Sunday, December 12, 2010

The Coffee Virgin

Bobby loses his coffee virginity for The Stovetop Baristas





Caffeine addiction is prevalent on college campuses

Bobby Waddle had never had coffee. Until today. In fact, Waddle said he never had a need for coffee, which sets him apart on a college campus.

A study done by Loyola University found that four out of five college students consume caffeine on a daily basis to wake up for early morning classes or stay up late to finish school work. Senior Rachel Gillespie is one of those university students at Bowling Green who considers herself a “caffeine addict.”

“I have caffeine at least twice a day,” Gillespie said. “Tea has caffeine in it, and I have that at least once a day.”

Gillespie said she feels as though she has built up a tolerance to caffeine and that it no longer helps her stay awake. She said the only time she remembers really feeling the effects of caffeine was when she drank a 5-Hour Energy in order to make the drive back home to Cincinnati. Gillespie also keeps espresso shots in her pantry to add to her coffee to give her an extra kick in the morning.

When a tolerance begins to build is when an addiction can start, no matter what source the caffeine is contained in, and could have the potential for serious health risks.

Risks of caffeine addiction

For someone who is addicted to caffeine, possible side effects of a caffeine withdrawal could range from headaches and fatigue to irritability and difficulty concentrating. According to an article by U.S. News and World Report, most people experience mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms that usually set in 12-24 hours after abstaining from caffeine.

"People are hesitant to think of it as a drug of addiction because it doesn't have a lot of the health and adverse social consequences associated with our classic drugs of addiction, yet the basic mechanisms by which it hooks people are very much like our classic drugs of addiction," said Roland Griffiths, a professor in the departments of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, in the article.

Some students still don't have a need for caffeine

While coffee is often a caffeine quick fix for college students, Waddle isn’t completely alone on campus with his disregard for the beverage. Paul Dalsky is also not fond of coffee, and said he never usually consumes caffeine in any beverage.

“I don’t drink coffee, I don’t like tea and my favorite pops don’t have caffeine,” Dalsky said.

Dalsky said he is wakes up best the mornings when he has to walk to the Student Recreation Center for his 8:30 weight lifting class, and other than that he doesn’t see a need to do anything extra to keep himself awake.

“Once I’m up, I’m up,” Dalsky said. “And once I’m tired, I’m done for.”

Now that Waddle has joined the ranks of college students who have had at least one cup of coffee, he doesn’t think his life will be any different and he certainly doesn’t think he’ll be looking to coffee to keep him awake during finals week.

“Doesn’t feel any different to have had coffee than it did before,” Waddle said.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Coffee and . . . the iPad?

Image from Apartment Therapy: The Kitchn
While browsing the latest coffee news I came across an interesting new release to the coffee world - a coffee iPad application. The Intelligentsia Coffee iPad (or iPhone, whichever you prefer) application allows users to learn new coffee brewing methods, it provides a brewing timer, it details different coffee grinds and blends and also gives updates on all the latest from the Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea Company - just to name a few of its capabilities.

Now, I'm not that up on the cutting edge of technology - meaning that I am not an owner of an iPad. Or an iPhone. But this app looks pretty sweet for those of you who do have one of those fancy Apple gadgets. I would love to have a little personal coffee guide helping me with brewing and blending. And just think of all the things the Stovetop Baristas could explore with such a guide . . .


Saturday, December 4, 2010

Coffee Pot Rock

Here's a little coffee buzz for you, below is Coffee Pot Rock in Arizona.
A coffee enthusiasts favorite natural wonder.

google

visitarizona.com

Novick 

You can even get Coffee Pot Rock on your coffee mug.

Zazzle.com

-Becky


Friday, December 3, 2010

The "Beauty" of Coffee

coffee WavesImage by Omar_MK via Flickr

For the Stovetop Baristas we can’t imagine starting our day without a cup of coffee, but that perfect cup of coffee in the morning can also beauty aid. Yes, coffee yet again proves to be more irreplaceable in our lives.
Thanks to Care2, this post will be about how coffee can “clean, exfoliate dead-looking skin, give hair a warm glow and shine, and more.”       
So before you brew that last cup of coffee see what else those grounds can do for you.
Deodorize with Coffee Grounds: “Coffee grounds will get rid of the oniony, garlicky, or fishy smells that cooking leaves often behind on our hands: just rub a handful of used grounds all over your hands and then rinse with warm water. You can also fill a muslin bag with used grounds to deodorize yourself all over in the bath or shower.”
I've seen people do this to their hands, it totally works.
Coffee Hair Glow Recipe:
”This recipe smells divine and it really works: you’ll have more lustrous hair after just one application.”
“Make a strong brew (espresso if possible) and allow to cool until only warm, not hot. Apply the coffee to dry hair and allow to remain on for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water.”
Exfoliating and Firming Perk-Up Facial:
”This will gently firm and tone your skin, minimizing pores and sloughing off dead skin so the fresh new skin underneath is revealed. Those with dry skin will want to follow the facial with a moisturizer.”
Mix 1/4 cup used coffee grounds and one egg white, combining well. Massage gently onto face, then allow to dry. Rinse off with warm water.
-Becky 
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Make-at-Home: Roast Your Own Coffee Beans

I consider my dad to be somewhat of an expert on coffee. He roasts his own beans and keeps a notebook of the different roasts and the roasting times - it almost strikes me as an art form. So, when it came time for the Stovetop Baristas to do a video post I thought, who better to help me out?

While I was home over Thanksgiving break I asked my dad if we could do a how-to video with him on roasting coffee beans. He agreed, but then he had an idea - why not do a video on roasting coffee beans in a hot air popper? Because, after all, we are the Stovetop Baristas and we're all about creating coffee without the fancy machines. Great call, Dad. So here is our video on roasting coffee beans in a hot air popper!

(As a note, when roasting coffee beans don't forget you have to start with the green, unroasted beans! You can order them online or check a coffee store near you.)






Just in case anyone was wondering, the coffee beans turned out great. I had some lovely  homemade coffee in my apartment a couple days later! Special thanks to coffeegeek.com where I found the basic instructions!


-- Alissa and Becky


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