Unusual Channel
Talk about coffee
My day isn't complete if my favorite drink isn't part of it. Coffee is considered one of my favorite things. And a day without it makes me really slow in everything (including being brain dead!). Coffee comes as one special "fix" for me. It may serve a different purpose for some people but that is what coffee is for me. It not only perks me up, it kinda enhances my taste for anything, anything at all; food, sweets, mood (go figure!), and the best part is, it kinda keeps me going (like in the energizer battery commercial) in terms of the work I have to do at home or out of the home. I make sure I always have coffee or else... nothing works for me believe you me! Anyway, I am not exactly an expert in how coffee is made or how it is served but I know for sure how real, good and excellent coffee taste like. I know if it's freshly brewed or just a "re-heat" (out of tipid or ignorance, I guess) kind of coffee that is served before me. I know if its powdered milk or fresh milk that goes with it (fresh milk is the best of course, if you are not dieting) or the coffee creamer they call it (my stomach gets upset with this one, not sure why). I especially like café latte, cappuccino and of course, to really wake me up and give me a boost is one good espresso hmmm... yummy! By the way, it takes forty-two coffee beans to make an espresso (am so glad I never have to count it... I just order it, pronto!) Does espresso have less caffeine than a regular cup of coffee? Yes and no. A cup of espresso (approx. 1 ½ oz.) have about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. Caffeine in espresso per milliliter is higher than a regular cup of drip coffee. Be aware that Espresso is prepared by using twice as much coffee per cup, resulting in a much higher content of caffeine. Darker roasted coffee tends to have less caffeine and less acid than lighter roasted beans. During the roasting process some of the caffeine and the acids are burned off. Caffeine stimulates the body much quicker when taken in a concentrated dosage, such as a cup of espresso.
Here in Iloilo City, there are two coffee shops that serve good coffee (I'm not gonna name them, so sue me!). Anyway, what is important is that they serve freshly brewed coffee. Price? Oh well, one coffee shop serves coffee really cheap considering where it's located. The other coffee shop is quite expensive but its worth it ‘because like I said, freshly brewed. Hmmm... aroma is one thing I really love about coffee. Nice aroma goes with great coffee and this is because it is one of the top ten most recognizable odors. Did you know that antioxidants are found in coffee and its immediate aroma after brewing? And during the brewing process, the antioxidants released are just as potent as vitamins C and E. The antioxidant found in coffee and its aroma could help prevent cancer and heart diseases, diabetes and cataracts. Caffeine stimulates the heart and respiratory systems, the central nervous system, cardiac muscles, and is also diuretic. As a stimulant coffee has a very fast reaction time. Coffee increases mental alertness and activity which can improve reaction time such as driving. Coffee was originally used as a medicine to treat asthma, hay fever and depression. Coffee helps relax the bronchial muscles which help to relieve asthma attacks. Caffeine increases the potency of medicines such as aspirin. It is used in treating migraines by constricting the dilated blood vessels and thereby reduces the pain.
Yes, yes, yes! It sure did cure my migraine! I felt like banging my head to the wall every time it hits me before but now no more! Yes, of course coffee can affect your sleeping pattern and may even prevent you from falling asleep. However, did you know that drinking coffee before going to sleep could also cause intense dreams and give us the ability to remember them in better detail? Amazing, huh? The "losing sleep effect" does not bother me because it doesn't at all happen to me. I sleep soundly with or without coffee I guess, my system got used to the caffeine I don't experience sleep disorders. Oh well, not to mention after doing a load of computer work and a load of wifely and motherly duties, my body can't resist the call of a soft bed and pillow... zees to the slumber world is an easy, no pain thing for me. Drinkers, not of coffee... beer, liquor what not... here's an interesting and helpful info... Recently, coffee was found to reduce the chances of developing cirrhosis of the liver: the consumption of 1 cup a day was found to reduce the chances by 20%, and 4 cups a day reduced the chances by 80%. Always drink moderately is the rule of the game however, just in case of excessive drinking, go roll over and die! (joke lang)
There are some facts about coffee that you may find interesting to know. Coffee is a popular beverage prepared from the roasted seeds (commonly but incorrectly known as coffee beans) of the coffee plant. It is also called coffee berries and was first cultivated in Yemen, the birth of Arabica and Robusta (the two main species of coffee) Arabica is considered a higher quality bean which is more aromatic, heavier in body, a more pronounced acidity and more flavorful brew than your lower-grown coffee. Acidity, by the way is a pleasing sharpness that accents the flavor and adds life to the coffee. Robusta is less flavorful and aromatic than higher grown coffee. These beans are less expensive and usually used as filler in caned coffee, or made into instant coffee. Sounds mid-eastern, huh! It is. Anyway, to give you just a little idea of where it all started, here's something worthy of note. The history of coffee began in the 9th century. It is thought to have originated in the highlands of Ethiopia and spread to the rest of the world via Egypt and Europe. The word coffee is derived from the Arabic word Qah'wa, over Ottoman Turkish Kahve, which originally meant wine or other intoxicating liquors. At that time, due to the Islamic prohibition on drinking wine, preparing and drinking coffee became an important social ritual. The stimulant effect of drinking coffee caused it to be forbidden among orthodox and conservative imams in Mecca in 1511 and in Cairo in 1532 by a theological court. In Egypt, coffeehouses and warehouses containing coffee cherries were sacked. But the product's popularity, particularly among intellectuals, led to the reversal of this decision in 1524 by an order of the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Selim I. In the 15th century, Muslims introduced coffee in Persia, Egypt, northern Africa and Turkey, where the first cafeteria, Kiva Han, opened in 1475 in Constantinople. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Europe, where it became popular in the 17th century. It was the Dutch that started the import of large scale coffee to Europe. Did you know that coffee is the most popular drink worldwide with almost two billion cups consumed every day? And that the U.S. of America is the world's largest consumer of coffee?!! Oh well, they have almost all the gourmet coffee shops like Starbucks, Seattle's Best (is a favorite by the way), Gloria Jeans, Dunn's Coffee Shop among others that serve gourmet coffee. It was that popular that it actually replaced beer as New York City's favorite breakfast drink (beer at breakfast? not if you're alcoholic or an American?). In other countries like Venice, there are alone 218 coffee houses in counting. During the seventeenth century, European coffee was sold in pharmacies because it was considered as a medical remedy. And it was in the same century that Le Procope of Paris was the first coffeehouse ever established and to this day it is still in business. In England, English coffeehouses were centers of intellectual and commercial activity. Lloyds of London, the famous insurance firm, was originally a coffeehouse. What's the most expensive coffee in the world? Don't think too hard now. There is this Indonesian marsupial called paradoxurus. It eats the very best coffee "cherries" off the bush. The Indonesians were known for their selectivity, hence the locals retrieve the intact beans from their feces (its not gonna stop me from drinking coffee) and are sold as Kopi Luwak, which beats out Blue Mountain as the most expensive coffee in the world. Isn't that a place somewhere? Of course, it is! In the eastern end of the beautiful island of Jamaica runs the majestic range of hills known as the Blue Mountains. At 5,500 feet the land is thickly wooded and maintained as Forest Reserve. Below this line, the terrain, the rainfall pattern, the Blue Mountain mist, and the overall conditions are blessed by God to be perfectly suited for the cultivation of the world's most distinguished and delicious coffee; Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. Moreover, it was the Europeans who actually first added chocolate to their coffee hence, the birth of macchiato, mochaccino, café mocha, etc. Chocolate with coffee is a perfect match. I have this friend who can drink two cups of café mocha in fifteen minutes! That good, huh?
Coffee for some nationalities as early as in the seventeenth century became a way of life. It is for me for many years now. Anyway, Italians don't drink espresso during meals like it is done today, espresso after a meal or before a meal. They consider it as a special event of the day so a separate time is given to drinking espresso. They even called it as "Espresso Time". In Greece and Turkey, the oldest person in the room is always served their coffee first. As I said cappuccino is a favorite and did you know that it got its name from the color of the monks' robes of the Capuchin order? Interesting facts about coffee make it more delightful to drink it. Call me a coffee addict all you want and I plead GUILTY! I should know my coffee and that is a no-brainer thing. That is not a sorry excuse too for a coffee addict like me, at least I am not in denial and like what I always say... no coffee, no honey!
By the way, coffee is the best drink partner while reading the newspaper, The News Today at that (sipsip ba?).
"As long as you're going to be thinking anyway, THINK BIG."
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