Why We Pay Any Price for a Good Cup of Coffee

What is the appeal of the coffee shop? What makes people go to coffee shops everyday? Why do people pay the outrageous amounts of money for a cup coffee they can just as well make at home?

Simply enough, it's because people just love coffee! They love the taste and the smell of the hot liquid craved by so many. It's that "eye-opening" sensation you get from that first cup of coffee of the day. Of course, everyone has a favorite so the tastes and smells of the coffees and blends will vary from person to person. But from the first sip to the last, people love coffee. Some might argue that it's the stimulating affect of the caffeine of the coffee bean that keeps them coming back again and again; however, those who drink decaf still can't seem to get enough either!

Another reason people love coffee is the social factor: people love people! A coffee shop is a great place to meet people and socialize. You walk in for a cup of coffee in the morning and your chances of running into someone you know are very high. Who's not happy after they their first cup of coffee?

A coffee shop is a great place to have a business meeting. You could meet either for breakfast, lunch or after work and it's not as formal as the boardroom. A coffee shop is also very convenient for college students. Most coffee ships are open around the clock; there's always one on campus (or just around the block). And who doesn't need the caffeine to keep the creative fires burning!

Coffee beans and blends and other coffee condiments make great gifts. Different coffee types and accessories can put a smile on a gift recipient's face.

For many people, stopping at the coffee shop is just part of the morning ritual they couldn't do without - almost like putting on socks. It is a quiet time to relax before starting the day, a time to stop and read the paper, think about plans for the day, or make a few decisions. Life is busy and hectic, and time for a coffee is time to relax and unwind or to get charged up for the day ahead.

Other than the love of coffee, the socializing and the rituals, going to a coffee shop is just plain easier than making the coffee at home. You don't have to worry about grinding the beans or working the coffee maker. You don't have to wait for the coffee to be ready. You don't have to clean up. All you have to do is walk in off the street, place your order, and in minutes you have a great tasting cup of coffee just like you wanted. What could be better?

You can order some great coffee here.

(Article reprinted from articlecircle.com.)

The Metabolics of Chinese Tea

Chinese Tea Comes In Many Forms

You will learn many things about tea as you read this article. One of the things you will learn is that there are several ways to buy Chinese tea. You can buy tea from a tea shop (there are shops all over the country these days); you can purchase tea over the Internet; and you can buy tea in grocery stores, convenience stores, and even pharmacies.

That’s not to mention every place you can get tea already brewed for you. Every dining establishment, from a five-star restaurant to a roadside diner and even the ubiquitous coffee shop, serves tea, both hot and cold. When you are buying Chinese tea to brew at home, you can get it in two forms: loose leaf tea or tea bags.

You are probably most familiar with tea bags. This is known as commercial grade tea, and it is made of dust and fannings, the by products of the tea-making process. Dust is the tiniest particles of tea, and fannings are broken tea leaves one grade larger than dust. Here’s the first thing you need to know about tea bags: You get the same health and weight-loss benefits from tea whether you brew it from dried loose tea leaves or from a paper tea bag, as long as it is white, green, oolong, or black tea. The second thing you need to know is that a paper tea bag is meant to be used only once (you will understand why that is important as you read on in this chapter). The flavor you get from a tea bag may not be as rich as the flavor from loose leaf teas, but the only way you will know which you like best is to do a taste test.

Loose leaf tea is just what it sounds like: tea that comes not in a bag, but as full or cut tea leaves. These are leaves and buds that are harvested and processed as explained above, and usually sold by weight. Because you are getting more surface area from loose tea than you get from dust and fannings, you usually get a richer flavor.

Oolong Tea

The Oolong tea protects the heart by helping to lower blood pressure. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the most common form of heart disease, and is a major risk factor for heart-related death. A study of Chinese tea drinkers published in 2004 showed that drinking as little as a half-cup of green or oolong tea per day may lower the risk of high blood pressure by nearly 50 percent.

Researchers found that men and women who drank tea on a daily basis for at least a year were much less likely to develop hypertension than those who didn’t, and the more tea they drank, the bigger the benefits. Those who drank at least a half-cup of moderate strength green or oolong tea per day for a year had a 46-percent lower risk of developing hypertension than those who didn’t drink tea. Among those who drank more than two and a half cups of tea per day, the risk of high blood pressure was reduced by 65 percent.The evidence that tea helps prevent cancer is overwhelming.

Since the 1990s, hundreds of studies have been performed showing that Oolong tea can inhibit the formation of tumors, and slow the growth of those already formed. In 1997, researchers at the University of Kansas discovered that the antioxidant power of EGCG is about 100 times greater than vitamin C and twenty-five times greater than vitamin E in protecting DNA from the kind of free radical damage that is thought to increase the risk of cancer. Researchers also found that EGCG is able to signal cancer cells to stop reproducing by promoting apoptosis, a normal cellular process leading to the death of a cell—without harming any healthy cells. One study out of Purdue University in 1998 found that an enzyme called quinol oxidase, or NOX, is necessary for the growth of both normal and cancerous cells. The overactive form of NOX is known as tNOX, for tumor-associated NOX. In test tubes, using purified NOX protein solutions, researchers found that low doses of EGCG—such as those that could be consumed by drinking several cups of tea a day—were capable of inhibiting the activity of the tNOX cells but did not inhibit the NOX activity of healthy cells.

You can find a great selection of tea by clicking here.

(Article reprinted from articlesbase.com.)

Tea Versus Coffee - An Introduction

Tea. Coffee. Both are staples of our morning routine. But which one is better for you? Which one will help you make it through the daily grind? These and other questions will be examined here.

This particular blog will also show you where to find good tea and coffee that you can download right to your mug! When that's invented, of course. In the meantime, we'll check out some online stores that offer coffee and tea and post our recommendations.

Thanks for checking out our Tea Versus Coffee blog!