The final verdict on coffee

TORONTO (Reuters) -- If contradicting research has you wondering if coffee is healthy or harmful, the answer is simple: it depends.

A recent study showed a benefit from drinking java on a population level. But it's difficult to make individual recommendations for safe coffee consumption, said Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy, a University of Toronto associate professor funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research who has studied caffeine and health.

El-Sohemy’s research has showed that coffee could either lower or raise a person's risk of heart attack. That's because safe daily coffee intake is going to vary with the ability to process caffeine, and that changes from person to person. There's no easy way to tell how effectively your body deals with caffeine, and therefore how much of it is safe for you to drink, he said.

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Tulsan's effort to Illuminate, one cup at a time

By MIKE AVERILL World Scene Writer

Brian Franklin remembers the first time he had a real, fresh cup of coffee.

It was 10 years ago, after he purchased a home roasting kit, a book and some green coffee beans. He roasted the beans, poured them in the grinder, brewed, then tasted.

"Whammo! I could never go back after that," he said. "I realized that I had never had a fresh cup of coffee. I realized I had never had coffee that wasn't stale."

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How Starbucks uses psychological triggers

Coffee Health Risks

Coffee Health Risks: For the moderate drinker, coffee is safe says Harvard Women’s Health Watch

( Boston , MA ) Despite 20 years of reassuring research, many people still avoid caffeinated coffee because they worry about its health effects. However, current research reveals that in moderation—a few cups a day—coffee is a safe beverage that may even offer some health benefits. The September issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch weighs the pros and cons of this popular beverage and eases the concerns of moderate coffee drinkers.

The latest research has not only confirmed that moderate coffee consumption doesn't cause harm, it's also uncovered possible benefits. Studies show that the risk for type 2 diabetes is lower among regular coffee drinkers than among those who don't drink it. Also, coffee may reduce the risk of developing gallstones, discourage the development of colon cancer, improve cognitive function, reduce the risk of liver damage in people at high risk for liver disease, and reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease. Coffee has also been shown to improve endurance performance in long-duration physical activities.

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WORKSHOP - SMALL SCALE ON-FARM PROCESSING

Saturday, July 5th, from 1pm - 3:30pm, CTAHR meeting Room in Kainaliu, followed by optional tour to Bob Nelson's processing operation (across the road)
A presentation on how to take your coffee cherry through to parchment, to green bean, and even to roast and pack yourselves. This workshop is specifically for small farms, with examples of scaled down operations and equipment that are affordable, and will give you a return on your investment.


WHY DO THIS?

• To become independent

• To maximize value added and profitability

• To enable quality control of the entire process

FREE to Kona Coffee Farmers Association members

For non-members $10 (which may go towards a $25 membership fee if you wish to join the group).

Contact Ken Sheppard to sign up. 329-7239 kensheppard@hawaii.rr.com

Americans reassess spending habits

Coffee runs and cab rides given up in tight times

BY CANDICE CHOI • ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 22, 2008

The "latte effect" of the go-go years had consumers spending $4 a day on coffee. Now the downturn is forcing them to rethink the wisdom of such habits.
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As inflation squeezes budgets, middle-class Americans are taking fresh stock of their spending in search of ways to save a nickel or a dime. The result: People are giving up a variety of small financial vices.

For Michelle Hovis, that means refilling her husband's used soda container from a 2-liter bottle she buys on sale for 98 cents. She tweaked his daily habit of buying a 20-ounce bottle when the price crept up to $1.39.

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Rats get a whiff of how coffee stirs the brain

Leigh Dayton and Stephanie Dalzell | June 20, 2008

COFFEE-SNIFFING rats have confirmed what caffeine addicts suspect - the mere whiff of a good morning brew gets the brain up and going.

Scientists claim the energising aroma kick-starts genes that reverse the effects of sleep-deprivation.

"These results (help) explain why so many people use coffee for staying up all night," claim researchers led by neuroscientist Yoshinori Masuo with Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

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Half-ton of premium coffee beans stolen in Hawaii

Thu Jun 19, 3:03 AM ET

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii - Police in Hawaii say a thief got his caffeine fix when he made off with more than 1,000 pounds of Kona coffee beans.
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Police say the beans were taken from a home sometime between May 27 and May 29. The beans were in 100-pound burlap bags.

Police are asking the public to report anyone trying to sell green coffee beans.

The Kona area of Hawaii's Big Island is famous for its premium coffee beans.

Shanghai 5th Annual Coffee & Tea 2008 Expo

When: 3-5 September 2008

Where: Shanghai New International Expo Center

Organizer:
Koelnmesse GmbH
Shanghai Derui Exhibition Planning Co.,Ltd

Supporter:
CIMS
EAFCA
Cafe de Honduras
Institute del Cafe de Costa Rica

Asia’s market for coffee and tea is now the biggest in the world. The China market is expected to dominate the market by more than half in three years time when Asia is expected to contribute almost 90 per cent of the world’s volume growth.

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Costa Rica Sees 2008/09 Coffee Harvest down 3.6 pct

Source: Reuters

San Jose, Costa Rica, June 9 - Costa Rica estimates it will produce 1.807 million 60-kg bags of coffee in the 2008/09 harvest, down 3.6 percent from the previous cycle due to the biannual nature of the crop, a top official from the national coffee institute ICAFE said on Monday.

Coffee trees usually produce less beans the year following a high-volume harvest.

Executive Director Ronald Peters revised down an earlier estimate for 2007/08 coffee production, saying Costa Rica will produce 1.875 million 60-kg bags this season.

Peters previously said Costa Rica would grow 1.93 million bags of coffee during the 2007/08 year, which begins in October.

The estimate for the upcoming season, based on a count of coffee flowers that will turn into cherries, came early this year because of early flowering, Peters told Reuters.