Not just coffee

Posts Tagged tea

A Done Deal: The Single Cup

Mar 10

Posted by admin in beverages, coffee, lifestyle

We have been waiting for the announcement and just got it: Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ Keurig units have completed the paperwork, and we’ll be the winners come this fall. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz identified a significant piece of  research: Over 80% of current customers do not yet own a single-cup brewer. Following on the heels of the company’s most successful rollout ever, the VIA paks, they are ready to combine two concepts into one swift marketing move.MW-AJ137_starbu_20110310090529_MD

The products will be widely available and not limited to a single retail outlet. Remember the coffee deal with Kraft expired so their reach with this partnership has expanded almost infinitesimally. Not just coffee, but the units will work well with their Tazo tea lineup.

Let’s think about the home use advantages: All those times when you don’t want to brew a whole pot could grab the top slot. How about one person favoring a decaf and another an espresso, that works. All of this brew technology rests with the success of the single-pod machines. For travelers, there could be an across-the-board in-room revolution: Hotels could throw out the in-room coffee pots and go for the more sanitary single-use approach. OK, how about the office where no one wants to clean the pot; so no one does! My personal travel and in-home list could continue, but most importantly the news comes at the same time everyone is reporting an insane spike in the cost of Arabica beans.

One issue to ponder: The environmental impact of these little containers. Last fall this was at the top of the radar pile; let’s see what news comes out on this fractious issue.

As coffee prices rise, a single cup solution may win over a whole new legion of followers. We’ll watch and taste.

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Drink Up: Pour These

Jun 23

Posted by admin in beverages, health

OK, what health news interests you? What’s your drink of choice? How healthy do you want to be? Coffee? Tea? Wine? We’ve got it all and today it’s all in the good news column!

Check it out:

–A new study from the Netherlands found that coffee and tea drinking in moderation reduced the risk of heart disease. Too often we find studies with a particularly small sample size. Not this time. They followed almost 40,000 coffee and tea drinkers for 13 years. Impressive. Those that consumed 2-4 cups of coffee daily had a 20% lower risk of heart disease than those consuming less coffee. Tea drinkers: You’ll love this. Those who drank 3-6 cups of tea daily reduced their risk by 45%. Even those who drank more than 6 cups daily were able to reduce their risk by 36%. Wonder about the mixed drinkers: The coffee-tea-coffee-tea routine folks?mrcofffeetea

–More interested in the positive news re: wine? Got you covered. We’ve talked a lot about the health benefits from red wine and its major property, resveratrol, and now, not one, but two studies indicate the positive powers from the compound in red wine and grapes. Drink and be skinny one study finds (fat cell reduction protects against heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s). The other study reaffirms the overall heart-healthy benefits from red wine. Of course, the researchers point out additional research is needed, but these results are in the right column.

–Soft drink consumption down. Well, that’s not totally accurate but in a study at Harvard’s Brigham & Women’s University, researchers found that if they created a “soda tax” more people would forgo the sugary sweet drinks. They raised the price of the beverages by 35% for a 4-week period and watched sales drop while coffee and diet beverage increased by 20%. Not so sure about the diet drink approach but believe taxing sugary drinks may provide some of the positive health results (less diabetes, obesity) than relying completely on individual decision-making.

So it’s a hot week, this first official week of summer, cool yourself down with an iced coffee or iced tea. Enjoy dinner with a glass of red wine, and hydrate sufficiently with water. Your body will thank you.

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Enjoy Your Drinks

Mar 18

Posted by admin in beverages, health

gapacWith Spring just ready to pop onto our calendars, we stand ready with our straws to welcome the change in many of our beverages. We are at the beginning of iced tea and iced coffee season. Yes, I know some of us adhere to iced beverages regardless of the season, but for many Spring is the “official” opening day for iced beverages. You want the drink to stay at the right intensity and not quickly turn into a watery, negative experience; so use a good, sturdy cup and grab a straw. Here’s some exciting news that’s easy to enjoy.

It’s unofficial but McDonald’s seems to be moving toward a summer $1 beverage promotion. Some locations may consider opting in sooner, but that’s an on-the-go price that’s hard to ignore. Stay tuned.

You want some good news sooner than Summertime, how about next Tuesday? Score a double win: Starbucks will be offering free pastries (up until 10:30 A) on the 23rd with a beverage (a handcrafted one) purchase. You need the coupon, so print away. Before you panic about the bad news in the pastries, remember these are free of high fructose corn syrup and are without artificial trans fats. Sounds like you can treat yourself.

Dunkin’ Donut Mondays continue until the end of the month.

As a further incentive, there’s the health news that validates our love affair with coffee and tea:

–A European study further supports the power of multiple cups of coffee daily in reducing cholesterol numbers and lowering the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.

–A new study out of Japan lends support to the health benefits in green tea. This time the beneficiary is improved dental health. The health benefits of green tea seem to inhibit a rise in periodontal problems.

So your choice. Hot or cold, these beverages line up with good deals.

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Tea Party Leaves

Feb 24

Posted by admin in dining out, food universe, health

OK, got ya at the newly resurrected “tea party” language. That usage is of different importance; mine is of a true tea party with a beautiful spread of little sandwiches and sweets and a lovely floral cup and saucer presentation. Does not have to be that particular place setting, but the look is important, it lends dignity to the event. If you have never hosted a tea party, or even attended one, nothing is more trendy now: The good old fashioned food and beverage one.

In this stressed-out society with the economy still in neutral, we look for ways to entertain and dine out in fun, affordable ways. Sitting down to a tea event is one such way to take a break and breathe a sigh of reality relief. Check out your local, upper tier hotels, or one of the many tea stores that have literally popped up throughout the country for an elegant, fun afternoon.teafairmont

While you’re cupping and sipping, let’s add another health note to the mix. A lot has been written about green tea and its healthy antioxidants. Another study just demonstrated the power of this pour in staving off glaucoma. That’s a serious eye disease that seems to be lessened by drinking green tea.

A final tea caveat for today: Go for whole leaf teas when you purchase them. That’s the purest form of tea so any benefits one could derive would not be mitigated by a collection of chopped up tea that has lost its potency.

Enjoy the tea party.

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