Coffee is Good for You

Coffee is Good for You

by | May 24, 2021 | Tips & Tricks

Few people can imagine starting their day without a welcoming cup of coffee. The aroma, flavor, and comforting warmth are a friendly way to greet the morning. However, in addition to the enjoyment and the pick-up jolt, there are several additional advantages to that cup of coffee.

Boosts Metabolism

If you love coffee and drink it regularly, you may be pleased to know coffee has several health benefits. For starters, it helps boost the metabolism which helps in keeping weight off. One cup of black coffee contains only 1 to 2 calories depending on the size of your cup. It’s only after sugar and other sweeteners are added the calorie count starts to pile up! For example, A Venti Java Chip Frappuccino from Starbucks has 600 calories! Believe it or not, that is actually more than a McDonald’s Big Mac. So while coffee itself is a great “skinny” drink, beware of adding additional sugars and sweeteners.

Contains Nutrients

Coffee contains 21 essential nutrients including several B Vitamins, Manganese, and Potassium. Additionally, coffee has high levels of antioxidants. In fact, in the typical American diet coffee offers the highest source of antioxidants. In the brain, caffeine has the effect of increasing neurotransmitters that improve memory, mood, reaction times, energy levels and cognitive function.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

In several studies data shows coffee can help prevent several diseases and conditions. For example, in 18 different studies spanning over 450,000 people, results show coffee can reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes by as much as 50%! Other studies have shown coffee drinkers have a 65% lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. Other studies have shown that caffeine has a direct effect in preventing Parkinson’s. Those studies have shown results ranging from 32%-60% lower risk. While there are currently no cures for Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Parkinson’s, these studies more than indicate coffee can reduce the risk of contracting these neurodegenerative diseases in the first place.

Promotes a Healthy Liver

The liver is a busy organ in the human body responsible for carrying out a multitude of functions. There are several diseases that can attack the liver such as hepatitis and fatty liver disease, weakening and damaging this vital organ. Several of these diseases can result in cirrhosis in which the liver’s healthy tissue is replaced with scar tissue. People who drink 4 or more cups of coffee a day have an 80% lower risk of developing cirrhosis.

While this article highlights many health benefits of coffee, it is by no means an exhaustive list. That being said, it should be clear that there are many healthy reasons to drink coffee in addition to that welcoming pick-up in the morning.

Sources

The Health Benefits of Coffee

9 Reasons Why (the Right Amount of) Coffee Is Good for You

13 Health Benefits of Coffee, Based on Science

Java Chip Frappuccino® Blended Beverage

Coffee Is Patriotic & Part Of The Storied American History

Coffee Is Patriotic & Part Of The Storied American History

by | May 5, 2021 | Fun Facts

It is no secret that Americans love their coffee. Each day 400 million cups of the beverage are consumed in the United States. That works out to about 146 billion cups of coffee per year! Coffee is the second most popular commodity, falling second only to crude oil. How did coffee become so popular, and when did America begin our love affair with coffee?

In the Beginning

While coffee has been around since roughly 800 AD, it wasn’t always the most popular drink in our nation. Since we saw our beginnings as a British colony it should come as no surprise that our primary drink of choice was tea. By 1768 colonists were consuming about 2 million pounds of it per year.  However, after what is known as the 7-year war, the British Empire greatly expanded it’s rule, but at a steep cost which left them with a massive war debt. Add to that the fact the British East India Company was experiencing financial trouble, and Britain saw an opportunity to solve both with the passage of the Tea Act in May of 1773.

Growing Frustration

Contrary to popular belief The Tea Act didn’t impose any new taxes, the colonies were already taxed on tea imported from Britain since the passage of the Townshend Revenue Act in 1767 and this was already a sore point with colonists. What the Tea Act did, however, was grant the British East India Company exclusive rights to tea sales to the American Colonies. This meant that if we wanted to continue to purchase tea, we could only do so from the British East India Company. This undercut colonial merchants and meant Americans could no longer buy tea from other sources and bypass the Townshend Revenue Act taxes.

Enough is Enough

With other taxes and acts piling up from across the pond, this was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back and the rest, as they say, is history. On December 16, 1773 colonists boarded the Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor docked in Boston Harbor and threw their cargo of tea into Boston Harbor in an act known now as The Boston Tea Party. From that moment on, Americans began drinking more coffee in protest to British tea. In fact, it became widely viewed as one’s patriotic duty to drink coffee, and our love affair with that delicious roasted bean took off! Coffee saw another boost in popularity during the Civil War as soldiers drank copious amounts of it to keep alert on the battlefield.

The Saga Continues

As America expanded westward, the sale of coffee to pioneers and cowboys was quite a profitable business. Brothers Charles and John Arbuckle from Pittsburgh purchased a newly invented, self-emptying coffee bean roaster from Jabez Burns in 1864. They packaged their pre-roasted beans in paper bags, called it “Ariosa,” and sold it by the pound to cowboys in the west with great success. A man by the name of James Folger soon followed by selling coffee to California gold miners.

Teddy Roosevelt was rumored to drink a gallon of coffee a day, making him one of America’s leading coffee lovers. He is also credited with coining the famous “Good to the Last Drop” slogan used by Maxwell House after being served the beverage at Andrew Jackson’s historical home in Tennessee.

Summing it All Up

Coffee began it’s road to popularity in America as a direct result of our separation from Britain in the days leading up to the American Revolution, and has been part of our storied history ever since. Those that forged the way forward for America themselves believed drinking coffee is patriotic. We agree! Maybe the eagle in our nation’s emblem should be pictured grasping a cup of coffee in it’s talons. Just a suggestion. What are your thoughts?

Sources

The Caffeinated History of Coffee

The Tea Act: The Catalyst of the Boston Tea Party

The Tea Act

How to Properly Store Your Coffee

How to Properly Store Your Coffee

by | Apr 16, 2021 | Tips & Tricks

Few things in life are as welcoming in the morning as a fresh cup of aromatic coffee. There is just something about the smell of it brewing and the taste of that first cup that really helps get the day off to the right start. That is why coffee enthusiasts have long debated about the best way to store coffee to preserve its freshness. Yes, freshness matters. How close you are to the roasting date is very important when it comes to coffee. For more on that see our article, “How Fresh is Your Coffee?”.

The four biggest enemies of coffee are air, moisture, heat, and light. Each of those elements will age your coffee at an accelerated pace, robbing the coffee of its full, rich flavor. That said, the best way to store coffee is in an opaque air-tight container, away from heat, light, and moisture. While we are immensely proud of the design and artwork of our American Patriot Coffee bags, for long-term storage the bag coffee comes in is not the best option. That is true of all coffee. Instead, purchase an airtight container to which you can transfer the coffee after opening the bag.

Where you store that airtight container also matters. Since heat and light are also enemies of your coffee’s flavor, be sure to keep it away from a sunny spot on the kitchen counter as well as the cupboard above the stove. The best way is to store coffee is to keep it at room temperature in a relatively dark place. Choose a countertop or cupboard as far away from heat as possible. As stated earlier the best container is an opaque one that doesn’t let in light.

Since heat is an enemy of coffee, many have chosen to store their coffee in the refrigerator or freezer. Those locations are not recommended since coffee is also harmed by moisture. Storing the coffee in a location that is too cool, can cause moisture to condensate inside your container, and ruin your coffee. Coffee is also hygroscopic (today’s bonus word). What that means is your coffee readily absorbs moisture and is prone to absorb all the odors and flavors in the surrounding air. We all know the refrigerator is a prime place for the existence of various smells and flavors. Between the onions, garlic, and last night’s leftovers, the last place you want to store coffee is in the refrigerator! Some have instead opted for the freezer, and while there is much debate about the wisdom of that practice, our advice is to not do it. Freezing the coffee adversely affects the natural oils in the coffee. Additionally, the coffee must thaw completely before brewing.  Best practice, keep out of the fridge and freezer!

If you store your coffee in an airtight container away from heat, light, and moisture, you will be able to enjoy your favorite roast for as long as is possible. How long does coffee retain it’s optimum freshness? See that article we mentioned above!

Keep an eye out for new articles to help you become a coffee expert!

HOW FRESH IS YOUR COFFEE?

HOW FRESH IS YOUR COFFEE?

by | Nov 20, 2020 | Tips & Tricks

Many factors affect how good or bad coffee tastes. When you brew up a batch it matters how close the coffee is to it’s roasting date. While all beans vary, most coffee is at it’s peak flavor between 5 days and 35 days after roasting. You must let coffee rest after roasting to eliminate the build-up of carbon dioxide from the roasting process. If you wait too long after roasting to brew coffee, then you will lose many of the aromatic flavors and the coffee will just be stale. We strive to make sure you receive your coffee during it’s peak flavor!

After 35 days the flavors and aromas in the beans start to fade. This is why coffee supplied to business offices by large services often has no taste, or just tastes lousy. The same may apply to coffee purchased at grocery chains. Unless they are roasting their own coffee, they offer coffee roasted by other companies. The coffee is shipped to warehouses where they may sit for a week or two before trucks then pick them up and deliver them to local stores. The delivery time from the warehouse to the store could be a few days to a week. Then, who knows how long it then sits in the storerooms at the local grocery store before being placed on the shelf for you to buy? By the time you get your coffee home from the store, it could already be past its peak flavor. You may only have a few days to a week left until the coffee has lost most of it’s flavor. Have you ever purchased coffee from the grocery store that is the same brand as one of your favorite coffee shops? Ever wonder why it just doesn’t taste the same? While the coffee shops may have fancier coffee machines than you have in your kitchen, the most important factor is the age of the coffee itself.

When you order from American Patriot Coffee Company, you will receive your coffee much closer to it’s roasting date, guaranteeing a more flavorful and aromatic cup of coffee!

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