Some of us need a little coffee before we can get down to business! National Coffee Day is September 29… though to be fair, some of us celebrate coffee day pretty much every day. If you run a business, consider getting coffee (and maybe some healthy breakfast options) for your workers as a sign of appreciation.
And if you’re laying the spread out on a folding table, as many do, why not lift up the table itself so people don’t have to crouch down to get their java? Safety everywhere!
Despite the fact that there’s coffee available around pretty much any corner in America, there’s a lot of things that people don’t know about coffee.
Coffee is (and isn’t) good for you
Some Americans get most of their antioxidants from their coffee. No one recommends this, but some antioxidants are better than none. (Eat some fruits and veggies if you don’t currently to boost your antioxidants.)
Moderate coffee drinking has been linked to reduced risk of some cancers and lower risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia, not to mention type 2 diabetes. It’s also linked to a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Caffeine is shown to improve alertness and physical performance by boosting energy. Coffee may also lower your risk of stroke and heart disease, but be careful if you have high blood pressure.
On the other hand, high doses of caffeine aren’t great. If you’re already drinking coffee, you’ve probably developed a tolerance. But for newbies, high doses can be problematic. Coffee can also worsen symptoms for people with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease.) High doses can become habit forming as well.
Arabica vs. robusta beans
Though there’s a ton of coffea varieties out there, the coffee most people drink is from robusta or arabica beans. The latter tend to taste better, but they’re more expensive.
Robusta usually has more of a burnt rubber taste (yum!) due to its higher caffeine content. Caffeine itself has a bitter taste, and the robusta beans have less lipid (fat) and sugar content than arabica.
It’s usually cheaper as well, because the robusta beans with their more bitter taste repel insects. Farmers get a much higher yield out of their robusta plants, so they cost much less at the market.
Your instant coffee is probably robusta, and it’s also used in espresso. High quality robusta will taste as good, iof not better, than a standard arabica bean, but it’s rare and harder to find.
Most (75%) bean production is arabica, and Brazil produces the most of those beans. Vietnam is a significant producer of robusta.
Why some people have to cut their coffee off earlier in the day
Genetics determine how sensitive people are to caffeine. Some people metabolize it slowly, so that it stays in the system longer. These are the people who need to stop drinking coffee early so that it clears their system by the time they’re ready to go to sleep.
Are coffee pod brewing machines bad for the environment?
Machines that use coffee pods revolutionized the home coffee market. Single serve machines often use less water and electricity than other coffee making methods, so they have an edge over more conventional counterparts there.
The problem, as you may have guessed, lies in the disposable coffee pods. They’re typically made from plastic, paper, and aluminum, so they’re not really biodegradable. Most people are throwing them in the trash anyway, rather than trying to recycle or compost them.
Unfortunately, the parts of the machines themselves that can’t be cleaned also promote mold and mildew. Though of course some other coffee pot types have the same issue, not just the pod machines.
If you want to reduce the damage to the environment and keep your coffee pod machine, you can look for coffee pod manufacturers who use compostable cups. Or you can buy your own reusable pods and put your own ground coffee in them.
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