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Coffee Is An Mysterious Drink

  About 850 A.D it is said that a lone shepherd and his flock came across a strange and mysterious plant growing upon a secluded and forgotten hillside. Before he could stop them some of his herd had begun to gnaw away at this unusual berry. After about fifteen minutes or so the herder started to notice that his sheep were behaving in an odd manner. Not only were they unusually alert but they also appeared to be extremely hyperactive. Now being a little weary and extremely tired the shepherd decided to try the berries and see if the end results would be the same for him as they had been for his flock. To his pleasant surprise, the shepherd began to feel wide awake and he too became very alert. After a few hours had passed along came a wandering monk who, after being informed of the plant's amazing qualities proceeded to scold the poor shepherd and lecture him on his foolish indulgence. After he had finished telling the shepherd just what a sinner he had been the monk set upon his j...

Coffee News

A good cup of coffee is like fine wine and good quality cigars. There are various different types of coffee beans and these determine the flavors that the blend presents for the coffee connoisseur. Many coffee makers blend a combination of the lower cost Robusta beans with the more expensive Arabica gourmet beans. The Arabica beans have a finer aroma, a richer flavor, and more body than the less expensive beans. The quality of the coffee is dependant on the proportions of the mix of these beans. Quite often a coffee might be advertised as a blend of gourmet beans and lower grade beans when in fact there are only small traces of the gourmet beans in the blend. The gourmet beans gain much of their flavor from the soils they are grown in, with the best beans coming from the volcanic regions where the rich soils produce the best tasting beans. Coffee should always be made from fresh beans as the quality diminishes rapidly with age. This is quite noticeable when comparing a supermarket grad...

Caffeine Benefits Memory

  Caffeine, like chocolate, often receives bad publicity. While in some instances, and in excess, these can have negative effects on our body, they can also be quite beneficial. I am not disputing that some people are more sensitive to the negative effects of either caffeine or chocolate. For example, excess caffeine can create anxiety, nausea (particularly if taken on an empty stomach), an increase in heart rate, and even depression in some people. And chocolate is certainly not something that should form the mainstay of one’s diet. If struggling with sugar addiction, or wanting to lose weight, there are more nutritionally complete foods that are available. But scientists have turned up some interesting facts on caffeine. For example, caffeine actually blocks the effects of a neurotransmitter in the brain (adenosine) that otherwise makes us feel tired. This is why it works so well to keep us awake. It also encourages the release of another brain chemical, dopamine (as well as adre...

Taste The Difference When You Use A Coffee Grinder

  We all enjoy a good cup of coffee to keep us refreshed and alert, but in today’s world of freeze-dried and instants, it is difficult to get that real coffee taste and aroma – in fact, some people have never experienced anything other than instant, thus missing out on a truly rich and flavorsome taste. A coffee grinder is a piece of equipment that can put an end to the need for tasteless, weak drinks, enabling you to enjoy a taste that is full-bodied and full of flavor. You can get a wide range of grinders these days to suit all sorts of tastes and budgets, and by investing in a good quality grinder you can start to enjoy the aroma and flavor of real coffee within your own home. Anyone that has tried the real thing compared to instant and freeze-dried will be well aware of the taste difference – and you will find that the low cost of this type of equipment is well worth it for the incredible taste and flavor that you will enjoy. No kitchen should be without a good quality coffee g...

Jazz Up Your Java At Home

  According to the 2005 National Coffee Drinking Trends, published by the National Coffee Association of U.S.A. Inc., more than 53 percent of consumers age 18 and older drink coffee on a daily basis, up from 49 percent in 2004. That translates into 7.7 million new coffee drinkers just in the USA. With consumers enjoying a wider range of coffee drinks in offices, corner cafes, and restaurants, they are also demanding better-tasting coffee at home. Here are a few ideas for a better brew: * Pressure-brewed is best. In blind tests, more people prefer the taste of coffee that is high-pressure brewed, versus any other method. High-pressure-brewed coffee requires the use of pump-pressure coffee machines, like espresso machines. * All pressure-coffee machines are not equal. There are several types of these machines. Steam-driven espresso machines create pressure in a closed boiler, then force the hot water through the coffee. Most can make up to 10 ounces of coffee at a time. A pump espres...

An Introduction To Gourmet Coffee

  Over five hundred billion cups of coffee are consumed each year making it the most popular drink on this earth. For centuries, this aromatic, spirit-lifting drink has been the beverage to serve at any and all events. Many board meetings and friendships have thrived over a cup of coffee. Extracted from the seed of cherries growing on coffee trees, coffee is grown extensively in fifty-three countries across the equator. Specialty gourmet coffee is very popular among coffee drinkers today. As a matter of fact, statistics show that it is one of the fastest-growing food retailers netting approximately $8.5 billion a year. People enjoy the taste of the sophisticated beans used in the making of this delightful gourmet drink.  The beans are grown at very high altitudes on Arabic trees and feed on volcanic ash. A cool climate and lots of moisture result in a high-quality bean group. The soil the beans are grown in produces the very distinct flavors of the gourmet beans. Gourmet coffe...
  Coffee is the new Antioxidant  Green coffee beans have supplied a new player in the antioxidant arena. An extract of green coffee beans has been found to have a stronger antioxidant effect than established antioxidants like green tea and grape seed extract. The active constituent in coffee that is responsible for its many health benefits is a compound called chlorogenic acid. It neutralizes free radicals and addresses the problem of hydroxyl radicals, both of which can lead to cellular degeneration if left unchecked. Chlorogenic acid also helps regulate metabolism. Compared to green tea and grape seed extract, green coffee bean extract is twice as effective in absorbing oxygen free radicals. One of the advantages of using the green coffee bean extract is that the negative effects of coffee are avoided. The chlorogenic acid is thought to boost metabolism by changing the way glucose is taken up by the body. And it does contain caffeine acids, which give a boost to energy level...