Women Coffee Drinkers May Have Fewer Strokes

Drinking coffee may do more than just keep you awake. A new study suggests an intriguing potential link to mental health later in life, as well.

A team of Swedish and Danish researchers tracked coffee consumption in a group of 1,409 middle-age men and women for an average of 21 years. During that time, 61 participants developed dementia, 48 with Alzheimer’s disease.

After controlling for numerous socioeconomic and health factors, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure, the scientists found that the subjects who had reported drinking three to five cups of coffee daily were 65 percent less likely to have developed dementia, compared with those who drank two cups or less. People who drank more than five cups a day also were at reduced risk of dementia, the researchers said, but there were not enough people in this group to draw statistically significant conclusions.

Dr. Miia Kivipelto, an associate professor of neurology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and lead author of the study, does not as yet advocate drinking coffee as a preventive health measure. “This is an observational study,” she said. “We have no evidence that for people who are not drinking coffee, taking up drinking will have a protective effect.”

Dr. Kivipelto and her colleagues suggest several possibilities for why coffee might reduce the risk of dementia later in life. First, earlier studies have linked coffee consumption with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, which in turn has been associated with a greater risk of dementia. In animal studies, caffeine has been shown to reduce the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, coffee may have an antioxidant effect in the bloodstream, reducing vascular risk factors for dementia.

Dr. Kivipelto noted that previous studies have shown that coffee drinking may also be linked to a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease.

The new study, published this month in The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, is unusual in that more than 70 percent of the original group of 2,000 people randomly selected for tracking were available for re-examination 21 years later. The dietary information had been collected at the beginning of the study, which reduced the possibility of errors introduced by people inaccurately recalling their consumption. Still, the authors acknowledge that any self-reported data is subject to inaccuracies.

VASSALBORO, Maine — Planning officials in Vassalboro, Maine, approved a proposal for a topless coffee shop.

The planning board reviewed the application and deemed it meets all of the ordinances regarding traffic, parking and lighting. The panel voted 5-0 late Tuesday to approve the project, Portland, Maine television station WMTW reported.The proposed coffee shop would take over the former Mac Daddy’s Pub at the Fat Cat Grille along busy Route 3.

The owner kept a low profile until Tuesday’s meeting. There have been restaurants and bars, but the building — with a log-cabin facade– has been empty for four years.Longtime Vassalboro resident Debbie Jordan, said she would prefer not to have a topless coffee shop move in.”We just found out about it this morning and we are opposed to it,” she said. “It’s not going to bring in a good crowd, and we’ve had those kinds of things in the past with it being a bar and it can get very loud.”Not everyone in the small town thought the proposal was a bad idea. Some neighbors said a former business at the same location used to bring in female dancers from time to time without any problems.”I say, bring the money in,” said Kevin Goodrich, a resident. “People need jobs and it’s a good place to go. The economy’s not very good right now, so why not do it?”The planning board has no jurisdiction over employee attire, and there is no ordinance in Vassalboro that prohibits adult entertainment.

Raise high the coffee bean! Good news, coffee-drinkers: a new study shows your beverage of choice may lower your chances of getting oral, esophageal and pharyngeal (back-of-the-throat) cancer.

Japanese researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology this week that people they studied who drank a cup or more of Joe daily had about a 50 percent less chance than non-imbibers of developing these cancers.  The scientists based their findings on 13 years of data of some 38,000 people ages 40 to 64 with no history of cancer.

According to the study, coffee drinking lowered the odds of these types of cancer even in people with high-risk behaviors (read: smoking and boozing).

“Caffeine has been suggested to suppress the progression of tumor cells,” senior study author Toru Naganuma, an epidemiological researcher at Japan’s Tohoku University, told ScientificAmerican.com in an email. He noted that other studies have also linked moderate coffee drinking to reduced risk of liver cancer.

“The evidence is pretty strong” in this research, says Ann Gillenwater, a professor of head and neck surgery at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, who was not involved in this study.

But that doesn’t mean you should start downing double espressos hourly. Recent research suggests that too much caffeine can lead to insomnia, anxiety and might up the risk of miscarriage in the early stages of pregnancy.

Besides, the study authors point out, caffeine alone is not the answer, noting that “high-level consumption of fresh vegetables and fruit” have also been linked to lower cancer rates.

The upshot, says Gillenwater: to lower your risk of oral cancers, “you want to have good dental hygiene and eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and maybe [drink] coffee. Who knew?”

Credit: © iStockphoto.com

Make Sure Your Coffee Maker Gets Hot Enough

December 21, 2008

For 12-cup brew stations, which can fill cups directly from the machine, the Hamilton Beach Brew Station 47454, $70, is the top scorer and a Consumer Reports Best Buy. For eight- to 10-cup grind and brew models, which save the trouble of grinding beans separately, the top scorer is Mr. Coffee GBX23, $50, another Consumer Reports Best Buy.

How To Save On Your Next Cup

•Skip the pros. KitchenAid’s heavy, die-cast Pro Line carafe model, $200, is to coffee makers what “pro style” is to stoves. This multicup carafe model brewed impressively. But the top-ranked Cuisinart brewed as well for half the price and was easier to use. Nearly as convenient: the $40 Michael Graves, a Consumer Reports Best Buy.

•Consider a separate grinder. It lets users save some or all of what they grind for later. Burr grinders, which crush the beans, tend to grind more uniformly than blade grinders, which chop them. Consumer Reports tested the burr-grinding Capresso Infinity 565, $140; Cuisinart Supreme Grind DBM-8, $50; and Krups GVX2, $60; and the blade-grinding Black & Decker CB-G100S, $20; Mr. Coffee IDS77, $20; and Cuisinart Grind Central DCG-12BC, $30. The Capresso and Cuisinart burr models served up the most consistent results. But the $20 Mr. Coffee came close.

How To Choose

When choosing a coffee maker, consider trading the usual paper filter for a permanent metal one ($5 to $10), which can pay for itself in as little as a year. Here are other points to consider before buying:

•Match the model to your routine. Brew stations eliminate the carafe by pouring directly into a cup. But multiple cups require multiple trips to the machine. To-go models can fill a mug in less than three minutes compared with more than six minutes for most multicup units.

•Weigh the features. Programmable coffee makers can be set in advance to start when you get out of bed. A thermal carafe (about $20 to $40 separately) keeps coffee warm without heating so it doesn’t taste burned. Brew-strength control adjusts the brewing time or lets some water pass around the beans for milder coffee without underbrewing.

• Use enough coffee. When you pay more for specialty coffee, it’s tempting to use less when you brew. Don’t skimp. Start with one rounded tablespoon per cup for full-flavor coffee. Not using enough coffee can cause a bitter flavor.

• Use clean, cold water. Remember that more than 98 percent of your brewed coffee is water, so make sure the water tastes good. If your water is too “hard,” has unwanted organic compounds, or too much chlorine, it can degrade the taste of your coffee, no matter how flavorful the beans are or how well your brewing equipment works. Consider using filtered water.

• Treat yourself to a quality coffee brewer, either automatic or manual – it will make a difference in the taste of your coffee. Look for one that states that it brews with water at a consistent 195-200 degrees. The brewer should make a full pot of coffee in less than eight minutes. Most coffeemakers take too long to brew and over-extract flavor from the ground coffee, a process that produces a bitter taste.

• Brewed coffee has a short shelf life. After about 20 minutes on a warming plate, the flavor can deteriorate to the point of being undesirable. Prolong the freshness of your brewed coffee by holding it in a thermal carafe or thermos. (Bunn)

Coffee is highly perishable. This is especially true of ground coffee. Store your coffee in an opaque, airtight, moisture-proof container. Whole beans stay fresher much longer than ground so the use of a good home grinder (blade or burr) is highly recommended. Try to buy no more coffee than you will use in one month.  If you do buy more coffee than you can use in a month, keep it in the multilayer bag that you bought it in, place it in a ziplock bag and place in the feezer.  Be sure to allow to come to room temperature before opening the bag.

1. Brew a pot of double-strength coffee. I prefer to use the usual amount of fresh ground coffee with half of the water that you usually use.

2. Either let the coffee cool or use it as soon as it is brewed (you will just need more ice). If you use sweetener with your coffee you may want to add it now as it will be easier to dissolve.

3. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes (or coffee cubes) and pour in the coffee. Add cream if you wish.

4. Stir to equalize the temperature.

5. Enjoy a cold, refreshing glass of iced coffee!

Tips:

A) Iced coffee is better with darker-roasted coffees like my Sumatra, Guatemala, and Goose Lake Blend.

B) For a decadent version of iced coffee, stir sweetened condensed milk into warm coffee before pouring it over ice.

C) Make your iced coffee even more special by topping it off with a small scoop of coffee ice cream, a mint sprig, and even a chocolate stick on the top, and you have an excellent end to a meal in the hot summertime.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. U.S.A. (May 7, 2008) – By most accounts the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) 20th Annual Conference & Exhibition, held May 2 – 5 in Minneapolis, Minn., was a success. As the world’s largest coffee trade association, SCAA assembled 7,321 specialty coffee professionals from more than 40 countries. The international conference featured the Coffee of the Year Competition and the United States Barista Championship, hosted by Krups, and more than 850 exhibit booths spotlighting the latest, most innovative coffee products available.

As the world’s largest coffee event, the conference curriculum provided hours of education on topics such as growing and processing, roasting, brewing and serving, quality and standards, sustainability, industry trends, coffee cupping and agroecology. Conference attendees included coffee producers, exporters and importers, roasters, retailers, manufacturers, baristas and coffee enthusiasts.

The conference theme of “Roots” was fitting as the association featured Ethiopia—the birthplace of coffee—throughout the four-day event. The conference also featured the “experience” of Ethiopia, including music, coffee ceremonies and presentations of traditional attire and customs.

United States Barista Championship The 2008 United States Barista Championship also took place in conjunction with the annual SCAA event. The championship title was presented to Kyle Glanville from Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea in Los Angeles. Glanville edged out 58 of the nation’s other top baristas to become the nation’s best coffee server.

Roasters Guild Coffee of the Year Competition In this prestigious event, experienced SCAA judges presented C.I. Racafe & CIA S.C.A. of Colombia with the Gold Award for producing the world’s best specialty coffee in 2008. Judges cupped or thoroughly evaluated six distinct attributes of the competitors’ coffee samples, including fragrance, aroma, taste, flavor, aftertaste and body. The Silver Award went to Panama’s Hacienda La Esmerelda, which had won the previous three competitions. Volcafe Specialty Coffee of Ethiopia won the Bronze Award.

A ‘green’ conference In accord with SCAA’s mission of promoting sustainability in the specialty coffee industry, the association created a carbon neutrality program to help offset emissions related to conference travel, lodging and energy consumption. Conference attendees paid a small tariff to participate in the program. The funds collected will be donated to sustainable agroforestry non-profit organization, Trees for the Future, for the purchasing and planting of new trees.

I will be posting information about anything coffee. Check back often to see what is new. Hope you enjoy the posts and perhaps learn more about coffee. If you have a question you would like answered or a topic you would like explored, leave a comment and Ill try to get something posted when I can.