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All About Coffee
Coffee and Health
The debate rages, and most likely will continue to rage, about the effects that coffee drinking has on our health. It all depends on which report or study you read as to whether coffee drinking is good for you or bad for you. Everybody seems to have an opinion, and both camps are adamant that their opinion is the correct one.
There is one school of thought that says that coffee is addictive…and, of course, ANY kind of addition is a very bad thing and should be avoided at all costs. This group says that coffee is a stimulant and that it makes those who drink coffee nervous. It increases the heart rate, they say, and it also raises the blood pressure. It is true that, for health reasons, some people should eliminate or at least limit the amount of caffeine that they
consume, and I am not advocating otherwise. If you doctor tells you to lay off the coffee, then you should follow his or her orders to the letter.
Then there is the school of thought that says that coffee is actually good for you. This group of people, and the reports and studies that they cite, will tell you that coffee is a stimulant that actually increases your concentration and productivity. They will tell you that drinking coffee "relieves boredom, decreases depression, increases alertness, increases physical stamina, and increases performance on boring or repetitive tasks." That sounds like a list of good things!
Drinking coffee is often part of many social situations. We drink coffee first thing in the morning for its stimulating effect, of course, but then we drink coffee at other times of the day with friends or family as part of a ritual of human interaction. And sociability is part of human health, too.
See Also:
Grinders Coffee Co.
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Coffee and Blood Pressure
Coffee Lovers Gift Baskets
I am simply amazed at the variety of coffee lovers' gift baskets that are available today. One of my real coffee-loving friends had an upcoming birthday, and I had determined that I would send him a gift basket made up of coffee and coffee items. We had shared many cups of coffee over the years, and it seemed like an appropriate and thoughtful gift for my old friend.
The idea sounded simple enough, I thought. I would just go online, find a nice coffee gift basket and have it sent to him. Problem solved! That was before I discovered how many choices there were available. It was a mind-boggling array.
I had the option of choosing a gift basket that was already made up and consisted of a variety of gourmet coffees. I had the option of choosing a gift basket that I could determine which coffees would be included. I could give my friend a membership in one of many "coffee-of-the-month" clubs that would provide him with a different gourmet coffee each month of the year.
I could choose coffee gift baskets with coffee that was already ground, or I could choose a coffee gift basket that consisted of a variety of coffee beans and a coffee grinder so he could grind the coffee himself. There were even coffee gift baskets that included an espresso coffee maker and espresso coffee cups along with the coffee. What to choose, what to choose? I had thought this coffee gift basket idea was going to be easy! Well, ordering was easy, but deciding WHAT to order was anything but easy.
I finally made a choice. I chose a coffee gift basket that had a variety of gourmet coffees in single serving packages so that he would enjoy trying different coffees from around the world and now I have a long list of future gift ideas for my friend. |
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Espresso Coffee Machines
Those who love espresso coffee also love their espresso coffee makers. When you happen to overhear them discussing their espresso coffee makers, you would think they were debating the advantage one sports car has over another rather than coffee makers.
There are espresso coffee machine owners who believe that nothing can possibly compare to the coffee that a manual espresso coffee maker brews. There are those who swear that only the semiautomatic variety will make really, REALLY good coffee. Then there are those who wouldn't dream of owning anything other than a fully automatic espresso coffee maker. According to them, only the fully automatic espresso coffee maker can make perfect coffee every time. And so, the debate rages on!
The manual espresso coffee machine owners tell you (and anybody else who will listen) that their manual machines give them full control of the coffee-making process, and they wouldn't want it any other way. They add the water so they have control of quantity to the drop. They add the coffee grounds so they have control to the grain. They have control down to the split second of when to start the frother.
The semiautomatic espresso coffee maker owner will tell you that their machines do everything but turn themselves on and off, which is true. The only thing that the owner of a semiautomatic espresso coffee maker must do is flip the switch on and off, but according to them that is all that is necessary to obtain the perfect cup of espresso.
Those who own fully automatic espresso coffee makers don't have to do anything at all, and that is precisely how they want it. Full automation, they say, is simply the only way to go. Set it and forget it!
And the espresso coffee maker owners haven't even started to debate the advantage one brand might have over all others.
Related Topics: Exotic Coffee Drinks,
Types of Coffee Makers, Coffee and Weight Loss
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