Filling Your Cup

Sometimes, we take for granted some of the seemingly mundane things we do in our lives, but when you don't have them anymore, you remember...look at it in a different way and see that it was something special.  I was thinking about this as things are different for me now, running a business from home as opposed to being in an office.  Ironic as it is, in providing an Office Coffee Service, there are office rituals I don't have anymore and that I miss.

When I worked in my previous career, there was a particular routine I loved, and that was coming into work in the morning.  I would get to the office fairly early, usually around 7:30 a.m..  There were not many of us in that early in the morning.  It was quiet.  While the computer was booting up, I would get my coffee, others would start filtering into the lunch room for theirs and we would get caught up with one another on what was happening in our lives. Then the conversations would start to turn to events happening in the business.  We would be discussing how to handle a certain situation, new processes for improvement, or find solutions to problems, even just sharing information.  Whatever it was, it was always productive and was always a good start to the day.  We were "filling our cups", both literally and figuratively. 

Sometimes, that routine just couldn't happen in the morning, whether due to an early conference call,  another incoming call or perhaps dealing with a crisis; and when it couldn't happen, we all missed our usual routine.  It was akin to sleeping in when your alarm clock doesn't wake you..the day would just be "off".

We had created a wonderful morning routine around coffee.  Easing into the days tasks with some new ideas, a fresh perspective or just some camaraderie.  So in that vein, coffee and business go hand in hand for me and although I don't get to have that morning coffee anymore with my colleagues, I do enjoy bringing that to others for their enjoyment.  I enjoy filling their cups.


So grab yourself a coffee (hopefully it's mine :)) and fill your cup!  Consider what is special in the seemingly mundane.


 

A Different Kind of Brew - Update

My family and I went on vacation to Newfoundland to visit family, and as part of the trip, we were attending a wedding for one of the family members that was in St. Pierre-Miquelon.  For those of you that may not be aware, St. Pierre-Miquelon is a small island off the coast of Newfoundland that is a part of France. 

It has always been on my list of to-do's to visit this part of "Europe" so close to Canada, and going to the wedding was a great opportunity to do that.  I was excited to get a bit of European culture, food, and of course some great coffee!  Now that I really love Cafe Americano, I was looking forward to having my fill. 

The first morning we awoke in St. Pierre, I got ready and headed for the restaurant for a great cup of coffee!  I walked into the restaurant and headed for the counter, all the while thinking about the wonderful taste of a great cup of coffee.  The conversation went like this,
Me- "Do you serve cafe americano?"
Server- "No"
Me- "Cappuccino?  Espresso?"
Server- "No, we only have NORMAL coffee here"

Well, I just had to laugh as I was thinking about my previous post publishing...probably around that exact moment! 

A Different Kind of Brew

It was many years ago when I was first introduced to the Cafe Americano.  I was in Europe and was at the height of my coffee drinking.  I was travelling on business to Barcelona and the jet lag was killer.  Couldn't sleep at night and in the morning it seemed impossible that I would make it through the day!  These were the days before the in room coffee maker (especially in Europe!) and so it seemed like it took me forever to get ready for the day and go downstairs of the hotel lobby for a coffee.  When I got there, the choice was espresso. 

"Espresso???", I say, "Is there any regular coffee?".  The waiter looked at me with a blank look at first, but then it dawned on him, that I am not from around here.

"I can make you a Cafe Americano."  The waiter suggested.

"Yes, for sure...what is that??", I responded, my desperation for a cup of coffee was growing intensely with each passing moment and in my mind I thought he must mean a NORMAL cup of coffee, the type us Americano's drink, hence the name. Yes, that must be it.

"It is an espresso that is diluted with hot water", the waiter responded.

In my head, that didn't sound so great, but it seemed it was the closest thing I was going to get to what I was used to, "Yes, please", I responded.

Well, that was a pretty darned good cup of coffee, smooth and flavourful.  On the rest of the trip, I knew just what to ask for.  Every restaurant, I asked for Cafe Americano and I was getting good at asking with just the right accent to make it sound like I really knew what I was doing.  Happy I was having my coffee, enjoying a different kind of brew!

The Caffeine Connection

We all know that caffeine is a stimulant, but there are a number of ways that caffeine stimulates.  One of the pathways is that caffeine is similar in structure to adenosine.  When adenosine is taken up by receptors in the brain, this causes drowsiness, but in the presence of caffeine, the caffeine takes up those adenosine sites.  Caffeine does not cause the slow down of the sites, similar to putting a key that fits in a lock but doesn't actually unlock the door.  So adenosine is still free to roam in the bloodstream and therefore, not inducing drowsiness. 

Another way that caffeine works is to manipulate dopamine levels, increasing the levels of dopamine and activating pleasure centres in the brain. (Hence, why we like our coffee oh so much!) And a third way caffeine works is to increase adrenaline levels in the body.  Of course we all know what happens when we have a surge of adrenaline.  Our heart beats a little faster, giving you a boost.

This is all good news as long as we maintain a healthy habit of it.  A standard 8 oz cup of coffee has about 100 mg of caffeine and it is generally accepted that 2-3 eight ounce servings a day is a healthy dose.  More than that and you start to come up to levels associated with headaches, interference with sleep, and feeling jittery and anxious. 

Research has shown that moderate levels of caffeine consumption is associated with lower risk of developing diabetes, lower risk of colon cancer, and a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease. 

So enjoy your coffee....but in moderation!

You are Here!

I have always been a coffee drinker...well, there were a couple of years where, for whatever reason,  I gave up coffee everyday, but still would enjoy a cappuccino in the afternoon, or after a really good meal.  I drank my drip coffee every morning and all through the day, I made my run through the drive thru every morning.  My car didn't know where to go unless it went to a drive thru first!  My first part time job was in a local coffee shop, it was a great job.  I worked there for many years...and...I drank a lot of coffee!  Even when I wasn't working in the coffee shop, I was usually hanging out in one.

When I first started travelling for business many years ago, my first business trip was to the US for a training session.  The first day of training, we, of course, start off with filling up our coffee mugs and grabbing a pastry.  In my opinion, the coffee just didn't cut it.  Very weak with little flavour.  That was it, from there, I made the coffee everyday for that training!  They were training me on a new medical laboratory computer system, but I was determined to train them on how to make coffee!

In those days, I also did a lot of driving around Ontario, up and down the 401, from Ottawa to Windsor, and I knew where each stop had a coffee place (you know who I mean!).

I even remember when I was very young, perhaps 12 or so, I was waiting for my Mom to finish work at a local restaurant and someone needed a refill on their coffee, so there I was, just grabbed the pot and started filling everyones cup. In fact, I have been known to do this a few times through the years, been in a restaurant and wanted a refill and the wait staff run off their feet, so have grabbed the coffee pot and filled my cup and a few others as well.

When I look back on this and find myself in this coffee business, I have to laugh, because I didn't look for a coffee business specifically, but it showed up.  It is just funny how perhaps it was there the whole time!
I don't know what it is but I do enjoy giving people a really good cup of coffee!

Cafeducation Ph.D.

This entry of the Bean Blog is really cutting edge, hence the Cafeducation Ph.D., it is something I came across in researching antioxidants and I found this really interesting.  I have tried to summarize as best as possible in this post. Hope you enjoy!
We already know that coffee has one of the highest concentration of antioxidants and we have all heard that it is good for us to be taking antioxidants either in the form of foods like coffee, chocolate, blueberries or some exotic berry from the Amazon (really, why is it that all the really high potency antioxidants always seem to come from some exotic fruit of the tropics?)...anyway, suffice it to say, we are inundated with hype on the virtue of getting antioxidants, the more, the better. Now we even have ORAC values that measure antioxidant concentration! You know you have reached a critical mass when you have a new unit of measurement that requires a pocket scientist to figure out.


Antioxidants VS Free Radicals-A childlike rendition
copyright The Office Bean



So just as we try to figure out what exactly an ORAC is, recent research over the last few years has discovered a new protein in the human body called Nrf2. Nrf2 mostly lies inactive in many of the cells of the body until there is a triggering from either a large excess of free radicals, or a trigger agent, called an Nrf2 activator that causes the protein to become active. When this protein is active it is a super powerful antioxidant generator. It can clean up those free radicals like no Amazonian berry! When you compare the capability of this protein with generating antioxidants to those you ingest through food or supplements, there is no contest.  Our body has within it, it's own antioxidant generator! 

Once this pathway has been triggered, it has amazing detoxifying effects, anti aging benefits as well as immune support benefits and neuroprotective capabilities. There are a number of papers that have been published in peer reviewed journals on various compounds that up regulate this pathway and it's effects on various diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's, various cancers and many others. Nutraceutical and pharmaceutical companies are spending millions of dollars acquiring technology in this area for new supplements and medications. This looks to be the next big evolution in the industry!

So, I know you are asking, what are the triggers? Well it turns out there are a few foods that contain Nrf2 activators like broccoli, broccoli sprouts, blueberries, cinnamon just to name a few...and... you guessed it....COFFEE! So next time you have your afternoon latte, you can know that not only are you getting antioxidants but you are generating them too!

What's in Your Cup?

Have you ever wondered what is in a cup of Joe...I mean besides the caffeine, the sugar or the cream that you may put in?

There are actually over 900 compounds that make up a cup of coffee. This includes lipids, vitamins, carbohydrates and even fiber! Yes, fiber. According to an article in Scientific American that appeared March 13, 2007. Scientific American reported that food scientists at the National Research Council in Madrid, Fulgencio Saura-Calixto and Elena Diaz-Rubio found that an 8 ounce cup of coffee can contain as much as 1.5 grams of soluble fiber. Not that coffee should become your main source of fiber, but since most people are far from getting their recommended daily allowance for fiber, it is nice to know you are getting a little more with your daily fix of coffee.

Other interesting compounds in coffee include;
Antioxidants- one of the richest sources of antioxidants in our diet. Helps fight oxidative stress, keeping us younger and helps prevent some cancers.
Lipids- coffee contains lipids similar to vegetable oil and is what gives rise to the wonderful aroma of coffee since the aromatic compounds are mostly oil soluble.
Vitamins- coffee contains many B vitamins, Calcium, Folic acid, Potassium, Zinc and vitamin C.
Protein- coffee in it's dry state contains about 10% protein in the form of a myriad of amino acids such as lysine, arginine, cysteine and glutamic acid, just to name a few.
So there is a lot to celebrate with a cup of coffee...aside from lifting the morning fog!