What type of coffee does the Thai nationals drink?
July 25, 2010
Recently I get to know many friends from Thailand. Beside culture and language barrier, I find them very friendly and warm people. But there is one thing, I really like to know what type of coffee do they love to drink?
I have tried the Singapore style using coffee powder and condensed milk , but it is not to their liking. I heard from a friend telling me they prefer 3 in-one Coffee or coffee using coffee mate. Or is it that they prefer something mild and less sweet because Singapore coffee is stronger.
Can any Thai national teach me how to make coffee suitable for their taste? Preferably the brand too. I will try to follow whatever advice given. Appreciate it very much.
Drinking coffee is relatively new for Thai people. Most of my friends here in Thailand will drink any type of coffee like you can find in Starbucks. But I noticed as well that many favor Cold Coffee drinks, such as it is served here. Thai people also drink cold coffee drinks in small cans.
Why Do I Crave Caffeine?
July 23, 2010
When you drink caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea and most sodas, the caffeine in the drink causes increased neuron activity in your brain, which in turn results in the release of a hormone we all know well – adrenalin.
This is exactly why caffeine gets us wide-awake and alert in the morning, isn’t it? Well, unfortunately it isn’t such a great thing for your body. As the adrenal high wears off, you start to feel tired, irritated, confused and may experience a headache. This usually results in reaching for another cup of coffee/tea/soda and the roller coaster ride starts over.
Is Caffeine Really Dangerous Or Addictive?
Because of caffeine, a negative roller coaster effect can occur by the release of adrenalin released by caffeine. Caffeine is very addictive. You create artificial adrenalin high by drinking caffeinated drinks, and then experience the withdrawal symptoms – which of course leads you to crave more caffeine.
Caffeine Health Effects:
Caffeine can cause alls sorts of damage to your health. Here are just a few of the undesirable side effects of caffeine on your health.
- The adrenal glands pump out stress hormones that stay elevated for up to 18 hours after consumption
- The liver releases higher amounts of sugar and fat into the blood stream.
- The pancreas produces insulin to remove the excess blood sugar and store it as fat.
- The insulin spikes create a blood sugar rollercoaster.
- Muscle tension is increased.
- The blood vessels constrict, reducing the flow of oxygen to important areas like your brain (up to 30%) and your extremities.
- Digestion and the immune system are impaired or suppressed.
- The production of DHEA and other anti-aging hormones is decreased.
- We lose Calcium and Magnesium by drinking coffee
It takes the body 24 hours to flush out the harmful effects of coffee (even 1 cup!), even though it contributes absolutely nothing to the total body chemistry and is harmful to the liver, kidneys, heart, bladder, digestive tract, bones, teeth, skin, growing fetuses and newborns.
The action of caffeine on the human heart is so stimulating and damaging that when a person has a heart attack, high blood pressure, kidney or bladder disturbance, normally their physician will prohibit any Coffee or caffeine consumption.
What Can I Do To Curb My Caffeine Cravings?
The best way to curb caffeine cravings is to wean yourself away from coffee and caffeinated sodas. It’s not going to be easy and you will feel withdrawal symptoms at first, but here are some tips to help you kick the caffeine habit.
-Eat five to six small meals a day and include some protein in each meal. This will help keep your blood sugar stable and provide you with the energy to keep going all day long.
-Drink at least eight glasses of water. Water will help keep you energized
-Drink a glass of water or green tea (see below) in the morning to help you wake up.
-Get plenty of fresh air and sunshine each day. Use your usual coffee break to take a little brisk walk outside.
-Switch to green tea. In addition to tasting great and giving you energy, it is packed with flavonoids and antioxidants, both of which are beneficial to your health.
Start by cutting down on your caffeine consumption and replace as much of it as possible with green tea and water. You may experience a caffeine withdrawal headache, but this is normal and a sign that it’s working. Keep cutting more caffeine out every few weeks. Before you know it you will break the caffeine habit for good.
Diana Walker
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/why-do-i-crave-caffeine-83350.html
Three Things Before Opening Your Coffee Shop
July 23, 2010
There is more to running a successful coffee shop than deciding what kind of coffee you will serve. Don’t get me wrong, part of your job in running your thriving coffee shop is providing your customers with an all around flavorful experience which includes the coffee, however there is so much more to know. I believe there are three essential steps to take before starting your coffee shop. Let’s explore them together.
Step One – Do the research. Learn all you can about starting a coffee shop. You can do this in a variety of different ways. My personal favorite is going to several other coffee shops, having a cup of coffee and soaking in the experience. In doing this, watch the dynamics of both the social and business environment. Observe how the business treats their customers, what menu items they sell, what kind of equipment they carry and so on. Some people even choose to get a job at an existing coffee shop before starting their own.
The more obvious means of research you can do is reading. You can learn a lot from the materials out there. There are a lot of resources to choose from. When choosing what to read I recommend that you purchase books specifically on coffee shops, not re-released restaurant startup up books. The differences between the two are crucial. I recommend this book.You can also do a lot of good research on the internet. Library research can be sketchy. If you do do research at the library make sure you checkout current books. There is a difference in business dynamics between current and older Coffee shops.
Step Two – Put together an effective business plan. Notice that I use the word “effective”; developing a plan that covers every aspect of your business will save you a lot of money and heartache in the future. There are two aspects towards putting that business plan together. The first thing to do is search for coffee shop business plans on the web, and in books in either your library or purchasing books at a place like Amazon.com
Secondly, I would recommend using a software package like Business Plan Pro. Software packages like business plan pro will ask specific questions relevant to starting your business. Each question asked will help you develop in your mind what your coffee shop will look like and how it will operate. When finished the business plan software will have given you a professional business plan you can bring to your bank and give you something to keep you on target every step of the way.
In actuality you will do well to develop two distinct plans. The first plan will be a basic layout of what you want to do and what steps you plan to take to make you successful (some people call this an action plan). This plan will keep you on track. It should only be a page or two that you can tape up to your office wall that will remind you to stay on task.
The second plan type of plan I mentioned using a software package like Business Plan Pro. You will use this plan for specific long and short range goals and to share with some investors and bankers. Keep in mind that this is a plan that you are going to share with investors so try to keep it positive and realistic. Some people actually develop a third document that they will give to their investors or bankers that will be a summary page with their mission statement and a quick over view of their business plan. If you decide to go this route, give them the short documents on top of the more advanced document.
Step Three – Get Legal. You will save a lot of time later on by getting all of your legal affairs taken care of now. First, you will need to register your name with the state, get sales tax licenses, and possibly set up a corporation. This can be a daunting task. When I first opened up my business, I tried to do it myself. I hate spending extra money. In the end I paid someone to handle the initial forms for me. After the first time I used the service I no longer needed to go back to them because it is pretty simple to keep up with those forms after once you are familiar with the process. You can spend a lot of money on a Lawyer or a CPA, but you could just use a good online service to get things set up instead. In the process don’t just give someone on the internet all of your personal info. Instead, I recommend doing research and using a company like LegalZoom.com. Make sure that you Google the website first to see if they have any complaints against them or check sources like the BBB.
Even though you may not use a lawyer or CPA to help set up your business forms, it is still a good idea to acquaint yourself with a good CPA and Lawyer for tax preparations and potential legal issues that may come up.
Develop a disaster prevention plan. This would be something like a short what if / action plan. Ask yourself what could go wrong and how could I possibly get sued, and then develop strategies to prevent those things. You will also need to get insurance at this step too. Remember the “Hot Coffee Lawsuit” a few years back? There are definite lessons to learn from that.
Shawn Larson
http://www.articlesbase.com/coffee-articles/three-things-before-opening-your-coffee-shop-726556.html
What is the best way to clean a coffee pot?
July 16, 2010
I drink a ton of coffee. I need to clean my Coffee pot often but what is the best way to do it? Lately I have learned that my boyfriend re-runs the already made coffee back through the coffee maker. I told him to never to do that again. But in case he reverts back to his old habbits what is the best way to clean the coffee maker? Home remidies or store bought I need something so my coffee can start tasting better.
The maker itself: run a 1:1 mixture of water and white vinegar. It’s gonna stink! But it will clean your coffee maker out. Run two cycles of water through it afterwords to flush the vinegar out.
For the pot: Ice and salt.
Fill it about 3/4 full with ice and then pour a lot of salt in there. It will be abrasive enough to clean your coffee pot, but not damage it. Do not use any cleaners. It will leave an after taste in your pot.
How can I get my coffee to taste like a restaurant’s brew?
July 6, 2010
I use Gevalia coffee at home and keep my coffeemaker clean but even when I pour a fresh just-brewed cup it doesn’t equal the flavor and smoothness of restaurant coffee. I also store my Coffee in small amounts in an airtight, opaque container to keep it fresh.
What is the secret? Is it true that restaurants use an additive or flavor enhancer in their coffee to reduce the acid?
I also get Gevalia Peruvian Organic , Kona, Jamaica blue,etc . What I’ve found is that it requires commitment and top quality equipment to make consistently superior coffee. Brew temp is critical 195-205F . Most home drip brewers never reach that temp!. Grind is also critical (never buy pre ground) Exception may be flavored coffee. Get a burr grinder and grind on demand only. Get a COMMERCIAL brewer for the correct brew temp and short brew time ( hear fast brew time low acid) Newco makes a good one . advise the smallest model available to use at home. Use European method Per 6 oz cup 1 std coffee measure 1/8 cup grounds. The secret ingredient is salt (SALT) a small am mt <1/8t.Try putting 1 oz real Maple Syrup in the caraf and then brew your coffee Filtered water also is a must.
