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Coffee Mugs
A Simple Cup of Coffee
A simple cup of coffee is a powerful thing! It can mend fences and save friendships. They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, but it could be that a simple cup of coffee is more powerful than both of them put together.
It had been a tough week in the neighborhood. It was cold, and the kids had been underfoot indoors at one house or the other all week. My neighbor and I had been close friends for several years, but our relationship had gotten seriously strained over this past week. She had called me twice to complain about how my Bobby was tormenting her Shawn. She had sent him home, too, more than twice.
Now, the boys played at my house as often as they played at her house, and I was fully aware of the fact that her Shawn wasn't the little darling that she thought he was. Our relationship and our friendship were nearing the breaking point; there really wasn't much doubt about it.
On Thursday morning, I took the boys to the "Mother's Day Out" program at a nearby local church for the morning. It was my neighbor's turn to drive, but I offered to run the "taxi" service and she accepted.
When I returned from dropping the boys off, I looked across the street at my neighbor's house, and it had the deserted look that most homes have during midwinter. In fact, it looked sad. I looked at the pile of laundry that was waiting for my attention. I looked at the as-yet-unmade beds. Then I looked at my coffee maker and made the decision. I picked up the phone and called my neighbor.
I said, "I know we both have a long list of things that we need to do while the little darlings are gone, but how about coming over for a cup of coffee?" She was there almost before I had time to hang up the phone. We drank a cup of coffee, and we talked about how we were both so tired of being cooped up with rowdy kids. We laughed and we cried, and we mended our broken fences and saved our friendship -- all over one simple cup of coffee.
See Also:
Gevalia - Gourmet Coffees, Coffee Makers and Gift Baskets
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Starbucks Coffee
Coffee with Chicory
You might have visions of Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street when you think about coffee with chicory. The coffee served in New Orleans and all of south Florida comes in two flavors; with and without chicory. The coffee is always strong, and only tourists add anything to the coffee. It is usually served in demitasse cups (4 ounces).
Some people mistakenly believe that the coffee with chicory is stronger and bitterer tasting than coffee without chicory, but that is a misconception. Chicory makes the coffee blacker, but it does not make it stronger or bitterer. Actually, the chicory makes the coffee a little less bitter and a tad sweeter.
Chicory leaves have long been used as a salad green all over the country. They have a distinctive and pleasant taste and add another dimension to green salads that many people find very enjoyable. Chicory root is the part of the plant that is used to make the chicory that is used in coffee. It is kiln-dried and ground. Chicory has no caffeine, and coffee that contains chicory actually has less caffeine than coffee without caffeine.
The people in south Louisiana didn't discover chicory. Chicory has been around for more than 4,000 years. It is mentioned in writings dated to the days of Cleopatra and Napoleon. These ancient writings praise chicory and extol its medicinal properties. It is said to work wonders on the digestive tract and digestive tract problems. The governor of Massachusetts introduced chicory to the colonies back in 1785, and it quickly became a very common household item. It was used to make a drink that was hot, and it was also used as a vegetable that was served either hot or cold.
Chicory in coffee is most often associated with south Louisiana, but chicory has been used for many purposes and it still is being used today. |
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The Health Benefits of Coffee
This is going to come as a shock to a lot of people, but coffee is just loaded with health benefits. It is true! Because coffee tastes so good and provides so much pleasure to coffee lovers, it stands to reason that it would have to be unhealthy…like French fries or T-bone steak or a good cigar, right? Nope! Wrong! Coffee is actually good for you and it is just full of health benefits.
First, coffee has long been known to improve mental alertness and relieve the boredom of repetitious tasks, but that is not even a scratch on the surface of the health benefits that coffee provides.
Coffee has been proven to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Those who are regular coffee drinkers are diagnosed far less often and later in life for both. There are good scientific studies that back up this claim.
Coffee also is loaded with antioxidants. There are scientific studies to back up this claim as well. Regular coffee consumption has been proven to prevent type-2 diabetes in older people. It has also been proven to prevent colorectal cancer. There is also research that suggests that coffee is helpful in fighting Parkinson's disease, cirrhosis, gall stones, and depression.
Coffee drinking can be a wonderful aid in helping reduce body weight. Yes, coffee is a natural appetite suppressant and it provides stimulant that helps people exercise more. Coffee is also a natural pain reducer, so it helps to relieve physical pain caused by exercise.
Coffee actually has so many health benefits that maybe it should be called a "health elixir." We can drink our coffee and know that we are not only not doing any harm to our bodies but actually providing health benefits for it.
Related Topics: Buying Gourmet Coffee,
Start Your Day with Coffee, River Coffee
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