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Coffee: Facts Or Trivia

hendri — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:01:26 +0000

Through the years since it was discovered, coffee had acquired a long and colorful history. As such, it had gained some very colorful historical sidelights through the ages. Here are some of them, collected by some ardent scribes for their novelty perhaps, or for some other reasons known only to them.

Of course, for the modern reader, some of these anecdotes and declarations sounded apocryphal and dubious. For all they’re worth, here are some of them.

Coffee or divorce
In Turkey, bridegrooms were once required to make a promise during their wedding ceremonies to always provide their new wives with coffee. Failure to do so would be grounds for divorce.

The sniff squad
Once in Germany, the government hired a special force group known as Kaffee Schnufflers. Their duty? Sniff out the illicit coffee roasters and smugglers. It was an intense campaign initiated by King Frederick who thought coffee drinking soldiers could not be depended on. Fortunately, he fell in love with coffee, and the campaign was disbanded.

Sock it to me, pardner
Back in the Old West, the drink was called Cowboy coffee. It was their style of making coffee: putting ground coffee into a clean sock, immersing it in cold water, and heating it over the campfire. When ready, they would pour the coffee into tin cups to drink. Somebody claimed it tasted great, too.

Coffee beauty treatment
The Japanese, the third largest consumer of coffee in the world, had another use for coffee. Or at least the leftover grounds. Fermented with pineapple pulp, the coffee grounds were used as bathing aids to improve their skin and reduce wrinkles.

Coffee bean counter
Beethoven, a known coffee lover, was not only particular about his music. He was also particular about his coffee brew. He always wanted 60 beans for each cup of his coffee.

Coffee punch drunk
It was also said that Honor de Balzac, the famous 19th century French writer, drank up to 40 cups of coffee every day.

Coffee lessons
In the 17th century, coffeehouses in London were called “penny universities” because a person could buy a cup of coffee for 1 cent and get educated by the discussions inside.

Blowing in the coffee wind
Well-known performers such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan began their careers performing in coffeehouses. Another singer, Lightnin’ Hopkins, complained about his woman’s neglect with her domestic situation because of her coffeehouse socializing in his 1969 song, Coffeehouse Blues.

Must be the coffee
In 1686, the first coffeehouse was opened in Paris. It was called Le Procope, and it is STILL in business today.

The coffee song
In 1732 Johann Sebastian Bach composed his Kaffee-Kantate. It was in part an ode to coffee and a stab at the movement in Germany that wanted to prevent women from drinking coffee.

Bless this coffee
Once in the past, coffee was believed to be the devil’s drink. Pope Vincent III heard about it and decided to taste it. He enjoyed it so much he baptized it, saying “Coffee is so delicious it would be a pity to let the infidels (Muslims) have exclusive use of it.”

Freedom coffee
Both the American Revolution and the French Revolution were born in coffee houses. The American Revolution was developed by patriots who were customers in the Green Dragon (some say it was the Green Lion) Public House in London.

Fraternity liberty equality coffee
The infamous French Revolution in 1789 was spurred on by Camille Desmoulins’s verbal campaign in coffeehouses. People took to the streets and two days later the Bastille fell, marking the overthrow of the French Government and changing France forever.

Coffee, for all its delicious history before, will surely have more stories to come in the future. May the future citizens of the world still enjoy its exquisite flavor and the accompanying stories as well!

The Coffee Retail Business: A Bird’s Eye View

hendri — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:05:09 +0000

What are the basics for a coffee retail business?
What is the success ratio of putting up such a business?

The coffee retail business is one of the fastest-growing retail businesses in the world today. The biggest factor for such a phenomenon could be attributed to the current fascination of people, mostly the young, for coffee and coffee products.

The success factor might have been helped by the success of the major players (Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, etc.) who helped develop the market and educating the consumers along the way. They also provided their own business models for the coffee retail business.

This short article does not pretend to be a comprehensive manual for setting up a successful coffee retail shop. This is rather more like a general introduction, some quick do’s and don’ts of the business, and how it looks from the outside.

Knowing the business

One must be prepared first by knowing what the business is all about. One needs to consult all of the books, manuals and other materials available on the how-to’s of the business before anything else.

The money aspect
You have to know how much money you need to start up your business, how much money you have, and how much money you need to run it. What you have will determine what you can do.

Business plan
Your planned coffee shop is your business card when you talk to potential lenders or investors. Your plan will demonstrate how you see your business on paper. Make it the best it can be.

Your business site
Finding the right location is critical to your shop’s success. Research has it that while people love coffee, they will rarely go more than a block or two for it. Your location should be at the center of the action, have high visibility and a high number of people passing by daily. Coffee is an impulse buy and a luxury product. People are not likely to go too far out of their way to find you.

Important note: If you have no retail experience, hire a professional.

People from City Hall

You have to understand that getting an official approval of your business dealing with bureaucracy and red tape can be a highway to hell. Things will settle down in the end, but you have to be prepared for the worst. Slate and local codes and laws are confusing at times but you need to navigate your way. It is important to work closely with your local, county and state officials in everything you do.

The shop
In coffee shop operations, service and customer flow are very important considerations in the design of your shop. Even if you are working with an architect, consult a coffee store professional. Your architect may not be familiar with the operational needs of a food service establishment such as your shop; equipment layout and placements, work and customer flows, heavy traffic areas, etc.

Menu
Today’s gourmet coffee shop owners agree that there is customer demand for some type of food service. Base your menu on your assessment of your customers. It can serve as extra sales generator in slow hours.

Equipment
After the menu and the bar design are finalized, it is time to select and buy your equipment. Make a checklist and compare prices and features. Take your time as you decide on your choices with great focus on quality and reliability.

Hiring and training employees
Finding good employees is extremely hard. Training them is the most important part of your function as owner. Emphasize their being your teammate in the success of your operation. Training should also be ongoing. Your employee’s skills are critical because what they produce is your shop’s main product. Always insist on perfection. Your customers will be glad.

Marketing
Market your shop as soon as possible, even starting while construction is going on.

If operations are now in place, the marketing should not stop. It should be renewed each time. You and your employees are front-line marketers of your shop.With luck and an eye always open for improving things, your coffee retail business might join the other thousand successful ones around the world.

How Coffee Stands in Studies to Prove its Health Benefits

hendri — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:08:55 +0000

Many studies are now looking at how beneficial drinking coffee everyday is. There have been initial research efforts that show health advantages of coffee in animals. It is not surprising if studies find and prove that the favorite hot beverage of people around the world could really show advantages. It has been initially found that drinking one to two cups of coffee everyday could help prevent several diseases.

Heart ailments: A study has found that in a sample of 1,354 respondents aged 65 years and older, those who have been drinking coffee on a regular basis for 10 years or more exhibited a 43% lower possibility of experiencing coronary heart diseases. Adults who do not drink coffee at all have been found to be more at risk for different heart problems. It was also found that most coffee drinkers do not show signs of heart valve problems. Caffeine is believed to be responsible for this health benefit.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: Several studies have concluded that drinking a cup or two of coffee everyday could lower the possibility of contracting Alzheimer’s disease by about 30 percent to 64 percent. A particular study in Finland has found that adults who consumed about three to five cups of coffee daily were not as likely to contract Alzheimer’s disease by 62 percent to 64 percent. These adults also were found to between a 65 percent and 70 percent less possibility of developing dementia compared to those who do not drink coffee at all. In the same study, it was found that coffee was the best and most recommended source of caffeine rather than tea or several soft drinks.

Type 2 diabetes: There is also evidence that drinking coffee everyday may help prevent the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes that is also linked to a greater risk of developing dementia.

Several forms of cancer: Caffeine in coffee was also proven to help prevent development and onset of specific types of cancer. In particular, some research efforts have found that regular coffee drinkers are not as likely to develop oral cancer. Other cancer forms may also be avoided such as cancer of the pharynx, the mouth, and the esophagus. Caffeine intake may even spare heavy alcohol drinkers and smokers from developing oral cancer.

Take note, however, that experts still advise people to avoid or give up excess alcohol intake and tobacco smoking to make the risk of developing oral cancer almost impossible.

Benefits Of Coffee

hendri — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:59:06 +0000

Coffee is considered as a popular beverage enjoyed by various people all over the world. It has been considered as an important part of many cultures both ancient and modern. The benefits of coffee usually extend to the way it has shaped and influenced the way humans lived through the years. But until recently, researchers have also found out that coffee may also provide a number of healthful benefits.

Health Benefits
Because of its wide popularity among people as a preferred beverage, many studies have been made to better understand coffee and its possible effects on the human body. There have been no fewer than 19,000 studies conducted during the recent decades to try and understand the impact of coffee on health. So far, the results have offered a hopeful view to one of the world’s most popular beverages.

Coffee and Parkinson’s

Some studies have shown that coffee drinkers stand less of a risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by as much as 80 percent. The more that people seem to drink coffee, as shown in some of the studies, the lesser are the risks.

Other studies have indicated that drinking coffee may also affect the development of other diseases and conditions. When compared to not drinking coffee, coffee drinkers of at least two cups daily stand to enjoy 25 percent less risk of developing colon cancer. This may also translate to an 80 percent reduced risk of liver cirrhosis and about a 50 percent reduced risk of developing gallstones.

Coffee Vs. Vices
Other studies also indicate that coffee seems to offset some of the damage caused by other vices such as smoking and alcohol drinking. People who are smokers and heavy drinkers seem to suffer from less heart disease and liver damage when they also drink large amounts of coffee regularly as compared to those people who don’t. Coffee also has been found to be a good way to help manage and control a person’s asthma in the absence of medication.

Coffee also is known to help stop a headache, boost a person’s mood and even help prevent the spread of cavities. Coffee is also known as an effective aid in trying to enhance athletic endurance and performance. The known benefits of coffee stand to increase the more researchers begin to study about them. These benefits would likely endear this all-time popular beverage to more and more people.

A Couple of Coffee Tips for Fellow Drinkers

hendri — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:58:47 +0000

If you love coffee so much then now is the time that you should begin to understand how to get the best deals when buying your coffee, what are the best ways of grinding the beans, a wise way of storing the coffee and the proper way of preparing it to enjoy your coffee.

Many suggest buying coffee from a local roaster. I agree. Beginning with your local roaster gives you a couple of advantages. First, one is the freshness. You are somewhat guaranteed that what you get is quite fresh since these local roasters roast the coffee in smaller batches which also results in a tastier and more aromatic product.

When you buy coffee, make sure that you buy just enough for two weeks at a time. Buying a large stock is not good. At the end of the two weeks, the coffee begins to lose its rich flavor. It doesn’t matter whether the beans were roasted locally. Storing them for weeks is never good. Also, on a related note, you should stay away from shops that display their coffee in bins. The air that enters the display bins helps quicken the phase of flavor loss. You will loose a lot of the coffee’s flavor when you exposed a freshly roasted batch of beans to the air.

Most of the aroma and flavor come from the oils that come out after roasting the beans. The oil will evaporate when exposed to air and along with that the flavors and aroma of the coffee. Aside from air, heat, light and humidity are added factors that can increase the drop of the quality of the coffee.

When storing coffee, use vacuum containers. Some advise storing your coffee beans inside the freezer. However, if you’re going to store it in a freezer don’t make a habit of taking them out. When the coffee beans warm up, the condensation can damage them causing loss in flavor and aroma.

Ideally, never store ground coffee. What you should do is grind only the amount that you will need and store the beans. If you will store ground coffee, place it inside airtight containers and at room temperature. If you’re going to store coffee beans, make sure that you store only for a week, two weeks maximum. Storing beans any longer than that can drastically affect the overall taste and smell of the coffee.