Mocha Mondays at McDonalds
McDonald’s is giving another push in their quest to become number one in the coffee world. Starbucks started giving away ice cream. How will McDonald’s counter this freebie? Two words, “Mocha Monday”.
July 13 through August 3rd, participating McDonald’s will be giving away 7oz iced and hot Mochas on Mondays. Admittedly, the free Mochas are smaller than the regular 12oz size that the Mocha’s usually come in.
McDonald’s is estimating that they will give away around 10 million Mochas during this campaign. Neil Golden, chief marketing officer of McDonald’s USA said, “This is one of the largest sampling initiatives we’ve taken on as a company.”
Viagra Laced Coffee Confinscated in Malaysia
Newkerala.com has reported that more than 900 boxes of coffee, laced with the impotence drug Viagra, were confiscated in Malaysia. The product was being marketed to consumers as an energy booster.
“The coffee mixture had been distributed in sachets nationwide,” said a report in the New Straits Times Online. “Investigations revealed the distributor attempted to mislead the public by claiming the coffee mixture could provide an energy boost, besides being beneficial for men.”
Viagra, now widely used to treat men for impotence, was initially developed to treat high blood pressure and certain symptoms of heart disease. However, drug trials revealed that it also could be used to treat sexual problems in men.
Coffee May Lower Risk of Developing Alzheimers
New studies show that caffeine may reduce inflammation in the brain, preventing memory loss.
Dr. Jennifer Ashton, who appeared on the Early Show discussed the findings from studies recently preformed on mice over a period of two months. “Researchers gave the equivalent of 500 milligrams of caffeine per day to little lab mice, who have been induced to have the same kind of memory changes we see in Alzheimer’s disease, and they found a very positive effect on their memory and thinking actions over a two-month period. So put another one in the column of a good effect of caffeine,” she explained.
So how much would a person have to consume to expect the same results? About 5 medium cups of caffeinated coffee a day. “It looks like a lot, but it’s important to realize that now, when we go to a deli or a Starbucks, this could actually be just the equivalent of 2 1/2 large or Grande cups of coffee a day. While it’s a little bit more than most people have in the morning, it’s actually not such an excessive amount,” Ashton said.
So, how does it work? “Their thinking is that actually the caffeine worked by decreasing the inflammation in the brain, cuts down on the buildup of protein we see in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s disease.”
“People are affected by Alzheimer’s. While it’s important to remember that caffeine is a drug, this is something that’s readily accessible in our environment practically. It’s in people’s day-to-day, and something that can have an effect like this is very important and very encouraging.”
Ashton notes that some caution is advised. Caffeine is a drug, and can be associated with increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, jitteriness, palpitations and dehydration.
“For people who have irregular heart beats, hypertension, women who are pregnant or those who are sensitive to the effects of caffeine, coffee, tea or soda should be consumed in moderation.”
You can read about this study in the July 5th issue of Journal of Alzheimers Disease
Does Coffee Dehydrate You?
People who live in higher elevations, such as in Boulder, CO., often worry about dehydration. They feel that due to the dry climate and huge amount of outdoor activities, they must drink water from the time they get up until they lay their head on the pillow at night to stay hydrated. It also makes many wonder if coffee is a dehydrating drink. Some health professionals tell their clients to drink two glasses of water for every cup of coffee they drink in order to avoid dehydration. However, recent research is countering this assumption.
Vanderbilt University Institute for Coffee Studies and Positively Coffee have been doing research on the dehydrating effects of coffee. Their studies show that moderate caffeine consumption does not dehydrate people, but it is considered an acceptable contributor to a humans daily fluid intake requirement. A 2007 study looked at fluid balance, hydration and exercise in the heat. They concluded that if you have no more than 400mg of caffeine, there is no dehydration effect with either exercise or at rest. A 1.5 ounce sot of espresso contains approximately 77 mg of caffeine so a single or even a double latte in the morning will not hurt you. Many people even say that consuming coffee before they exercise makes them more productive during their activity.
For more information check out www.vanderbilt.edu/ics/ICS_Home.shtml
Zaget’s #1 pick for Fast Food Coffee
Zaget’s has made its pick as to who is number one when it comes to fast food coffee. No surprise, Starbucks is the winner, beating McDonalds and their McCafe’s. As you already know, McDonald’s was hoping for the top spot. It was not to be. However, YouGov’s BrandIndex shows that McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts both beat out Starbucks in terms of perceived value.
In response Starbucks is pitching a new campaign to celebrate their ranking. The ad campaign is straight forward stating simply “Zagat says we’re the country’s No. 1 best coffee. Actually, you said it, but Zagat repeated it (which is nice)” They are also planning to appear at least once on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
Starbucks, which posted its first-ever fiscal loss in August 2008 and has financially struggled since, continued slumping in the second quarter of its fiscal year 2009. The company reported consolidated net revenues of $2.3 billion, a 7.6% decrease from Q2 2008.
Starbucks Sticks v. Nescafe Sticks
Starbucks came out with the Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Stick packets and then, as always, some one else comes along to create competition. Who is that competition? Nescafe Taster’s Choice, who vow that their instant sticks are more flavorful than Starbucks, but perhaps most importantly in this economy, they claim to be four times cheaper. You read that right 4 times cheaper that Starbucks Sticks!
The Chicago Tribune found that, on average, one packet of Nescafe costs 19cents per packet as opposed to Starbucks which costs approximately 83 cents per packet. The price is obviously much better, but what about the taste? The Tribune also conducted a blind taste test with six testers to find out if the money you are saving is equal to the flavor you may or may not be loosing by getting the cheaper product.
The test included not only the the Colombian of both brands of sticks, but also a brewed Colombian. No surprise, the brewed coffee won hands down, but that is not what we are concerned with. Back to the sticks!
Starbucks Sticks came in a close second followed by Nescafe. One person thought that Starbucks were too bitter and sharp. Most tasters described Nescafe as being thin, weak or like cardboard.
When mixed with cold water for iced coffee, Starbucks dissolved easily. Nescafe also mixed well, but do to the larger granules required more stirring. So now its time for you to decide, is the flavor worth the cost??? That is the million dollar question.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/chi-tc-food-tastings-0605-0610jun10,0,129961.htmlstory
Coffee Investor’s Dream in a Tough Economy
Fortune Magazine has reported that Green Mountain Coffee Roaster’s stock is holding strong despite a tough economy. Their stock has gained 120% this year after holdiay sales of its Keurig single cup coffee brewers.
To check out these amazing brewers and pods, click the link below:
Great Keurig Coffee Maker and Pods
Advanced Press Pot Techniques
Espresso Facts/Tips and Honey Bean Coffee Review by Coffee Nate
Learn about espresso and hear the taste by taste coffee review by Coffee Nate about Honey Bean Coffee. Check out the coffee review at:
http://www.coffeenate.com/espresso-tips/
Coffee Crawl Seattle Style
Its no surprise that Seattle’s Best Coffee Shop at Pike Market Place is the embarkation point for the Seattle Coffee Crawl. You will have plenty of energy (caffeine) to get your through the 1.6 mile coffee tour through downtown where you will lean about Seattle’s culture and history, which, of course, is rich in coffee! Its like a cupping on the go. You get to sample coffee from downtown coffee shops. Tours are held daily at 10am and last approximately 2 hours. The cost is $20 per person.
Check out www.SeattleByFoot.comto find out more. You can also read another article aobut the Coffee Crawl at http://www.thefalcononline.com/article.php?id=5579
Drinking Coffee in Space
Astronauts cannot go without their cup of Joe.
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