Many of us rely on coffee to get us going in mornings, wake us up in afternoons, and prepare us for that special business meeting. Go ahead, have a cup of coffee. It’s much healthier than you may be thinking right now.

Coffee is most consumed beverage in world. No matter where you go, coffee is usually available. Yet, until recently there’s been very little research on effects of coffee on our health. The researcher’s are waking up however. There have recently been studies completed on a variety of health benefits to drinking that simply delicious cup of coffee.

In a study in Italy, it was proven that that brewed coffee contains many antioxidants and consumption of antioxidant-rich brewed coffee may inhibit diseases caused by oxidative damages. When compared to other caffeine containing beverages like tea and cocoa, coffee proved to be best in helping to prevent disease.

Caffeine in Coffee - Good or Bad?

The caffeine in coffee has often been a source of concern for many. Most people have problems sleeping when they drink coffee right before bedtime. Others will drink coffee to give them that boost of energy caffeine provides. Some even feel their heart rate increase if they drink too much coffee.

Did you know there are also benefits to caffeine found in coffee?

Coffee intake (due to caffeine) was associated with a significantly lower risk for Alzheimer’s Disease, independently of other possible confounding variables. These results, with future prospective studies, may have a major impact on prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

Another benefit of drinking coffee has been studied in China. Their research clinically proved caffeine in coffee helps to prevent Parkinson’s disease. Many of us have been led to believe that caffeine is bad for us. True enough, large quantities may hurt us, but evidence is strong for benefits it provides.

Coffee -- Healthy Tonic for Liver?

Studies completed in Japan indicated that people who drink more than a cup of coffee a day are less likely to develop liver cancer than those who do not, Japanese researchers say. Coffee also helped lower risk of cirrhosis of liver. Chlorogenic acid present in coffee beans has been proven in studies to also reduce risk of liver cancer. Harvard Medical School completed a study in 2004 that strongly suggest coffee has preventative qualities for Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. The authors found an inverse association between coffee intake and type 2 diabetes after adjustment for age, body mass index, and other risk factors. Total caffeine intake from coffee and other sources was associated with a statistically significantly lower risk for diabetes in both men and women. These data suggest that long-term coffee consumption is associated with a statistically significantly lower risk for type 2 diabetes.

Coffee and Physical Fitness

The amounts of water, carbohydrate and salt that athletes are advised to consume during exercise are based upon their effectiveness in preventing both fatigue as well as illness due to hyperthermia, dehydration or hyperhydration.

As I sit here one deck with my daily morning cup of coffee, I realize… just a few years ago I’d have had a cup of dark strong, stovetop brew with some milk to ease taste. No more!! Now there’s almost every kind of coffee available that you can imagine.

Roasting Coffee at Home

First, we’ll start with fact that you can buy green coffee beans and roast them to your liking right in you own home. One way to roast coffee beans at home is to skillet fry beans until they are brown. They need to be cooked somewhere between 460F degrees and 530F. Beans must be kept moving so it won’t cook them unevenly. The roasting must stop at right time and cooled down quickly. This is old method but definitely won’t taste like today’s methods and needs proper venting.

Another way to roast coffee beans is with a hot-air corn popper. Hot-air poppers roast pretty quickly causing a bright, medium roast and strong flavored dark roasts. Giving a clear-cut taste opposite of beans roasted in a gas oven or in a stovetop popper. This may be a little easier than other methods. There is less to worry about, such as setting temperature just right. Although a great taste, there is a down side to using these poppers. First of all only not all poppers are designed to roast coffee. You should only use ones with proper roasting chambers. This way makes a less amount each time than other methods. Roasting with popper will also cause smoke to be more difficult to vent. Most of these poppers can be used to make French or Espresso coffee, which is darker but are not recommended. This may cause your popper to be over worked and shorten its life.

Roasting beans in a gas oven was also popular. You could roast more at a time and oven did venting for you. Just set ovens temperature like baking. This had to be a much easier way and results were rather good. Don’t forget, timing and cooling process for all roasting is very important and may be different in other blends to achieving goal for a great cup of coffee.

The only way you are going to find out which technique you might enjoy to use is to find a whole bean coffee roasted style that you already like, then try to make it yourself at home. Do a little experimenting!

Brewing Methods

Next let’s move on to many different brewing methods. There are several different ways in which to brew coffee. Before you choose a coffee maker you need to understand first what you demand out of machine. It will be a question only person using it can answer. Let’s examine differences a little closer.

The filter drip is most popular method used to brew coffee because it is easy to operate and consistent. Water is poured in a chamber where it is heated and slowly poured over ground coffee. This can be done two ways. It can be electronically dripped or manually poured over grounds. Some electric machines can be preset to have coffee ready for you when you wake up in morning. Others may prefer taste of hand-brewed coffee for a different flavor.