Coffee: Good or Evil?
 

Does everyone here drink coffee? Maybe just 1 or 2 cups in the morning?
What happens if you don't have your coffee? Do things "get ugly"?

I just started drinking coffee regularly about 3 months ago and the benefits are impressive. At the same time, now I seem to be addicted and if I don't have a cup every day I get a massive headache.

What if Kerry or Bush were to somehow manipulate the coffee supply as leverage for their campaigns? That would start an insurrection, dont you think?

The smarter of the two might hijack the coffee supply and hold us all hostage in return for voting for them. If the candidate that controls the supply gets the winning votes, he releases the blockage and people get the coffee again. Everyone is happy and the world is back to normal again. He's a hero and gains support from even his enemys.

If he doesnt get the votes, he simply continues the embargo until society falls into crisis, blames the other candidate and intitiates impeachment. Next election, he wins in a landslide.

The oil supply is nice to manipulate for political advantage, but maybe........it's the coffee that is the key to success here? :biggrin:

(hits the "do not subscribe" option)

Apparently, whilst coffee has the effect of making one more alert, it does so at the expense of short term memory ( leading to the old "word on the tip of the tongue" situ)......it basically shuts down certain pathways in the brain ( temporarily) allowing the brain to focus more completely on being alert...

Coffee also is a great way to kill a headache. Studies have shown that a cup of coffee works on a headache faster than ibuprofen (although the relief only lasts about an hour so for someone with a really bad headache it's worth doing both)

If you find you are getting addicted to coffee, dont worry. Any caffeine containing drink will sort out those witthdrawal symptoms *smiles* Green tea is a good one because it contains just enough caffeine to stave off withdrawals but not enough to perpetuate the addiction.

I used to drink so much coffee it was a joke....I mean I would get through 6 or 7 cups of coffee in a day easily often more....Now I have maybe 2 or 3..I have replaced half of them with green tea or hot chocolate

Yes, I hear it also has some health benefits as well.

Coffee might also help fight diabetes.

I drink 1 to 2 liters of tea a day at work. I have my own tea bags and loose teas, including herbs and flowers like jasmine, rose hips, lavender, etc. This gets me off the hook for having to make a pot of coffee by taking almost the last cup from the pot, although we have people here who will leave a thin film of coffee at the bottom of a pot and walk away.

I drink maybe 2 or 3 cups of coffee a year. Tea has many benefits, but I don't know if it affects diabetes.

[quote=richlevy]....although we have people here who will leave a thin film of coffee at the bottom of a pot and walk away.[quote=richlevy]



I am totally against violence and senseless death. Those people should be shot.

Coffee is disgusting and foul. There are so many better ways to get caffeine. About the only way I can drink coffee is like the Beastie Boys, "I like my sugar with coffee and cream."

Like what? Chocolate? too fattening. Tea? too weak. Soda's? too burpee

Well, there's always Vivarin. :)

true

Ah, the water of life ...

I drink two mugs of coffee before leaving for work, and typically up to three or four more during a shift. I go back and forth regarding how persnickety I am over making the coffee ... I'm currently on a "you have to grind your own beans" kick, although I can as easily decide that it's much easier just spooning it out of a can.

I don't experience any problems while having it, nor do I get any notable withdrawal symptoms when I don't. And I can go right to sleep when I get home if I want.

I pretty much don't drink soda currently, having forsaken Coke and Dr. Pepper for the crisp refreshment of flavored seltzer products because I don't want the sugar, but like the fizzy.

I also make tea (proper tea, in a teapot with leaves) on occasion, and when I want to have it at work have an industrial thermos flask to transport it in.

Slang, the headache you're experiencing is probably the one you usually get when you don't kill people who really need it.

Unfortunately green tea leaves accumulate fluoride from environmental pollution - more so than any other edible plant. :thumbsdow

Link about green tea/fluoride/thyroid damage
Another one

I stopped drinking coffee for a few years. Prior to having children though, it was one of my 4 food groups. Cigarettes were another... I've started drinking it again, but rarely caffienated, and usually in the evening.

[quote=wolf]
I also make tea (proper tea, in a teapot with leaves) on occasion, and when I want to have it at work have an industrial thermos flask to transport it in.


Read my leaves!

I don't do leaves ... I have a friend that does, though. I read tarot and runes, mostly.

OK-Tarot

PM me with your email address and your questions.

I used to drink far too much, now I mostly drink tea instead (Twinings Earl Grey addict, how british of me) but when it gets late and I want to keep going the mugs of straight black sugerless stuff come out. Ave 1-2 a day + 3-4 mugs of tea. Occasional binges during all night work sessions can result in 6-10 mugs over 24h, usually combined with a few panadol to keep headaches at bay, a heavy vitimin supplement and the occasional perscription muscle relaxant to stop my neck killing me. So much for body temple ;)

Don’t drink coffee, ever.
I hate the politics of coffee at work. Who left the empty pot on the hot burner to crack. Who stirred their coffee and put the wet spoon back in the sugar or dry non-dairy creamer. Who slopped coffee on the floor and walked away. Who left coffee rings on EVERYTHING. Who left the Styrofoam cup with 4 tablespoons in it, on the very edge of the shelf. Who didn’t pay. Who put in a dollar and took 6 quarters change. I hate coffee,....no,.....I hate people. :dead:

You realize there are ethopian farmers trapped in a cycle of poverty due to decreasing coffee demand in the first world bruce? You are part of the problem, you personally are causing poor ethopian farmers to be unable to send their kids to school, what do you have to say for yourself????

Let 'em drink Coke. :lol:

It's a sad state of affairs, that most people don't know how to make a truly excellent cup of coffee at home.

Not only am I an addict, I'm a pretentious coffee elitist.

(and starbucks tastes like ass)

Over Roasted Dry Ass.

Filtered water ... and grind my own beans. I have not reached the stage of elitism where I roast my own, but don't think I haven't considered it.

I do need a burr type grinder, though.

100% coffee free. *flex*

I Love Earl Grey. The best tea in the world. Good choice. :)

If you want to keep going I recommend Viagra....

... not so good as a muscle relaxant tho.

And you must stop with the pills-to-combat-the-effects-of-the-pills thing. Try a good diet and lots of exercise instead, that'll keep you headache-free more efficiently than any drug. Treat your body like the temple it is. ;)

Starting drinking coffee around age 12 and I've dropped it a couple of times in my life.

But what good is that? :biggrin:

If you find you are getting addicted to coffee, dont worry. Any caffeine containing drink will sort out those witthdrawal symptoms

Ah, this is the fun part -- addiction doesn't quite work that way. People who get their kicks from coffee will continue to get it from coffee. Drinking anything else doesn't feed the addiction properly, as even just the smell of coffee is what usually gets their "B process" going.

I'm actually bad enough with coffee that I only drink it five days a week. The weekends are off-limits because my brain is so used to having it at the office and nowhere else. I walk into the office, my B-process starts, and I have to have that cup of coffee to counteract the sleepy, headachey feeling that I get. Drinking coffee at home or anyplace other than the office or car results in me getting overhyped and jittery.

Ah, sweet, sweet addiction!

I like my sugar with coffee and cream.

But its too sweet to be sour and too nice to be mean!

And now, the very political side of coffee: where do you get your coffee? Do you brew your own? Grind your own or from a can? What brand? Do your drink the shunned liquid from Starbucks? (I like their espresso drinks -- strong!)

Peets.com, Costa Rican, whole bean via the website.

As a treat to myself I have bought this item:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...56701?v=glance

It was on special so it even cost less than that. You put in the whole beans, it grinds them and brews them through its built-in mesh filter. It brews right into the thermos-esque carafe so coffee stays hot for hours. Then it turns itself off, no warming burner involved. And it has a timer so you can set it at night to brew in the morning, so you have a hot thermal carafe of freshly ground and brewed coffee made 10 minutes before you wake up.

I know you prefer not to go out ... but Genuardi's is carrying the Peet's brand now. That is some damn good coffee. And I'm down to my last bag, so I have to get more.

I only grab fair trade ones these days. Got my eye on one of those Krups machines when I finish moving. The Nero's chain in London is damn good, here it's mostly little cafes, some very good ones with Italian guys who view it as an art.

I think I'm going to have to place an order on that site, UT -- I've always wanted to get some nice beans. But now I have to dig out the old grinder, again, and I fear it probably doesn't work. Messy as all hell, too. Ugh.

My favorite method of brewing coffee: Vacuum Brewers

Its supposed to taste better, but I think just watching this thing bubble away is cool. I call it "the coffee bong".

I'm only a coffee elitist in that I drink coffe flavored coffee, none of this mocha java latte frappe granita crap.

Here in Louisiana coffee actually goes in the baby's bottle in some areas. I started before kindergarten and Little Sidhe (2 1/2 years old) actually has her own coffee cup.

I prefer a medium roast, it seems to have a better flavor and from what I've heard (I haven't looked it up yet) the longer the roasting period the less caffeine in the coffee.

As far as coffee and headaches goes, caffeine expands blood vessels, reducing the pressure that generally causes a headache, and also caffeine is synergistic with aspirin. If you look at Excedrine Migraine and its clones, you'll see acetominophen, aspirin, and caffeine.

Oh my. I think that coffee maker from amazon is going onto my wish list ...

Here in Louisiana coffee actually goes in the baby's bottle in some areas.

The last time I was in New Orleans I had a cup of coffee that was wonderfully rich, dark. People there told me it was because most of the coffee brewed in NO had a mixture of chicory in it. I'd love to know how to replicate it.

I love Starbucks. I've loved their coffee since we started buying it at Sam's clubs in CA in the early 90's. It just tastes better to me than all other coffees I've tried. We're between coffee machines right now so we've been getting them right from the shop lately. I wish I had a venti decaf soy latte right now...

I'm actually fairly healthy but there's a limit to what your body can do without break, if you want to go beyond that you have to start using..external assistance.

You don't replicate it, it's impossible, against the rules. And likely to get you stuffed on an airplane bound for anywhere north of the Manson-Nixon line to boot.

Here you go though: Community Coffee: New Orleans Roast

This is what I grew up on, and still drink when I go to my grandmother's house.

This is what I drink when given a choice.

Haven't had coffee in a great while, but when I did drink it, I would do a max of 2 cups/day. And it could not be plain (black). I *had* to have cream of some sort in it, and most times, it would be flavored, like hazelnut or vanilla.

And then, if I really wanted to treat myself, I'd do Starbucks mocha cappuchino (sp???). :thumpsup:

For all you Starbucks people.
Especially whoever used the word "venti"

http://www.illwillpress.com/sml.html

LOL that was wrong...but funny as shit. :lol:

That shit happened to me one time in some in-store Starbucks while I was in one of those big-box bookstores.

"I'll take a small black coffee."

"You mean tall?"

"Small."

"We don't have small."

"I WILL EAT YOUR SOUL"

One thing I'd like to know regarding Carbonated_Brains' posted animation: where does one find a cup of coffee for fifty cents?

"Shmeesh! It's just 300 bucks, what is that, like a hundred cups of coffee?"

At work we have a machine which pours out brown turpentine and rat poison when you press the button that says "coffee"

and it's free!

Starbucks is the spawn of satan. They still get firebombed and vandalised over here on occasion, good. American pizza has it's charms be keep that awful shite that shouldn't be even compared to real coffee to yourselves.

keep that awful shite that shouldn't be even compared to real coffee to yourselves.

Yeah? What's real coffee like? Are you talking about fru-fru European "coffee" in the dainty little cups?

:rattat:

Real coffee doesn't taste like it was ground on the floor of a coal mine.

Mmmmmm.... coal mine....
:yum:

And those are demitasse cups, you uncultured swine! ;-)

Whoa, you mean you are in favor of businesses getting firebombed and people possibly getting hurt/killed????? :eek:

I've had someone push "real" coffee on me before: I was handed a styrofoam cup full of what appear to be decade-old 30W motor oil that had been heated.

"It's Cuban coffee. You'll like it."
"Cuban, huh? Let me get some crea--"
"No, no! Cubans do not drink it with cream or sugar. Drink up, my friend."

And so I downed the thick brew moments before the cup disintegrated from the caustic liquid. It quickly found my stomach and ate a hole straight through the lining. Holy hell, that stuff was lethal.

Those poor cubans -- we need to air-lift them some half-n-half right away!

If you can't stick a fork in and half it stand straight up, it isn't coffee.

Go to Italy, find a good cafe, there are many staffed by people that train for literally years on how to make a good cup of coffee, gague the quality of beans, roast them perfectly, grinding consistancy, water tempreature....I'm not kidding, it's a goddamn art. As for the dainty cups, a real expresso has the same caffeine content as a full mug of coffee in 1/10th of the volume, two of those and you're wired for hours. I prefer a full mug, black and sugarless myself - mostly just you can sip on it for longer but when you're in a hurry it's a great hit.

ladysyc - the only reason someone would be there at 3 in the morning is robbing the place. mostly it's just graffiti or broken windows.

the same caffine content as a full mug of coffee in 1/10th of the volume

Now that is something I could get used to. Hook it to my veins! :eek:

No, actually espresso has less caffeine because it brews so much faster. That's a common myth though.

Ye gods I'm tired, I'm starting to spell phonetically.

But an espresso has a much smaller volume than drip brew.

best coffee i ever had in my life was in riyadh, ksa. at the british embassy. i don't know what kind it was, as the pakistani steward who always magically appeared to place a cup in my hand only smiled and never spoke. but it was awesome, so awesome that i may volunteer for another tour to go back.

i think starbucks is just overpriced sewer water, but nothing is bad as the turkish coffee. talk about making your toes curl and body parts fall off... yuck.

Yea that turkish stuff is......unique. Hookah pipes and that apple flavoured stuff though...oh man that stuff rocks, that and a triple single malt on the rocks and I'm a happy man for the evening.

That is so majorly not coffee that I can't find words to adequately express my distress! EEEEEEEEAUW. And you're the woman who convinced her husband that microwaves were evil incarnate?

I like Starbucks java chip ice cream; I think the cream balances the overroasted Starbucks taste and everything works out.

On coffee itself, I'd be a snob if I liked it enough and could stand the side effects (no, not the caffeine. The coffee odor coming from every pore, and not just pores). I like Bucks County's regular blend, and some of the Whole Foods Markets blends, but if it's from a can keep it away.

Yeah, yeah, I know... try making a decent cup of coffee with soy milk though - it's just not possible. A latte is... dessert. Plus I don't have to stand there at the couter dicking around with cream and sugar for a half an hour...

Of course there is a cost to our morning cup of coffee

Child Labour

That's why I buy Fair Trade.