good drip machine is also a must. More than anything else, the warming element is what you need to worry about. If you find that your coffee often has that scalded burned taste, the warmer might be too hot. And, of course, there is seldom a way to change that so, … you’ll need a new machine.

Consider the French Press alternative. French presses are dirt cheap, make an incredible cup of coffee, and never leave you worrying about overactive warmers, water tube build-up and the like. Remember that the grind for French Press is different than normal drip coffee so grind accordingly.

What about people stuck in a bad coffee situation in the office or somewhere else? Here’s a trick that can help with some issues: Bring in a cinnamon shaker and dash a little on the grinds before starting the machine. This will give the coffee a bit more taste, hide some of the bad taste and help with the aroma. Grab the coffee as soon as is brewed and, most of all, lobby for better coffee.

You’re worth it.

^^^streetdirectory.com

Coffee pods

Is there anyone that dares say he or she hasn't ever enjoyed a cup of coffee? Be that as it may; the hypnotizing aroma of that mystique steaming dark fluid can draw you like a magnet would do to iron filings. It is not for nothing that coffee is the most famous beverage apart from chocolate and tea. Being known as king of all beverages, coffee is known to almost everyone in the world. Coffee plantations spread around the world are well known for their exotic and flowery aroma, while the coffee pods that are grown there are cherished by millions of people around the globe.

Coffee pods are the essential ingredients that are used in the making of coffee powder. There are several types of coffee pods that grown around the world. Coffee pods are also known as coffee beans and these pods are freshly roasted, ground fine and tempered to the right air pressure and then encapsulated in a piece of paper. Pods are usually made to a size of around 44m sieve with almost 7 gm of coffee per pod. Also known as espresso pods, these fine smelling pods are a simple method to make a fine cup of espresso that too with an amazing taste.

Several sizes of coffee pods are now sold in coffee shops, however, mainly the two sizes are being used by many coffee making machines. The 44mm pod is used mainly in espresso pump machines, and the 62mm pod used in Philips Senseo and black & decker home cafe machines. An excellent coffee brew is prepared by using pure blends of either Arabica or Robusta coffee pods.

^^^streetdirectory.com

Specialty Coffee Can Enhance the Coffee Experience

Do you remember a time when coffee was served black with sugar on the side, no cream, flavors or any other such fancy alterations. Coffee was meant to give you with a good dose of energy and nothing else therefore it was served in tiny little cup which still exist today. Those small cups are still used to serve black coffee which is called espresso.

Over the years a desire to enjoy the magic drink of coffee evolved into a desire for more than just the small espresso cup. People began to use larger cups and mugs to desire the quantity they desired.
Well, that was not the only thing that changed. In order to add color to that magic cup of coffee in our lives people started experimenting with different ingredients. This was the beginning of the specialty coffee.

What is specialty coffee? At first it was flavored coffee. The flavor was added to the grounds and brewed to create a flavored coffee. Coffee evolved even more though.

Cappuccino, cafe latte, mochas, machiatto and all other coffee drinks that are different than the original clack coffee are specialty coffee types. There are many different types of coffee creations like cinnamon, chocolate, hazelnut, caramel and vanilla flavored coffee to name only a few. Only your imagination limits what you can invent as your own specialty coffee. You can put in anything you desire your coffee to taste like.

The most common specialty coffees however remain cafe latte, cappuccino and cafe mocha. It is these coffee drinks that have been practiced and passed on from country to country. Today they are so famous that anywhere you go you will be safe to order a cafe latte and not worry that the coffee shop will not understand your order.

Does the experience of specialty coffee diminish over time? Not at all and if anything, it enhances the coffee experience by adding the extra spice or flavor for your enjoyment. Many people simply cannot have coffee just by itself. They find it too strong and overpowering thus, a bit of flavor helps them to enjoy a cup of coffee as well.

The advent of specialty coffee has opened the doors to many other possibilities as far as drinking coffee is concerned. Yet those who prefer to have black coffee can still do so by ordering the famous coffee espresso.

Regardless of how you take your coffee, rather it be black or with cream, flavored or plain, a cappuccino or a cafe latte, you have to admit that this wonderful drink has only improved our lives with its rich aromas and taste morning, evening and night,whenever you desire. You do not have to have a day without coffee.

^^^streetdirectory.com

The beneficial effects of coffee

Coffee has prooven beneficial effects over persons suffering from astma. 2 to 4 small cups of coffee through-out the day will help them reduce the recurency of astma-attacks and moderate their intensity.

Coffee contains natural antioxidants called 'flavonoids' that are wide known as disease protectors.

The beneficial effects of moderate caffeine consumption are wide recognised: caffeine works on alertness, mood, sensorial activity and memory. Of course, you may choose to take your daily caffeine intake from other foods and beverages: chocolate, carbonated drinks based on coca-nuts extract, tea.

Beside these effects, somewhat prooven by the medical society, I would mention one more: the pure pleasure of sipping a good cup of coffee. If every person on this planet would do this every day, I believe there would be less wars, suicides, health problems, people suffering from depression etc. etc. But I could be wrong.

By: Iulia Pascanu-streetdirectory.com

WHY IS COFFEE SO ADDICTIVE?
Millions around the world consume coffee. It has been well documented that coffee also helps you to stay awake. Is there an addiction to coffee that we are not aware of? Well, if you are dependant on a chemical then you will become sick from not being able to take it. This sickness I am referring to is called with drawls. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that when some regular coffee drinkers are suddenly deprived of their morning coffee, they usually get headaches. Fatigue and depression are usually associated with coffee with drawls, and many people are unable to function at their usual level of efficiency. Students have trouble learning and writers may have trouble concentrating. An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association described one worker who made errors that cost thousands and another who kept her head on the desk trying to catch a nap. Most of the people withdrawing from coffee went to bed early as if they just ran out of gas.

Is it really the coffee that keeps them going? Well, that all depends on many factors, and the main factor is the amount of coffee consumed. Most people who drink a cup or two in the morning are less likely to feel drained if they miss their fix the next day. Those who drink 4 to 10 cups a day may crash and burn (figuratively speaking) without their coffee. Why is that? Is the reason caffeine consumption? Coffee contains a large amount of caffeine. The more coffee you drink the more antsy you will become. You may have the shakes, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, or insomnia from consuming to much caffeine. What is it about coffee that makes people over consume it? It may be the stimulation one receives you know that burst of fast energy that coffee gives you after you wake up. After all a cup of coffee has been called a cup of ambition. It seems to motivate people to start their day. Can this be a mental addiction?

Mental addiction is defined as if one believes that he or she is addicted to something with no real basis, so they become mentally addicted. If you switch your coffee to decaf and do not tell anyone you did it then if they say "this coffee taste different" you say, "it is a new brand of coffee" they may function just as well as if they had the real thing. A study in a college in Pennsylvania showed that students at a party who thought they were drinking alcoholic beverages were just as drunk as those who really were. Why? The students were stimulated with the thought of getting drunk. This profound experiment proved that the mind is fully capable of fooling itself into believing something that is not true. If you see it then it is real. If you smell it then it is real. If you taste it then it is real. Non-alcoholic beer looks, smells, and tastes just like regular alcoholic beer. This same theory can also be applied to caffeine drinks. Right? Decaffeinated soft drinks taste horrible, but decaf coffee tastes close enough to the real thing. Take the test and see if your coffee is truly addictive, or is it mental. You may be surprised at the results.

^^^streetdirectory.com

DRINKING COFFEE CUTS ALCOHOL HARMFUL EFFECTS

source: msnbc.msn.com

CHICAGO - Coffee may counteract alcohol’s poisonous effects on the liver and help prevent cirrhosis, researchers say.
In a study of more than 125,000 people, one cup of coffee per day cut the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis by 20 percent. Four cups per day reduced the risk by 80 percent. The coffee effect held true for women and men of various ethnic backgrounds.
It is unclear whether it is the caffeine or some other ingredient in coffee that provides the protection, said study co-author Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. Of course, there is a better way to avoid alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, Klatsky said.



WILL THE COFFEE EFFECT CHANGE YOUR DRINKING HABIT?
“The way to avoid getting ill is not to drink a lot of coffee, but to cut down on the drinking” of alcohol, he said.
The participants ranged from teetotalers, who made up 12 percent of the total, to heavy drinkers, who made up 8 percent. The researchers calculated the risk reductions rate for the whole group, not just the drinkers.
Not all heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis, an irreversible scarring of the liver that hurts the organ’s ability to filter toxins from the blood. Klatsky said the new findings may help explain why some people’s livers survive heavy alcohol use.
Hepatitis C and some inherited diseases can also cause cirrhosis. But the study found coffee did not protect the liver against those other causes of scarring.
Improved liver function
The same study found coffee drinkers had healthier results on blood tests used to measure liver function, whether or not they were heavy alcohol users. Coffee’s effect on reducing liver enzymes in the blood was more apparent among the heavy drinkers in the study.
Cirrhosis from all causes kills more than 27,000 Americans a year and sends nearly 400,000 to the hospital.
The findings, published in Monday’s Archives of Internal Medicine, build on reports that coffee also may reduce the risk of liver cancer.
The data came from members of a Northern California health plan. Their coffee consumption was noted only at the beginning of the study, which the researchers admitted was a limitation. They were followed for an average of 14 years.
The researchers found no reduced risk of cirrhosis for tea drinkers. Tea has less caffeine than coffee and there were fewer heavy tea drinkers in the study, so if caffeine is the protective ingredient, an effect may not have shown up for tea in the study, Klatsky said.

A cuppa Joe is good for more than a quick pick-me-up.

By Dan Fields

Move over, green tea? Recent studies indicate that coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Alzheimer's, colon cancer, and diabetes compared to non-drinkers, and they're also less apt to die from heart disease. To be sure, coffee isn't for everyone: It can cause insomnia, anxiety, and irregular heartbeat in some people, and too much caffeine during pregnancy can increase miscarriage risk. Plus, specialty coffee drinks (like Starbucks Frappuccinos) can be high in calories. But if coffee's your drink of choice, let's look at the many ways that coffee can boost your health.
^^^beliefnet.com/health

Sorting Out Coffee’s Contradictions

By JANE E. BRODY

When Howard D. Schultz in 1985 founded the company that would become the wildly successful Starbucks chain, no financial adviser had to tell him that coffee was America’s leading beverage and caffeine its most widely used drug. The millions of customers who flock to Starbucks to order a double espresso, latte or coffee grande attest daily to his assessment of American passions.




Coffee and TeaCaffeine Decaffeinated coffee or tea, 8 oz. 2 mgs Black tea, brewed, 8 oz. 47 Green tea, brewed, 8 oz. 30 to 50 Plain coffee, brewed, 8 oz. 95 Starbucks Coffee Grande, 16 oz. 330 Soft drinks and energy drinks Coca-Cola Classic, 12 oz. 35 Diet Coke, 12 oz. 47 Mountain Dew, 12 oz. 54 Red Bull, 8.3 oz. 76 Monster Energy, 16 oz. 160 SoBe No Fear, 16 oz. 174 Foods and other products Hershey’s chocolate milk, 8 oz. 5 Hershey’s milk chocolate, 1.5 oz. 10 Dannon coffee yogurt, 6 oz. 30 NoDoz Maximum Strength, 1 tablet 200



Although the company might have overestimated consumer willingness to spend up to $4 for a cup of coffee — it recently announced that it would close hundreds of underperforming stores — scores of imitators that now sell coffee, tea and other products laced with caffeine reflect a society determined to run hard on as little sleep as possible.
But as with any product used to excess, consumers often wonder about the health consequences. And researchers readily oblige. Hardly a month goes by without a report that hails coffee, tea or caffeine as healthful or damns them as potential killers.
Can all these often contradictory reports be right? Yes. Coffee and tea, after all, are complex mixtures of chemicals, several of which may independently affect health.
Caffeine Myths
Through the years, the public has been buffeted by much misguided information about caffeine and its most common source, coffee. In March the Center for Science in the Public Interest published a comprehensive appraisal of scientific reports in its Nutrition Action Healthletter. Its findings and those of other research reports follow.
Hydration. It was long thought that caffeinated beverages were diuretics, but studies reviewed last year found that people who consumed drinks with up to 550 milligrams of caffeine produced no more urine than when drinking fluids free of caffeine. Above 575 milligrams, the drug was a diuretic.
So even a Starbucks grande, with 330 milligrams of caffeine, will not send you to a bathroom any sooner than if you drank 16 ounces of pure water. Drinks containing usual doses of caffeine are hydrating and, like water, contribute to the body’s daily water needs.
Heart disease. Heart patients, especially those with high blood pressure, are often told to avoid caffeine, a known stimulant. But an analysis of 10 studies of more than 400,000 people found no increase in heart disease among daily coffee drinkers, whether their coffee came with caffeine or not.
“Contrary to common belief,” concluded cardiologists at the University of California, San Francisco, there is “little evidence that coffee and/or caffeine in typical dosages increases the risk” of heart attack, sudden death or abnormal heart rhythms.
In fact, among 27,000 women followed for 15 years in the Iowa Women’s Health Study, those who drank one to three cups a day reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent, although this benefit diminished as the quantity of coffee rose.
Hypertension. Caffeine induces a small, temporary rise in blood pressure. But in a study of 155,000 nurses, women who drank coffee with or without caffeine for a decade were no more likely to develop hypertension than noncoffee drinkers. However, a higher risk of hypertension was found from drinking colas. A Johns Hopkins study that followed more than 1,000 men for 33 years found that coffee drinking played little overall role in the development of hypertension.
Cancer. Panic swept this coffee-dependent nation in 1981 when a Harvard study tied the drink to a higher risk of pancreatic cancer. Coffee consumption temporarily plummeted, and the researchers later concluded that perhaps smoking, not coffee, was the culprit.
In an international review of 66 studies last year, scientists found coffee drinking had little if any effect on the risk of developing pancreatic or kidney cancer. In fact, another review suggested that compared with people who do not drink coffee, those who do have half the risk of developing liver cancer.
And a study of 59,000 women in Sweden found no connection between coffee, tea or caffeine consumption and breast cancer.
Bone loss. Though some observational studies have linked caffeinated beverages to bone loss and fractures, human physiological studies have found only a slight reduction in calcium absorption and no effect on calcium excretion, suggesting the observations may reflect a diminished intake of milk-based beverages among coffee and tea drinkers.
Dr. Robert Heaney of Creighton University says that caffeine’s negative effect on calcium can be offset by as little as one or two tablespoons of milk. He advised that coffee and tea drinkers who consume the currently recommended amount of calcium need not worry about caffeine’s effect on their bones.
Weight loss. Here’s a bummer. Although caffeine speeds up metabolism, with 100 milligrams burning an extra 75 to 100 calories a day, no long-term benefit to weight control has been demonstrated. In fact, in a study of more than 58,000 health professionals followed for 12 years, both men and women who increased their caffeine consumption gained more weight than those who didn’t.
Health Benefits
Probably the most important effects of caffeine are its ability to enhance mood and mental and physical performance. At consumption levels up to 200 milligrams (the amount in about 16 ounces of ordinary brewed coffee), consumers report an improved sense of well-being, happiness, energy, alertness and sociability, Roland Griffiths of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine reported, although higher amounts sometimes cause anxiety and stomach upset.
Millions of sleep-deprived Americans depend on caffeine to help them make it through their day and drive safely. The drug improves alertness and reaction time. In the sleep-deprived, it improves memory and the ability to perform complex tasks.
For the active, caffeine enhances endurance in aerobic activities and performance in anaerobic ones, perhaps because it blunts the perception of pain and aids the ability to burn fat for fuel instead of its carbohydrates.
Recent disease-related findings can only add to coffee’s popularity. A review of 13 studies found that people who drank caffeinated coffee, but not decaf, had a 30 percent lower risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Another review found that compared with noncoffee drinkers, people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day, with or without caffeine, had a 28 percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. This benefit probably comes from coffee’s antioxidants and chlorogenic acid.

^^^nytimes.com

Mental Abilities: Caffeine Helps Women, but Not Men, Stay Sharp





By NICHOLAS BAKALAR


The caffeine in three cups of coffee or tea a day may help maintain mental sharpness in older women, but caffeine consumption appears to have no effect in men.
Stuart Goldenberg





The Neuroprotective Effects of Caffeine (Neurology)




French researchers studied more than 7,000 men and women with an average age of 74, following them over four years. They determined coffee and tea intake by interview, and they measured mental acuity with widely accepted tests of visual skills and verbal recall. They also recorded information on education, income, depression, and alcohol and tobacco use, among other factors. The study appears in the August 7 issue of Neurology.
After controlling for other variables, the scientists found that women at age 65 who drank three or more cups of coffee or tea a day were about one-third less likely to have a significant decline in verbal skills than those who drank a cup or less. By age 85, they were 70 percent less likely to suffer those deficits compared with women who drank less than a cup of coffee or tea. There were not enough cases to detect an effect on Alzheimer’s disease.
Karen Ritchie, the lead author and a research director with the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, said it was unclear why caffeine had no effect in men. “It may be that men and women metabolize caffeine differently or that there is a hormonal interaction.
“In any case,” she continued, “please don’t rush out and start drinking coffee. To suddenly start drinking large quantities of coffee is still really premature as a preventive measure.”

^^^nytimes.com

Coffee Health Myths Explained

by Ryan Jacobs

For a long, long time, researchers have been investigating the impact drinking coffee has on the human body. This article focuses on some of the more common misconceptions related to coffee and health. It is important to realize what the studies are actually saying and not to draw incorrect conclusions based on reading the study.
1. Unfiltered Coffee Increases Health Risks
Two recent studies have been published citing that drinking coffee which is unfiltered as in the French Press method are associated with an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol and or homocysteine levels.
The first study, by Dr. Marina Grubben et al, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was conducted in the Netherlands. It involved studying 64 healthy adults drinking six large cups of unfiltered coffee or another beverage during a two week period. The results showed that there was an increase in homocysteine levels of 10% in individuals who consumed the unfiltered coffee. They linked this to an increased risk for heart disease by 10%.
In another study, participants drank unfiltered coffee for two weeks and were compared to those who drank filtered coffee. There was an increase in serum LDL cholesterol of 2mg/dl for those drinking unfiltered coffee. After two weeks, they switched to filtered coffee and the serum cholesterol returned to baseline.
These studies, while interesting, don't tell us anything about long term effects. A two week study does not give us an answer to the long term risk of drinking unfiltered coffee. In the homocysteine related study, the control group didn't even drink coffee. Yet the way this has been reported is that it is healthier to drink filtered coffee. A more recent study has shown that homocysteine levels did not drop when drinking filtered coffee. There has been trouble isolating the cause. Is it the caffeine? Who knows? More research is needed.
2. Coffee Leads To Heart Disease
It has long been thought that coffee, as a stimulant, would lead to various forms of heart disease. The recent literature. however, suggests that coffee is safe in moderate doses. Recently, one researcher, Warren G. Thompson, M.D., noted in a 1994 literature review on this subject: "The largest and better studies suggest that coffee is not a major risk factor for coronary disease."
Additionally, a major study conducted by Willet, et al., examined data collected from more than 85,000 women over a 10-year period. Upon adjusting the data for known risk factors such as smoking, they found no increased risk of CVD for women who drank six or more cups of coffee per day.
A 1990 study by Diedrich, et al., looked at 45,000 men. It found no link between coffee, caffeine and CVD in men who drank four or more cups of coffee per day.
3. Coffee Causes Ulcers
Often times, when people see me drinking a cup of coffee -- they give the warning "You shouldn't drink coffee, it will give you ulcers." The thinking, until recently, was that excess stomach acid caused ulcers and that coffee would contribute to the stomach acid. Recent studies however show that most ulcers are caused by a particular bacteria, namely Helicobacter pylori . Those ulcers can be cured easily with antibiotics. An important distinction to make is that while coffee or spicy foods for that matter don't cause the ulcers, they may serve to aggravate existing ulcers.
4. Coffee Is Bad For Reproductive Health
Miscarriage, low birth weight, infertility. These are all commonly associated with being increased with coffee consumption. However, there has been little convincing evidence that a moderate amount of caffeine during pregnancy will cause these conditions.
Scientists have had trouble linking consumption of coffee to miscarriage. There are many confounders in this area. As an example, it has been found that women who don't experience nausea during pregnancy are more likely to miscarry. This could be due to them being less likely to stay away from foods and beverages that cause nausea. Therefore, coffee could be lumped in together with many other things that are consumed that should be avoided.
Low birth weight in children has not been proven even at high caffeine consumption levels in women. A 1993 study by Larroque, et. al., found that women who consumed more than 800 mg of caffeine daily had no greater risk than women who did not.
Furthermore, studies have also shown that women who drink more than three cups of coffee daily are at no increase risk of infertility or delayed conception.
Conclusion
Certainly, there have been many other studies conducted on coffee and health and many more will be performed in the future. But before you jump to the conclusion that you are going to die a premature death, read the article a little closer and seek out related articles to see if there is conflicting data. And in the meantime, enjoy your coffee in moderation.

coffeetea.about.com

ScienceDaily (Jun. 17, 2008) — A new study has good news for coffee drinkers: Regular coffee drinking (up to 6 cups per day) is not associated with increased deaths in either men or women. In fact, both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption is associated with a somewhat smaller rate of death from heart disease.
“Coffee consumption has been linked to various beneficial and detrimental health effects, but data on its relation with death were lacking,” says Esther Lopez-Garcia, PhD, the study’s lead author. “Coffee consumption was not associated with a higher risk of mortality in middle-aged men and women. The possibility of a modest benefit of coffee consumption on heart disease, cancer, and other causes of death needs to be further investigated.”
Women consuming two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease during the follow-up period (which lasted from 1980 to 2004 and involved 84,214 women) as compared with non-consumers, and an 18 percent lower risk of death caused by something other than cancer or heart disease as compared with non-consumers during follow-up. For men, this level of consumption was associated with neither a higher nor a lower risk of death during the follow-up period (which lasted from 1986 to 2004 and involved 41,736 men).
The researchers analyzed data of 84,214 women who had participated in the Nurses’ Health Study and 41,736 men who had participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. To be in the current study, participants had to have been free of cancer and heart disease at the start of those larger studies.
The study participants completed questionnaires every two to four years that included questions about how frequently they drank coffee, other diet habits, smoking, and health conditions. The researchers then compared the frequency of death from any cause, death due to heart disease, and death due to cancer among people with different coffee-drinking habits.
Among women, 2,368 deaths were due to heart disease, 5,011 were due to cancer, and 3,716 were due to another cause. Among men, 2,049 deaths were due to heart disease, 2,491 were due to cancer, and 2,348 were due to another cause.
While accounting for other risk factors, such as body size, smoking, diet, and specific diseases, the researchers found that people who drank more coffee were less likely to die during the follow-up period. This was mainly because of lower risk for heart disease deaths among coffee drinkers.
The researchers found no association between coffee drinking and cancer deaths. These relationships did not seem to be related to caffeine because people who drank decaffeinated coffee also had lower death rates than people who did not drink coffee.
The editors of Annals of Internal Medicine caution that the design of the study does not make it certain that coffee decreases the chances of dying sooner than expected. Something else about coffee drinkers might be protecting them. And some measurement error in the assessment of coffee consumption is inevitable because estimated consumption came from self-reports.
This study was supported by National Institutes of Health research grants.

^^^drinkhealthydrinks.com

Five Healthy Reasons to Enjoy Your Morning Coffee

In recent studies, several health benefits have been attributed to drinking coffee on a daily basis. It has also been found that the more you drink, the greater the benefits. So pour yourself a cup, pull up a chair, and enjoy.
Diabetes - In a Harvard study spanning 18 years, results indicate that those who consumed one to three cups of caffeinated coffee on a daily basis reduced the risk of diabetes by [COLOR=#CC3333 ! important][COLOR=#CC3333 ! important]single digits. But the news gets better for the true addicts like myself. For those true coffee lovers who drink six or more cups a day, the risk of diabetes was slashed by 54% for men and 30% for women, compared to those consuming no coffee. The antioxidants in coffee are shown to help improve glucose metabolism and the body’s response to insulin.
Headaches - The caffeine in coffee has been long recognized by the manufacturers of pain relievers such as Anacin and Excedrin for the treatment of headaches. That’s why these products contain up to 120 milligrams of caffeine per dose. That’s the equivalent of drinking a big cup of coffee.
Risk of cavities - According to an Italian study, coffee contains a compound known as trigoneline which is known to have antibacterial and anti-adhesive properties which aid in the prevention of cavities.
Athleticism - Caffeine enhances strength and endurance in athletes. It is believed that it causes muscles to produce a stronger contraction and stimulates the brain and nervous system to perform in a different manner. So much so, that until recently, caffeine in coffee or any other form, was recognized as a controlled substance by the Olympic Games Committee and was allowed only in limited usage by athletes.
Skin cancer - Research indicates that caffeine, either ingested or applied topically, provides important anticarcinogenic benefits. In several recent studies, caffeine consumption has been associated with lower incidences of nonmelanoma skin cancers. The antioxidants in coffee prevent free radicals from causing cell damage.


By Joni Keith on March 4th, 2009-^^^healtmad.com

__________________

Did you know that...

Caffeine is not the main bitter compound in coffee? Rather, the pungent perpetrators are antioxidants.

^^^livescience.com

Coffee may help treat memory loss, a major symptom of Alzheimer's disease - study


By Rosemary Black
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Besides giving you that morning boost, coffee may actually boost your memory as well, helping to keep memory loss at bay.

That mug of morning coffee may do more than keep you from falling asleep at your desk. New research shows it could also help treat or stave off memory loss, a key symptom of Alzheimer's disease.

Studies have found that giving lab mice the equivalent of 500 milligrams of caffeine per day had a positive impact on their memory, according to CBS' The Early Show.

The researchers found that the caffeine had "a very positive effect on their memory and thinking actions over a two-month period," Dr. Jennifer Ashton told The Early Show. "So put another one in the column of a good effect of caffeine."

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle...9-07-06_coffee

Israeli Researcher: Coffee Extract Prevents Bad Breath


by Baruch Gordon

(IsraelNN.com) We all know why Starbucks puts boxes of breath mints close to the cash register. Your morning latte can create a startling aroma in your mouth, strong enough to startle your co-workers too.
But intriguing new research from Tel Aviv University by breath specialist Prof. Mel Rosenberg finds that a coffee extract can inhibit the bacteria that lead to bad breath. New laboratory tests have shown that the extract prevents malodorous bacteria from making their presence felt ― or smelt.
“Everybody thinks that coffee causes bad breath,” says Prof. Rosenberg, “and it’s often true, because coffee, which has a dehydrating effect in the mouth, becomes potent when mixed with milk, and can ferment into smelly substances.”


Photo: Prof. Mel Rosenberg
But not always: “Contrary to our expectations, we found some components in coffee that actually inhibit bad breath,” explains Prof. Rosenberg. The findings were presented last month to members of the International Society for Breath Odor Research in Germany by Yael Gov, a researcher in Prof. Rosenberg's laboratory.

A “taster’s choice” for stopping bad bacteria

In the laboratory, the team monitored the bacterial odor production of coffee in saliva. In the study, three different brands of coffee were tested: the Israeli brand Elite coffee, Landwer Turkish coffee, and Taster’s Choice. Prof. Rosenberg expected to demonstrate the malodor-causing effect of coffee in an in vitro saliva evaluation developed by Dr. Sarit Levitan in his laboratory. To his surprise, the extracts had the opposite effect.
“The lesson we learned here is one of humility,” says Prof. Rosenberg. “We expected coffee would cause bad breath, but there is something inside this magic brew that has the opposite effect.”
Prof. Rosenberg would love to isolate the bacterial-inhibiting molecule in order to reap the biggest anti-bacterial benefits from coffee. “It’s not the raw extract we will use,” he says, “but an active material within it.” His latest discovery could be the foundation for an entirely new class of mouthwash, breath mints and gum. Purified coffee extract can be added to a breath mint to stop bacteria from forming, stopping bad breath at its source, instead of masking the smell with a mint flavor.
Prof. Rosenberg previously developed a popular mouthwash sold widely in Europe, a pocket-based breath test, and an anti-odor chewing gum.
Prof. Rosenberg's research was carried out in the Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine.

^^^israelnationalnews.com

Coffee Ice Cream

by Rick Bartosh

Homemade ice cream is fantastic. It's fresh and delicious, especially when it's made with your own home-roasted coffee. Ahhh. . . the perfect summer treat. Note that this recipe has some alcohol and caffeine. If it is for the kids, leave out the booze and consider using decaf coffee. With that disclaimer behind us, let us make some coffee ice cream.

Ingredients

3 cups light cream
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup rum or Kahlua
1/2 cup cold strong coffee
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Heat and Beat, then Chill

Scald light cream while blending in sugar. Add slowly over beaten eggs and blend thoroughly. Cook while stirring on top of a double boiler until thickened, and chill.

Add Coffee

Next add the cooled coffee, salt, and whipping cream.

Ice Cream Machine

With either electric or hand-operated ice cream freezer, use churning instruction with the freezer. Begin churning in the freezer. When almost frozen, add vanilla and Kahlua. The finished ice cream will be of a soft-serve consistency until hardened in a freezer.

You may omit the Kahlua and try a flavored coffee in this recipe.



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Chocolate Hazelnut coffee recipe

An elegant coffee and chocolate cocktail, served in a warm wine glass. Share this with a partner for a relaxing drink by the fireplace.
Ingredients:

10 oz brewed coffee, hot
1 oz chocolate liqueur
1 oz hazelnut liqueur
Preparation:

In a warm 12-oz wine glass, mix coffee and liqueurs. Top with a sprinkling of cocoa powder.
Serves 1

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Decaffeinated Coffee - How it is produced

Decaffeinated Coffee – How it is produced.

What is decaffeinated coffee?
According to legislation within the EU markets decaffeinated coffee is a coffee with a caffeine content reduced to 0,1% or less in roasted coffee beans, and to 0,3% or less in soluble/instant coffee.
Decaffeinated coffee is available as a choice for those consumers who wish to enjoy the taste and aroma of coffee without experiencing the mild stimulant effects provided by the caffeine.
Cup Quality of Decaffeinated Coffee
The cup quality of decaffeinated coffee is fully in line with that of regular coffee. Indeed, all the many different coffee varieties and origins retain their specific flavour properties.
The Decaffeination Processes
The decaffeination processes are performed on green coffee beans in industrial plants.
There are four methods of decaffeination, according to which substance is used to extract the caffeine; Water – Ethyl Acetate – Supercritical or Liquid CO2 – Methylene Chloride.

These four processing methods all share the basic stages of;
· Swelling the green coffee beans with water or steam in order to make the caffeine available for extraction
· Extracting the caffeine from the beans
· Steam stripping to remove all solvent residues from the beans (when applied) / regenerating adsorbents (when applied)
· Drying the decaffeinated coffee beans back to their normal moisture content
Under carefully controlled process conditions, such as temperature, pressure and time, the caffeine extraction step is based on physical phase transport mechanisms. Due to the difference in concentration, the caffeine is diffused out of the cell structure into solvent surrounding the bean until the concentration of caffeine is the same inside and outside the beans.
The Decaffeination Methods
What really distinguishes the four methods is the choice of substance used for extraction;
· Water method; When green coffee is immersed in water the caffeine content is dissolved and removed, but along with this much of the coffee’s aromatic character can be lost. To overcome this drawback, the liquid is saturated with the water-soluble components of the coffee. The caffeine is subsequently removed from the solution using activated carbon or other adsorbents, which retain the caffeine, and the extract deprived of the caffeine can then be recycled.
· Ethyl - Acetate method: Ethyl - Acetate (EA) occurs in several natural products and contributes to the characteristic aroma of many fruit. EA is also found in varying concentrations in foodstuffs including green and roasted coffee. In the decaffeination process the combination of water and ethyl-acetate is used. In the extracting vessel the EA is circulated around the water soaked beans for extracting the caffeine. Then the mixture of water, ethyl-acetate and caffeine is drained from the extracting vessel. The extraction step is repeated several times, until the residual caffeine content is at or below the legal maximum level of 0,1%.
· Supercritical Carbon Dioxide and Liquid Carbon Dioxide method: CO2 is a readily available substance of great purity, naturally available in the air we breath and in the sparkling water we drink. Under certain conditions it allows for a selective caffeine extraction and leaves most of the other coffee bean constituents unaltered.
The use of carbon dioxide in its supercritical state (between its liquid and gaseous state) needs very high pressure – up to 250 atmospheres. This method requires large-scale production in order to be economically viable.
Also, liquid CO2 can be used for caffeine extraction with lower pressure and lower temperatures, wherefore a longer time is necessary to achieve the extraction.
· Methylene Chloride (i.e. Dichloromethane-DCM) method: DCM extracts the caffeine selectively and has a low boiling point. In the extracting vessel dicloromethane is circulated around the water soaked beans for extracting the caffeine. Then the mixture of DCM and caffeine is drained from the extracting vessel. The extraction step is repeated several times, until the residual caffeine content is at or below the legal maximum level of 0,1%. The process followed guarantees that possible solvent residues remain below the limits fixed by the European legislation.

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(NaturalNews) Have you been trying to kick the coffee habit? Well, before you say good-bye to your favorite morning drink forever, you may be interested in hearing coffee may not be so bad for you after all. In fact, it's been linked to a variety of health benefits. Did you know that one study shows even one cup of coffee each day can cut your risk for Parkinson's disease in half?

Coffee's full of healthful components like magnesium, potassium and vitamin B3. And coffee is the American's number one source of antioxidants, says one 2005 study from the University of Scranton. Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that one cup of coffee can have more antioxidants than a serving of blueberries or oranges. Antioxidants play a key role in reducing the inflammation which is associated with many health problems ranging from heart disease to rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. Joe Vinson, a chemistry professor who led the Scranton study, says, "Antioxidants are your army to protect you from the toxic free radicals, which come from breathing oxygen and eating sugar, that start chronic diseases. Antioxidants help stave off cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke."

It may be the high level of antioxidants that helps coffee protect the heart. Researchers from Norway looked at data involving more than 27,000 women in the Iowa Women's Health Study and found women who drank 1-3 cups of coffee each day had a 24 percent reduction in risk of heart disease compared with women who didn't drink coffee at all. Women who drank as much as five cups a day showed up to a 19 percent decrease in risk of death from all causes. However, the study also concluded that more is not always better. Drinking more than six cups of coffee per day did not seem to increase benefits significantly.

Analysis of a collection of studies from the Journal of the American Medical Association showed evidence that consuming coffee can lower the risk of developing type II diabetes. Studies which looked at decaffeinated coffee showed similar results. The benefits increased with the amount of coffee drank: up 28 percent for those who drank at least four cups per day, and up 35 percent for people who drank more than six.

However, just because coffee is good for you doesn't mean you should overload your body with caffeine. Rob van Dam is a Harvard scientist and the lead author of a study which showed the amount of caffeine in just two cups of coffee can constrict blood flow to the heart.

"I wouldn't advise people to increase their consumption of coffee in order to lower their risk of disease," says Dr. Van Dam, "but the evidence is that for most people without specific conditions, coffee is not detrimental to health. If people enjoy drinking it, it's comforting to know that they don't have to be afraid of negative health effects."

Fortunately, most of these benefits can still be enjoyed if you drink decaffeinated coffee, so you don't have to take in surplus caffeine just for the antioxidants' sake. It's also a good idea to look for coffee made from organic sources to limit your exposure to chemical pesticides. At any rate, rest assured you can enjoy your morning cup of joe without regret - so long as you go easy on the sugar.

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/15/h...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/st...

Turkish coffee is traditionally brewed in a circular brass pot known as an ibrik. It is used to brew a cup that is thicker and sweeter than the usual coffee that we are accustomed to. -
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