Coffee Tips
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“Coffee it appears to offer protection from diseases”
Posted by gourmet coffee snob on 26 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Coffee Tips, Fitness, Gourmet Coffee Snob Sez
There are suggestions that a couple of cups of coffee daily reduces the risk of Alzheimer's as well as Parkinson's disease, and possibly diabetes. Caffeine appears to protect the brain from the harmful effects of cholesterol, which is involved in the destruction of the brain cells that leads to Alzheimer's.
Other research has shown people who drink four or more cups of coffee a day are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease, and that coffee intake appears to be linked to a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.The water in coffee will help to rehydrate you, and the caffeine will give your brain a jolt, but the overall effect is likely to make you feel worse.
A strong coffee will irritate further your already delicate stomach, and the increased blood flow to the brain can increase the pounding in your head.
The favourite hangover remedy of a cocktail of black coffee and paracetamol is potentially toxic, scientists reported in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology last year. Caffeine triples the amount of a toxic by-product of paracetamol being broken down, increasing the risk of potentially fatal liver damage.
Caffeine really is an addictive drug, according to neuroscientists at John Hopkins University, Baltimore. They reviewed 66 studies on caffeine withdrawal in 2004, and concluded that altering coffee-drinking routines is likely to be a painful experience.
Stopping drinking even a single small cup of coffee every day produces withdrawal symptoms. One in two people experiences a throbbing headache that begins 12 to 24 hours after the last cup is drunk — and lasting up to nine days. Less common symptoms include clinically significant distress and an inability to function normally.
Caffeinism is a controversial diagnosis, but there is evidence that you can overdose on caffeine, causing symptoms similar to panic attacks and chronic anxiety, including palpitations, muscle-twitching, flushing and diarrhoea.
Helva Coffee Machines
Posted by gourmet coffee snob on 18 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Coffee Tips, Food And Beverage, SpotaJava Coffee, Gourmet Coffee Snob Sez
There are so many people who love coffee but have to live without it because it gives them heartburn, that it is a shame something can't be done about it. It seems sometimes as though the ones who love coffee the most are the ones who suffer from heartburn as a result of drinking this delicious brew.
Since we know that excess stomach acid going into the esophagus is the usual cause of heartburn, does that help us to understand why coffee is such a culprit when it comes to heartburn? The stomach acids coming into contact with the esophagus causes irritation. Many products can be irritants, but caffeine is one of the strongest. Caffeine makes hate stomach produce an excess amount of acid, and since your body does not need it, where can it go but into the lower esophageal sphincter, and cause what is known as heartburn coffee.
Now that we know that it is caffeine that causes this heartburn, there is hope for coffee lovers who suffer from this affliction. A new process, Hevla technology, has broken the chain between you and the coffee that give you heartburn.
The Hevla process uses a system in which the coffee beans are steamed at extremely high pressure. This high pressure can remove the caffeine from the coffee, without affecting the wonderful taste of coffee that we love. In this way, we can continue to drink our beloved coffee and not produce the acid that leads to heartburn.
Yes, the caffeine is removed and yet the flavor of the coffee is retained. This is a monumental achievement in the world of coffee. Health and science experts have recognized the benefit of removing a harmful substance from an otherwise harmless product. For the coffee industry, this is a major breakthrough. Now former coffee lovers who suffered from heartburn can come back into the fold, and this has created a new boon for the coffee markets.
Once consumers taste Hevla processed coffee, the world of delicious coffee will once more return to a great number of coffee consumers who have been avoiding it. They can once again enjoy this drink, without fear of pain and discomfort. This unique steam pressure process will be a godsend to coffee drinkers everywhere. Even if you only use a one cup coffee maker for your fast morning brew, you will be happy.
Now, everyone can wake up to their fresh cup of coffee and not be victim to heartburn; once again the aroma of freshly brewed coffee can bring them to their feet in the morning without bringing them to their knees in pain.
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Concentrating on informating about coffee, Peter J. Wilson publishes mainly for http://www.coffee-espresso-maker-tips.com . His publications on one cup coffee makers are published on his website .
The Hawaiian Kona Coffee Mystique
Posted by gourmet coffee snob on 22 Aug 2002 | Tagged as: Coffee Tips
Simon Wu asked:
Think Hawaii and basically you think vacation and paradise–sun, surf, beach, nature, luau, even honeymoon. For the coffee lover, Hawaii means real fancy coffee. Specifically, Hawaiian Kona coffee.
Hawaiian Kona coffee owes its aura of distinction to its history, tradition and Mother Nature. True Kona coffee are cultivated on the volcanic slopes of what is known as the Kona coffee belt. Combining the richness of the volcanic soil with the weather patterns of the Kona district and you have the perfect condition with which to grow this particular type of coffee bean. The result is one of the fanciest and premium coffees in the world.
The history and tradition of Kona coffee is unlike those of other coffee growing regions where the coffee shrub is indigenous and are cared for by their own people. Kona coffee can actually attribute its survival and existence to many different nationalities.
It was a Spaniard who planted the first coffee bean in the island of Oahu. Then, Kona coffee beans became a by-product of beans that were brought in from Brazil back in the nineteenth century by an Englishman. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the crash in world coffee prices almost drove the Hawaiian coffee farms into extinction. Owners leased parts of their farms to tenant farmers, majority of whom were Japanese immigrants. Later on, farm hands originating from the Philippines and Europe would contribute to the growth of this type of coffee. But even before the farms were leased, Hawaiians and Chinese largely made up the work force.
This brief historical account sets up the distinction that Kona coffee enjoys today. As a result of leasing out different parts of the original coffee farms, today’s farms range anywhere from only two to five acres in size. Their small size may inhibit large scale production but the shrubs do receive more attention.
Being able to receive specialized care and its rarity are two main factors why Kona coffee commands a higher price. In fact, the specialized care that it receives includes hand picking each cherry from the coffee shrubs. This is in stark contrast to machine harvesting which is required in other kinds of large quantity farms. Hand picking each one gives the farmers a chance to examine up close the quality of the coffee cherries.
If your curiosity has so far been piqued and you are raring to buy your first bag of Kona coffee beans, here is a caveat–not all Kona coffee sold in the market are pure. When browsing the marketplace, you should be aware that there is “100% Kona coffee” as against “Kona blend”. 100% Kona is quite self-explanatory. “Kona blend” is what you should be wary of.
There are vendors who mix Kona beans with common beans such as Robusta and the amount of Kona beans could be as little as one bean per pound. This is what is passed off as “Kona blend”. Hawaii state law dictates that sellers of Kona blend should include 10% Kona beans. But outside of Hawaii, the amount of Kona beans could be significantly less.
Needless to say, there is also a disparity in pricing with 100% Kona being more expensive. If the price is objectionable, there is always the cheaper alternative–devoid of work ethic, culture, history, and tradition. But when you decide to go with the real thing, perhaps you can whisper a word of thanks to the generations of hard working farmers who have nurtured the 100% Kona coffee beans into the taste of paradise that it is today.