Much More than a Beverage

Although I have made it very clear that I love coffee and that I do not believe there is any harm in drinking coffee frequently (without going over board) I still want to make one last thing clear: Coffee is so much more than just a drink! Coffee can also be a great cooking ingredient! Even to those who may not love coffeee as much as I do, slipping it into a favorite recipe, such has waffles or cinnamon buns, can make a whole world of a difference!

I really like to cook and try new foods,which is why I am so excited about cooking with coffee in particular and want to pass on what I have learned to you. I really urge coffee drinkers to begin to find new ways to insert coffee into their daily lives, broading their horizon when it comes to foods and recipes, as well as better-enjoying something that they already love.

I came across a particularly interesting article entitled "Cooking with Coffee" in with coffee was used as a dry rub for a steak. I never would have thought to use coffee as a way to preapare meats. Combined with ground coffee beans and spices, it's a really smart idea. It can also be used as a marinade for meats as well when added with espresso, soy sauce, brown shugar and a few other spices.

My favorite coffee recipes are of course are the sweets! And my absolute favorite would have to be waffles. I have had a few different types of waffles that were made with coffee and have loved them all. I discovered an additonal recipe online in an article called "5 Delicious Reipes Containing Antioxidant-Rich Coffee," which I recommend for everyone to try called cocoa-espresso waffles! This recipe is amazing and is really something that even the most modest of coffee drinkers will thouroughly enjoy! Good Luck!

A couple more articles with great coffee recipes include:
"Cooking with Coffee: You Don't Always Have to Drink It"
"Cooking with Coffee: Our Favorite Recipes"

Coffee Preventing Diabetes?

I came across this article about coffee decreasing the risk of diabetes in those that drink it frequently. The article lists several different studies where it had been concluded that caffeine, which is the main ingredient in coffee, may have reduced/prevented symptoms of diabetes.

The one example included a case study of 28,000 women whom were all post-menopausal. The women were monitored for 11 years; some of the women drank no coffee while others drank up to six cups of coffee a day. The study concluded that the women who drank more than six cups a day were 22 percent less likely to develop diabetes compared to women who drank no coffee. At the end of the study, the article mentions that the insilin levels were changed regardless of whether or not the women drank decaffinated or caffeinated coffee, meaning that something other than caffeine could be causing these changes.


However, the article never gives a rather why the results are this way, only that the more coffee a person drank, the more positive results that were shown in the study. I would have liked to see a couple predictions as to what exactly it was about the coffee that could be so beneficial. Also, the study mentions that all of the women were post-menopausal but does not mention why this is relevant. I was especially struck by the section where the article mentions that there could be an ingredient in coffee other than caffeine that could be causing these results. I am really curious as to what this could be, especailly since the study involved such a great number of people.

This seems like a really interesting study, especially since coffee and caffeine gets such a bad repuatation, but the article did not provide enough information on this study for me.

Organic vs Regular

I came cross this article about Organic coffee and what makes it so different from regularly grown coffee. Many people know the term "organic" but do not know much more except that it usually means something is more expensive than usual. This article reveals the true meaning and makes it clear why someone would choose to only drink organic coffee. I provided a passage from the article below:
"Organic Coffee vs. Traditional Coffee, A Tale of Two Heavyweights"
By Scott A Wilson


To begin, organic coffee production differs from traditional company in that organic coffee plants grow under shade trees, which serve to purify the soil and prevent water contamination. Given the limited number of shade trees, many coffee growers have opted to produce bigger crops in the middle of pesticide and fertilizer infested territory given the larger surface area. Unfortunately, there is no way to produce non-organic coffee without the use of synthetic chemicals that have been known to harm the environment. Since pesticides pollute the soil, much question has been raised over the declining taste of coffee and its effects on health.


........As you can see, Organic does mean more than expensive and in some cases it can mean avoiding a health risk down the road. Although I personally will drink either regular or organic coffee, I think it is important to know where are food (and drink) comes from because since there is such a demand for low prices right now, people are willing to do almost anything in order to make a profit, even if that means growing a product that they would never eat (or drink) themselves.

The Meaning.

I decided to research a little bit about he actual meaning of the word "coffee" and stumbled upon this article. I was really surprised to discover that the word coffee can be traced back to the Arabic language, specifically the word 'Qahwah' which in Arabic means "coffee drink."And, that at one time the word actually meant something that was defined as "dark stuff" or sometimes even wine! The article also goes on to explain that many different cultures have had many different words for the drink and that at time it was a controversial topic because the spelling of the word, which for a time was a variation of kahua", "kahoueh", "kaffa" or "kahwa, has been changed so many times.

I think it's so cool that the drink as we know it today is something completely different than when it was first invented, and that the word has been around for years, changing over time with people and time periods. Even today, we have different nicknames for coffee such as the title of this very blog, Java!

Here's the article so that you can read more..."Origin of the Word Coffee"

It's Not That Bad :)

To further add to my previous post about whether or not caffeine (mostly commonly found coffee) is a health hazard, I have included two articles that tell the postive sides of drinking coffee/ caffeine.

The first article, "Coffee:The Good News Is Filtering Through" explains how much of the hype over the negative effects of caffeine is mostly geared towards people who drink an extremely abnormal amount of coffee per day, proving that everyone who drinks their cup of coffee in the morning (like me) should not have to panic about developing some weird disease that stems from caffeine. The article also gives a couple of examples of how caffeine can actually be useful!

The second article, "Coffee controversy: Does a Cup of Joe really give you the jolt and boost you desire?" is just a funny article that makes light of the whole debate, stressing the fact that there is nothing wrong with having a cup of coffee in the morning to feel that little extra boost that most people need after a long night.

I'll let you guys decide for yourself about the whole debate, but as for me, you'll still catch me in class with my morning cup of joe!

Caffeine Controversy

For years there has been an on-going controversy over whether or not coffee is unhealthy because of its main ingrediet:caffeine. Some people firmly believe that coffee has no beneficial effects and only cause problems later on down the road. Others believe that as long as coffee is consumed in moderation, there are no harmful effects. Here's an article that explains in more detail the risks that many are worried about when consuming coffee.

The Coffee Controversy

At the end of the article it states that "Individual responses to the chemicals found in coffee are highly varied, due in majority to differences in age, detoxification by liver, use of BCP, HRT, pregnancy status, and neurotransmitter sensitivity. The amount ingested and rate of ingestion may also account for response differences. Despite the controversies of coffee ingestion side effects, 2 cups/day is safe for the vast majority of asymptomatic coffee users" So it's hard to tell exactly how many people the problems mentioned effect....

Just a few fun facts about coffee that many people may not know!
My favorite is "people who buy coffee primarily at drive through windows on their way to work will spend as much as 45 hours a year waiting line." I'm going to need to learn how to use my coffee maker!

A Few Facts about Coffee
from Brian Martell
Coffee is the second most traded product in the world after petroleum. World wide coffee production tips the scales at about 6 million metric tonnes.

It takes five years for a coffee tree to reach maturity. The average yield from one tree is the equivalent of one roasted pound of coffee.

People who buy coffee primarily at drive through windows on their way to work will spend as much as 45 hours a year waiting in line.

Of the various botanical species of coffee trees in the world, only two are extensively cultivated commercially; Arabica and Robusta.

The average person who buys coffee outside the office to consume at work will spend the equivalent value of a round trip plane ticket to Florida every year.

The first coffee house in Europe opened in Venice in 1683, while coffee was available in Europe as early as 1608, mostly for the rich.

The expression “a cup of Joe” to denote coffee, was first coined during WWII, when American servicemen (G.I. Joe) were identified as big coffee drinkers.

The largest coffee-producing nation, Brazil, is responsible for 30 to 40 % of total world output.

In the late 1800’s, Chase and Sanborn put out a flier on how to read the coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup (like a fortune teller).

Coffee cherries usually contain two “beans”, except for the single bean peaberry anomaly. Cherries with three beans are deemed to be a sign of good luck.

A Belgian living in Guatemala invented the first instant coffee in 1906 and later immigrated to the United States. His name, ironically enough, was George Washington.