Men more responsive to caffeine, but is it psychological?

A strong cup of coffee has a greater effect on men than women, research shows.

In a study on 668 healthy volunteers, an espresso pepped up men after just 10 minutes. Women also became more alert after the beverage, but less so.

The University of Barcelona researchers say some of this effect might be psychological because decaffeinated coffee also worked to some extent.

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry reports the work.

The volunteers were asked to drink either a classic espresso containing 100mg of caffeine or a decaffeinated espresso containing 5mg of caffeine.

Then the researchers looked for changes in alertness over the following minutes and hours.

Both men and women saw an improvement in their activity levels after drinking the classic espresso and these effects began after as little as 10 minutes.

Arousing

According to the investigators, 45 minutes is the time needed for maximum caffeine concentration to be reached in the blood, but levels reach half this concentration after just a few minutes.

And the effect appeared to be greater in the men.

The decaf coffee had a similar, but weaker effect and tended to be more potent in the women rather than in the men.

Lead researcher Ana Adan said: "Numerous studies have demonstrated the stimulant effects of caffeine, but none of these have looked at their effects in terms of the consumer's gender."

Anna Denny of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "This study provides an interesting insight into how the effects of specific foods and nutrients may differ between men and women.

"Research into 'gene-nutrient' interactions is moving forward quickly and we are finding out more about how our genetic make-up affects our requirements for certain foods and nutrients, and how our bodies react to these. In the future this could allow scientists to formulate dietary recommendations based on our genetic make up, as well as our age and body size."

Dr Euan Paul of the British Coffee Association said: "This new scientific study demonstrates interesting differences in the positive effects that caffeine may have on alertness between men and women, an area that has not been heavily researched in previous scientific investigations. We welcome further research to investigate with greater certainty any differences in the stimulant effects of caffeine that may be experienced between gender groups."

Attention Bakeries: The Potential for Hot Coffee

Quick quiz: What costs 24 cents to make but is in such high demand that you can sell it for $3 a cup? Answer: specialty coffee.

Bakeries are catching on to this fast, as more incorporate beverage programs into their business. Increasingly, bakeries are finding local roasters to supply them with unique blends or working with national suppliers that can offer optimum value.

Specialty coffee is defined as a coffee that has no defects and has a distinctive flavor, according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). And demand for specialty coffee continues to heat up.

From 2001 to 2006, specialty coffee sales in the United States rose from $8.3 billion to $12.3 billion, according to SCAA and Mintel Group data. That marks nearly a 50 percent jump. There are now more than 15,500 coffee cafes in America, averaging $550,000 in annual sales.

Bakery chains like Dunkin’ Donuts have become so enamored with coffee that they seem to be more about beverages than baked goods nowadays. Dunkin’ Donuts sells 2.7 million cups of coffee every day, making it the No. 1 retailer of coffee by the cup, according to the company.

And don’t just sell coffee. Market it. Retail bakeries like La Bonbonniere Bake Shops in New Jersey boost their morning sales with breakfast specials: one donut and a small cup of coffee for $1.50, or a muffin and small coffee for $2.50. Never forget the power of a meal deal. Make it simple for people to order, and they usually will trade up for something more.

According to the SCAA, specialty coffee offers a unique flavor because of the micro-climates that produce it, similar to the slight variances you will find in the flavors of fine wines. Roasting presents the next opportunity to define your coffee as truly special. Every roaster has the potential to express itself in a signature way.

Another tip is to hire a local coffee expert for advice on your beverage program. Porto’s Bakery in Los Angeles worked with an award-winning barista in Los Angeles for ways to improve the quality of their beverages. Beverages now account for 10 percent of total sales at Porto’s Burbank location.

The following are relevant statistics from the SCAA about the specialty coffee business, to help you understand the common terms and examine the opportunity to add or enhance your beverage offerings.

****Definitions****:

Barista – a person who is a master of the espresso machine and makes coffee as a profession

Cappuccino – a classic blend of coffee and steam milk, named about the brown robes of the Capuchin monks

Cupping – the process used by coffee tasting specialists to judge and evaluate coffee beans

Espresso – a dark, rich, full-bodied coffee made when finely ground Italian or dark-roasted coffee is processed with a special machine that forces a small amount of water at high pressure through a special filter

Green coffee – unroasted coffee

Organic coffee – certified by independent agencies as organically grown, processed, stored and roasted

****Statistics****:

Americans drink more than 300 million cups of coffee each day, with 75 percent of those being home-brewed.

16 percent of American adults consume specialty coffee on a daily basis, up from 13 percent in 2002.

63 percent of American adults "occasionally" consume specialty coffee.

The vast majority of the world’s coffee is the Arabica species.

It takes about 42 coffee beans to make an average serving of espresso.

Espresso contains less caffeine than a regular serving of drip coffee because the water is in contact with the grounds for only 20 to 25 seconds and extracts less caffeine.

70 percent of U.S. adults consider coffee quality and convenient location as the most important characteristic of their favorite coffeehouse.

Getting the Coffee Straight from the Beans

Good Information here!

by Johnathan Bakers

There are do many different types of beans and the plants will fall in three different categories. The Arabica, first known on the Arabian Peninsula and the Robusta that contains about two times the amount of caffeine in every cup. This is going to be something to wake you up in the morning for sure.

These beans are going to be different that of wine because of the thing called coffee berry that is decided not because of the fruit but due to the bean that is found inside it. A bean is aged perfectly, roasted and then ground and brewed. Coffee is going to be as it has never been before with this type of bean, you could use it with your cappuccino maker.

The beans are actually going to be found in two different ways. There will be green and the red with the red having the most in smelling power of oil and the much lower acid amounts. This is used to make the higher quality coffees. One of the biggest deals in the life of bean is when it leaves the shelf from the time it was plucked.

Beans are usually picked from the hands of people and this means that there are only a few baskets done a day. They have to separate the red and the green and it is something that is a big job requirement. This is due to the huge impact on the outcome of the coffee.

Having good cappuccino is going to depend on the way that the bean is picked. The fruits can be soaked, scoured, and rubbed by machines. After this, the beans are going to be washed and removed from the part that is still there. This is going to be known as the fermentation period and will bring about beans that are dried in the sun over a large concrete or rock. This will go on until at least twelve percent is determined to be water.

The beans are then going to be displayed by their size and color and done more so by a machine. Some of the beans are going to be thrown away and others will be polished to take the skin off. For some of them, the beans are going to be aged for three to eight or nine years and the others are going to be ready for roasting in one year. This will make your cappuccino makers happy!

With the 400-degrees Fahrenheit that these beans are roasted at, they will grow to at least twice their dried out size. They may crack and even change color as the green goes to brown because the oils from the inside are being released. The oil will give the different types of coffees their true and delicious taste that we love so much.

There are so many different types of techniques that have been found for the roasting part. The beans from the Java and Kenya are usually going to be barely roasted and produce a delicious flavor for coffees. Once the roasting is done the beans, will then produce a carbon dioxide for a few days and this will make the beans because rid of their gasses? Airing or packing them in the semi-permeable bags that is made for shipping only does this.

The result is going to happen a few weeks from now. They are going to be ground where there will be differences in styles and results. In some of the cases, the burr grinders are going to crush up the beans to a size that is normal like a granule. With the others, the choppers are going to be used to chop up the beans so small with a tinier result. There is also Turkish coffee that will be made with the pounding of the beans to almost powder. This will be done with mortar and pestle.

The deciding taste is the brewing. This will be where there will be a variety of styles and ways for each brewing company. All of the good differences will be in one of four degrees and they are boiling, pressure, gravity and steeping. With boiling, the water is hot and ran through the actual grounds as they are going to be filtered out. With the pressure type, this will be espresso for most, they are going to be lightly boiled and the water will force the grounds through with the intense hot pressure. The gravity or what is also known, as drip brew will have hot water dripping onto the coffee grounds that are inside filters. This is typical for most people because they are going to want to use the coffee makers that are easily bought today. Also steeping is going to be much like the method of having tea with tea bags. This is even though the bags are a lot larger than others are.

This is going to be a long journey from the places that coffee comes from but the coffee beans are going to make it to your kitchen from the jungle. Many love a great drink. With the new ways of research and the actual health benefits from the coffee consumption, increasingly love it all the time. It is a great way to have a little picked me up anytime of the day or night. There are many flavors to love and so many will want to try increasingly.

Barista - The Perfect Espresso

CLICK HERE to read this Barista post for the perfect espresso!