Coffee Couture: International Flavors

How many countries can you name where you can get coffee beans flavors and blends? The history of coffee takes us to many lands, beginning with Arabic origins and being spread throughout the world to remote regions such as Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Yemen, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, India, Sumatra, Java, New Guinea, Hawaii, Vietnam, and more!

When you take a sip of coffee at your local coffee, do you ever wonder about the story of the coffee that sits in your cup. Perhaps there are real eye-opening stories involving courageous heroes, as well as nasty villains in the process of brewing a simple innocuous looking cup of coffee. All to be able to satisfy our thirst for this dark gold around the world.

Coffee truly is a global icon, something brings us together and allows people to learn from each other from every walk of life. There is a brilliance in taking a sip of your coffee innocently and quietly in your own corner of the world, and perhaps a glimmer of a smile will creep onto your face knowing that although you are sitting in one part of the world, the coffee connects you to the rest of it.

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Coffee Or Sleep? What's Better For Work Productivity?

Which of the following provides greater value:

3.5 hours of productive work 4 hours of unproductive work 2. 1.

If you are like most people you would choose the second option, 3.5 hours of productive work.

Catching an employee sleeping is normally a cause for immediate dismissal. After lunch naps have been stigmatized as a sign of weakness and energy is a sign of strength. Most work places do not provide the facilities to take a nap. But how do you sleep if you're at work? To be productive you need to get enough sleep.

So instead of having a cup of coffee when you feel fatigued after lunch, a short nap instead would do wonders. But, recent scientific studies have shown that we tend to feel sleepy between the hours of 2 pm and 4 pm and that a 15 to 30 minute "power nap" can increase our energy, alertness, and productivity.

For employers, providing facilities for afternoon naps or "mini siestas" will increase your employees' productivity, make them healthier, more alert, and happier. It is a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Lack of sleep is a major problem in today's society. The health risks are extensive. Among other things, lack of sleep increases stress; stress can increase blood pressure, heart disease, migraines, eczema, psoriasis, and can cause sexual problems. An unhealthy employee is a bad employee.

So, if you are a manager or business leader what do you do? Provide napping facilities for your employees and watch your company's productivity soar. Forget about the coffee machines; provide a few beds. Don't be afraid of change. Do what's right. You might lose 20 minutes of actual work time but the after nap time will be so much more productive that you won't even notice.

Take a 15 to 30 minute nap and the remaining 3.5 hours will be more productive. 4 hours of work time left after lunch.

The Truth About My Grandaddy's Coffee

And I'm sure we drove him nuts, as well. Granddaddy worked at night as a security guard, so it was no trouble at all for him to let us go nut! When I was six years old, my granddaddy would take me and my twin brother to work with him.

We had the best granddaddy in the world, just as long as we didn't tell mom, he would let us swear, we could talk about sex, or anything else that we wanted to talk about, and the one thing that mom would have went crazy if she knew that he let us, DRINK COFFEE!

It really isn't as bad for you as you think. I drink for different reasons, now. But, back then, I drank coffee because grown-ups drank it and mom would not let us drink it because it wasn't good for us. And still every time I take a drink of coffee, I think about those special times. My granddaddy introduced me to the greatest drink ever. That started a fire that still burns today.

I've done a lot of research on coffee, and drinking it is not as bad for you, at all, much to my surprise.

Its true. you would think I was crazy, right? what would you say if I told you there was a natural elixir that could lower your risk of diabetes, colon cancer, or Parkinson's disease?

Researchers from Harvard University followed data on more than 126,000 people for 18 years, and what they found would surprise the heck out of you. The research found that drinking one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes by single digits. But, drinking six or more cups of coffee per day slashed men's risks by 54% and more than 30% in women. The more coffee you drink, the better it is for you.

Here's something else that you may not know. In males, drinking sperm stronger. The studies show that coffee consumption makes sperm swim faster and swim a longer distance. Coffee has actually been linked with infertility. This is a misconception.

Here are a few more points that I've found very interesting for you to read. Like both black and green tea, coffee contains antioxidants, wichcan help the cell mutation which may lead to cancer.

Surprisingly- given that coffee may be a migraine trigger- the caffeine may cure headaches. It is one of the ingredients in some pills because it increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers by as much as 40%.

Coffee consumption is also a brain stimulant. As coffee is a stimulant, it can help in concentration. Last year Dr Chiara Trombetti, of the humanities Gavazzeni institute in Italy, went as far as suggesting that a morning cup of milky coffee can get sleepy school children off to a good start. However, that is unlikely to be echoed by nutritionists here, who recommended sufficient sleep and good diet as better ways to cope with the mental demands of the brain.

Coffee even promotes liver health! Though doctors cannot explain the link, but studies have shown that coffee drinkers are less likely to develop liver disease, including Cirrhosis of the liver.

Coffee consumption even decreases the need for surgery on gallstones. Women are twice as likely as men to develop gallstones. In one study, women who drank four cups of coffee each day were 25% less likely to need surgery for gallstones than women who weren't coffee drinkers.

Coffee consumption may actually be good for the skin. Caffeine appeared to improve micro-circulation when applied to the skin in one study, making cellulite look better.

Now, I'm sure my Granddaddy didn't take all this information into consideration when he chose to be a coffee drinker. In fact I know he didn't, he chose coffee because he liked it, but he's almost 90 years old now, and I would like to think that his excessive coffee consumption had a little to do with him still being around, but in any case, I'm still glad he is.

Thank you for reading, and may GOD bless you always, and in always. As always, I hope you found this article both informative and entertaining.

Modern Coffee Tables Are Often Misunderstood

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The actual function of the coffee table has not really changed all that much since its creation. Coffee tables were actually imported by the West and first used as garden tables for drinking tea or coffee outdoors. Then, the coffee table moved indoors began to serve as a rather low piece of furniture could be used to entertain guests or simply read the newspaper in front of with a nice cup of coffee resting comfortably on a coaster.

Today, as has always been the case with this very traditional and ubiquitous piece of furniture, the classic but modern coffee table is a place where friends and family gather. However, modern coffee tables are still necessary but just not in the morning as was traditionally the case in generations past. Mornings are typically reserved for either catching up on much-needed sleep or simply getting ready to start the day. There is precious little need for the formality of sitting down in front of the sofa and drinking coffee when there is barely time to make a cup to go.

Evenings, however, are another story and that is when the modern coffee table may be better known as a cocktail table. Precisely like any traditional coffee table, a cocktail table is set low to the ground and generally placed in front of a sofa or seating area. However, there are some cocktail tables that feature removable benches and other features compatible with game tables.

The difference is subtle, but a cocktail table is not designed specifically for gaming of any kind and tends to be a little more formal. Game tables often have features like built-in boards or places specifically designed to hold chess pieces and similar objects.

Modern coffee tables, however, often get overlooked by some online shoppers who think they are shopping for a cocktail table because they happen not to drink coffee. However, by expanding their shopping search to include artistic modern coffee tables, a person would have a greater selection of contemporary but artistic tables that could perfectly complement any home décor.

So, if you are shopping for a cocktail table because you want a piece of low piece of furniture around the sofa where you can entertain guests in the evening—try expanding your keyword search to include quality modern coffee tables—you will improve your selection and in many cases save money! A coffee table may be a traditional piece of furniture but it has been adapted to contemporary needs and design tastes. Quality-made and artistic modern coffee tables can serve in the save capacity as a cocktail table while possibly saving money and giving you more choices.

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How To Master Your French Press - Plunger Pot Coffee Maker

This will separate your finished coffee away from the grounds by pressing all the grounds to the bottom of the pot. Then you gently press the plunger lid down allowing it to pass through the suspended coffee. You should then allow the coffee to steep for about four to six minutes. The plunger cover is then replaced on the beaker. The French press method is pre-warming the glass beaker with hot water, adding your preferred amount of coffee in the beaker, then adding some slightly cooled boiling water. The French press method is pre-warming the glass beaker with hot water, adding your preferred amount of coffee in the beaker, then adding some slightly cooled boiling water, will create a great blend of aroma and flavor.

Advantages | Disadvantages of your French press

Also there is no paper filter to take away some of the coffee oils - which will help save your delicate aroma. Grounds in this process (steeping) are just under the boiling point, which means no extra boiling or burning which will save the dark, delightful flavor and coffee aroma - with no bitterness. The stop time is less, application of pressure is slight, water is hotter, and the ratio of water to coffee is greater. Advantages: Using this technique gives the richest body of coffee (excluding Espresso).

And if you do not use the medium to coarse grind, you may have sediment at the bottom of our cup. If your coffee beans are ground too fine, it will be harder to press down the plunger lid because of the increased surface tension. Disadvantages: The cooling down of the coffee before the steeping pressure has finished.

Bonus | Using the French press as a foamer to make froth.

Pump the plunger in the pot for a few minutes and the milk will expand to three to four times its volume creating froth for your cappuccino and latte. Pour the milk into a rinsed plunger pot. Do not overheat; just heat it enough that you cannot put your finger into it. Heat a cup of milk (using non-fat has best results) on the stove or in the microwave.

Have You Tried Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

Oh what a flavor! Oh what an aroma! I believe what she says is true, as I remember as a child being awaken by its pleasant aroma. My mother likes to say, "You can stay from miles, yes miles, and smell the Blue Mountain Coffee aroma". Known worldwide for it's outstanding aroma and flavor. For years I have enjoyed the pleasure of Blue Mountain Coffee.

This coffee is guaranteed to be 100% true Jamaican Blue. Only fifteen percent of the coffee grown in Jamaica is authentic Blue Mountain Coffee. Amongst the thick forest, the rainfall, and the mountain's mist, makes it perfect for the growth of the world's finest coffee. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Beans, its name derived from where it's grown on Jamaica's Blue Mountain, which stands approximately 7400 ft high.

You've got to try it. This has been one of Jamaica's best selling souvenirs (if you want to call it that). How can one resist having this coffee?

You have never experienced coffee, until you sip on a cup of blue mountain coffee with coconut cream. Uhm, Good, right? How's that? You may like it. Try using coconut cream. After it has been brewed and you have poured a cup, instead of using the creamer and sweetener, try something a little different. When your order arrives, go ahead and start brewing a pot. First order Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.

Why Shade Grown Espresso Coffee Are The Best

With coffee's growing popularity, the demand for coffee beans has increased. Most of the coffee consumed worldwide is grown on large farms, otherwise known as plantations, where the land has been cleared for rows and rows of coffee plants. These plants, like other crops, are grown and ripened under the warmth of the sun. However, for those who prefer the bold flavor of espresso and other gourmet coffee drinks, the sun ripened beans are just not suitable. Shade grown espresso coffee beans which take longer to mature seem to be the answer to this problem.

Coffees grown in different parts of the world have different flavors, and there are about 800 different components to coffee that has an effect on the taste of the finished product, plus sun ripened coffee beans or cherries tend to be bitterer than shade ripened cherries. Espresso shade grown coffee has a flavor that is both full and dark but smooth. Also, this type of coffee blends better with other ingredients, making it the perfect base for lattes and cappuccinos.

Not only does shade grown coffee have a better flavor, but it is also a more ecologically sound choice. Since most of the land used for the large coffee growers is tropical forest, clearing these lands takes away a vital component in maintaining earth's perfect atmospheric balance. The tropical forests take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen needed to sustain life on this planet. Many argue that by depleting this resource we are contributing to the rise of global warming.

Since there is no need to clear the land when growing shade ripened coffee plants, they become part of the forest. They provide shelter for smaller animals, such as birds and other tiny creatures. Not to mention, since larger plantations do not find this type of coffee crop economically viable, shade grown plants are normally raised on smaller family owned farms. These farmers are able to sell their crops to companies through Fair Trade sources, thus obtaining proper pricing so that they are able to provide proper support for their families. This helps to boost the economy of an underdeveloped area.

Another thing to consider is that shade ripened cherries are organically grown, which means that no chemicals were used during the farming process. This is important because fertilizers and pesticides like DDT, which is banned in the US, are still being used on most of the larger plantations located outside this country. Fertilizer and pesticides like DDT have been linked to cancer, birth defects and other health problems.

So the next time you select coffee for your espresso, or even morning cup of regular Joe, try to remember to look for shade grown espresso coffee beans. You are guaranteed to get a better cup of coffee every time. Also, you are making a healthier choice, one without toxic chemicals that can have lasting effects for years to come.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as coffee beverage at http://www.gourmetespressoandcoffee.com

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