Calorie Counters In Coffee Shops?
Weight conscious coffee shop goes just may have their wishes come true. Well, at least those who reside in Multnomah County. Commissioners of the county are soon to vote on whether or not restaurants and coffee shops in the area will be required to post health facts – including caloric counts – on their menus. If approved, this law will require ALL items on the menu to have the information mentioned above. Drinks will not be exempt, by the way.
Not every mom and pop food place will be affected by the law, if approved, though. The only establishments that would be required are those which have 15 branches or more across the country.
So what will this law do? Basically, I see it as a public information campaign. More often than not, we order food and drink without a thought as to the calories contained in them. With the calories prominently displayed, people will at least know their consumption.
Do you think that this would make a difference as to how and what people order at restaurants and coffee shops? I honestly do not know. Personally, it might change my mind if I see the huge difference between one coffee blend and another. Then again, if I really want a certain drink, I doubt that my mind would change because of the calorie count. But then again, that’s just me – a person who likes her coffee more than her waistline.
How about you? Do you think this kind of practice would change your mind?
Photo courtesy of banoota
Russian Coffee Cakes
The other day I went to visit a friend and naturally, we had coffee together. She makes a mean brew, let me tell you. She also served Russian coffee cake, which I think was absolutely scrumptious. Naturally, I wanted to try to make it. Unfortunately, it was just a gift and she didn’t know how to make the cake. So I went online to find recipes. I found one at Recipe Zaar. Let me share it with you and let’s see if we can bake a decent cake.
Ingredients
• 2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup warm milk, scalded then cooled
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 4 1/2-5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup blanched almond, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon vanillaIcing
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juiceDirections
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Stir in the next four ingredients, 2 1/2 cups of the flour, the almonds, raisins and vanilla. Beat until smooth then add in enough of the remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.Turn dough onto a floured board or counter and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough into a greased bowl, turn to coat. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Punch down dough and let rise again until almost doubled, about 40 minutes.
Divide dough in half and roll each half into a well rounded bun shape. Place each bun in a well greased
1 lb coffee can. Cover and let rise until the dough starts to puff up over the top of the cans, about 45 minutes.Bake at 375 degrees on a low rack in the center of the oven for 45 minutes or until brown. Let cool slightly then remove from cans.
Mix together all of the icing ingredients and pour over the cakes letting some run down the sides.
I love how you use coffee cans instead of the conventional baking pans. It makes the recipe more “coffee-ish” don’t you think?
Photo courtesy of eekim
Which Espresso Machine is Right for You?
Looking for the perfect shot of coffee? Maybe you want a more robust flavor in your cappucinos and lattes. When it comes to taste and aroma, espresso machines deliver the most bang for your buck.
When you brew a shot of espresso, you get more of the coffee beans’ aroma into the cup. How is this possible? It begins with the beans. Espresso beans are finely ground until they are the right texture for the chosen type of machine. Water is heated in another chamber within the machine. When the water is hot enough, it is passed through the finely ground beans. This captures the strong flavor and fragrance that have made espresso such a popular coffee drink.
What to Look For
The best espresso coffee machines are often the simplest. Stove-top espresso pots for the home have surged in popularity. There are even simple espresso pots that can be taken on camping trips.
When shopping for a new machine, always look for a model made of stainless steel so that rust is never an issue. Some pots come with cool-touch handles to keep users from burning themselves. There are even espresso pots decorated with famous works of art. The buyer’s choices are limitless.
On the other hand, you might need the brewing power of a commercial espresso machine. These machines let the user control every aspect of the how the espresso is brewed. With the push of a button, the user can dictate water volume, brew time, and even how much crema to include in each shot.
The Best Pump Style for Your Needs
Brewing the perfect shot takes skill and practice. Pump style refers to the way the water is delivered through the ground beans. Manual pumps require lots of experimentation on the user’s part, as the user is responsible for determining water volume and brewing time. They are a great way for experienced baristas to show off their talent, but can be intimidating to the new user.
For a mix of affordability and ease of use, many people choose semi automatic espresso machines. These require some judgment from the user, but carry out the actual brewing process by themselves. The user simply turns on the electric brewing pump when they are ready to brew, and turn it off after they have finished.
Semi-commercial machines offer more automated pump styles that leave most of the decision making to the device itself. Whatever your needs, there is a pump style perfectly suited to every user.
As more coffee drinkers are awakening to the intense flavor of espresso, they are looking for home-brewing solutions that are affordable and easy to use. Coffee sellers are looking for machines that produce the perfect volume and flavor to meet their customers’ demands. Take a look at the many available models and pump styles to find the perfect espresso machine for your needs.
In The Interest Of Preserving The Integrity Of Coffee
Now if that isn’t one of the most pompous drivel that I have read for a long time (well, probably since yesterday). This is exactly what was going through my mind as I read about Jeff Simmermon’s experience at the Murky Coffee store in Arlington, VA. So what happened?
Simmermon reportedly ordered a triple shot of espresso dumped over ice. Now you probably know that this is not commonly done but hey, who said you had to drink coffee in a certain way? Well, the management of Murky Coffee says so. Read the barista’s reaction as Simmermon himself described it:
And the guy at the counter looked me in the eye with a straight face and said “I’m sorry, we can’t serve iced espresso here. It’s against our policy.”
This reminded so much of a similar incident that my husband and I experienced at a local Starbucks store. The coffee became lukewarm because we were chatting and smoking. So he went back to the counter to ask for it to be reheated. We know that purists disallow reheating coffee as the heat “ruins” it. Despite my husband’s repeated requests, they wouldn’t heat the coffee!
So what is the deal here? Preserving the integrity of coffee or giving in to a customer’s request? Probably because I am not a purist, I tend to lean towards the latter. We all enjoy our coffee in different ways, give us some leeway here!
Photo courtesy of Aaron Landry
This Police Officer Loves His Coffee
I didn’t think that this kind of thing still happened in the United States. Apparently, a Daytona Lt. Major Garvin has been loading up on free coffee from a local Starbucks store for the past two years. Now, there is nothing wrong here if the management offered to provide free coffee for the police officer, right?
The thing is, the story is not quite like that. Recently, the store changed management and Lt. Garvin was denied his usual free coffee. You want to know what his reaction was?
“If something happens, either we can respond really fast or we could respond really slow. I’ve been coming here for years and I’ve been getting whatever I want. I’m the difference between you getting a two-minute response time, if you needed a little help, or a 15 minutes response time.”
Oooh…talk about police bullying! Unfortunately for Lt. Garvin, the people at that Starbucks store were not sissies. A complaint was filed, the police officer took a polygraph test (he denied the accusations and agreed to the test and then failed), and was fired.
I was just thinking, this police officer really loves his coffee doesn’t he? I think he loves getting freebies even more, though. Maybe this is why Starbucks is losing money? Lt. Garvin is only one person but what if there is one Lt. Garvin in every other town in the United States? No wonder Starbucks is having to close a lot of its branches.
Seriously, though. This kind of guy makes it look bad for other hardworking honest police officers out there.
Of Flavored Coffee
I have nothing against flavored coffee. I actually like to have a cup of hazelnut coffee every now and then. Nothing really beats good old plain coffee in my eyes, though. Oh, I am sure the purists will scoff at my because I use a lot of cream and a bit of sugar on my coffee but at least it is plain unflavored coffee.
Why am talking about plain and flavored coffee? I read this feature in one of the New York Time blogs about how utterly ridiculous the world of coffee is becoming due to flavored coffee. The blogger shares his sentiments:
Maybe I shouldn’t pick on Green Mountain Coffee — they do fair trade, they work with Paul Newman, and so on — but this flavored coffee business has gotten completely out of hand.
These shots are from a gas station in Hatfield, Mass., and when I see these things — blueberry-, eggnog-, whatever-flavored coffee — I just have to laugh. And the descriptions! Here’s Cinnamon Cream Swirl: “The warm flavor of freshly baked cinnamon buns, dotted with butter, and swirled with sweet, creamy icing.”
I get his point. Flavored coffee is great sometimes but most of the time, if it is the taste of coffee that you really want, then plain is the way to go. Then again, this is just me talking. I am sure that there are many others who would disagree. Each to his own, no?
How about you, what do you think of the proliferation of flavored coffee?
Photo courtesy of y_katsuuu
Coffee After A Workout?
I am not that much of a fan of exercise, are you? I do have my moments but in general, I would rather sit in front of a computer or read a book while sipping a cup of joe. Then again, exercise is good for you, right? BUT the pain that I feel during and after working out just makes me cringe! Just thinking about makes me NOT want to get up from my chair right now…
Anyhow, I got to thinking about working out and exercising after reading a news item on how coffee can help people feel better if they drink some after exercising. WMTW reports:
Downing some strong coffee or an energy drink after a workout — along with a carbohydrate, such as pasta — can help people feel better more quickly, researchers said.
A team of Australian researchers said that people who recover with caffeine had 66 percent more glycogen in their muscles four hours after exercise. That means there is more energy for the next day’s training or performance, said senior author John A. Hawley.
Glycogen is the primary fuel for muscle during exercise, they said in a news release, which also said that caffeine had previously been shown to improve other areas of athletic performance.
I suppose that it should not be much of a surprise since we know that caffeine is an upper. Come to think of it, after a long day of walking around at the mall, I feel so much better after sitting down at a coffee shop and relaxing over a cup of coffee. Oh, you can add a doughnut or two in there!
Photo courtesy of cheetah100
Coffee Prices Set To Increase
The price of everything else is increasing, why not coffee? Brazil is one of the largest suppliers of good coffee to the rest of the world and it seems that they are all set to increase their prices as well. Before we all get upset about this, though, it would be good to realize that they are not doing this on a whim.
A report by Reuters states:
The rising cost of fertilizer and farm labor is squeezing profits from coffee in leading global grower Brazil but tight supplies should strengthen growers’ hands when haggling at the farm gate.
Fertilizer prices have as much as doubled in less than a year for some producers, depending on their region’s soil quality, and labor costs have been climbing amid a sustained commodity-driven economic boom.Farmers say the final blow has been the constant appreciation of the local currency, eroding income for growers as it strengthens against the U.S. dollar in which arabica is traded on the futures market.
As consumers, we don’t normally take news of price increases on a positive note. Still, there are certain things that we cannot control. As much as we do not want some things to happen, we really cannot do anything about them. As for this impending price increase for coffee, maybe I will stock up on whole beans for now. Or alternatively, look for other sources of coffee beans that do not come from Brazil.
Photo courtesy of Refracted Moments
Tale Of The Gourmet Coffee Beans
I love to read a good story anytime. It is not everyday that you find a good one about coffee, though. A reader of ours brought a web site to our attention, where a nice tale about gourmet coffee beans is being featured.
Happy Bean Coffee is a web site which sells the best gourmet coffee beans from all over the world. Just like any other online store, Happy Bean Coffee delivers its products to a wide variety of locations. More than showcasing various gourmet coffee beans, though, they also provide other information on coffee.
Back to the tale of gourmet coffee beans. Here is the first paragraph of the tale:
In the dreamy hours of the morning, the coffee bean begins anew to draw energy from dark, rich, volcanic soil and sunlight filtered through the remains of the previous night. The coffee bean stirs within and, to the first sounds of birds and the morning rituals of nearby inhabitants, the rain forest awakens around it.
Doesn’t that just stir up your senses? If you want to read more, I encourage you to head on over to the Happy Bean Coffee web site. I am sure that after reading the story, you would feel a craving to buy some new beans that you have never tried before. It never hurts to expand your horizons, does it?
Coffee And Atrial Fibrillation
I was not familiar with the term atrial fibrillation before I read an entry in the Atrial Fibrillation Blog. This condition is described as:
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is a cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) that involves the two upper chambers (atria) of the heart. It can often be identified by taking a pulse and observing that the heartbeats don’t occur at regular intervals, but a conclusive indication of AF is the absence of P waves on an electrocardiogram (ECG).
In simple terms, it is a condition wherein your heart beat is not regular. So what does this condition have to do with coffee? Apparently, coffee has been pinpointed to be bad for those who have AF. I remember when I was a child – the adults would say that coffee will cause irregular heart beat or palpitations. I suppose this was their version of the relationship between coffee and AF.
So does coffee play an important role in AF cases? According to the blog entry that I read:
Clinical trials have not found coffee or caffeine intake equivalent to 5-6 cups/d to increase the frequency or severity of cardiac arrhythmias in healthy people or people with CHD. A large prospective study in the US that followed more than 128,000 people for 7 years found no association between coffee consumption and sudden cardiac death. More recently, two prospective studies in Scandinavia found no association between coffee consumption and the risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a common supraventricular arrhythmia.
There you go – coffee does not really affect AF directly. Good news for those who have the condition!
