Sorting fact and fiction about coffee and its effects on health may be getting easier. While coffeehouses appear on every corner and devices for making your own at home pop up on shelves of stores selling everything from hardware to housewares, some people still consider coffee a guilty pleasure. But there is enough good news about coffee to perk you up.
Harvard University Women's Health Letter this year gave coffee a thumbs up on many health concerns and went even further to cite likely benefits. Recent studies have shown that regular coffee drinkers may reduce their risk of acquiring type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes. It also may stave off colon cancer and liver damage among people at risk for liver disease. It may make a person less likely to develop gallstones and even Parkinson's disease.
And as any coffee lover knows, it can help keep you alert both physically and mentally. Endurance athletes, high-stakes test takers and long-distance drivers know this better than anyone.
As with anything though, moderation is the key. The caffeine in coffee is mildly addictive, and too much can play havoc with your heart rate, your blood pressure, your nerves, your ability to sleep and even your temperament.
What to Look for
Any coffee drinker worth her latte will tell you that while the caffeine may be important, taste is critical. Too bitter and the best organic sugar won't even cut it. Too weak and it won't stand up to top-quality cream.
One factor influencing taste is country of origin. "Food & Wine" magazine recently offered a shortcut to understanding coffee heritage. From Africa expect floral and chocolate tastes and strong acidity, especially in coffees from Ethiopia or Kenya. From Central America you'll find the lighter fruitier java, particularly from Costa Rica and Guatemala. From Indonesia, a full body, low acidity and earthy flavors.
As for caffeine content, the way coffee is roasted and other factors affect the count, but in general espresso will have the most caffeine relative to volume, followed by regular brewed coffee and then instant coffee. Decaf, by the way, will have a trace in it as well (up to 5 milligrams per 8 ounces, compared with 60 to 120 milligrams in 8 ounces of regular brew).
Common Pitfalls
It's very important to keep coffee fresh. When buying it from a store shelf, you can assume it's been sitting for at least a matter of days. Since some coffee experts say that coffee quality begins to deteriorate just a few weeks after the beans are roasted; it's best not to buy any more coffee than you're going to drink in the next week or so. Stocking up because it's on sale may not be the best idea.
Also, be aware that packaging regulations merely require that a product labeled "coffee" contain 100 percent coffee. That does not mean that the product contains 100 percent of the rare African variety you seek, just that it's 100 percent coffee of some type.
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