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!