An old friend of mine drowns his coffee in creamer and sugar; three creams and eight sugar packets per medium cup, to be exact. Always one to give in to his sweet tooth, he'd much rather consume diabetes in a cup than "bitter coffee." I'm not talking about over-extracted espresso here, folks; just your run-of-the-mill cup of Joe.

Some coffees are naturally bitter, even if brewed to perfection. But, what causes that bitterness? General misconceptions blame caffeine; but the truth to the matter is only 15% of the bitter taste is a result of the caffeine content.

Surprisingly, antioxidants are the perpetrators! That's right; the very ingredients that make coffee good for you may be causing the brew's bitterness. Chlorogenic acid lactones, found in light to medium roasts, and phenylindanes in dark roasts give coffee its bite. And, the darker the roast the more likely you are to notice bitterness in the drink.

Some people say bitterness balances out coffee acidity. But, if you're not a big fan of the taste try sticking to light or medium roasts. It's much healthier than having a cup of sugar, with coffee on the side.

Do you take your coffee black or with sugar? If you add sugar to your coffee, how much do you use?

When it comes to my coffee, I expect a great many things: great flavor, aroma, and crema—all at the right temp. Most importantly, I've come to rely on that jolt of energy that comes with a good espresso. But, coffee can only do so much right?

Evidently, according to Nestle, I should be asking much more of my java. Jumping on the nutria-cosmetics (aka ingestible beauty products) train, the company has launched its Nescafe Body Partner Collagen line. Targeted towards women, the instant coffee comes in small sachets containing skimmed milk and, get this, 200 grams of collagen. The concoction is currently being sold in Singapore along with the rest of the Body Partner line including soy and high-calcium premixed coffee blends.

This isn't the first time collagen has been introduced into a grocery store staple. In 2006 Eiwa, a Japanese sweet maker, unveiled a marshmallow made with 3,000mg of collagen—which the company claimed offered the same benefits as filler injections. However, health experts question the effectiveness of ingesting collagen. There isn't much scientific evidence to support the notion that consuming the substance would improve the appearance aging skin.

What do you think? Any chance you'd give this Nescafe line a try if it made it to your local grocery store?

Tho
Writing Department

I'm sure you've heard of the term "coffee breath." People who drink a lot of coffee and reek of coffee are normally known to have coffee breath; but that's not necessarily a bad thing, if the people around you happen to enjoy the smell of coffee. Everybody thinks that coffee causes bad breath and it's often true, because coffee, which has a dehydrating effect in the mouth, becomes potent when mixed with milk, and can ferment into smelly substances. Similar to some juices, coffee also contains a lot of acid. If you're unable to function without your daily dose of caffeine, you could try tea or a low-acid coffee such as Café La Semeuse Classique—which can noticeably eliminate harsh coffee breath smells.

If you're really concerned about smelly breath, you might want to consider loading up on gum, mint, or mouthwash to take away from the potent taste in your mouth. Maybe even try carrying a toothbrush and some toothpaste with you; I hear it also helps take care of tartar as well!

Brian
Sales Department

Let's face it, ours is a society obsessed with youth. Looking and feeling young can occasionally feel like a full-time job; from gym memberships to creams and cosmetics, some people will go to great lengths in search of that illusive fountain of youth. Heck, I've even heard of women using face lotions made with placenta to ward off those pesky wrinkles! To them and the rest of us who sometimes like to indulge in our vanities, I'd like to humbly suggest a more appealing alternative....

According to London professor Declan Naughton, from Kingston University's School of Life Sciences, white/silver needle teas, such as those used to make our whimsical line of Teaposies, showed tremendous anti-aging potential in laboratory tests. In fact, white tea outperformed all 21 herbs and plant extracts tested by researchers; besting them by a significant margins. Remarkably, white tea can stop enzymes from breaking down collagen and elastin--proteins which help repair body tissue as well as stop skin from sagging. Even more surprising, according to professor Naughton, it doesn't take very much white tea to make a noticeable difference, "We were testing very small amounts, far less than you would find in a drink. The early indicators are that white tea reduces the risk of inflammation, which is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers, as well as wrinkles."

So, next time you're in a mood for tea, why not do your body a big favor and pick up a posy?

Tho
Writing Department

We have all heard stories of coffee and it’s health benefits. Did you know that the aroma itself can be a pick me up?  A study done by Han-Seok Seo, of the Seoul National University in South Korea has determined the beneficial effects that coffee aroma can play.

Seo and his colleagues have done studies on lab rats which were stressed by sleep deprivation. They allowed the sleep deprived Rats to sniff the aroma that coffee produces. They then compared the expression of certain genes and proteins in the rats’ brains with other sleep deprived rats who were not allowed to sniff the coffee. They found in the rats that sniffed the coffee, some of the genes expressed proteins that have healthful antioxidant properties that are known to protect nerve cells from stress related damage. The rats that were not allowed to smell the coffee aroma did not show these expressions in their genes.

One can imagine the feeling you get when you walk into a kitchen or restaurant where there is brewed coffee or coffee that is brewing fresh. That feeling you get where you just feel all the stresses and pressures from a long day or new day go away, almost like they were lifted away from you. Is that what the aroma has done to you? One can only imagine. I know that when I smell a bag of fresh coffee after I get home from the market, my eyes roll back and I feel at peace. Lets everyone take time and, “smell the coffee!”

Do you agree or disagree? I'd love to hear some thoughts!

Beau
Customer Service/Sales Supervisor