Coffee

Health benefits of coffee to justify my cup! Nothing beats the aroma of the flavored coffee bean going through our house. My coffee mate puts our coffee pot on at 6am and not soon after, I am enjoying my first coffee and watching the morning news and reports on tv. I love my coffee and was determined to find a good reason to justify Java and learn about the health benefits of coffee.

Once my first cup is finished, I confess to getting a second not long afterwards. However, a girl has to have some vices, and coffee is mine, although I do not drink it often during the day. I could easily cave in to temptation, but the caffeine in coffee has been known to keep me awake at night. I sometimes have an organic decaf coffee or flavored decaf coffee. Sometimes I have mixed several brands together and come up with my own Suzie Special!

So what are some health benefits of coffee? Coffee is a source of antioxidants which help your body fight your free radicals – the bad guys. Decaf coffee has the same antioxidants as regular coffee, but minus the caffeine. Moderation is the key. Daily coffee can help to lower the risk of diabetes, reduce the risk of colon cancer and Parkinsons disease, and helps long duration of physical activity. Coffee can help you stay awake, alert, improve cognitive function, help elevate moods and may stop your
headache.

As far as I know, coffee does not cause breast cancer. Women who suffer with tender breasts, discomfort and water retention might like to consider reducing their caffeine, but it is a personal choice with personal experimentation to find the right level of coffee and caffeine for yourself.

Forget coffee prices and enjoy a Java. Learn how to make coffee taste great like the ones you get in Cafes, and experiment with different types of coffee brands and flavors until you find a some you really like. Then brew up in your latest hot coffee mod con and savor the wonderful aroma.

Some things in life are simple, inexpensive and good for you. Wonderful health kitchen oils such as flaxseed oil or coconut oil, and a glass or two of red wine are a couple of life’s pleasures and your daily coffee is another! So sit back, relax, take a deep breath and enjoy your Java knowing there are health benefits of coffee!

Suzanne Early

http://www.early-detection-for-breast-cancer.com

Suzie likes to share down to earth, easy to understand information on breast cancer basics, with warmth and sensitivity. Having a friend experience breast cancer and a career in Adult Education, Suzie understands how important it is to learn about this women’s issue, in the hope that others will be encouraged and empower themselves, becoming proactive in their breast health. Visit Suzie’s website for news, stories, and related health information, shared with an occasional laugh at some of life’s experiences. Early detection is key!

http://www.early-detection-for-breast-cancer.com/health-diet-fitness.html

Author: Suzanne Early
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Dear Coffee Drinker,

“Fair Trade” is a certification that is given primarily to a company that can prove, together with a specific coffee farm, that fair prices are being given to the independent farm. These are certifications that are primarily being marketed in the USA by a firm in California. For example, StarBucks may promote a certain type of coffee that is being sold as Fair Trade coffee. Not all their coffee can be sold as such because this only applies to a very few farms that hold these certifications together with the buyer. This needs to be proven to the agencies in the United States that govern this certification. Even though StarBucks sells one type of coffee that is certified Fair Trade this does not mean that all their coffee is certified. This would be an impossible task. The biggest problem is most US companies only pay the farmer or roaster Fair Trade and then they have to trust that the roaster is passing this extra money to the laborers. So the farmer gets a fair price but the laborers, many times children work for pennies a day.AND FAIR TRADE – However does not ensure that children are not used to pick coffee or that the children are given a fair price. Neither does it ensure that the migrate farm laborers are paid fair prices. Fair Trade has been great in elevating people’s awareness of the coffee industry and has ensured that the coffee farmer and or roaster is getting a fair price and to a lesser extend some farmers but it has not always helped the people actually picking the coffee and completing the other coffee labor. Worse it has allowed the bigger farmers to make more money buying up the smaller farmers and making more money while the labor pool suffers. The going rate for labor has not increased in five years while Fair Trade Coffee prices have doubled. So whats fair about the owner making more while the laborers still suffer.

Worse Fair Trade has become so popular that it elevated many “bad or poor” coffees into popoluar brands – not because they taste good but because they have become Fair Trade – as that has any correlation to taste. Sadlty Fair Trade only means the large land owner gets more money.

Costa Rica on the other hand has a different system than most coffee producing countries. The coffee you purchased is from one of the best regions of coffee in the world, known as Tarrazu Costa Rica. There is a cooperative in Tarrazu known as CoopeTarrazu. StarBucks is a large buyer of CoopeTarrazu’s coffee. CoopeTarrazu owns 25% of our company. CoopeTarrazu in turn is owned by approximately 1500 small to medium sized independent farms. The function of CoopeTarrazu is to get the best price for the coffees that these 1500 plus farms turn into this processing plant as a group. The profits are then divided and paid to each farmer based on his percentage interest or the amount of product supplied to CoopeTarrazu by him. The entire process is governed by the Government of Costa Rica. The overseeing body is known as ICAFE. It regulates all coffee that is processed and exported from Costa Rica. ICAFE’s watchful eye makes sure that the independent farms are receiving fair market prices for the coffee they turn into CoopeTarrazu. Not only does Costa Rica have some of the best coffee in the world it also is some of the most expensive coffee in the world. The reason for this is directly linked to ICAFE’s involvement in the coffee industry within Costa Rica. It makes sure that the farmers are receiving fair prices for their coffee. Our plant is registered with ICAFE for this reason. This proves that we are part of the system that makes sure our coffee is truly Fair Trade coffee even though we are not certified by the USA body known as Fair Trade. We are also owned by 3 other cooperatives in Costa Rica – CoopeVictoria, CoopePalmares, and CoopeSabalito. In other words we work with more than 8000 small farmers. Each cooperative has a significant % share in our roasting plant and these are the sources from which we draw upon for our raw product, our green bean.

There are some other functions of ICAFE, which works very closely with the Minister of Health, the Minister of Children, and the Minister of Labor. For example, ICAFE also makes sure that the Indians that come in from the jungles of Panama and Nicaragua to pick coffee during the harvest season are paid fair wages, given health insurance, and proper housing accommodations during the harvest season. They also work closely to make sure there is no exploitation of children and adult workers. Costa Rica is very much into protecting the less fortunate and overseeing their rights. This is another reason why we are proud members of ICAFE.

So if you want to make a statement and buy a coffee really making a difference – buy a Costa Rica coffee.

Sincerely,

George Boake Moore
CEO
Mission Grounds
http://www.missiongrounds.com

Author: Boake Moore
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Canada duty

It is obvious by now that there are many nations all over the world that produce premium coffee crops on a regular basis. However, one thing that you may not have considered is that coffee beans are potentially overgrowing the world with the large amounts of crops that are being harvested on a daily basis. Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world next to oil, but farmers are still producing more coffee than can be consumed by the earth’s population.

Many coffee growers are struggling with the low prices of coffee beans, which is directly affecting their income. As a result, they have to produce even more crops for sale if they want to have any chance of making a decent income. Interestingly enough, in the 90s, coffee production was lower than consumption, which kept coffee prices high. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer, and they began to increase their output because of the rise in coffee prices. Vietnam did also become a top seller of coffee beans, even though they were a newcomer to the market. Many coffee producing countries did have an issue with Vietnam producing a large amount of coffee beans because they were cultivating the lesser quality Robusta variety, which was looked down upon as affecting the coffee market negatively. This did lead to an oversupply of coffee beans, so coffee prices plunged dramatically. This affected the income of coffee farmers all over the world, especially in Africa and Latin America.

The important thing to focus on is popularizing coffee even more to up the import of coffee beans to every country and increase the value of the coffee crops once again. Japan recently has become a country that is developing their own coffee culture, when in the past they have been more partial to tea. Coffee is obviously the most popular drink in America, and it is consumed in large quantities on a daily basis. Another important thing to keep in mind is the need for Fair Trade coffee, which does regulate fair wages for coffee farmers so that they do not have to compromise the quality of the coffee crops that they are producing.

As a coffee consumer, make sure that you look for Fair Trade labels on all of the coffee that you purchase so that you can trust that it was produced in a quality environment that is fair to the farmer behind it. Fair Trade coffee does guarantee a minimum wage for the coffee farmer, which enables them to cover coffee production costs and their own personal benefits. It is also important for all coffee drinkers to focus on purchasing these fair coffee products because they provide millions of dollars in extra income for coffee farmers who may be struggling otherwise.

If you want to keep experiencing delicious flavors in your cup of Joe, then you do need to focus on purchasing premium and safe coffee products that will benefit coffee farmers. Coffee is a worldwide commodity that needs conscientious efforts to keep its prices fair!

The best way to enjoy your coffee is with Saeco Espresso Machines! For a great selection, check out Mark Ramos’ website, The Coffee Bump.

Author: Mark Ramos
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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