Last month in Las Vegas, World Tea Expo 2023 attracted 11,000 buyers & participants, according to World Tea News. The popular Tea Bar presented the most in-demand tea products from around the world and, new this year, a mixologist crafted unique tea infused cocktails that are in high demand in bars and restaurants. Count us in!
Questex’s World Tea Expo will returns to Las Vegas, March 18-20, 2024.
– Jet Cannon
We suppose this is good news. Coffee is apparently good for us and so is olive oil. Yeah, let’s mix them together! That’s what Starbucks is slowly rolling out across their 36,000 stores. For example, try an Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew!
Starbucks’ Howard Shultz said he started adding olive oil to his coffee and found it produced an “unexpected, velvety, buttery flavour that enhanced the coffee and lingers beautifully on the palate”.
Best not to bet against Starbucks.
– Jet Cannon
How does a coffee snob take their coffee? Seriously. Very seriously.
Giving fasting a try this year? Health.com says, “That even during a fast, you can have that morning cup of joe. Coffee is a low-calorie option that fits into any fast and provides a nice pick-me-up with its boost of caffeine. It also has several other benefits, such as containing essential B vitamins, potassium, and magnesium. However, coffee is healthiest black or with just a splash of milk or milk replacement. Too much creamer or sweetener fills the cup with sugar, negating any benefits.”
– Jet Cannon
We’ve written about the health benefits of coffee. Yet apparently there’s a trend toward making coffee even more healthy. Coffeeaffection.com reports this, “Health-conscious food and beverages have long been a trend in popular culture, and coffee, as one of the most consumed beverages, is not immune. Brands like Purity Coffee are putting antioxidants and other health boosting nutrients first in their production and marketing efforts. Some brands are going a step further by adding additional ingredients to increase the health benefits. What’s more, coffee shops are featuring coffee alternatives like matcha lattes, as well.”
We feel better already!
And reading about coffee can also make us happy. Talk About Coffee shares ten interesting bits about our favorite morning beverage including:
– Jet Cannon
While we were flipping through our copy of the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, we read about yet another study that found drinking coffee can be good for you. As reported in Health, people who drank two to three cups of coffee a day had the largest impact—among these individuals ground coffee led to a 27% lowered risk of death. Death bad. Coffee good. One doctor described coffee as a “fairly magical substance”. They’re not exactly sure why that is but we’re guessing they’re all enjoying that second and third cup this morning.
Well…. “Modestly” lower risk. Darn!
Health.com reported this, “The participants were followed for about 11 years, and researchers determined that people who drank at least two cups of tea per day had a 9%–13% lower risk of death from all causes, compared to people who did not drink tea at all.”
So add black tea to the beverages that offer some health benefits like coffee and green tea do. Plus water. And we’ll add tequila to those but not based on any facts or studies. We just like it.
– Jet Cannon
ABC News reports, “Swiss retailer Migros said Tuesday that it is launching a coffeemaking system designed to replace capsules that produce thousands of tons of waste worldwide each year.
The cooperative said its spherical capsules — described as “coffee balls” — are fully compostable, unlike the plastic and aluminum containers popularized by its rival Nestle under the brand Nespresso 36 years ago.
Migros said its coffee balls are encased in a thin, flavorless, seaweed-based cover that can be discarded with the spent coffee after use.
The company said the CoffeeB system, which also features a special coffeemaker, will be rolled out first in Switzerland and France this year, followed by Germany in 2023.”
Good thing we have time to get accustomed to saying “coffee balls” and consuming a morning dose of seaweed with our caffeine.
Yes.
Long Food Network article. Short answer. Now back to our morning coffee.
“Not only can green tea aid weight loss and help you recover faster after a workout, its potent antioxidants may also lower levels of “bad” cholesterol levels, while simultaniously increasing levels of “good” cholesterol levels, according to Harvard researchers. How does it work? Studies indicate that the polyphenols in green tea may block cholesterol from being absorbed in the intestine and also help the body get rid of cholesterol.”
So says Best of Life Online. See the rest of Foods Men Over 45 Should Eat by clicking here.
It’s nice to be reminded of the benefits of drinking black coffee while we’re drinking black coffee. And we are at the moment. Eat This Not That’s Casey Clark recently captured the good and the bad and it’s mostly good.
Black coffee can reduce the risk for Type 2 diabetes, cancer, liver disease and heart disease. Good start. It also may create a healthy gut microbiome and keep that all-important lower GI tract humming. Coffee may make changes in the brain that enhance concentration, motor control and alertness. It’s been found to reduce the risk of dementia, depression, and suicide. It can be a great pre-workout elixir.
On the negative side, coffee may make anxiety and acid reflux worse. That’s it?! We’ll have a second cup!
We knew caffeine helped provide a pre-workout boost of energy to power through that exercise session. A cup of coffee, or a bit of pre-workout powder (mostly caffeine), can provide a psychological and physical boost. What we didn’t know is that coffee/caffeine may improve recovery after a workout!
This is from Shape magazine.
“Aside from helping you power through your sweat sesh, drinking coffee before your workout could help speed up your recovery afterward, says Abby Chan, M.S., R.D.N., a registered dietitian nutritionist and the co-owner of EVOLVE Flagstaff in Arizona. After about 15 minutes of exercise, the level of glucose in your blood begins to drop, and your body will typically resort to glycogen (the stored form of glucose in your liver and muscles) for energy, she explains. That said, “there’s some thought that caffeine can mobilize free fatty acids, which your body can then utilize for energy, to spare glycogen,” says Chan. “If you can decrease how much glycogen you’re utilizing during sport, then by possibly utilizing more fatty acids, then theoretically you can recover faster and better because you’re not getting so deep into your energy storage tanks.””
It seems coffee is nearly a miracle drug. We suggest making it illegal.
Yes, you! It’s okay. It’s not a bad rut in which to be stuck. We haven’t found many cups of coffee that we didn’t like but then we know there are folks out there with much more sophisticated taste buds. We’re easy to please. That said, we do have a favorite in Koffi coffee but that may be because we often drink it on vacation in just that right frame of mind. But for you wanna-be coffee connoisseurs who seek new coffee heights, there are subscription services that will provide a wide variety of excellent coffees.
Men’s Health found five services that they like and the article also notes the many health benefits of coffee in case we’ve forgotten. One service offers 600 different types of coffee from 60 roasters. There ought to be a few great ones in there.
Of coffee. We’ve heard that coffee is probably good for us, in addition to putting that lift in our step. What’s not surprising is that all the fun stuff we like to add to coffee, be it cream or sugar or flavorings or artificial sweeteners, are not so good. Besides potentially adding pounds, one French study found that even artificial sweeteners led to a higher incidence of cancer. That’s just one study but common sense tells us that the morning boost without any additives is our best bet. Give it to us straight. We can take it!
