Coffee Is A Historic Beverage, And It Makes For A Great Gift

So where did this famed drink come from? We drink it out of habit, we drink it for flavor; whatever the reason, it is surely a popular beverage. For some of us, it keeps us up during the day, or for late night study sessions. a fantastic dark beverage that wakes us up in the morning. Ahhhhh, coffee...

However, Homer, and according to Arabian tales speak of a mysterious bitter black beverage with powers of stimulation that could have been this drink. The most notable dates point to around 800b.c. In the East it was widespread at every level of society, since the earlier era. Coffee, for Americans, is three hundred years old.

From there it spread to Egypt, Yemen, and Arabia, where it became a part of daily life. No matter how it actually was created, the fact remains that the coffee plant started in Africa, in an Ethiopian region known as Kaffa. After relating his observations to a monk, they boiled the berries and made a beverage that could disperse sleep and weariness. In 1400 a Yemeni goat herder observed his flock eating reddish berries, then becoming excited and restless. About the year 1000, coffee was being used for medicinal purposes.

By the 20th century, various forms of coffee were developed for the public. Much later, around 1727 coffee growing started in Northern Brazil. However, due to an increasing demand for the new beverage, and high taxes on shipping, there was experimentation with growing the crops in various other countries. In the late 1500s coffee was a commodity, being sold in Europe.

This was marketed in the 1920s. They developed the process of taking the caffeine out of the beans without losing any flavor. Decaffeinated coffee was first founded in 1903 when Ludwig Roselius, a German coffee importer, gave a batch of damaged coffee beans to researchers.

Instant coffee was first mass produced from the invention of George Constant Washington, an English chemist living in Guatemala. While waiting for his wife one day to join him outside for coffee, he observed on the spout of the silver coffee urn, a fine powder, which looked to be the condensation of the coffee vapors. This excited him and led to his founding of soluble coffee.

In 1906 he started experiments and put his invention, Red E Coffee, in the markets in 1909. Nestle', in 1938, trying to aid Brazil with their coffee surpluses created freeze-dried coffee. Nescafe was started and first introduced into Switzerland. Instant coffee became a fad after 1956 when commercial television was the new craze.

And now in the US alone, 400 billion cups of coffee a year are consumed. Coffee is one of the world's largest commodities, second only to oil. From a remote area in Africa, to millions of shelves and homes worldwide, coffee has became a fixture everywhere.

The author has been a passionate coffee drinker for many years. She has tasted coffees from all over the world, and believes in serving and entertaining her guests with only the best.

She has catered hundreds of events and affairs and is known for her attention to details, especially regarding picking the perfect coffee.

sales of energy drinks continue to increase

Although soft drinks still sell the most of all cold drinks, energy drinks continue to chip away, claiming a larger percentage of the lucrative market each year. Energy drinks are becoming the beverage of choice for many young people, and as their popularity rises, so do the sales numbers. Hip and edgy advertisements promise that energy drinks will ignite your mind, refresh your body, help you party like a rock star, and enhance your performance and stamina. Much of the gain in popularity of energy drinks has to do with aggressive marketing campaigns directed primarily at young people. Of course, they are also used to mix popular alcoholic drinks and cocktails. Energy drinks are especially popular among college students looking for something to help them stay alert during all-night study sessions. Slick and colorful packaging increases the attraction for users lured by the "cool" factor. Energy drinks with names like Rock Star, Monster, Red Bull, Full Throttle, Spike, Amp and Life Force all sell the image of strength, energy and speed. Although young people make up the largest percentage of users, energy drinks appeal to truck drivers trying to stay awake for the long haul, computer programmers, young professionals, and athletes hoping to increase performance. Energy Drinks Have Double the Caffeine of Soft Drinks Caffeine is the primary ingredient in energy drinks, with most drinks containing twice the amount of caffeine as soft drinks Ingredients making up the remainder of energy drinks vary widely, but sugar is generally the secondary ingredient, in itself an energy booster for most people. One container of energy drink will have between 14 and 17 teaspoons of sugar, and if several cans are consumed, that's a tremendous amount of sugar. Many health professionals recommend a limit of 12 teaspoons of sugar per day. Other ingredients vary from brand to brand, and are often herbal, allowing the producer to promote the drink as healthy and nutritious. Most of these herbal ingredients are energy boosters. Taurine is an amino acid that is found naturally in the body. A person's taurine balance can become depleted during extreme physical exertion and high stress. It is also believed to have antioxidant properties that can enable the body to dispose of toxins and harmful substances more efficiently. L-Carnitine is another amino acid found naturally in the human body, believed to increase energy and metabolism. Many energy drinks contain herbs such as ginseng and guarana root, which are thought to be healthy ingredients that increase energy and reduce stress; or ginkgo biloba, which is believed to aide memory and concentration. Possible Risks of Energy Drinks The high levels of caffeine in energy drinks can create problems for many consumers. Caffeine is a stimulant, and is known to be mildly addictive. When used excessively, it can create stomach ulcers, nervousness, headaches and heart palpitations, but how much caffeine it takes to cause problems varies from person to person. Thought to be potentially more problematic are the various extra energy boosters. The level of these ingredients is usually not listed on the label, and it's often difficult to know how ingredients such as taurine, L-Carnitine and energy-enhancing herbs will affect the body when combined with caffeine. Although the jury may be out about the health benefits and potential risks of energy drinks, there is no argument that they become particularly dangerous when they are combined with alcohol. Unfortunately, this use of energy drinks is becoming increasingly popular.

Mixing a depressant like alcohol with a stimulant like an energy drink is often an invitation for trouble because the energy drink can lessen alcohol's effect on the metabolism. As a result, it's easy to drink more and feel the effects less, an especially dangerous combination that leads drinkers to believe they aren't as impaired as they really are. Energy drinks can also make alcoholic drinks taste less like alcohol.

Energy Drinks in Moderation

However, energy drinks should not take the place of proper nutrition and adequate rest, should never be mixed with alcohol. An occasional energy drink will cause most people no problems whatsoever, and may give the user a slight and short lived boost of energy. Energy drinks are believed to be a safe drink when used in moderation. When is comes to energy drinks, the old adage is especially true.

Although soft drinks still sell the most of all cold drinks, energy drinks continue to chip away, claiming a larger percentage of the lucrative market each year. Energy drinks are becoming the beverage of choice for many young people, and as their popularity rises, so do the sales numbers.Hip and edgy advertisements promise that energy drinks will ignite your mind, refresh your body, help you party like a rock star, and enhance your performance and stamina. Much of the gain in popularity of energy drinks has to do with aggressive marketing campaigns directed primarily at young people.Of course, they are also used to mix popular alcoholic drinks and cocktails. Energy drinks are especially popular among college students looking for something to help them stay alert during all-night study sessions.Slick and colorful packaging increases the attraction for users lured by the "cool" factor. Energy drinks with names like Rock Star, Monster, Red Bull, Full Throttle, Spike, Amp and Life Force all sell the image of strength, energy and speed.Energy drinks appeal to truck drivers trying to stay awake for the long haul, computer programmers, young professionals, and athletes hoping to increase performance. Energy drinks appeal to anyone who feels like they need an extra boost, and these days, that means most of us. Although young people make up the largest percentage of users, energy drinks appeal to anyone who feels like they need an extra boost, and these days, that means most of us. Energy Drinks Have Double the Caffeine of Soft Drinks Possible Risks of Energy Drinks



Energy Drinks in Moderation

However, energy drinks should not take the place of proper nutrition and adequate rest, should never be used in place of a meal, and should never be used in place of a meal, and should never be mixed with alcohol. An occasional energy drink will cause most people no problems whatsoever, and may give the user a slight and short lived boost of energy. Energy drinks are believed to be a safe drink when used in moderation. When is comes to energy drinks, the old adage is especially true.