I've already written what I know about the health benefits of drinking coffee and tea as well as green tea for dieting and coffee health, but I feel compelled to revisit the subject because of all the new reports I'm reading.

Coffee, Tea and Diabetes

Researchers don't know what the ingredient is, but say there may something in coffee that reduces the risk for type 2 diabetes in women by almost 50 percent. They also don't know why drinking coffee may reduce the likelihood of abnormal heart rhythms.

Studies of people who drink tea came to the same conclusions. I'll tell you what I think of all this near the end.

Coffee and Strokes

The incidents of strokes in older people have been declining and part of it may be attributed to older people drinking coffee. Studies show that people who drink coffee were 29 percent less likely to have a stroke.

Of course, that doesn't take into consideration what causes strokes in the first place.

No Bed of Roses

It's not all good news and I have my own thoughts about some of this. I would call these studies anything but an exact science. One study shows only moderate links between the increased risk of hypertension and caffeine consumption and advises anyone concerned about their blood pressure to reduce their coffee consumption. I guess it's a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" kind of situation.

Personally, I think the studies are missing the point. People that drink coffee and tea aren't drinking a lot of the other beverages, like carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages and other kinds of flavored drinks. I think the positive results are based on what people are NOT drinking as opposed to what they are.

News Sources:

• Grab a cup of heart-friendly coffee
• Study: Coffee, Tea Can Lower Diabetes Risk
• Surprising Stroke Findings

Similar Posts:

• What Effect does Coffee have on Alcohol Consumption?
• The Coffee Franchises are Here to Stay
• Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee and Tea
• A Possible Switch to Decaffeinated Coffee
• Coffee and Your Health – Good to the Last Drop

I spotted a news item about a billboard-like banner that was put up for advertising and them removed due to consumer complaints. It featured a bikini-clad woman holding a cup of coffee and saucer. The interesting part is the complaints.

Perky Cups

After I checked a few sources, it appears that Perky Cups in Aurora, Colorado opened in November of 2009. They opened with baristas (coffee bartenders) wearing bikinis. They seem to be doing well and are planning to expand to other locations.

Other coffee shops, most notably in the state of Washington, have had a bit more trouble. Some of the baristas were charged (back in September) with prostitution and lewd conduct at one particular coffee shop I won't mention.

I only found the banner for Perky Cups at the Associated Press via Google News (and I don't know how long it will exist). Here's the link: Some unhappy with bikini ad for Perky Cups coffee

Frankly, I didn't see anything to complain about, but who am I? Apparently, one of the landlords of the leased building was one of the complainers and forced it to be taken down after a mere three days earlier this month.

An Effect of the Economy?

The things I've read over the past couple of hours indicate that establishments of various kinds are popping up all over the place with bikini-clad women. It's not really a new idea, even though Perky Cups is the first coffee shop of its kind in Aurora, Colorado. Bikini car washes have existed for quite a few years.

Some economists are saying it's partly being caused by the effects of the recession. The businesses are using the sex factor to get customers in the door. I don't know if I agree, but who cares? There are more than enough coffee shops without this sort of thing taking place to please consumers who aren't enticed by bikini clad coffee baristas.

I live in the Philippines and nothing like this will ever happen here. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. By the way, if you want to see some of these bikini clad women, take a look at Perky Cups.

Similar Posts:

• Coffee and Tea – Diabetes, Strokes, Hypertension and Blood Pressure
• Did Someone Say Coffee and Donuts?
• Starbucks Instant Coffee? Via Ready Brew is Just Too Expensive
• Chocolate-Covered Coffee Beans
• Keurig Coffee Makers

I saw this coffee maker at the top of the list when I searched for coffee makers on Google Squared, so I figured I'd go ahead and do a quick virtual review on it. Keurig calls it the "Special Edition Brewing System", but I don't know what makes it a special edition. When I first visited the Keurig website, I wasn't sure it was the right one. When I right-clicked to save the image, the title included "B60", so I'm fairly confident it's the right one. Without further delay…

Features

The Keurig Special Edition B60 has three brew size choices: 6 ounces, 8 ounces or 10 ounces. It has a removable 48 ounce reservoir, which means you don't have to refill it until you've made at least four cups of coffee. It has a programmable LCD message center, but I can't fathom why anyone would need to reprogram it. It has a removable drip tray, blue backlit LCD and water reservoir, chrome accents and a quiet brewing technology.

This Keurig coffee maker is about 13 inches tall and weighs about 12 pounds empty. It seems to be a little taller and a little heavier than most "full pot" coffee makers. It comes with a complimentary 12 K-Cup variety pack of coffee and tea.

Pricing

The suggested retail price is $139.95 and you can buy it directly from the Keurig website. I found it cheaper, at $129.95 ($10 cheaper) at Amazon.com and with free shipping.

That still seems a little steep to me since I usually go for coffee makers that are less than $100. The redeeming features are that it can produce a perfect cup of coffee in less than 60 seconds and, of course, the included coffee pack.

Would I buy the Keurig Special Edition B60 Gourmet Single Serve Coffee Maker (whew, that's a long description)? Not where I live right now because I wouldn't be able to get more K-Cups. Would I buy it in the US? Yes. I used to heat up hot water in a microwave oven and it would take two minutes for just that step. If I had one of these, I wouldn't need to make a pot at a time and risk part of it going bad (getting cold or burned) before getting consumed.

((Image source: Keurig)

Similar Posts:

• Coffee and Coffee Maker Accessories
• Coffee Maker Virtual Reviews
• Keurig Coffee Makers
• The Coffee Percolator, An Old-Fashioned Coffee Maker
• Mr. Coffee – The First Automatic Drip Coffee Maker for Home Use

When it's a hot day here in the tropics, I usually drink iced tea during the day. I make just enough with my Hamilton Beach iced tea maker (which is really just a tea brewer with a pitcher you can add ice to) to finish off by the end of the day. Very recently, I started drinking homemade iced coffee instead of iced tea.

I like iced coffee.

Over the past week, I had all of my upper teeth extracted. I have been in no position to make anything for myself until today.

After the first batch of teeth were pulled, and I needed something cold to drink, my wife made me iced coffee instead of iced tea because we were out of tea bags. She stirred sugar and instant coffee into half a cup of hot water and then added cold water and ice cubes.

I was surprised that I liked ice cold coffee. My wife continued to make me iced coffee until a couple of evenings ago when I fried my computer keyboard. Afterward, I couldn't bring myself to ask her for more. I was too embarrassed by my own stupidity. That's when I started making my own.

Better than store-bought iced coffee.

Although it's only a temporary thing because I like hot coffee better than iced coffee (but my gums can't take it right now), I find making iced coffee at home to be easy and quick. There's no need to stock up on iced coffee in a can or a bottle… ever.

You could argue that the cold coffee sold by Starbucks is better, but I can't agree with you. I've tasted so many brands of cold coffee (which isn't really iced coffee anyway) over the years, going back to 1987 in Japan, that I can only remember a few brands which weren't worth buying.

Well, I don't need to buy any iced coffee at all anymore.

Similar Posts:

• Iced Tea — When It's Too Hot to Drink Coffee
• Coffee or Tea, Hot or Cold, But No Soda For Me
• When Good Tea Turns Bad — Bad Tasting Tea
• How to Make Iced Tea
• Using Our Hamilton Beach Iced Tea Maker

I've done a couple of semi-reviews on coffee makers, but nothing like I had intended when I started writing about them in the first place. Unlike the Netbook Virtual Reviews I'll soon be starting, I really can't think of a legitimate way to rate coffee makers.

What kinds of coffee makers?

That's a good question. The most common type you see nowadays is the automatic drip coffee maker, but it's not the only kind.

Although not seen in quite the same quantities, coffee percolator is still sold. Somehow I doubt you'll find them still made of glass.

There are some other types, but I can't name them at the moment. Some are for home use and some are for commercial use, like the kind used by Starbucks and Seattle's Best.

Coffee Maker Selection Factors

This is why I don't think I can rate them. Some people prefer the 12-cup coffee makers while others prefer 4-cup coffee makers. Still others prefer the single cup coffee makers like those made by Keurig.

Some coffee makers use paper filters and some have permanent, metal filters. Obviously, the ones with the permanent filters should be more expensive, right? Not necessarily so.

The coffee pot itself, or the carafe, could be made of glass or some other material. You would assume those made of glass would be cheaper, but that's not necessarily true either.

Pricing is a factor that doesn't seem to follow any standards. I've seen cheaply made coffee makers sell for more than well built coffee makers. Is it the brand name, reputation or some other facet that dictates the prices? I guess I won't know until I look at quite a few.

The best way?

I guess the best thing I can do is describe what I'm seeing and then try to relay my thoughts about it and whether I think it would be a good buy or not. In my opinion, a good coffee maker shouldn't be a major investment but it shouldn't be so cheap that it doesn't last.

Of course, it also depends on location. Some people get stuck with limited choices and I think I'm one of them.

Similar Posts:

• The DeLonghi DCF212T Coffee Maker
• Mr. Coffee – The First Automatic Drip Coffee Maker for Home Use
• The Coffee Percolator, An Old-Fashioned Coffee Maker
• How I Plan to Save Money by Buying a Coffee Maker
• Coffee and Coffee Maker Accessories

Actually, "closet coffee drinker" probably isn't correct. My son, Jon, isn't hiding and drinking coffee. I just didn't find out, until very recently, that he's a regular coffee drinker although he rarely drinks it at home.

Fast Food Coffee

I noticed Jon drinking a cup of coffee in his bedroom a few days ago and I started asking questions. It's not that he was doing anything wrong; it's just that I never saw him drinking coffee. He usually drinks water, bottled tea, bottled soda, or fruit juice. I asked him how much coffee he drank on a regular basis and I was surprised that he drank one or more cups per day.

Jon doesn't give himself enough time to have a cup of coffee in the morning, after he showers and eats breakfast. I haven't figured out why he doesn't have coffee with his breakfast, but there may be more to it than meets the eye.

After he dresses in his school uniform (he's pursuing a nursing degree here in the Philippines) and heads out, he rides a jeepney with a classmate to the main gate of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and then has to wait for a shuttle bus to take him to the college at Cubi Point.

He and his classmate each get a cup of coffee at one of the fast food places while they're waiting on the shuttle. His classmate is a neighborhood girl he's fond of (but not his girlfriend) and I suspect he treasures the time spent with her over a cup of coffee in the morning.

Regular and Irregular

Jon only drinks coffee in the morning. He never drinks coffee when I'm drinking it a night. He also doesn't drink coffee on the days in which he has no classes to attend. The fact that I saw him drinking coffee in his bedroom should make me out to be a liar, but he was up early in order to attend duty in another province and he hadn't had enough sleep. This was something irregular in his regular schedule.

My wife doesn't drink coffee every day either and she has no place she needs to be on a regular basis. I guess I'm the only REAL regular (drinking two or more cups every day) coffee drinker in the family.

Similar Posts:

• It All Starts with Espresso in US Coffee Shops
• Coffee or Tea, Hot or Cold, But No Soda For Me
• What Effect does Coffee have on Alcohol Consumption?
• How I Plan to Save Money by Buying a Coffee Maker
• Keurig Coffee Makers

Whenever I shop at the Royal Subic store at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, I always stock up on coffee. I only shop there once a month, so you can imagine how much of any particular item I might buy at one time.

The problem I have is that when I enter the store's coffee and tea aisle, I tend to get stuck there, ogling all the different brands and kinds of coffee (and sometimes tea). I'm talking about everything from automatic drip coffee to canned coffee, locally produced and imported. Apparently, I'm not the only coffee lover to get stuck there at times because at least two other people were in the aisle, looking at coffee, for as long as I was. One of them was still there when I exited.

Café Time Coffee

Since I have a monthly food (and drink) budget that isn't very flexible, the only thing I can really do is taste test anything other than the coffee I normally stock up on. This time was the first time I saw this particular brand of canned coffee on the shelf.

Café Time Coffee is produced by the Apex Food Company out of Taipei, Taiwan. I bought two flavors, the french roast and the espresso. I checked out the ingredients before buying: Water, coffee, sugar and powdered milk. There's nothing unusual to be wary of.

I have since finished off both cans. The french roast tasted exactly like french roast should, but the espresso wasn't nearly as strong as I thought it would be. The cost was 80 cents (USD) for the french roast and 90 cents for the espresso, and at 11.5 fluid ounces each. This was far cheaper than anything Starbucks has to offer in the store and more liquid to add insult to injury. Do the Starbucks "frappuccino" flavors taste the same, worse or better? In my opinion, the Café Time Coffee tastes almost the same.

More Taste Testing

Next month, I plan to buy a couple of other brands of canned coffee. At this time, I have no idea which brands I'll select but I'll be steering clear of the brands I've already mentioned.

There are some really nasty-tasting coffee brands on the shelves at the Royal Subic and I hope I don't accidentally buy one or more of them since I can't remember which ones are which.

I guess I'll have to consider the luck of the draw when the time comes.

Similar Posts:

• When Trying to Save Money by Buying Cheap Coffee, Never Settle for Second Best
• The New Starbucks Coffee Shop at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone
• It All Starts with Espresso in US Coffee Shops
• Nescafé Protect – Green Coffee Beans Combined with Regular Coffee Beans
• Coffee Similar to Starbucks at Home

If you listen to police department representatives and other people who think they know everything there is to know about drinking and being drunk, the only cure for over-indulgence in alcoholic beverages is time. This is something that is preached over and over again and it's usually a measure to prevent drinking and driving.

Is time the only factor?

The theory (not a fact) is that it takes far longer for alcohol to leave the human body than it takes to consume it, if a person drinks more than one ounce per hour. I don't know who came up with that theory, but there's no real scientific evidence backing it up.

In the past, you've probably seen or heard of people drinking cups and cups of coffee in attempts to "sober up". The belief was that the caffeine in the coffee would reverse the effects of the alcohol; caffeine is a stimulant while alcohol is a depressant. It doesn't quite work that way.

The simplest way to reverse the effects of alcohol is to get the alcohol out of your system as quickly as possible. Drinking a lot of non-alcoholic beverages while inebriated (without drinking any more alcoholic beverages) as quickly as possible will flush the alcohol from the system. The "coffee trick" is nothing more than a misguided attempt at this procedure. Of course coffee will work – and so will plain water.

The hangover the next day is usually caused by being in a dehydrated condition, as a result of alcohol consumption, and going to sleep in that condition. Flooding the body with non-alcoholic beverages will remove the condition, if practiced before sleeping, and will do more to get rid of the hangover (if you have one) the next day if you didn't do it before sleeping.

If you think I'm just making this up, think again. I spent 20 years on active duty in the military and drank more than my fair share of alcoholic beverages in the first five of them. It was during this period that I learned what worked and what didn't. During the remaining years of active service, I taught quite a few others how to do what I learned and I have no doubt it prevented some health problems as well as some DUI tickets.

Coffee, Alcohol and Cirrhosis of the Liver

There were some studies conducted during the last decade that you should find interesting if you're both a coffee drinker and a consumer of alcoholic beverages.

Cirrhosis is the irreversible scarring of the liver that hurts the organ's ability to filter toxins from the blood. Cirrhosis is caused by more than just alcohol abuse, but alcohol abuse gets the most attention. Other causes include Hepatitis C and inherited diseases.

What the studies found is that the likelihood of cirrhosis was reduced by 22 percent for each cup of coffee consumed per day, capped at about 88 percent for four cups of coffee per day. These statistics were measured for the heaviest alcohol drinkers as well as the lightest.

If this isn't enough to convince you to get your daily dose of coffee, if you're an alcoholic beverage consumer, then I suppose nothing will.

Here are a couple of relevant articles to back up my information:

• Drinking coffee cuts alcohol's harmful effects
• Coffee Protects Alcohol Drinkers From Liver Disease

Similar Posts:

• Why Coffee and Tea and not Beer or Wine?
• Coffee and Your Health – Good to the Last Drop
• Coffee and Tea – Diabetes, Strokes, Hypertension and Blood Pressure
• Bikini Clad Coffee Baristas
• Coffee or Tea, Hot or Cold, But No Soda For Me

I've actually been asked the question: Why do I prefer to drink coffee and tea instead of beer or wine (or other alcoholic beverages)? I know people who will not drink anything but beer or just plain water. I also know people who will only drink wine and water. Every person has their own preferences and mine happens to be coffee and tea and I'll explain why.

I Over Indulge

Of course I drink more than just coffee and tea. I drink water, fruit juices, Tanduay rum and on occasion, Red Horse beer. I drink coffee in the morning and iced tea during the hot parts of the day. I drink Tanduay rum during outdoor get-togethers and I'll drink Red Horse beer when there's nothing else to drink (except water) during a get-together. I don't even like Red Horse beer and I haven't found a local wine that I like enough to drink even once.

The problem I have is that when I drink alcoholic beverages, I tend to over-indulge, almost reaching the point of getting hammered. I don't like being hammered, so I tend to avoid alcoholic beverages EXCEPT on special occasions.

Only the Best Beer

Honestly, I would drink beer if I could weed out the best beer from all the rest. My son likes Heineken and I can't stand it.

My friend Allyn is showing me some of the best beers at his new Big Beer Blog. Unfortunately, the majority of the beer he reviews isn't available outside of North America (and I'm in the Philippines). If I find a good, stout or hearty beer locally, I'll be sure to tell him about it.

My relatives, the ones living in my compound, are fine with being stuck with Red Horse. Perhaps because it's cheap beer but I'll never be sure. They do sell other brands here, such as Colt 45, but they don't seem to like it at all.

Coffee and Tea

Unless you add an alcoholic beverage of some kind, coffee and tea contains nothing that would cause me to get drunk. I have to admit, I'd drink Kahlua (a coffee liquor) if I could find it here. There's nothing quite like a good "mudslide".

No, I'll stick to coffee and tea as my primary beverages. It's the safe thing for me to do.

Similar Posts:

• Coffee or Tea, Hot or Cold, But No Soda For Me
• What Effect does Coffee have on Alcohol Consumption?
• Black Gold, Lifer Juice and Nectar of the Gods
• Coffee and Tea – Diabetes, Strokes, Hypertension and Blood Pressure
• Keeping Hot Coffee Hot with a Thermos Bottle

DeLonghi is an Italy-based small appliance manufacturer which expanded in a big way in 2001. It's probably more accurately spelled "De' Longhi", but search engines probably wouldn't put the two words together as they should. I've been asleep at the wheel or something because I just recently heard of the company for the first time, unlike brands such as Mr. Coffee or Cuisinart. Still, the DeLonghi coffee makers offer at least one unique feature which should be mentioned.

The DeLonghi DCF212T Coffee Maker

This particular model (and other models may have it, but I haven't checked) has a patented system which allows you to easily access the water tank and coffee filter from the front. The company claims you will "never move your coffee maker" again. They have obviously never met my wife. She moves everything that can possibly be moved.

I don't know how many other coffee manufacturers, and I'm sure I'll come across others, produce coffee makers with "permanent filters", but DeLonghi boasts of it for this model. This is actually something I would appreciate since I use bottled water for my coffee. I'm not really into being "green" and have nothing against the paper filters, but less trash is less trash.

As far as price goes, I see it advertised for prices from $40 to $49.95. There's not much wiggle room there and I'm wondering that, if I find this particular model locally, would I be able to get the price lower than $40. Inquiring minds want to know – since my wife is already home for good, at least I don't have to do the haggling myself.

It's too hot to drink coffee after breakfast-time right now, so shopping can wait for a week or three. Hopefully, I'll know exactly what I want when we start looking for a new coffee maker by the time we actually get out of the house.

Similar Posts:

• The Cuisinart DCC-1150 Coffee Maker
• Coffee Maker Virtual Reviews
• How I Plan to Save Money by Buying a Coffee Maker
• Coffee and Coffee Maker Accessories
• Mr. Coffee – The First Automatic Drip Coffee Maker for Home Use