The Coffee Shops of Japan
August 27, 2010
With Japan rated as the third largest coffee consumer in the world, it comes as no surprise that coffee shops (kissatens) abound, with Tokyo alone home to over ten thousand. Shops come in all sizes and styles, but the smaller versions usually include only a counter and a few tables that are often sole proprietorships run by a husband and wife team who are helped by a part time waitress. These establishments also often double as a small restaurant which offer sandwiches or a light meal during lunchtime. For breakfast a “morning set” is often available which usually consists of juice, coffee, eggs and toast. These mom and pop businesses are gradually being replaced by the bigger chain shops such as Detour, Tully’s, and Starbucks, which offer over the counter coffee, more spacious seating arrangements, and in the case of Starbucks a no smoking environment. This has proven to be a big selling point in a nation that currently has very few restrictions in regard to smoking in public restaurants and bars.
Others have striven to develop a unique theme to distinguish themselves from the competition. Music coffee shops for example featuring jazz, classical, or rock, have always been a favorite hangout for the younger crowd since their inception in the early 1960’s. Less mainstream but proving to be quite popular are the manga (comic book) coffee shops that have sprung up in recent years in Tokyo. Coffee is served gratuitously, and the customer pays only for the duration of time spent reading the thousands of manga provided on library type shelves lining the room. On a similar theme, “Maid Kissa” Coffee shops feature beautiful young waitresses donned in maid costumes that resemble characters from famous Japanese comics. As the customer enters the premise he or she is greeted by an alluring “welcome home my master”. In addition to the verbal role play offered, maids pour coffee and tea for patrons, or engage in a game of cards upon request. Many of these coffee shops are decorated in the style of an English Mansion to simulate feelings of truly being “master of the house”. Some shops are subtly veering from the coffee shop image by referring to their place of business as cafes, often reflecting the owners personal taste in interior design and music, and emphasizing a European atmosphere where home style food and a great cup of coffee can still be enjoyed.
Despite the various themes employed by owners to attract customers, the main feature of the menu is still coffee. For purists looking for an exotic blend or a special roasting method, a growing number of shops are now offering patrons fresh ground coffee using in house percolating techniques they hope will lure customers away from the instant coffee shop franchises that have come to dominate the market in recent years. Whether you’re searching for a temporary sanctuary from the clamor of the city, or a quick pick me up first thing in the morning, coffee shops in Japan have something for everyone.
James Sherard
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/the-coffee-shops-of-japan-290328.html
How does drinking coffee every day affect your health?
August 20, 2010
I know lots of people, especially older people & teachers who drink @ least 3 mugs a day. Lots of people tell me that since I suffer anxiety, I shouldn’t drink caffeine because it would increase the risk of a panic attack. I try to stay away from caffeine, even though I like coffee. I hardly drink it. But if I DO drink it, I usually have more cream & sugar in it than the coffee, itself.
Is drinking coffee helpful or harmful in other ways? How?
Coffee’s negative health effects are mostly due to its caffeine content. Research suggests that drinking caffeinated coffee can cause a temporary increase in the stiffening of arterial walls. Excess Coffee consumption may lead to a magnesium deficiency or hypomagnesaemia,and may be a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Some studies suggest that it may have a mixed effect on short-term memory, by improving it when the information to be recalled is related to the current train of thought, but making it more difficult to recall unrelated information. About 10% of people with a moderate daily intake (235 mg per day) reported increased depression and anxiety when caffeine was withdrawn, and about 15% of the general population report having stopped caffeine use completely, citing concern about health and unpleasant side effects. Nevertheless, the mainstream view of medical experts is that drinking three 8-ounce (236 ml) cups of coffee per day (considered average or moderate consumption) does not have significant health risks for adults.And for me its causes headaches and cold.
Guide to Single Cup Coffee Maker
August 17, 2010
True coffee addicts will not have much use for a single cup coffee maker, but for the person wanting just one for the road, they can be a blessing. Easy to set up and use, they can have a fresh cup of coffee blended in just a couple of minutes and the user can be on the road.
Most single cup coffee makers claim to have a fresh brewed cup of coffee done in about a minute, once the unit is activated, and offer the use of new coffee pods. These pre-measured packets filled with the right amount of coffee grounds make it easy and mess-free to make a cup of hot coffee.
Several options are available with a single cup coffee maker, including the use of a thermal cup. A person puts a coffee pod into the machine, fills it with water and the brew flows into a thermal travel mug ready to take on the road in about a minute. Many single cup coffee makers have two pod holders with the machine, which allows the use of specialty coffees as well.
Coffee Makers Not Just For Coffee
The Black and Decker Cup-at-a-Time personal coffee maker will brew your coffee into your own coffee mug using an included permanent filter and can also me used to make tea or hot water for instant meals, which will give the single cup coffee maker another use in the kitchen.
The advantages of a single cup coffee maker are many as they cut down on wasted coffee, helps those who want to cut down on their caffeine intake, can be used to make a measured amount of hot water for other uses and limit the mess involved in making a single cup.
The single cup coffee maker is also available in many styles and colors to fit the decorating scheme of the kitchen in which it will be used. There are some sold in a coordinated set, which include the single cup Coffee maker, toaster and blender, all with the same basic design and in the same color.
A wide range of prices is available for a single cup coffee maker with the least expensive models under $15 and others that can go as high is nearly $1,000. The brand, style and finish will determine the price and your budget will help determine which unit is right for you.
Masni Rizal Mansor
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/guide-to-single-cup-coffee-maker-115476.html
Why do some people drink coffee in the evenings?
August 10, 2010
I never understood that. Coffee drinking seems to be a tradition after finishing dinner with some people, and it’s always offered to my party and I whenever we dine at fancy restaurants, and I don’t understand that. Wouldn’t drinking coffee keep people up at night? (Although I guess that depends how strong the Coffee is made.)
Anyway, for me coffee has always been strictly a morning beverage only. It would actually feel strange to me to have it at any other time.
I drink coffee at night for different reasons at different times. After dinner it is offered as was to continue the dinner conversation of a group while countering the tendency of many people to get tired after eating a meal. Many people like the taste of coffee and are not effected by the caffeine so they drink coffee before bed. Another reason I drink coffee at night is I am a full time student and work full time so I need to go for 18 hours a day 7 days a week and coffee is the best legal way to help with that.
Promotes Better Health With Organic Coffee
August 6, 2010
Throughout the world, coffee is the second most popularly traded item on the globe. Behind oil, it is the most sought after commodity on the open market, but as more people focus on health, organic coffee is quickly gaining for market share.
From the time, in about 800 AD a goat herder in Ethiopia watched his goats literally dance after eating red berries from a coffee bush until Brazil took the honor of having the largest coffee crop in about 1800, Coffee was a blend held only for royalty and the elite. No one then cared how the bean was grown, or processed, nor was organic coffee thought to be important.
Today there are rules and regulations regarding all food items that purport to be grown with out chemicals of any kind, and this includes organic coffee. This becomes especially important where the crop is grown in mountainous regions where fertilizers and insecticides would become part of the lower watershed and water supply after rains.
Numerous companies today offer organic coffee, each seeking certification of its designation by following the rules spelled out in The Organic Food Production Act of 1990. This Act specifies procedures for growing organic coffee as well as continued testing of the companies’ plans to maintain certification.
Growing Fields Must Be Certified Organic
Not only must the growing and handling process be certified as organic, the fields in which a crop of organic coffee is planted must not have had any non-organic ingredients in it or on it for at least three years prior to the harvest. This would ensure that non-organic materials are not part of the growth.
Due to the requirements of the Act, as well as the long certification process, organic coffee is more costly than non-organic, but health conscious coffee drinkers insist the price is worth it as they are not consuming harmful artificial chemicals. Natural fertilizers, such as the outer bean shell and mulching from other trees provide a think top soil of nutrients for the bean plants.
Many coffee trees are grown in the shade to prevent the top soil from being bleached by the sun, keeping the nutrients in the soil to provide an organic coffee bean, which retains its flavor. The roasting process for most organic coffee growers and handlers is done without any artificial ingredients added, as well.
Most organic coffee purveyors insist growing coffee without artificial chemicals instills the natural flavor of the bean and provides a healthier drink to consumers.
Masni Rizal Mansor
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/promotes-better-health-with-organic-coffee-113923.html
