Kids and coffee
Dear Betsy Why do some parents let their kids drink soda but tell them they can’t drink coffee. I see little kids drinking P*&si but get funny looks if they are holding a latte. I don’t get it. sincerely, Kim L. K.L.: Here’s the thing. Soda is evil. Filled with sugar and chemicals, why would you give it to your child. Coffee is sublime. No sugar needed. It helps reduce risk of diabetes, keeps us mentally alert, and may alleviate depression and memory loss. See my previous posts. Oka...
Read moredark roasts?
Dear Betsy: I’m a fan of strong dark roasts but sometimes find them to be too acidic. Any suggestions? sincerely, Kate Dear lovely Kate: It is common to equate acidity with bitterness. Even for a classy coffee aficionado such as yourself. However, in the coffee world, acidity can mean bright, clear, snappy, dry, clean, winey, etc. Coffees without acidity tend to taste flat and dull, like flat soda. Acidity is to coffee what dryness is to wine. Interestingly, coffee acidity levels are high in beans that have a light roast and low when the beans are roasted to dark roasts. Also coffees that are processed using the wet-process method have a higher level of acidity as compared to coffees that are processed using the dry-process method. Usually coffee from Kenya, Ethiopia, and a few othe...
Read moreWhat is Acidity in coffee?
A pungent, tangy taste in coffee, registered on the tip and sides of the tongue, is called acidity. The degree of acidity is an important aspect of coffee flavor, not as measured chemically, but as experienced by drinking the coffee. A robusta coffee grown at a low altitude may have a pale, bland flavor; an arabica coffee grown above 4500 feet at lower temperatures will have a bright, refreshing acidity. The acids emerge as coffee is roasted and light roasts enhance them. Dark roasts diminish acid qualities and emphasize sweetness.
Read moreHow do they take the caffeine out of coffee?
Thanks, Sabre, for your question! Let me preface this with why would anyone want to do such a thing. Why why why. However, promising to research and provide answers to any question, I did find out how caffeine is removed from those precious drops of coffee. Again – why? “Although the caffeine can be removed from roasted beans or from the brew itself, most commercial processes treat coffee beans while still green. Generally, the beans are softened by soaking in water, exposed to a solvent such as methylene chloride or ethyl acetate that removes the caffeine, and then washed or steamed to remove the solvent and dried again. Developed by Ludwig Roselius, the direct solvent process was patented in Germany in 1905 by Hag Kaffee and is used to produce half of today’s decaffeinated coffee. A mor...
Read moreWhy does coffee smell so good? sincerely, Aileen from the UK
Dear Ms. Aileen: Thank you for asking! In the famous words of some guy I don’t know: No coffee can be good in the mouth that does not first send a sweet offering of odor to the nostrils. ~Henry Ward Beecher There seems to be only a small group of components that are responsible for your experiences of those wonderful java aromas, but it is their high level of concentration that makes the aromas so distinct. After you inhale the conventional way, a retronasal perception kicks in. This takes place in the nasal passage during the time the coffee is in the mouth or just after swallowing it. So, it seems the experience begins when you hear that beep of the coffee pot signaling that the brew is ready and the scent is filling up the kitchen – and lasts until the last drop! Walk over to tha...
Read moreIs it true that coffee protects you from skin cancer?
Have I got news for you! Grab your fluffiest towel and prepare your java bath! Caffeine can repair damaged skin. According to the latest research, women who consume six or more cups of coffee daily are 30% less likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma. “Animal studies suggest that caffeine encourages UV damaged skin cells to commit suicide,” says Alan Coney, PhD director of Rutgers University’s Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research.* In other words, the damage that has accrued from previous sunburns can actually be undone to a certain extent by caffeine allowing new and healthy cells to take their place. The same research shows that each 225 ml cup of coffee a woman drank daily was associated with a 5% decrease in nonmelanoma skin cancer risk. *Cosmopo...
Read moreWhy do I feel so much better at work after a coffee break? sincerely, Paula
Well Paula, Imagine yourself at work, phones are ringing, emails are dinging, and the clock is ticking. And you just took off your coat. The morning races along and you enjoy a long meeting stuffed with a presentation, three memos, and additions to the company manual. When the boss tells you to get back to work, do you nod, yawn, then glue yourself to your desk for the rest of the day? You better not, my friend. You sweetly look your boss in the eyes and tell her that MIT rats are ‘forced’ to have a coffee break and, therefore, you should be, too. Gently expound that researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wired rats to view brain patterns while the rats ran through a maze. Researchers found that when the rats took a break, the sequence of electrical activity replayed in ...
Read moreDear Betsy Bean
I’m here for you. How can I help? Delve into your troubled soul and…. okay maybe not a delve but gently reach into your soul, okay maybe not your soul, but if you have a question, troubles, coffee ponderings, I’m here for you.
Read morehelp with job
Oh my sweet friend have I got the answer for you. First of all, you will need not only a strong coffee, but an added touch of, shall we say, cheerful holiday blessings. Pour a cuppa of your favorite Latte’ Da! blend, then add (very quietly) a dash of Irish Cream. No one the wiser and you the happier at your job. And I never said this. As for your secretary, try eight dashes. Then calmly step over her sleeping body and resume your office duties. I’m here to help. BB Dear Betsy, My job is rrreeeaaallllllyyy boring. What is the best kind of coffee to keep me awake all day? Also, I have this really annoying secretary who talks too much. Is there a “special” coffee or tea beverage that will make her a little less talkative? Thanks, Darlene
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