3 Tips for Making the Best Iced Coffee from K Cups

It is technically summer, official summer does not start for another month, but the weather is already saying, "I'm here!" and so this means iced coffee. Coffee lovers still need to get our fixes every day, perhaps more than once a day, but sometimes the heat just makes it too difficult to enjoy a hot cup.

You can't deny that having a single cup coffee machine gives you the latest and greatest coffee offerings and is also convenient. Forget about measuring out all sorts of amounts for coffee every morning. Now, k cup coffee machines have yet to really nail down the "iced coffee" option, so we still have to brew it like normal and then mix in some ice but still, having one of these makes making an iced coffee even better and easier.

So what are three things that every coffee lover needs to remember when they try to make their cup of iced coffee this summer?

1. The ice. This is a really common mistake for people to make. A lot of "at-home baristas" think that you need to wait until the end of the brewing to add in your ice cubes. While you can still achieve a real good cup of iced coffee by adding in your ice post-brewing, you can get an even better result by putting them in the mug before brewing the coffee. Why? Well, when you put the ice in before brewing, you allow the coffee to cool while brewing; this allows the coffee to become cooler and creamier, faster. 
2. The coffee blends. Choosing the best coffee blend is a a big help to making a
   
   delicious cup of coffee. The right coffee will make a nice and delicious cup of iced coffee that will get your taste buds buzzing. Try to use either a french vanilla k cup because that will go really well with any cream you add into the coffee. 
3. The cream, sugar, and milk you add. You can add your combination of these and in varying amounts, it's up to you; it depends if you like a creamier coffee or a stronger coffee flavor. 

The heat of summer will not squash your love of good coffee, so conquer the heat with a great iced coffee. 

American Coffee Trends in 2014

Coffee used to be something that people would just order because they knew it tasted good but more importantly, it woke us up. Nowadays, that is not quite the case. The amount of coffee we drink has changed as well as how we drink it.

The amount of Americans who drink a cup of coffee everyday has dropped down to 61 percent this year, a two percent drop from last year. However, those who drink java have become more prone to ordering drinks that are more espresso-based, like lattes or cappuccinos; these coffee drinkers have increased by 18 percent, a 5 percent increase from last year.

Gourmet coffee has taken a big increase in popularity, increased 31 percent since last year to a total of 34 percent of coffee drinkers opting for gourmet coffee everyday. Gourmet coffee is anything that is espresso-based as well as coffee made by beans that have been deemed gourmet.

Single cup coffee has also taken a sharp leap in popularity. With sales increasing 3x over the past few years. According to studies, 29 percent of American coffee drinkers claimed they brew their coffee from k cups, up 20 percent from last year. More and more Americans are buying single serve coffee brewing systems and finding their coffee online from online coffee retailers. 

Nearly 15 percent of American coffee drinkers reported that they have at least one single cup coffee brewer in their home or office. Those who use drip brewers have fallen to 53 percent since last year, that's more than cut in half than last year's numbers.

Coffee Has Been Tied to Lower Risk of Diabetes

Enjoy that java? Good, it turns out that coffee has been linked to lowering the chances of developing Type-2 Diabetes; also, as it turns out, cutting down on your coffee consumption can even increase your chances of developing Diabetes, as new studies report.

Over the course of 20 years, researches collected extensive information about diets, lifestyles, and medical conditions for more than 120k individuals; the discovered 7,269 individuals with Type-2 Diabetes.

Upon controlling factors such as smoking, age, weight, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and any family histories of diabetes, researchers realized that people who had increased their consumption of coffee by more than one eight-ounce cup of coffee a day (during a four year frame) had lowered their risk of diabetes by 11 percent. Individuals who decreased their coffee intake by the same amount had increased their chances of diabetes by 17 percent.

The thing is that the researchers found it was not the caffeine that was the trick; see, coffee actually has a lot of antioxidants as well as bioactive compounds in it; both antioxidants and bioactive compounds are good for glucose metabolism, which is what is affected with diabetes.

With all this being said, coffee is not a magical elixir that will cure everything; you still need to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.

K Cup Coffee Machines to Start Making Oatmeal

You already use your single cup coffee machine to make your coffee, logical, but did you know that they will soon start making oatmeal too? Basically, you can use your coffee machine to make all your meals from when you wake up until you go to bed. The k cup brewing craze continues to own and innovate.

General Mills has reported that they are working on the portions of the oats, fruit, and nuts so the machines brew the correct amount of water; doing this will reportedly save more time than microwavable hot cereals that we eat these days. The name for the product is Bistro Cup Oatmeal.

Nature Valley, the company producing oatmeal for the k cup machines has said that they are hopeful this business decision will give a boost to the oatmeal industry. They believe that there are plenty of oatmeal lovers out there who already own k cup machines and would eat more oatmeal if it was even more convenient. Really, we know it'll taste good because it is the same oatmeal and virtually the same method of making it: brew some hot water and mix it with the oatmeal; the only thing that's different is that you are getting your hot water differently.

The product has already launched on Amazon and is planning on being launched on several store shelves across the country.

If you are looking for a place to purchase your k cup coffee, then make sure to visit Coffeevines. 

What Food Pairs with Coffee?

Coffee is a big deal, it is consumed by millions of people around the world every day. It is rather common to enjoy our coffee with some delicious food. However, what foods were basically created with coffee in mind and are the perfect partner to our java friend?

1. Beignets. This is pronounced like "ben-yay", like you just got really excited for some dude named Ben. These little guys are like heaven in your mouth! They are deep fried dough that you enjoy with a lot of powdered sugar. They are a famous treat at the renowned Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. Due to the powered sugar, they can get a bit messy but it is worth it and they blend so well with a cup of your favorite single cup coffee. 
2. Coffee cake. Yeah, I mean "coffee" is in the name! Whether you like coffee cake that has fruit, cheese, nuts, plain, whatever, it is going to go well with some coffee. 
3. Donuts. How many times do you see someone enjoying a donut with their coffee? Think about this pairing and how perfect it is, a whole company is dedicated to this concept (Dunkin')! The best donuts for k cup coffee is a nice cake donut because they are denser but let's be real, any donut is going to work well. 
4.  Toast. Perhaps the simplest food pairing for some coffee, especially since the average household has at least one loaf of bread so you can make it whenever. Put some butter, margarine, or jam/jelly/preserves on it and you are in a good situation. 
5. Bacon, egg, and cheese bagel. Sometimes you want something savory to enjoy with your coffee, that's where this sandwich of awesomeness comes into play. Now, you don't have to do it on a bagel, an english muffin or toast works well too. 

If you are itching for some delicious coffee to enjoy with some breakfast, then visit Coffeevines and find your favorite brands of k cups of coffee and tea! 

Coffee and Tea Companies Will Start Selling K Cups You Can Recycle

Single cup coffee is one of the most popular forms of coffee in the world today; however, there is a hold up for some people who are more environment conscious, they struggle with the idea that all the empty k cups add a lot of waste. However, that is being resolved with a new trend for coffee and tea companies who make k cups.

One company, Mothers Parkers Tea and Coffee, based in Canada, is trying to address the problem by adopting a clear, recyclable k cup that they hope will gain popularity.

Another thing that has been going on to help improve the eco-friendliness of k cups is the reusable coffee k cup, like the one available from Keurig; Keurig also has a program where you can send your used cups to a facility and they will break them down. Keurig has made a promise that all single cup coffee will be recyclable by the year 2020.

The concept of making single serve coffee and tea something impressive to everyone is a goal for all companies involved in the industry; single cup coffee has had immense success since its introduction to the world a number of years ago; in the US, the growth rate of the industry has been 33.6% annually. Since 2008, the sales growth rate has been 78.6%.

2 Reasons Why K Cups Beat Ground Coffee

Almost every coffee lover battles with the argument about which style of coffee is better: k cup coffee or ground coffee that you brew through traditional drip methods.

However, here, we have provided two major reasons why k cups aka single cup coffee is better than ground coffee via drip method.

1. K cups do not waste any coffee. When you brew your cup of coffee from a single cup coffee brewer, you are only making enough coffee for yourself, in an amount that you can easily consume in a responsible amount of time. It may sounds selfish to only make enough coffee for yourself but in reality, it is more responsible than making a whole pot of coffee. See, when you make a whole pot, the whole thing has to be consumed within a short amount of time or it goes cold; once the coffee in the pot goes cold, you either have to heat it up again (gross), or you have to pour it down the drain (sorry, wallet). All the coffee maker brews is one cup that is a good amount, it's not like it brews a gallon just for you. 

1. You also do not waste coffee because of how long the coffee in the k cups can last. See, when you have k cups, the coffee grounds in the cups is not exposed to air or anything else until you brew the coffee. When you use bags or cans of coffee, all the grounds are exposed to air each and every time you open the packaging to scoop some coffee out. Over time, the air that gets inside reduces the quality of the coffee. 
2. Variety. With K cups, you can store them on either a carousel or a drawer and even just stack the boxes neatly in your cupboard. If you want to have 20 varieties of coffee blends on your counter, you can easily do that with the small k cups and neat organizer; if you try that with coffee cans, you will run out of counter space quickly. The convenience factor is off the charts when it comes to single cup coffee. Another aspect of convenience is the fact that if you want a different coffee blend than someone else, you don't have to wait to brew another pot to satisfy their desires, you just pop in a new k cup. 

How To Make a Spiced Mocha Latte

Have you ever drank something so delicious cascade over your tastebuds with such suavity that you couldn't help but take another sip? Well, that is what you get when you drink a spiced mocha latte.

What will you need to make yourself a spiced mocha latte?

• One extra bold k cup. It doesn't matter what brand you have for this, just that it is extra bold and a brand that you like and can trust to make a good cup of coffee. 
• Four ounces of milk. It can be skim, one percent, two percent, whole, etc. Many recipes call for having skim milk but that is entirely up to you. You have whole milk? Use whole milk, it's your latte! 
• Half a teaspoon of cinnamon. 
• A quarter teaspoon of nutmeg. 
• Two tablespoons (yes, tablespoons, not teaspoons) of chocolate syrup. Now, again, use whatever brand you like. We do prefer you use syrup over chocolate powder for sake of ease and taste. 
• Whipped cream. This can be a tub or a can. It will be for decoration. 
• A milk frother. The frother will make the milk a nice texture and warm. 
• A mug. Try to get one that can hold around 14 ounces. 
• A cinnamon stick. This is also for decoration, you can use ground cinnamon for decoration and a bit of flavor if you don't happen to have cinnamon sticks on hand. 

Are you ready to brew?

1. Brew your k cup in your coffee machine into your mug. 
2. As the coffee brews, prep the milk in your frother, watch this step carefully. 
3. Once your coffee is ready to go, stir in your half teaspoon of cinnamon. 
4. Stir in your quarter teaspoon of nutmeg. Make sure your cinnamon and nutmeg are stirred in well, not clumpy. 
5. Add in your two tablespoons of chocolate syrup. 
6. Now is the hard part, add in your frothed milk. Do this gradually so you don't splash all over since both the milk and coffee are hot. 
7. Top it all off with whipped cream, as much as you want. 
8. Drizzle the chocolate syrup on top or sprinkle cinnamon or chocolate powder for decoration. 
9. Enjoy your latte from your single cup coffee. 

How To Make a Caramel Vanilla Delight

K Cup coffee is a wonderful little friend that is there for us in both good times and bad, mornings and nights, weekdays and weekends. Now, we can make our best friend even more incredible by using k cups to make yourself a delicious caramel vanilla delight.

The ingredients you will need for this drink are simple and easy, you should not need to run to the store unless you have run out of one of these things:

• One extra bold k cup coffee 
• one french vanilla k cup coffee
• 2 tablespoons of caramel syrup (it will also work to use caramel topping, just thin it a little)
• Half and half creamer (does not matter what brand you use, as long as it's half and half creamer)
• Sweetener (this is entirely optional; it can be whatever sweetener you want to use like brown sugar, sugar, sugar substitute, etc). 
• Whipped cream (tub or can, both work great)
• A mug… obviously. Try to get one that can hold at least 16 ounces. 

Now that you have your ingredients together, let's get started:

1. Brew the extra bold k cup in your coffee maker into your large mug. If you want to brew the french vanilla first, go for it!
2. Brew the french vanilla k cup, or, if you brewed this one first, naturally you would now brew your extra bold coffee. 
3. Mix the coffee together to ensure a nice, equal mixture. 
4. Add your half and half creamer. 
5. Mix in any sweetener you wish to use, if you are not using any, that's cool too!
6. Stir in a touch of the caramel syrup. 
7. Top with whipped cream. 
8. Drizzle on caramel syrup. 
9. Enjoy! 

How To Make a White Chocolate Latte from K Cups

Ready to make another amazingly delicious coffee recipe from a k cup and a few extra ingredients.

What will you need for the White Chocolate Latte?

• 1 Extra bold coffee k cup (you can use whatever flavor or brand that you want, just go for the extra bold so it packs a nice coffee flavor with all the other ingredients in the drink. 
• 4 ounces of skim milk (you can actually use 1 percent, 2 percent, whole, whatever you have on hand, it doesn't have to be skim). 
• 2 tablespoons of white chocolate chips
• Whipped cream (it can come from a can or a tub)
• A milk frother 
• A mug (this was a given)

Once you have your ingredients and tools, you are ready to get started. 

1. The first step is to put the two tablespoons of white chocolate chips in the 14 ounce mug (you want the bigger mug because you're going to be putting all that other stuff in the mug besides coffee).
2. Once you have done that, you can go ahead and brew your single cup coffee into your mug. The heat from the coffee will melt the chocolate chips in your mug and start to naturally mix it all together. 
3. As the coffee is brewing, go ahead and prep the milk in the frother (this will give it an airy texture and heat it up as well. 
4. Once the coffee is done brewing, pour the frothed milk into the mug and then stir it all together (stir until the chips are melted). 
5. Once it is all stirred together, top the drink off with your whipped cream. Put on as much as you want, it's your drink. 
1. If you want to sprinkle on some cinnamon, chocolate powder, or drizzle on some syrup, go for it. 

K Cup Coffee Recipe: Cafe Latte

K cup coffee has been a real blessing for many; you get a fresh cup of gourmet quality coffee brewed in your home or office in a matter of a minute. However, for many, the most extravagant thing we do with our coffee after brewing it is maybe add some cream and/or sugar. If you're lucky, you may see someone stir their coffee with a cinnamon stick but that is the most luxurious thing most of us see people do with their coffee they brew themselves. However, it doesn't have to be that way; even if we brew coffee ourselves instead of running to coffee shops, we can still have the fancy drinks.

The drink we will discuss today is the cafe latte. What you will need for this single cup coffee recipe is nothing crazy or going to cost you a fortune:

• One extra bold coffee K cup. 
• Four ounces of milk (you can use skim, one percent, two percent, or whole. This will just make more or less creamy). 
• Milk frother. 
• Sweetener (you don't need this if you want less sugar. You can also use a sugar substitute). 
• A mug (try to get a larger one, like a 14 ounce mug). 

Once you have all your ingredients ready, then go ahead and start making the treat. 

1. Brew your k cup into your mug. 
2. While that is brewing, grab your milk and milk frother and heat up your milk with the frother. This will give it a nice consistency. 
3. Once the coffee is done brewing and is ready, mix in your milk that has been warmed by the frother. 
4. Add in any sugar or sugar substitute (if you want to) and season to taste. 

Enjoy. 

Drought in Brazil is Affecting the Coffee Crop

Brazil, a country located in South American and is one of the biggest producers of coffee in the world. Due to the country's location, they are no stranger to the heat and having droughts, however, the one they are in the middle of right now has lasted longer than those in the past and is taking its toll on the countries crops.

The drought is really hitting Brazil's breadbasket region, located in southeastern Brazil, is where most of their crops come from such as crops for food and coffee. Scientists who are analyzing the drought for Brazil say that it will not end soon and that the worst is still yet to come. For many farmers, what is left of their crop is minimal since most of it has been destroyed or producing very little. This is in stark contrast to last year when the region's rivers flooded.

The scientists in Brazil are saying that the regions where a lot of coffee is planted, like the areas that are lower elevations, will see the heat increase as the drought goes on; predictions for the coffee plantations is that some will have to be abandoned. If that were to happen, Brazil could lose some coffee crop, as much as 10 percent, in the next six to seven years.

There are rumors about coffee shortages but those are not true, according to analysts.

If you are looking to purchase some k cup coffee then make your way to Coffeevines. 

Two Mistakes to Make With Coffee

Do you like to enjoy a single cup of coffee in the morning, afternoon, or perhaps even evening? Whether you are an avid coffee drinker or only have it once in a while, you may or may not be guilty of committing one or both of these mistakes. Doing the right thing with coffee can seem tricky but the reality is that you just have to know the basics, unless you want to be a coffee guru.

One of the most common mistakes to make when brewing coffee, even with k cup coffee, is to use unfiltered water or tap water. Why is this bad news? Well, when you have a cup of coffee, you are drinking a cup of something that is roughly 98 percent water. When you use tap water, the things in the tap water can alter the flavor of the coffee that is being brewed and you may end up with a cup of coffee that is actually less than ideal. This is especially true if your tap water is less than ideal; if it tastes funny, then so will your coffee (we mean it is hard water or well water, if it looks or tastes different than normal, contact authorities). If you can, use cold, filtered water. One of the best ways to always have some cold, filtered water on hand to brew your coffee with is to have a water pitcher that has a built in filter; now you always have ice cold water that is clean (make sure to change the filter when instructed).

The second most common mistake to make with coffee is to store your k cups in the freezer, or if you buy in bulk, then the coffee canister. This is a no-no. Coffee should be stored in a dry, cool place; hear that? Dry. This means that you should keep it away from the moisture of the freezer (and for that matter, the fridge). When you keep your coffee in the freezer, the moisture condenses on the coffee and makes it wet. The ideal place to keep your coffee will keep it away from light, heat, air, and moisture; a cupboard not right by the fridge is often a great spot.

Coffee Trends - Putting Butter in Your Coffee

That's right, folks, one of the latest coffee trends is to put a bit of butter in your coffee. This latest trend will either make you do one of two things: feel a newfound burst of energy that you have never felt from just a cup of coffee before OR it will make you lose your lunch.

Give it the college try, put just a bit of butter in your next cup of coffee, or don't; this is blog post, not a cop. The only caveat to this trend, should you try it, is that the butter has to be unsalted, grass-fed butter (the cows were grass-fed, for anybody who was confused by that). The reason for the unsalted, grass-fed butter instead of normal butter is that the creators of this trend believe that normal butter has a lot of unnecessary ingredients and the grass-fed is much more natural and healthy; why unsalted? Well, do you want salty coffee?

So what do you gain from putting some butter in your coffee? As I previously mentioned, a better sense of energy than you can allegedly get from a normal cup of coffee. According to people who participate in this trend, normal coffee gives you a buzz of energy but after a couple hours, you come crashing down; when you put some of this special butter in it, you get that buzz of energy but it is apparently much more stable and lasts longer, plus, coming off the energy is less of a crash and more of a glide.

How does this happen? Well, according to coffee experts, it is the MCT oil from the special butter in the coffee that is digested faster than many other fats, so your energy is felt sooner.

Of course, the grand idea of butter in coffee is not necessarily new; people of Tibet (Tibetans) have put butter in their tea to create Yak butter tea.

So how does it taste? Apparently, it tastes like a very creamy latte. So go ahead, brew some single cup coffee and plop in a piece of butter, remember, unsalted & grass-fed!

The trend is gaining some traction with its 3 million (and growing) followers.

Wild And Interesting Facts About Tea

So tea is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, it ranks right up there with coffee and water. As online coffee retailers, we knew that you would love to know about the great and interesting facts about tea. There is a good chance that many of us on Earth have had at least one cup of tea in our lifetimes, so why not expand our knowledge about it?

1) In order for something to be considered "tea", it has to have leaves from the tea plant, or scientifically known as Camellia sinensis. If it just a bunch of herbs and leaves of plants that are not the Camellia sinensis, it is actually called Tisanes. Typically, when you find something marked "tea" in the grocery store, you are actually drinking a tisane.

2) Decaffeinating tea on your own is possible. When you want a cup of tea for its warmth and wonderful flavor and aroma, it can
be hard to find tea that is non-caffeinated when all you have around you is the perky stuff! So how do you get the tea without the caffeine when you have no seemingly possible way to get it? Decaffeinate it yourself. Rumor has it that all you have to do is brew the tea for 30 seconds or brew it twice (after throwing away the tea from the first brew). In order to do decaffeinate it yourself, you have to brew the tea for about 10 minutes (this removes about 90 percent of the caffeine). Then brew it again.

3) Soy lecithin actually isn't bad for you. Soy lecithin has been found in many kinds of teas and originally, it was thought that it was bad for you. However, researchers found out that when in moderation, it can be good for things like ulcerative colitis.

4) While tea can have caffeine and that stuff can wake you up, it has been found that the intense effects of the stuff is diminished when consumed via tea instead of coffee. This is because tea has something called L-Theanine. L-theanine has beneficial effects on the brain like being able to induce meditative states; it can help you relax but doesn't make you feel drowsy. It has even been found to help with stress and anxiety.

5) In the United States, we often drink something called a chai tea latte; tea mixed with lots of spices and milk. However, in many Asian countries, this drink will get you some awkward looks because chai  just means "tea" in many of those languages. So a chai tea would be redundant. "Can I have a tea tea?"

6) In some countries, like Burma, they drink tea but they also eat it. Yep, they eat it. They pickle the leaves and call it lephet. The tea leaves are softened, cooled, rolled, and aged.

7) In some countries, mostly in ancient times, they would use tea for something besides eating and drinking; they would use it to practice witchcraft; a ritual was performed that was called Tasseomancy.

Hopefully now you feel smarter about the tea you drink and can whip out some of these awesomely cool facts at tea parties. If you have a love for tea but not the time to shop for it in stores, then visit Coffeevines and purchase your tea online! Even though we are online national coffee distributors, we also have a vast selection of teas and hot chocolate.

Coffee Roasts & Their Differences

If you are into coffee, then you should know that there are different coffee roasts; not all coffee beans are roasted the same way. If you are new to coffee and didn't even know roasting the beans was a thing, well, we'll help you with that.

Roasting a process that is done to the beans that heats the beans from the weird looking raw greenish bean into the brown, fragrant, magical wonder that we often see in coffee shops and stores. When the beans are raw, they can be kept in that way for quite a long time; once roasted, use them or lose them.

Roasting coffee beans is not something considered for those new to coffee; roasting is considered an art form and takes years to master. It has been said that roasting coffee beans takes a quick mind and quick hands.

So why roast? It makes the bean have that delicious flavor and smell. If you were to eat or smell a raw bean, it would probably remind you of grass. Imagine drinking a grassy liquid (not like the grass shots from Jamba) instead of the coffee we know and love today.

So what are the different kinds of coffee roasts?

• Light roasts, or mild roasts. These beans are lighter in color, like a light brown. The mild roast is used for softer, or milder, coffee blends. Common names for mild roasts include: light city, cinnamon, half city, and New England. 
• Medium roasts. This roast is obviously a medium brown color, like a milk chocolate color. These beans have a heartier flavor and aroma. The medium roast is perhaps the most popular in the United States. Some common names for this roast include city, American, and breakfast. 
• Medium-dark roast. This kind is a bit darker than medium and has a bit more flavor and aroma while not being as intense as dark roast. It has a more bittersweet taste. A common name for this roast is full city. 
• Dark roasts. These beans have the most shine to them due to the longer roasting process. Due to the longer process, they have a more bitter flavor than the other kinds of roasts; however, coffee that is dark roast tends to have less acidity than the others as well. You can find variety in the dark roast arena; beans range from slightly dark to charred. Some common names for dark include high, continental, New Orleans, European, espresso, Viennese, Italian, and French. 

You can find light, medium, and dark roasts on our site from Coffeevines. As an online coffee retailer, we enjoy bringing the love of coffee to anyone in the country. 

2 Cups of Coffee a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

We have heard things going back and forth about whether or not coffee is actually good for you or not; however, as the studies about coffee have progressed, the results of the studies are actually finding more benefits to moderate coffee drinking than health hazards. Recent studies have shown that consuming two cups of coffee a day have a good impact on your overall health; this is particularly helpful when you consider K cup coffee and brewing just a single cup takes seconds.

In that study from 2012 (New England Journal of Medicine), it used 400,000 people for the study and found that those who drank 2 cups a day had their risk of dying reduced by 10 percent; moderate coffee drinking can help you live longer. This was the largest study ever done on the issue; the people in the study were men and women ages 50-71 and taken from around the country. . It is safe to say that the results turn coffee from a guilty pleasure to a part of your healthy diet. The key factor is to do it in moderation, however, as the say, everything in moderation; even water should be consumed in moderation, believe it or not.

In the study, 42,000 of the people did not drink any coffee while the rest were varying coffee drinkers; most of them drank the moderate amount of 2 cups a day while only 15,000 of the study's participants drank 6 or more cups a day. It was found that the 10 percent reduction to the risk of death was for men and women, it was as much as 13 percent. Even the participants who did see some results, they saw a 6 percent reduction for the gentlemen and a 5 percent reduction for the ladies. It was found that caffeine did not play a large role in the results.

So how does coffee help you reduce your chance of death? It was found to help with respiratory disease, diabetes, stroke, liver, and the brain. Both single cup coffee and traditional drip methods give the same results.

Now, you should remember that coffee won't make you live forever or is guaranteed to help you live longer, but this study, as well as many others, are showing that coffee has the ability to be helpful instead of harmful, like we'd all previously thought.

If you want the chances of coffee being helpful to increase, try to cut back on the cream & sugar.

Coffee Trends - The Third Wave

There is a trend emerging and gaining popularity; it is called the "third wave of coffee". This trend is rather common and popular in the United States and now it has made its way to Japan.

So what is this trend? It is the practice of choosing coffee based on where the coffee was grown (not just the country but also the particular farm it was grown on). Depending on the country (and farm) the coffee was grown, the coffee drinkers focus on different ways of brewing or even roasting the coffee; there is the traditional method, the single cup coffee method, hand drip method, etc.

So why is it called the "third wave"? Well, the first wave of coffee exploration came in the 60s and 70s when tons and tons of coffee was being consumed seemingly 24/7. The second wave came in the era known as "Seattle coffee" which occurred in the 80s & 90s when Starbucks and other chains, mostly from Seattle like the name implies, were coming to the market and experienced massive success.

This past Fall, coffee drinkers in Japan saw an event happen that allowed them to enjoy Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee for the first time; with this kind of coff
ee, brewers make the coffee via traditional drip method. What is this method (for those who don't know)? It is allowing hot water to make its way through the ground beans and through a filter.

What sparked this trend? Well, coffee connoisseurs realized that depending on where the coffee is from, it will taste differently, much like wine, due to the climate and the soil it grew in that year. So what did the event crowd think of the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee? They thought the coffee had a good combination of flavor with hints of acidic taste; a generic description that describes quite a bit of coffee kinds.

This trend has sparked a new trend for coffee houses as now they are starting to label where the coffee was grown.

As online coffee retailers and an national online coffee distributor, we love that there are new trends in coffee, they keep it exciting. This particular trend is interesting and brings a certain level on intricacy to coffee consumption that wasn't there before.

Effects of Coffee on Your Health

Coffee is a drink that is consumed by most of the world and by many generations of people; it is coffee drinkers are drinking the stuff at a pace of a few cups a day. Due to the mass consumption of coffee, one wonders how it affects the body. However, after a study performed by the Harvard School of Public Health, we have some news that can make a coffee drinker smile.

• The study found that drinking around six cups of coffee a day is not linked to a higher risk of death from any cause; the study dispelled rumors that consuming six cups of coffee a day can increase your chances of death from cancer or heart disease. 

• The study did find that those who have trouble regulating their blood pressure or blood sugar should maintain a small consumption of coffee or at least switch to decaf. This finding also applied to pregnant women; pregnant women are encouraged to try and avoid coffee during the pregnancy. 

• Coffee that is brewed with a paper filter (yes, this does include single cup coffee since the filter is built into the coffee pod). This is important because the filter helps remove a substance in the coffee that has been linked to an increase in LDL cholesterol. 

The study found that the link between coffee and an increased risk of death from any cause, like cancer or heart disease was not true after conducting a study utilizing 130,000 volunteers. What the study did was follow 40-50 year olds for 18-24 years and monitored them. They found that those who consumed coffee, even as much as six cups a day (a cup was 8 ounces and with no cream or sugar), were at no more of a risk of dying than those who consumed no coffee. This was an important finding because it showed people that drinking coffee is not a risk on your health (unless there are extenuating circumstances like a health condition or disease that reacts to coffee). If you are a coffee drinker and wish to improve your health, this study shows that your overall diet and lifestyle choices are great places to start. 

Is there such a thing as too much coffee? Yes, but that depends on each person. You will know if you have had too much coffee if you have tremors, trouble sleeping, feeling stressed when you normally wouldn't, agitated, etc. then you know you have had too much coffee. 

As with everything, moderation is key; however, now you know there is no real risk if you are a coffee lover. 

Interesting Facts About Coffee

Coffee is a rather interesting drink with a rich history, almost as rich as some of the many, many blends available in single cup coffee packs. But seriously, this beloved beverage has a lot of history behind it that shows this drink has had quite an impact on the world and not just to perk it up.

• It all started when a sheep herder in Ethiopia was with his sheep in a field. While watching over his sheep, the herder noticed his livestock eating some berries; he didn't think much of it at the time because animals tend to eat whatever edible objects they find. However, he did notice later that his sheep were unusually active and even dancing; people realized later that what they goats had eaten were coffee berries. Of course, it was not yet called coffee. 
• Once coffee started to catch on, it became more widely available. However, in coffee's early days, it was not consumed via the cup but rather eaten. 
• Coffee managed to find its way to religion, no, not like that; rather, due to the rise of Islam, coffee gained much more popularity and at a fast pace. The rules of Islam prohibited the consumption of alcohol but they did not prohibit the consumption of coffee. 
• The coffee in the world is grown in the region labeled, "The Bean Belt." This region is between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. The only state in the United States that grows coffee is Hawaii. 
• In 1675, the King of England decided that coffee houses were risky to his throne so he had them banned from the kingdom. He believed that the coffee houses were where people would go to conspire against the King. 
• The vast majority of coffee drinkers in the world consume Arabica coffee (approximately 70 percent) while the rest of the world drinks the bolder Robusta coffee (30 percent). 
• Money may not grow on trees but coffee does. The coffee grows inside of berries on the trees (red berries). 
• The two most traded commodities on the planet are black liquids: Oil and then coffee. 
• Americano coffee started with the US GIs in WWII. The strong blends overseas were sometimes a bit too much for the American soldiers and so they would order their coffee blended with water to dilute the drink.
• Coffee wakes you up but how does it do it? Well, in your brain you have receptors that catch signals from the body saying it is tired. Coffee contains caffeine which when consumed, the caffeine blocks those receptors in the brain so your brain never actually receives those signals; thus, your body does not feel tired. However, your brain is a smart device and realizes the situation; consequently, it creates more receptors, this is when you start to feel tired again and need more coffee to not feel tired. 

Feel smarter about the coffee you're drinking? Good! FYI, these facts will make for great conversation while talking over a cup of the stuff! So go and enjoy your coffee, smartypants.