National Coffee Day!

Happy national coffee day! I'm not sure how coffee got it's own day, but I like it. I'm also not sure what you're supposed to do on national coffee day besides drink coffee. Anybody have some insight for me?

"Coffee Break"

(by Forever the Sickest Kids)



{re-posted from "The theme song of the day is..."}

Have you had your coffee break yet? Well, in case you needed an excuse, today is National Coffee Break Day!



Y'all know I don't need an excuse to drink it!

My addiction love for the stuff began in college. I had tried it before and didn't like it, but I guess it grew on me. Or maybe I started liking it out of necessity! Either way, all it took was some hazelnut creamer & a late night talk about Jesus with a roomie.

Hazelnut coffee + Jesus = pure bliss!





So...how about you? Do you drink coffee? If so, when did you start? What's your favorite way to drink it?

Coffees of Hawaii

Coffees of Hawaii is one of the sponsors of Coffee Crowd. They were kind enough to send me some of their Malulani Estate Coffee. It is 100% Moloka'i Coffee. The Malulani flavor results from their original "washed arabica" process, which brings out the natual acidity of the Moloka'i beans. They use a gentle roast that helps to release subtle tastes unique to the soil of Moloka'i.

Their Moloka‘i trees are rooted in the vivid red earth of the central island's upper slopes. Kualapu'u is the traditional name for this area—"sweet potato hill." The sweet potato ('uala) is a staple food of Hawaiian culture, grown just about everywhere that the land was too dry to support taro (kalo). So the name suggests that this land has been fertile farm country for a long, long time.

Anyone who knows Hawai‘i well will tell you that there's something very different, very special about Moloka‘i. Always has been.

Legends tell us that the people here were skilled in sorcery, magic spells—call it, harnessing the power of prayer. You didn't mess with Moloka‘i. The people were known to be both fierce and ingenious. This is the island where hula originated. And here you see the remains of one of the most amazing civil engineering projects of pre-contact Polynesia—dozens of submerged stone aquaculture pens that run along the southeast shoreline. The largest of these, Keawanui, encloses 55 acres of shallow seawater by means of a 2,000-foot-long wall.

Today a spirit of independence and rugged individualism still prevails. The percentage of native Hawaiians is far higher here than on the other islands. People here tend to resist modernization. People live outdoors a lot—hunt, fish, farm. Visitors are welcome, but they don't find much in the way of tourist attractions. There isn't a traffic light on the island. No building taller than a coconut tree.

A lot of nothing, some would say, especially after sunset—thicker darkness than most people have ever seen, more stars than most people ever suspected are in the sky, more silence than you've ever heard.

There's a lot of power in such a place. We happen to think that a lot of these Moloka‘i qualities are present in our beans, and we talk about them with that assumption. Scoff if you want. But that's how you get when you live on Moloka‘i.

From ancient times, Moloka'i has been known as a place of great spiritual vigor. The old legends claim that the people of Molokia'i repelled invading armies simply by harnessing the power of prayer. The island continues this tradition of quite self-reliance by resisting not armies but urban modernism. (Not one traffic light on Moloka'i!) "Mualu" means shade.


From the island of Molokai in the Hawaiian archipelago come extraordinary premium coffees. The "Coffees of Hawaii" plantation, mill and roastery in Kualapu'u is the online source of 100% Kona, 100% Maui and 100% Moloka'i coffees. Orders are roasted upon receipt. Shoppers taste the quality in every cup and 100% satisfaction is guaranteed.

Giving Back

Coffees of Hawaii support the revitalization of both culture and ecology in the Hawaiian Islands and donate 1% of revenues to this cause.

1% For the Planet

As a producer of high-quality coffee in both Hawai‘i and Nicaragua, we are in tune with, and at the mercy of, the environment in a big way. Our plantations depend on timely rainfall and stable growing conditions. Whether it's protected watersheds and reefs in Hawai‘i, or sustainable rainforests in Nicaragua, it's important that we do our part to protect not only our land, but also to respect and nurture all the land.

On another level, our Ambassadors compete, explore and learn in outdoor settings that can be wild and unpredictable. They experience the environment firsthand. They pay attention.

For this reason we pay attention. We protect. We seek change. As a member of "1% for the Planet" we are a company that is empowered to make change. And you can make change too. Let us know what programs you want to support. We have our ideas, but are always open to new ones. Read more at: www.onepercentfortheplanet.org.

Surfrider

Being in the middle of the Pacific, the ocean is our playground. From paddling canoes, to sailing channels, to swimming across bays, we and our Ambassadors are constantly in the water. The Surfrider Foundation is the pre-eminent advocate for our oceans, waves and beaches. We are proud to support their causes. Find out how you can help at: www.surfrider.org.

Nature Conservancy

Moloka‘i is a green jewel. Not only are its rain forests the watershed for our plantation, they are home to hundreds of species that are found nowhere else on the planet. Support the Nature Conservancy in its efforts to preserve these treasures. Better yet, see them firsthand when you visit our Moloka‘i plantation. Plan a hike by clicking here.

Brighten your mornings with the spirit of aloha! 

Save 20% and shipping is free with promo code COFFEE20 at checkout!

You can find Coffees of Hawaii online at http://coffeesofhawaii.com and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CoffeesofHawaii

Go get some Coffees of Hawaii and tell us what you think! I think next I'd like to try the Toasted Coconut.

Egg Coffee???

I recently heard of something that I thought was strange - Egg Coffee. At first I thought that it was some kind of baked dessert or something. Then, I thought it may be like a quiche of some sort. It turns out that it is eggs and coffee!?!?

All of my life, whenever I have enjoyed a nice cup of hot fresh coffee, I always thought in the back of my mind...do you know what this coffee is missing? Egg. AHHH, not really! So where did this strange concoction come from? And is it really any good?

It turns out that Egg Coffee is a Scandinavian tradition. Wise Geek gives us a little bit of history on Egg Coffee:

"Egg coffee was very popular in Scandinavian countries like Norway and Sweden up until around the 1930s, when the demand for this drink began to wane. In the late 1990s, egg coffee experienced a resurgence; it's possible that Midwesterners brought egg coffee back, since the American Midwest is home to many Scandinavian traditions which are no longer observed in Scandinavia itself. Many Midwesterners associate egg coffee with Lutheran churches, since this beverage is commonly served at church events in this region of the world."

So, how do you make Egg Coffee? As with most things that are more than one way to do it. I found this recipe on Wiki Recipes:

Ingredients

• 8 Quarts & 1/2 Cups of Cold Water
• 3 Cups Ground Coffee
• 3 Eggs
• Cheesecloth

Instructions

Heat 8 Quarts Cold water to boiling in a large coffee pot. Let water boil 2 minutes.

Put 1 cup ground roast coffee and 1 egg in the center of a square of cheesecloth.

Bring up edges like a sack and tie tightly around coffee and egg.

Make 2 more coffee and egg bags.

Break eggs in cheesecloth bags and using hands, muddle together with coffee.

Drop sacks of egg moistened coffee into boiling water. Boil 4 minutes.

Remove coffee bags and discard.

Add 1/2 cup cold water to settle the ground.

I also found another recipe on About.com. But, I won't list it all here. I will however, put this video from Ritual Coffee that gives step-by-step instructions on how to make Norwegian Egg Coffee:



One last thing that I should note: In my searching for Egg Coffee I came across a question on Coffee and Caffine FAQ that I have never considered.

Why do some people put egg shell in coffee grounds?

Click Here to find out why?


Have you ever heard of Egg Coffee before? Have you actually tried it? Do you put egg shells in your coffee grounds? Tell us all about it...either on our website or on Facebook.

http://coffeecrowd.com
http://facebook.com/coffeecrowd

Making Coffee for a Crowd

Having a bunch of people over? Did you get assigned to make the coffee for a social event? Need to make coffee for a crowd? Here are some tips that will not only get the job done, but make you a hero!

Keeping those fresh pots coming can be a cumbersome task. This suggestion from Taste of Home can help:

"If you get the job of making coffee at a church social or family reunion, save some time and frustration by inverting the stack of coffee filters. They're much easier to separate that way." —Elaine Warshaver, Nashua, New Hampshire

Regular coffee pots typically make up to about 12 cups. But, remember that those cups are actual cups (8 oz.), not big coffee cups.  If you need to make loads of coffee, you should consider getting a coffee urn. Phil Lempert a supermarket guru says, "...invest in a sturdy, stainless steel urn for when everyone in the family comes to celebrate Easter brunch, gather around for a Passover seder and, don’t forget, Mother’s and Father’s days will be here before you know it." Some of those urns make up to 100 cups of coffee! Keep in mind that making 100 cups of coffee in an urn can take a little while. So be sure to allow enough time. Everyone hates waiting for coffee.

It can get tricky trying to calculate the right amount of water and coffee when you are talking about serving a crowd. You don't want it to be too strong and you don't want it to be too weak. This chart from Kraft Foods may help:

Number of People	Roast & Ground Coffe	Amount of Water Required	Brewing Device
10	1/2 cup	6-1/2 cups	Traditional Coffee Maker
20	1 cup	6-1/2 cups to brew double strength, then add an equal amount of boiling water to serve	Traditional Coffee Maker
30	2 cups (about 1/2 pkg.)	24 cups (added to a percolator)*	Percolating Urn

Sometimes you need a real crowd pleaser. This recipe from the Food Network may be just the right thing for that coffee party after dark.

• 
  
  
  
  

  Prep Time:

  5 min
• 
  
  
  
  

  Level:

  Easy
• 
  
  
  
  

  Yield:

  1 serving

Ingredients

• 1/4-ounce Bourbon
• 1/2-ounce Chambord
• 1/2-ounce Frangelico
• Freshly brewed hot coffee
• Serving suggestion: Garnish with freshly whipped cream
• 
  
• 
  

Directions

Combine ingredients in a sugar-rimmed, heat resistant glass. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Do you have any tips for serving coffee to a crowd? 
Send us your comments either on Facebook or our website.

http://coffeecrowd.com
http://facebook.com/coffeecrowd

Coffee: The New Health Food?

Plenty of health benefits are brewing in America's beloved beverage.
By Sid Kirchheimer
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD

Want a drug that could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer? That could lift your mood and treat headaches? That could lower your risk of cavities?

If it sounds too good to be true, think again.

Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better.

Reducing Disease Risk
After analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America's favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men's risk by 54% and women's by 30% over java avoiders.

"Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful."

Though the scientists give the customary "more research is needed" before they recommend you do overtime at Starbuck's to specifically prevent diabetes, their findings are very similar to those in a less-publicized Dutch study. And perhaps more importantly, it's the latest of hundreds of studies suggesting that coffee may be something of a health food -- especially in higher amounts.

In recent decades, some 19,000 studies have been done examining coffee's impact on health. And for the most part, their results are as pleasing as a gulp of freshly brewed Breakfast Blend for the 108 million Americans who routinely enjoy this traditionally morning -- and increasingly daylong -- ritual. In practical terms, regular coffee drinkers include the majority of U.S. adults and a growing number of children.

"Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful," says Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies, which conducts its own medical research and tracks coffee studies from around the world. "For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good."

Consider this: At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones.

Coffee even offsets some of the damage caused by other vices, some research indicates. "People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don't," says DePaulis.

There's also some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.

Is it the caffeine? The oodles of antioxidants in coffee beans, some of which become especially potent during the roasting process? Even other mysterious properties that warrant this intensive study?

Actually, yes.

Some of coffee's reported benefits are a direct result of its higher caffeine content: An eight ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee contains about 85 mg -- about three and a half times more than the same serving of tea or cola or one ounce of chocolate.

"The evidence is very strong that regular coffee consumption reduces risk of Parkinson's disease and for that, it's directly related to caffeine," DePaulis tells WebMD. "In fact, Parkinson's drugs are now being developed that contain a derivative of caffeine based on this evidence."

Caffeine is also what helps in treating asthma and headaches. Though not widely publicized, a single dose of pain reliever such as Anacin or Excedrin contains up to 120 milligrams -- what's in a hefty mug o' Joe.

Boost to Athleticism
It's also caffeine -- and not coffee, per se -- that makes java a powerful aid in enhancing athletic endurance and performance, says physiologist and longtime coffee researcher Terry Graham, PhD, of the University of Guelph in Canada. So powerful, in fact, that until recently, caffeine in coffee or other forms was deemed a "controlled" substance by the Olympic Games Committee, meaning that it could be consumed only in small, designated amounts by competing athletes.

"What caffeine likely does is stimulate the brain and nervous system to do things differently," he tells WebMD. "That may include signaling you to ignore fatigue or recruit extra units of muscle for intense athletic performance. Caffeine may even have a direct effect on muscles themselves, causing them to produce a stronger contraction. But what's amazing about it is that unlike some performance-enhancing manipulation some athletes do that are specific for strength or sprinting or endurance, studies show that caffeine positively enhances all of these things."

How does this brew affect growing minds and bodies? Very nicely, it seems, says DePaulis. Coffee, as you probably know, makes you more alert, which can boost concentration. But claims that it improves a child's academic performance can be exaggerated. Coffee-drinking kids may do better on school tests because they're more awake, but most task-to-task lab studies suggest that coffee doesn't really improve mental performance, says DePaulis.

But it helps kids' minds in another way. "There recently was a study from Brazil finding that children who drink coffee with milk each day are less likely to have depression than other children," he tells WebMD. "In fact, no studies show that coffee in reasonable amounts is in any way harmful to children."

On the flip side, it's clear that coffee isn't for everyone. Its legendary jolt in excess doses -- that is, more than whatever your individual body can tolerate -- can increase nervousness, hand trembling, and cause rapid heartbeat. Coffee may also raise cholesterol levels in some people and may contribute to artery clogging. But most recent large studies show no significant adverse effects on most healthy people, although pregnant women, heart patients, and those at risk for osteoporosis may still be advised to limit or avoid coffee.

The bottom line: "People who already drink a lot of coffee don't have to feel 'guilty' as long as coffee does not affect their daily life," says Hu. "They may actually benefit from coffee habits in the long run."

In other words, consume enough caffeine -- whether it's from coffee or another source -- and you will likely run faster, last longer and be stronger. What's enough? As little as one cup can offer some benefit, but the real impact comes from at least two mugs, says Graham. By comparison, it'd take at least eight glasses of cola to get the same effect, which isn't exactly conducive for running a marathon.

"...children who drink coffee with milk each day are less likely to have depression than other children."

But the harder you exercise, the more benefit you may get from coffee. "Unfortunately, where you see the enhancing effects from caffeine is in hard-working athletes, who are able to work longer and somewhat harder," says Graham, who has studied the effects of caffeine and coffee for nearly two decades. "If you a recreational athlete who is working out to reduce weight or just feel better, you're not pushing yourself hard enough to get an athletic benefit from coffee or other caffeinated products."

But you can get other benefits from coffee that have nothing to do with caffeine. "Coffee is loaded with antioxidants, including a group of compounds called quinines that when administered to lab rats, increases their insulin sensitivity" he tells WebMD. This increased sensitivity improves the body's response to insulin.

That may explain why in that new Harvard study, those drinking decaf coffee but not tea beverages also showed a reduced diabetes risk, though it was half as much as those drinking caffeinated coffee.

"We don't know exactly why coffee is beneficial for diabetes," lead researcher Frank Hu, MD, tells WebMD. "It is possible that both caffeine and other compounds play important roles. Coffee has large amounts of antioxidants such as chlorogenic acid and tocopherols, and minerals such as magnesium. All these components have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism."

Meanwhile, Italian researchers credit another compound called trigonelline, which gives coffee its aroma and bitter taste, for having both antibacterial and anti-adhesive properties to help prevent dental cavities from forming. There are other theories for other conditions.


Read this article on WebMD

10 Unusual Uses For Coffee

Coffee is very useful for a whole host of different things that you just would not think about. From using as an ant killer to making compost, cleaning drains to cleaning greasy ashtrays, you will be amazed just what ordinary coffee that you have at home can be used for. Here is my top 10 favourites.

1. To get rid of ants put used coffee grounds onto the ant hills, this will have to be done for each hill as the pesky things will move to another home.

2. Kitchen drains tend to get smelly, simply get a cup of coffee grounds and tip down the plughole making sure you tip a kettle of boiling water down slowly & leave to work on the odours

3. For a quick fix on fabrics soak garment in strong black unsugared coffee, this is an inexpensive way to dye clothes brown in an emergency but remember it will not be colour fast.

4. Coffee grounds can be used to clean any stain resistant surface, it has a mild & gentle abrasive element & smells fresh too, particularly good for smelly ashtrays and greasy surfaces.

5. To help plants to flourish add coffee to your soil, this is best done in small amounts of soil so you can add 1 cup of lime to balance acidity if need be, another way is to empty it straight onto your compost pile with other kitchen waste.

6. Fishermen, when transporting maggots & worms put them in a container with moist coffee grounds & they will be easier to pick up when you need them & they also like coffee as much as we do so it will make them live longer too.

7. Coffee can be used as an odour neutraliser if there is a powercut & the food in the freezer defrosts & goes off, simply fill a bowl or two with new or used coffee & leave in the freezer over night.

8. When it comes to cleaning/sweeping out open fires sprinkle some used coffee grounds over the hearth or wherever you have to clean & it will sweep up easier & stop the coal dust from rising up in your room so better for environment.

9. Gardeners if you grow carrots add some coffee to your seeds before sowing, not only does this make the seeds easier to sow, the smell also repels root maggots & other pests allowing for thicker juicy carrots.

10. Many people take exception to neighbours cats using their garden as a toilet, a mixture of used coffee grounds and & orange peel put round plants and in beds you want left alone will provide a pungent smell that cats do not like and so will find someone else's garden to use.

All of the above tips are great ways to use up all the used coffee grounds that would otherwise just be put down the drain or in the bin, why not put it to good use.

Bought to you by Rossgo of [http://www.coffeemakers4coffee.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ross_Wharton