Decaf, Caffs, Coffee, and Coffs
All weekend, I was pretty much out of it. I think that if there were a sleeping contest, I would have won hands down. I have been dead tired during the day for a week now.
The culprit?
The 2010 World Cup. I am sure I am not alone in this situation – millions of people are in the same boat to be sure. All I can say is “Thank God for coffee” – the real kind, mind you, and not decaf.
Speaking of decaf, I was trying to perk myself up earlier by reading cartoons. (Yup, sometimes they work as well as coffee does.) I came across one that explains the meaning of decaf, which is short for decaffeinated, in case you are unsure. 
Now you probably think my brain is addled, but does caffeine really give coffee its taste?
That cartoon got me thinking…and researching. Before I knew it, I was deep into an article about the basics of coffee – the bean. Grounds for Coffee tells us about coffee oil, which is supposed to be the source of flavor:
A good roaster must be part artist, and part scientist, to maintain quality and consistency. It is during the roasting process that the sugars and other carbohydrates within the bean become caramelized, creating a substance which is known as the coffee oil. Technically, this fragile chemical is not actually an oil (since it is water soluble), but it is what gives the coffee its flavor and aroma.
It doesn’t say if this chemical is caffeine, though; although I doubt it. Does anyone know the answer?
Magic Power Coffee: Stay Away!
We’ve heard of all sorts of coffee drinks that claim various benefits. I am talking about slimming coffees and the like, but until a few minutes ago, I had never heard of Magic Power Coffee! Some of you might know about it, but for the sake of those like me, allow me to briefly describe this product.
Magic Power Coffee is being marketed all over the United States as an instant coffee drink. The uniqueness of this product lies in the claim that it functions as an aphrodisiac. Yup, it is supposed to stimulate sexual arousal in both men and women!
So what’s wrong with that? It could very well be a better alternative to Viagra, right?
The FDA, however, disagrees, and has released a statement to the effect that it can be harmful. The government agency is quite worried about the fact that the coffee drink is labeled as an “all natural dietary supplement.” You know how it is these days – people market products as “all natural” and as a “dietary supplement,” and these products are supposed to be 100% safe.
I guess there is no such thing, though. A spokesperson from the FDA says that the label is misleading, and that in fact, Magic Power Coffee can cause serious damage. Men who are using certain prescription drugs, for example, can experience a sudden plummet in blood pressure due to the interaction of the active ingredients.
If you still wish to try the potency of this magic drink, I suggest you check with your doctor first. Better yet, just stick to the good old brew!
…And Free Internet For All
Coffee shops have sprouted up all over like mushrooms after the rain, and when we talk about coffee shops, the first thing that comes to mind is Starbucks. While some see them as a corporate “evil,” there is no denying that Starbucks is arguably the most popular coffee shop chain in the world.
They’ve had their own share of struggles, and in an effort to widen their customer base yet again, Starbucks is now offering more than the usual fare: free Internet.
Over the years, coffee shops have become synonymous with laptops and all sorts of mobile devices – and that means Internet access as well. However, the Internet access in Starbucks stores as it currently is is quite limited. You need to have a Starbucks loyalty card, and having one does not automatically mean you can surf all you want – it just gives you 2 free hours of Internet.
The new scheme, which is going to be implemented on the first of July, is going to open up wireless Internet access in almost 7,000 Starbucks stores all over the United States. The service is going to be offered to in collaboration with AT&T Inc. Do take note, however, that the stores that will be offering this are only the company-operated ones. Franchised stores will not be part of the scheme. (Boo!)
Here’s the question: will this change entice you to camp out at Starbucks if you don’t normally do it? Will free Internet affect your choice of coffee?
Free Coffee At Barnes & Noble
Books and coffee – what better combination is there? (Ohh yeah, I left the cigarettes out of the picture, sorry!)
If you’re the type who enjoys sipping on a nice hot coffee drink while drinking in words from your nifty e-book reader, then I suggest you head on over to the nearest Barnes & Noble branch. They have an ongoing promo where they will give a tall cup of coffee for FREE to any customer who shows a server an open e-book.
Which readers are qualified? Thank goodness, Barnes & Noble isn’t being nitpicky about this – they’re not limiting e-readers to their own Nook. You can use any of these e-e-readers and still qualify for that free cup of coffee:
• iPad
• iPhone
• iPod touché
• BlackBerries
• HTC HD2 devices
• portable Mac or Windows computers
Isn’t that nice of them? Oh, there IS a catch. The software that you must use to read e-books is the BN e-reader software, of course.
So what’s the point of offering free coffee to those who read e-books in the store?
It all points back to the use of the BN e-reader software. They have been on a campaign to push the use of this piece of software, along with the Nook. One cool thing about the software (aside from the free coffee that you get if you use it) is that you can read selected titles in the store for free for an hour everyday!
Coffee + free books = heaven!
Oooh That Coffee BBQ Sauce!
I met an old friend earlier today. Even after more than a year of not seeing each other, it was great just sitting there for hours and talking. Of course, our conversation eventually focused on food and just how good it feels to eat. (By the way, I don’t have to tell you that we met at Starbucks, do I?)
So anyhow, when I got home, I decided to pass by the grocery store to get some stuff for dinner. I knew I had a steak or two in the fridge, but I wanted to spice it up. Guess what I found? Some Jack Daniels hickory BBQ sauce! Needless to say, I am STUFFED.
That hasn’t stopped me from browsing through some recipes that I somehow stumble upon online. (Seriously, they just seem to pop out. It’s not like I purposely seek them out!)
Here’s one that I think you will love – Texas hickory smoked brisket with coffee barbecue sauce. Now doesn’t that sound heavenly? I found the recipe at CTNow, and the image and words combined just made my mouth water despite the really good meal I just had. Here’s the recipe for the sauce, which I think will be an excellent partner for any other roast meat:
Southwestern barbecue sauce and assembly:
1 large onion, thinly sliced, top to bottom
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
2 poblano or pasilla chiles, seeded and diced
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1 beer, preferably ale
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups ketchup
1/4 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon New Mexico chile powder
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Prepared smoked brisket1. In a heavy-bottom 4-quart pot, combine the onion, garlic, jalapeños and chiles with the coffee and beer. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomato paste, ketchup, maple syrup, molasses, cumin, salt, chile powder and red wine vinegar and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and blend the sauce using an immersion blender or in stages in a stand blender, until fairly smooth. Set aside.
3. Remove the brisket from the foil and slice across the grain into thin strips, reserving any pooled juices and leftover bits. Stir these drippings into the barbecue sauce. Serve the brisket warm with the barbecue sauce on the side.
Coffee Spending On The Rise
How much do you spend on coffee? I am not talking about buying coffee at the supermarket and brewing it at home – indeed, I am talking about “fancy coffee” or as my friend calls it, “designer coffee.”
If you’re like me, you probably do not realize just how much you spend on this kind of coffee on a monthly basis. According to people who have nothing better to do do this kind of thing for a living, Americans are spending more money on designer coffee these days. Indeed, some say that this is a good sign that the recession is actually over.
The numbers are quite interesting: the purchases of fancy coffee went up by 21 per cent in the first quarter of 2010, as compared to the same amount of time in the previous year. The exact amounts vary depending on the location, of course, but in Seattle (where people practically run on coffee) the average person spends $674 per year on the brew!
That is pretty considerable. Think about what you can buy with that kind of money. An iPad. An iPhone. Heck, you can buy a laptop computer!
Still, I suppose I totally get those people who spend that much on coffee – I am probably one of them and just don’t realize it! I mean, yeah, all those gadgets sound nice, but when you need your java fix during the day, you don’t get to think of anything else.
So, sit down and crunch some numbers. How much do you spend on coffee?
Shorter Babies Result From Heavy Caffeine Intake
I wonder if my mom had a lot of coffee while she was carrying me! I highly doubt it, as she is not really much of a coffee drinker now. Anyhow, a group of researchers from The Netherlands recently released the findings of their study: the amount of caffeine intake that a mother has during pregnancy can affect the size of her baby.
The study shows that the effects of caffeine can already be significant in the first trimester, especially if the mother takes 6 cups (or more) of coffee per day. The researchers are from Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam and they conducted the studies on 7,300 Dutch women. When the study commenced, the women were all in their early stages of pregnancy. Some of them were heavy coffee drinkers while some were not.
So what does this mean for pregnant women or women who are planning on getting pregnant?
I suppose the study can serve as a warning. While it does not say that more serious issues may arise from heavy caffeine intake during pregnancy, it is better to be safe than sorry. Still, I can’t really just take these results without any doubts. What about those other studies that say that drinking coffee during pregnancy is okay? More so, the researchers behind this most recent study say that their findings are not conclusive and that they need more information – to which I say again “as usual.”
So, if you want to increase your chances of having a tall kid – just lay off on the caffeine. Your kid will thank you for it.
GE Coffee Makers Recalled
Listen up, people! For sure, you have at least one coffee maker in your home. If one of them is made by General Electric, you might want to check the serial number and see if it is one of those that are included in the massive recall taking place.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission just announced that a certain model of General Electric’s coffee makers has to be recalled – all 900,000 of them. Now why am I surprised that there are that many units of a single kind of coffee maker?
Anyhow, this particular model is the 12 cup digital coffee maker manufactured by well known brand GE. The reason for the recall is that they are – surprise! – a fire risk. The coffee maker units were sold in various Walmart branches for a couple of years – from 2008 to January of this year.
According to reported incidents, there have been 83 cases wherein the coffee makers have overheated. Some of the units melted or burned and several people have been physically injured.
Here’s more information to check if your unit is at risk:
• Black model number: 169164
• White model number: 169165
You can find these numbers – plus the GE logo – printed at the bottom (the base) of the coffee maker. If you are using either model, you can call Walmart immediately and get a full refund.
One thing that’s bugging me: out of 900,000 units, 83 have malfunctioned. This is statistically significant enough to warrant a full recall? Interesting.
Keep Your Cool With These Iced Coffee Tips
If you’re in my neck of the woods, you have probably had it with the heat. I love the sun and the heat when I am at the beach, but when you have to trudge to work in the temperatures we’ve been having in the past months, you’ll want to die! Worse, you can’t even really enjoy that steaming hot cup of coffee!
Of course, there’s always iced coffee, which you can also make at home. If you need to keep your cool and have your java as well, here are some tips that help you whip up the best iced coffee you can ever have.
Choose a dark roast – the darker the better. Even if you do not like this type of roast normally, it will make your iced coffee much better. That’s because the coldness will lessen the flavor, and when ice is added, the brew will get diluted anyway. Alternatively, if you prefer a lighter roast and I can’t persuade you to change that preference, make coffee ice cubes and use that in your iced coffee!
Use sugar syrup instead of regular granulated sugar. This is because the latter does not really dissolve well in cold liquids. If you must use granulated sugar, make sure that you add it to the coffee while it’s hot. An alternative is condensed milk. Vietnamese coffee lovers will swear by this sweetener.
Get some flavored syrup. You can buy flavored syrups at any grocery store, and you will have the freedom to spice up your iced (even hot, actually) coffee.
Grocery Stores To Get Starbucks Flavored Coffee
Pretty soon, we will be able to go to the grocery store and ask for Starbucks flavored ground coffee. I am not saying that everyone wants Starbucks for their home brewed coffee, but for those who cannot get enough of their coffee, this move is going to be a dealmaker.
According to Starbucks Corp., they are planning to release three kinds of flavored coffee to be sold at your local grocery store. This is a big step as other brands have a strong hold in this market. Think Folgers. Think Maxwell House. These are the brands that most everyone buys when they go grocery shopping.
The three flavors are vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon. The line is called Starbucks Natural Fusions, and we can expect them to be available in the market next month.
This move is part of the ongoing campaign of Starbucks to make their products more commercially viable for the average consumer. I have to admit that it makes a lot of sense. Instead of going to a Starbucks store and pay several dollars for one cup of coffee, people can buy the ground coffee and brew it at home – with more or less the same Starbucks taste. For those who brew coffee several times a day, having this product available will be a boon, especially in these hard economic times.
Of course, there will be critics and they will be heard – much like the critics of Via, the instant coffee line that Starbucks developed. If you remember, that line was surprisingly widely accepted by consumers!
While I was one of those naysayers when it came to Via, I am a bit more optimistic about Natural Fusions. What do you think?
