Coffee Creates a Great Social Setting

What can coffee do? Coffee is a powerful social tool–it can be used in business, in building relationships and in other social settings.

One of the reasons I always keep a Keurig both in my office and my home is because I believe that coffee can tear down social barriers. Being able to make a single cup of coffee for whomever I’m getting to know shows that I really want to invest in them. There’s no need for anyone to feel guilty–I’m not making a whole pot of coffee that will get poured down the drain. And, there’s no need for anyone to feel obliged to drink disgusting left-over-from-the-morning coffee that’s left in the carafe. Being able to make coffee that’s specifically for the person who’s going to drink it gives a special sense of hospitality and gives them flexibility in choosing what type of coffee they’d like: bold, subtle, decaf or flavored.

When I have people overnight house guests or dinner guests, it’s so nice to be able to treat each of them to their own individual cup of coffee. Perhaps my affection for Keurig is bordering on obsession–I even have one of the little one-cup Keurigs in my guest room with a basket full of various tea, coffee and hot chocolate K-Cups so my guests can enjoy their own hot drink before bed or as soon as they wake up… without feeling like they’re “bothering” me.

Coffee has become a cultural sign of welcome and pleasant exchanges. Offering coffee to guests, clients and friends sends a very clear message that you’re happy to have them in your life!

A new research study shows that moderate coffee and tea drinkers are less likely to die of heart disease than those who abstain from it.

This study furthers the expanding body of evidence that coffee and tea protect against heart disease, but no added benefit against a stroke.

In one of the largest and longest studies ever conducted examining the impact of coffee and tea drinking on heart health, more than 37,000 people in the Netherlands were examined over the course of 13 years.

The study found:

• Individuals who drank 2-4 cups of coffee a day had about 20% lower risk of heart disease than those who drank less or no coffee at all.
• Moderate coffee drinkers were associated with a reduction in death from heart disease (however not statistically significant).

Neuropsychopharmacology experts tested a group of 379 volunteers and have come to the controversial conclusion that people who drink a lot of coffee develop a tolerance for caffeine’s effects over time.

The study showed that heavy coffee drinkers, those who drink between one and six cups of coffee per day, did experience “withdrawal-like” symptoms (headache, tiredness) when given a placebo drink instead of coffee, but that when they were given actual coffee with 100mg of caffeine, they did not show any increases in alertness.

The finding then, is that heavy coffee drinkers may be drinking coffee in order to curb the withdrawal effects of consuming such high amounts of caffeine. They could, in theory, receive the same benefits from simply giving up coffee all together.

What do you think? Is coffee a circular process or does it really pick you up even though you drink it every day?

Headlines this week read, “900,000 coffee makers recalled” as the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that nearly a million of GE’s 12-cup coffee makers are being recalled.

The GE coffee makers are a traditional 12-cupe slow drip machine with a warming plate under the glass carafe. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the GE-branded appliances catch fire. One of the fires reported was sever enough to have damaged countertops, cabinet and wall.

The coffee makers were sold in both black and white at Walmart stores from March 2008 through January 2010.

If you have one of these faulty coffee makers (model numbers 169164 in black and 169165 in white) get rid of it now or risk a nasty kitchen fire. We’d suggest replacing it with a Keurig brewing system, the most popular single-serving brewing system on the market, but that’s entirely up to you.

Vermont-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters picked up California-based Diedrich Coffee earlier this week. According to Associated Press, Green Mountain has disclosed that the deal totals about $300 million, and Diedrich, and Irvine, California based coffee roasting company, agreed to sell for $35 per share.

Lawrence J. Blanford, the President of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, says that the company believes this deal will provide significant growth opportunities and advance Green Mountain’s goal of becoming a leader in the coffee and coffee maker industry.

Green Mountain and Diedrich were among the four roasters licensed to produce and sell K-Cups for the top-selling Keurig single-serve coffee brewing system.