Kona Cowboy Coffee: March 2012

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

WHO DRINKS THE MOST COFFEE?

Aloha kakahiaka! (Good morning in Hawai’ian) Here in Ruidoso, New Mexico we just say “howdy.” Happy Tuesday morning and greetings to all you coffee fiends. That’s fiends not friends. I know how you really feel about coffee! The purpose of this blog is to unite coffee lovers, especially lovers of Kona coffee, and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time. ) Athletes beware! Caffeine is on the International Olympic Committee list of prohibited substances. Athletes who test positive for more than 12 micrograms of caffeine per milliliter of urine may be banned from the Olympic Games. This level may be reached after drinking about five cups of coffee.

Coffee Cup News recently blogged an interesting question, “Who drinks the most coffee?” I might change that to, “Which country consumes the most coffee?” The answer to that, of course, is the United States but perhaps the more pertinent question is, “Who drinks the most coffee per person?” The list below reveals which country is the most in love with coffee based on who drinks the most coffee, on average, per person. Here’s the top five and they’re all in northern Europe.

5th Place for Coffee Drinking is The Netherlands

Holland is 5th place for coffee drinking weighing in at 8.4 kilograms or 296 ounces of coffee per person per year. That is an average of about 5 cups of coffee per month per person. I know I for one, and probably you, drink a lot more than that each day.

Coming in 4th for Coffee Drinking is Denmark

The Dansk are in 4th place for coffee drinking with 8.7 kilograms or 306 ounces of coffee per capita per year. That is an average of just over 5 cups of coffee per month per person.

In 3rd position for Coffee Drinking is Iceland

Iceland (brrrr) is in 3rd place for coffee drinking with 9 kilograms or 317 ounces of coffee per capita per year. That is an average of 5.2 cups of coffee per month per person.

Norway takes the 2nd spot for Coffee Drinking

Norge is in 2nd place for drinking coffee at 9.9 kilograms or 349 ounces of coffee drank per capita per year. That is an average of almost 6 cups at 5.7 per month per person.

And Numero Uno, 1st for Coffee Drinking is Finland

Congratulations to Finland who is 1st place for coffee drinking weighing in at a whopping 12 kilograms per capita. That is almost 50 percent more than the 5th place country in drinking coffee and an average of 7 cups per person per month! Yumpin’ Yimminy, it sounds like most of us would fit in really well in Finland.

Now I drink, on average 60 good sized cups of coffee per month or about two cups every morning. If you measure it out to those 5 or 6 ounce cups it comes to at least 180 cups! The “6” on my coffee maker makes two of my mugs of coffee. And I don’t drink coffee after 2pm because I won’t sleep well at night. How much coffee do you drink in a month? Would you beat these countries? I’m sure you would. You probably beat me!

Do you want FREE coffee? The very first cowpoke who saunters up to the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon at Wild West Days at Old Tucson Studios, March 30-April 1, and asks for it will get a free, that’s FREE bag of CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico…our newest fusion coffee made with a proprietary blend of central American coffees and real New Mexico pinon nuts!

The purpose of this blog is to unite Kona coffee lovers and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time. Join up, become a member, comment and have fun! You can find the Kona Coffee Fiends group on Facebook and we’d appreciate it if Facebook users would “LIKE” the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kona-Cowboy-Coffee-Company/222070817858553. Just copy and paste to your browser. You can also find us on Twitter at twitter.com/jackshuster. And on the web at www.KonaCowboyCoffee.com to order your gourmet coffee and coffee products.

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you go to AA meetings just for the free coffee. So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

A COFFEE MYTH BUSTED!

Aloha kakahiaka! (Good morning in Hawai’ian) Here in Ruidoso, New Mexico we just say “howdy.” Happy Tuesday morning and greetings to all you coffee fiends. That’s fiends not friends. I know how you really feel about coffee! The purpose of this blog is to unite coffee lovers, especially lovers of Kona coffee, and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time. A coffee tree lives for 60 to 70 years and can grow 30 feet tall. But they are pruned to a 10-foot height for the convenience of coffee-berry collectors.

There are a lot of outlandish myths and old wives’ tales surrounding coffee. I found some on a Mythbusters blog. These include: Coffee will stunt a child’s growth and ground coffee is just as good as whole bean coffee. This has inspired us to look into coffee myths and report back to you from time to time. We’ll let you know which tales are true and which myths couldn’t be further from the truth.

Probably the biggest myth that I hear at trade shows is: The best way to store your coffee is in the freezer or refrigerator.

Years and years ago, before I got involved in the coffee trade and didn’t know better, this myth made a lot of sense to me. I stored fish in the freezer to keep it fresh, therefore it made sense that using the freezer would work for coffee too. However, I learned that coffee beans are porous so they easily absorb moisture and aromas. That means if you store your coffee in the freezer, not only will it end up smelling like the fish you put it next to, but it’ll also absorb all sorts of moisture that will cause the bean to deteriorate and lose all of its aromas and flavors.

The best place to keep your coffee is in an air tight, light tight container that will keep the coffee cool, dry and out of the light. And keep it in the cupboard. In fact, they now make vacuum sealed containers specifically for coffee storage.

One last thing to think about: Coffee goes stale over time, so avoid buying it in bulk at the grocery store. Instead buy it directly from the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company because you know that we sell fresh coffee vacuum sealed in air and light proof bags.

Myth: The best way to store your coffee is in the freezer or refrigerator. Result: Busted!

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you've worn out the handle on your favorite mug. So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Harvard Med School info on coffee.

Aloha kakahiaka! (Good morning in Hawai’ian) Here in Ruidoso, New Mexico we just say “howdy.” Happy Tuesday morning and greetings to all you coffee fiends. That’s fiends not friends. I know how you really feel about coffee! The purpose of this blog is to unite coffee lovers, especially lovers of Kona coffee, and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time. In the sense of odors, not chemicals, scientists have discovered more than 800 aromatic compounds in coffee.

In a new article entitled “What is it about coffee?” the editors of Harvard Health Publications, discuss some of the known benefits and drawbacks of drinking coffee. The new article on coffee is found in Harvard Healthbeat, a blog and e-newsletter published by Harvard Health Publications of Harvard Medical School.

According to the Harvard Health authors, “In excess, coffee, and more particularly caffeine, can cause problems. But the fretting about two or three cups a day, or even more, is fading as study results suggestive of health benefits from coffee keep on coming in.”

“Coffee drinking is associated with a lower risk of depression among women, a lower risk of lethal prostate cancer among men, and a lower risk of stroke among men and women,” the Harvard authors state. “Earlier research also shows possible (it’s not a done deal) protective effects against everything from Parkinson’s disease to diabetes to some types of cancer.”

You know you’re a coffee fiend when you don't sweat, you percolate. So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Do you sip…or inhale?

Aloha kakahiaka! (Good morning in Hawai’ian) Here in Ruidoso, New Mexico we just say “howdy.” Happy Tuesday morning and greetings to all you coffee fiends. That’s fiends not friends. I know how you really feel about coffee! The purpose of this blog is to unite coffee lovers, especially lovers of Kona coffee, and perhaps learn a little about coffee and all the benefits of coffee at the same time. Brazil released coffee-scented postage stamps in 2001. The scent was supposed to last for three to five days. For a country that has tried to use coffee for other things, like plastic production, stamps seem quite normal.

Coffee shops and coffee sales have done relatively well in general, even during this time of economic murkiness. That, of course, proves that we may penny pinch and save on a lot of life’s luxuries but coffee seems to be one treat that we won’t go without. As we all know, coffee is often the first drink of the day or an excuse to meet up for business meetings or social gatherings. It has been said that even traditional tea-drinking countries such as China and India are being seduced by the caffeine elixir. However, this coffee craze has prompted some to find alternative ways of getting their caffeine fix.

One such endeavor in the news recently was the idea of Aeroshot. It has been described as a caffeine inhalant and comes in the form of a canister. The idea is that you put the canister in your mouth and inhale. The fine powder dissolves in your lungs to give you tour caffeine fix. The product is the creation of David Edwards, who is a Harvard Biochemical Engineer Professor. He is reported to claim that it is safe and has about as much caffeine in it as a large cup of coffee. But you don’t inhale coffee into your lungs!

It seems that there are some concerns about Aeroshot – particularly in terms of its effect on teenagers – and so the Food and Drug Administration is looking into it.

Perhaps it’s just as well to go back to the old-fashioned caffeine source – a good old cup of good coffee.

Do you want FREE coffee? The first member of the Kona Coffee Fiends fb group who comes to the Kona Cowboy Coffee Company’s Cowboy Coffee Saloon at upcoming trade shows will get a free, that’s FREE bag of CAFÉ PINON de Nuevo Mexico…our newest fusion coffee made with a proprietary blend of central American coffees and real New Mexico pinon nuts!

You know you’re a coffee fiend when your only source of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low." So enjoy your coffee, make it Kona, and remember, Kona is the home of the Hawaiian cowboy…and we had cowboys in Kona before there were cowboys in Texas!