I love coffee and everything that goes with it. Because I seldom drink it alone, it carries a social aspect and a comfort dimension that are difficult to separate from the actual beverage itself. I do try to restrict my daily consumption to three or four cups. We all know that it isn’t healthy to drink more than that, or at least that’s what we’ve always been told.

The Mayo Clinic now suggests 2-4 cups of brewed coffee a day is okay but more than that can cause insomnia, restlessness, stomach upset, and increased heartbeat. The Globe and Mail in September 2012, reported that people who drink 4-6 cups of coffee a day are 28% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, benefits attributed to antioxidants. The same article also cautions that more than 2 8-oz. cups of coffee may increase the risk of miscarriage. According to an *article in the Health section, March 18th issue of Mail Online, a UK newspaper, Swedish researchers have been quoted as saying that one cup of coffee a day could reduce your blood pressure and provide a temporary boost to your brainpower; researchers at the University of Florida say that two cups could stave off Alzheimer’s and according to The International Journal of Sports Medicine, enhance exercise performance; the American medical journal Cancer states that three cups could reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer in women and, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, reduce the risk of gallstones in men; another U.S. study found that more than three cups could increase the risk of heart attack; five cups, according the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo, reduce the risk of serious liver damage by three-quarters; researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit report that drinking six cups can reduce the risk of some skin cancers but according to Dr. Sarah Schenker, dietitian, can lead to dehydration. More than six cups … well, you get the idea. Simply choose the advice you like best.

All medical research aside, I find that ordering a cup of coffee is becoming more complicated all the time. Unless your coffee shop of choice is the ubiquitous Tim Horton’s, you may find everything on the menu except a normal cup of coffee. I have a good friend that refuses to drink the specialty options. He loves his coffee straight up in a normal mug with a shot of cream. That’s it. He gets a little testy when he steps up to order and sees nothing that he recognizes. “Just a plain cup of coffee,” he laments. “Can I get that?”

Last weekend, my friend said this to the woman behind the counter and she looked totally puzzled. I felt sad for her, guessing that no one had made such an archaic choice before and obviously her training hadn’t prepared her for this. This particular shop sold green coffee beans and home roasters so that you could not only grind your own beans at home, but roast them first. I wondered what hour these people wake up in the morning in order to brew their breakfast coffee and still arrive at work on time.

I am of two minds on the subject though. I have to admit that I was curious about the green beans. I do love a great java and have to believe the more you know about the growing and harvesting, roasting, grinding and brewing process, the better the resulting coffee has to be and then, as if to affirm my suspicions, the carafe of that beautiful black elixir that they served was incredibly delicious!

Things have changed since the days when my parents would drink a cup of instant coffee mid-afternoon. It seems the natural cycle prevails in this context as in everything – our inclination to wish for more choice and then when that happens, to wish for simpler times.

source: http://www.janethepburn.com / Home> Blog> Non-Fiction / March 20th, 2013