Coffee Breaks Do They Create Stress

Writen by Randy Wilson

The American custom of taking break during the working hours. Thus coffee breaks began in the early 20th century. At the end of the 19th century, the American workplace was a dreadful place for a break.

But as the century turned, social reform was gaining steam. Companies and factories installed in-house lunchrooms, and coffee breaks became part of the reform.

In 1952, the term "coffee break" was coined by a Pan-American Coffee Bureau ad campaign that read, "Give yourself a Coffee-Break -- and Get What Coffee Gives to You."

Many people take a coffee break while at work, believing that this will ease their stress. Research has been conflicting on the effects of caffeine; some studies suggest that it can worsen anxiety and trigger stress, while others show it boosts confidence and alertness.

Recently, however, a study done by psychologists Lindsay St Claire and Peter Rogers of Bristol University in the United Kingdom suggests that taking coffee breaks while working may actually deter employees' ability to do their jobs and undermine teamwork instead of boosting it.

So this raises the question: do the classic American coffee breaks hurt more than help?

The study found that caffeine is particularly unhelpful to men and can disrupt their emotions and hamper their ability to perform certain tasks.

This latest report, released by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council, also suggests that caffeine makes people less co-operative when working in teams.

"Our research findings suggest that the commonplace tea or coffee break might backfire in business situations, particularly where men are concerned," says St Claire. "Far from reducing stress, it might actually make things worse."

The researchers began their work after they heard a story during a stress workshop. A man described how he and a group of co-workers went on a business trip to the United States.

In the United Kingdom, coffee isn't readily available in the workplace. However, in the United States, coffee was freely available and the team drank indulgently. Soon, they noticed that their stress levels had risen.

They felt that the extra caffeine had disrupted their team cohesiveness and affected their ability to work together.

The team from Bristol University tested caffeine's effects on 32 coffee drinkers. The subjects were that they would be given one of three drinks; a caffeinated coffee that would enhance their performance, a caffeinated coffee that would make them feel stressed, or decaffeinated coffee.

This, however, wasn't completely true. Half of the drinks contained 200 mg of caffeine and the other half contained none. The subjects were then asked to perform two stressful tasks.

The results of the tasks? Men did significantly worse than women in coping with the caffeine from the coffee. Those that had been told that their coffee contained the performance-enhancing caffeine had higher heart rates and showed more stress, especially during a public speaking task.

The caffeine, however, did not affect the men when it came to mathematical tasks. When the subjects performed a "desert survival task" in teams, taking coffee breaks did reduce stress, especially in men, but drinking coffee seemed to reduce teamwork.

So when it comes to coffee breaks, it may be advisable to lay off a bit if you're about to speak to an important client or head into a team meeting where you know there will be much bickering about the latest project plans.

And while coffee and caffeine have been shown to be extremely beneficial in other areas of your physical health, maybe they should be reserved for before and after work or on the weekends.

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Randy has more articles on coffee such as Colombian Coffee, Are Coffee Enemas the Real Thing?, and Arabica Coffee.

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Espresso

Writen by Ross Bainbridge

Espresso has long captivated coffee lover around the world. It is actually a type of coffee prepared with a special espresso machine and made from finely ground coffee beans. Espresso is taken in 'shots' – a straight shot is about one to one and thee fourths ounces. Most espressos are topped with cream. Espresso is usually poured directly into the cup used to serve it.

Origins of the espresso

Espresso roots back to old Italy, as its name, Italian for 'express,' implies. The brewing involved in producing espresso has four steps. The first is 'macinazione,' which refers to the grinding process. The second is 'miscela,' which is the name for the produced coffee blend. The miscela then goes into the 'macchina,' or the espresso machine, and is finally produced and poured by the 'mano' that refers to the trained barista's hand.

Espresso is an art

Coffee experts agree that the ability to prepare the perfect cup of espresso takes years to acquire. In fact, it is so complicated that it is considered an art form. Baristas are trained extensively, so that they can make superior espresso.

What is a perfect cup?

Espresso is characterized by exceptional sweetness, smoothness and thickness. The perfect cup also maintains a strong aroma and the character of freshly-ground coffee flavor. The perfect espresso leaves a superior aftertaste minutes after drinking.

The best espressos are made with only the finest coffee beans from Brazil, Panama, Mexico and Peru. These beans all have distinct bitterness, consistency and aftertaste. Usually, only trained baristas and active coffee lovers are able to balance espresso's acidity, but there are a lot of self-help books and Internet tips available for those who want to try. The grinding process of espresso is complicated as well. If you over grind, you lose the flavor. The recommended grinding duration is very quick, usually around 25 to 28 seconds.

Espresso provides detailed information on Espresso, Espresso Machines, Espresso Equipment, Gourmet Espresso Coffee Gifts and more. Espresso is affiliated with Best Espresso Machines.

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Automatic Espresso Machine For The Business

Writen by Magne Bjorklund

Automatic espresso machines are a great addition for any business office, because you are giving your employees something they don't have at home, or that they may be paying for on their way to work. That added benefit of a great cup of coffee, an espresso, a latte or any other type of coffee mixture is one that is going to help get your employees to work on time, in a manner that they will be ready for work, and ready to grab that cup of espresso and get busy on what you need them to be working on.

What are you giving your employees right now? If you have a coffee maker in the break room right now, but you often times will see employees walking around the office with something else in their hand, it is time to get an automatic espresso machine and put your employees on track for the day. An automatic espresso machine is going to make many types of drinks, from the coffee, to the espresso, to the latte, and the cappuccino. Providing added benefits to your employees will make them enjoy their day that much more when coming to work. It is something they most likely don't have at home, and would love to have when coming to work.

Many types of automatic espresso machines area going to be digital, so they can be set the night before, and they will start the brewing process before anyone actually comes to the office. Yes, this means that someone has to take care of cleaning and filling the machine, but most likely you are not going to have to talk anyone into doing this because it is an easy process and one that take just a few minutes a day. An automatic espresso machine is one that will give your employee that 'thank you' every morning as they grab a cup of caffeine and they head their way back to their office.

An automatic espresso machine is one that will be an investment for your business, and for your employees. As the employees are not stopping to purchase that drink every morning you are saving them money, and the will realize this! You could even start a coffee fund if needed, where the employees are paying just a small fraction of what they would if there were to stop and purchase that cup of espresso or latte in the morning. This could offset the price of the ingredients and the filters that you purchase for the office machine.

Think about how much one person spends on just one cup of coffee or latte or even a cappuccino every morning, if it is $1.00 or $.75 it will add up. Now if you were able to save the employees this much money, every day, and then over the course of a month, it is like giving them a raise! Get an automatic espresso machine and give a little back to those who are in your office working hard at your business dealings every day!

About the author:
Magne Bjorklund, http://www.automatic-espresso-machine.info/
Please also visit: http://www.kentucky-fried-chicken.info/ http://www.on-mesothelioma-lawsuit.info/

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Americas Perception Of Quotgourmetquot Coffee

Writen by Denver Wilkinson

Coffee is the second most-highly traded commodity in the world next to oil. It's an enormous industry involving many players in the supply chain—the growers and farm workers, the processing mills, exporters and importers, small-batch roasters and huge commercial roasters, coffeehouses and cafes—all of who do their part to bring coffee to you, the final consumer.

Take a walk down the coffee aisle of a grocery store and read the labels. You'll find one word dominates the label rhetoric: "Gourmet." Gourmet, it's such a over-used term. By definition, it implies rare, expensive, high-quality, or at least sophisticated in some form of its preparation and service. Which, unfortunately, doesn't seem to apply to the coffee most Americans drink on a daily basis. Considering how large the coffee industry is, how much of what's marketed as gourmet could actually be considered truly gourmet coffee?

Sad to say, it's estimated only 10 percent of coffee sold on the global market is of excellent quality. Meaning, 90 percent of coffee sold is considered poor to satisfactory in quality. That being the case, it becomes hard to believe the ads and labels on store shelves claiming rich, delicious, gourmet coffee. In fact, the reality is they're much likelier selling the exact opposite of high quality coffee beans.

For instance, consider the ever applauded Dark Roast. Somehow the influential marketing gurus at roasting companies have managed to convince the masses that dark roasted coffee equals gourmet coffee. Not necessarily true. While there are some specific coffees that taste wonderful as a dark roast, there's a reason most coffee today is roasted so dark. It's precisely because of their low quality. Dark roasting covers a multitude of sins, including any flavor flaws.

And then there's flavored coffee—a low-quality bean masquerading as gourmet coffee. Why use expensive, high-grade beans for flavored coffee, since the natural flavors themselves will never be detected over the added flavorings of Irish cream, French Vanilla, or Hazelnut.

Though the marketing says otherwise, coffee that is indeed gourmet should never require extensive roasting. Similar to grilling a steak, a great coffee will often taste great as rare to medium, or, in coffee terms, light to medium. Of course the actual lightness of the roast will depend on your personal taste. A lighter roast shows that the roaster has confidence in the quality of the beans. And for a true connoisseur of coffee, that's what you should be looking for.

-- Denver Wilkinson is founder, and currently head roaster of Cafe Avion, a roasting company based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, that specializes in small-batch roasting of exclusively organic and fair trade coffees. "There's a whole world of coffee out there (quite literally) and so many natural flavors to experience, don't settle for the mediocre stuff. The darker the roast, the less likely you'll experience the subtle apricot flavors in a great Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, or the blueberry notes in a wonderful Harrar, or the earthy, ripened notes of a great Sumatran Mandheling." Adds Wilkinson: "I'm on a personal mission to undo the myth of the dark roast."

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Home Coffee Roasting

Writen by Hilda Maria Sigurdardottir

Home Coffee Roasting – Makes all the difference

As I sit here one the 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 the taste. No more!! Now there's almost every kind of coffee available that you can imagine.

Roasting at Home

First, we'll start with the 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 the 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 the right time and cooled down quickly. This is the 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 the 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 the ones with the proper roasting chambers. This way makes a less amount each time than other methods. Roasting with the 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 the oven did the venting for you. Just set the ovens temperature like baking. This had to be a much easier way and the results were rather good. Don't forget, the timing and cooling process for all roasting is very important and may be different in other blends to achieving the 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 the 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 the machine. It will be a question only the person using it can answer. Let's examine the differences a little closer.

The filter drip is the 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 the ground coffee. This can be done two ways. It can be electronically dripped or manually poured over the grounds. Some electric machines can be preset to have the coffee ready for you when you wake up in the morning. Others may prefer the taste of hand-brewed coffee for a different flavor.

The French drip is another form of drip coffee making, which is made without paper filters. A separate top sits above the porcelain coffee pot and acts as the strainer as the water soaks into the grounds. Working its way through the strainer, coffee liquid makes its way to the bottom pot for hot steaming coffee.

The Percolator was the preferred way to make coffee in the 1950's. Now coffee drinkers see the light that the coffee made this way was thin, watery and bitter. Most people may remember it by the perking pot and the aroma it gave off.

The Neapolitan flip device is made up of two segment. The whole product comes in aluminum, copper or stainless steel. An area in between the two segments holds the coffee grounds. The lower part is poured with water and put directly on the stovetop to heat. While boiling the steam goes through a hole under the grounds. After that, the pot is removed from the stove, flipped over to drip the water on the grounds, which go into the serving pot. The down side to this is that it only makes about 3 or 4 cups per serving.

There are two different types of espresso makers, stovetop and household electric counter top model. A nice characteristic about the counter top model is it can steam milk for cappuccino and latte's. Stovetop on the other hand have two parts similar to the Neapolitan flip method only no flipping needed.

French Press is a trendy European way that allows for more oils and coffee solids that give you a cup of coffee with a lovely smell and has a dense body. More of your strong coffee drinkers would prefer this technique. Although good and strong, some grounds may enter the coffee during process.

Vacuum procedures are more involved and are used for ceremonies mostly by the Japanese. They are rare and very hard to find. The Middle Eastern way is popular of course in the Middle East and also Greece and Turkey. Their form of making coffee is also very different and comes out to be dark, thick and syrupy tasting. Because it is so rich, one or two cups a day would probably be all I could drink.

Last but not least on the list, the cold water method Simply soaking the coffee grinds in cold water for about a day, straining the grounds, and storing the liquid in a refrigerator for a few weeks. When you want a cup, boil some water and add liquid to desired taste.

Makes a rather mild cup for those of you who like it that way.

If you're not into roasting the beans yourself, your choices are still many. Coffee manufacturers have given us an almost unending list of different blends and flavors. How the coffee's ground after its roasted will have a major effect on the taste of the coffee. There are regular, coarse and finely ground coffees. The taste is also affected by the combination of the type of coffee used. The two categories of trees from which the coffee beans come from are called Arabica and Robusta. The Arabica is a milder coffee and the Robusta a much stronger coffee.

Another important addition to the coffee world has been the addition of many flavorings, and flavored creamers. If you haven't browsed through coffee selections lately, you owe it to your taste buds to check out the many varieties and flavors of coffee.

Hilda Maria is the mother of five great children. She understands the need for a great cup of coffee in a flash and enjoys using a coffee maker and fresh green coffee beans to get it.

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Gourmet Coffee Enjoy Your Coffee Break

Writen by Anthony Tripodi

Are you tired of your regular Joe life and your regular Joe cup of coffee that you start your day with? Then it's time to reward yourself with something different. Why not jazz up your morning ritual with cup of rich gourmet coffee.

The dictionary defines gourmet food like this, "Gourmet food is that which is of the highest quality, perfectly prepared and artfully presented." If you want the highest quality food you go to a top notch restaurant but if you want the highest quality coffee, you can do that at home yourself. That gourmet meal is probably going to stay at the restaurant unless you invite a chef over but gourmet coffee can be made in the comfort of your own home with just a little practice.

Gourmet coffee is more expensive than say, supermarket brands but the taste is also much richer. Unless money is no object, why not save the gourmet cup of coffee for the weekends. Make it an end of the week tradition. Stick with the supermarket coffee for when you're rushing off to work.

To make your own gourmet coffee start with the beans. Gourmet Coffee beans can be bought by the pound and there are many varieties to choose from. Some of the most popular gourmet beans include Kona, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and Sumatra types.

Coffee beans are similar to wine in that they name the beans after the region. In the world of wine you have the popular Sonoma wines which come from Sonoma Valley in California. In the world of coffee the equivalent would be Kona beans which come from Kona, Hawaii.

Kona coffee beans are grown in rich volcanic soil and the mild tropical climate of the Kona coffee belt on the western side of the Big Island of Hawaii. It has a wonderfully full, rich and smooth flavor with little or no bitter after taste. Be sure that you buy Kona beans and not a Kona blend. A Kona blend can legally be labeled as Kona with as little as 10% of actual Kona beans in it.

Next you'll need to grind your beans. Ground coffee begins losing it's flavor once it's exposed to air. So you'll want to grind just enough to make your desired amount. Store any leftover grinds in an air tight container. You'll want to grind you coffee beans very fine but don't pulverize them into dust. If you over grind them the heat and friction will vaporize the oils that give the coffee it's distinct flavor.

When was the last time you cleaned your coffee maker? A clean coffee maker makes a significant difference in how your coffee tastes. At least once a month pour a mixture of half vinegar and half water into your coffee maker. Let the mix run through the full brew process. Repeat the process again using only water this time to rinse it out. Do this one more time if a vinegar smell is still present.

Now you're work is done and it's time for the coffee maker to pulls it's weight. Use clean filtered water and fill the coffee maker to the desired level. Use about 6 ounces of water for every 2 heaping tablespoons of coffee. Turn it on and hang around while it brews. You'll want to be there to enjoy the delightful aroma.

Everyday coffee is perfect for everyday life. But every once in a while you should treat yourself to something special. And what better way to start a special than that with a special cup of coffee. Gourmet coffees can really jazz up your day.

Anthony Tripodi is the webmaster of EndlessCoffeeBreak.com - The Guide To Coffee. For more information about coffee including speciality coffee drink recipes, ideas and equipment, visit http://www.endlesscoffeebreak.com.

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Move Over Mr Coffee Make Way For The French Press

Writen by Don McKay

Have you ever had a cup of coffee that was naturally creamy? I mean like a heavy cream that sits in your mouth. If you haven't made the trip to coffee heaven quite yet, then jump aboard the French Press Express. That's right, the French Press coffee pot makes the very best cup of coffee you will ever have. Just place the grounds in the bottom of the French Press pot. Pour hot boiling water over the grounds and let it site for a few minutes. Separate the grounds from the rich thick brew using the filtered plunger. This 19th century technology is by far the best way to make coffee.

It was almost by accident that this French Press concept came about. While boiling water one day in the hills of France a commoner who was not to bright was attempting to make coffee. He realized that he forgot to put in the coffee grounds and after the water came to a complete boil he desperately tossed his grounds in the hot water. Watching the grounds floating on top of his pot he knew that he made a tragic mistake. How would he fix this mess he was now in? Along came a man carrying an Italian flag and a metal screen. He persuaded the assumed Italian man to let him use his metal screen. He placed the screen on top of the pot and pressed the grounds to the bottom and poured the brew in a big cup. After giving off a sigh of relief he took a sip, and all at once realized that he just made the best cup of coffee ever.

Today the French Press is made a little differently. The basic design is the same, but made of glass, and it has a single chamber. The microwave version has two chambers, but I have never had any thing good come out of a microwave. The main noticeable difference between regular coffee pots and a French Press is by far the taste of the coffee. Most of the natural oils in the coffee grounds are filtered over in a regular coffee pot. These oils give the coffee brew its overall luster and rich flavor. The best purchase you can ever make is a French Press Pot. The prices vary from $19.95 to $65.00. You will never ever have a better cup of coffee, and that I can honestly promise you.

When you wake up in the morning the first cup of coffee from a French Press Pot is the next best thing to floating on a cloud.

Don is the owner of several free information websites and the sole proprietor of Java Jakes Gourmet Coffee Co. Visit http://www.megainfosource.com, http://www.javajakes.com, http://www.healthyinfosource.com Visit these sites today and become informed.

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