With coffee shops sprouting like mushrooms and readily available coffee packs, drinking coffee has become quite a ritual among friends or officemates during just a chat or some serious meetings.
Having coffee makes an otherwise stiff discussion to a vibrant exchange of thoughts and ideas. Perhaps it’s the caffeine that fuels the mind to be spontaneous. Or, it could be that the mere act of drinking coffee has a comforting effect. It makes you relax and eases whatever worries with its soothing aroma and distinctive taste.
Coffee nuances
When it comes to taste, there are coffee flavors available depending on your preference: latte, cappuccino, mocha, Americano, and macchiato.
It is best to know what sets them apart so as to have just the right blend.
A latte is espresso in steamed milk and lightly topped with foam. Cappuccino is espresso in steamed milk but less than a latte. Mocha is espresso with chocolate syrup and steamed milk topped with whipped cream. Americano is espresso in water. Macchiato, meanwhile, is espresso in steamed milk with vanilla topped with foam and caramel.
Caffeine effects
As to caffeine’s effects to the body, it is good to refer to expert’s views.
Harris Lieberman of the Military Nutrition Division of the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Massachusetts said in an interview with the Time magazine that caffeine optimizes a person’s inherent intelligence.
It must be noted that caffeine doesn’t make a person intelligent but rather activates a certain part of the brain so his/her natural mental acuity is at its peak. In more simple terms, caffeine keeps your mind awake so that it functions well.
In effect, coffee among friends, for instance, will simply take away drowsiness or lethargy. A cup may just be what you need to deliver that punch line to zest up the conversation. And nothing but laughter will echo.
However, coffee makers even go as far as touting their product as good for health based on some research.
Time magazine noted that research has shown that caffeine seems to have a protective effect against liver damage, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, gallstones, and depression.
How many cups are enough?
But how would you know you have just enough caffeine in your body? Just a cup or two for a day?
Despite what research says, it is still best to know caffeine’s effects on yourself. It all depends on your body’s condition and how it responds to caffeine.
To be sure, just drink in moderation. Try a couple of cups for a day. But if you sense something wrong, like feeling of dizziness, perhaps a cup may just be enough. Everything in excess, after all, has ill effects. And remember, coffee is diuretic. It flushes out fluids off your body. Hence, drink more water to replenish lost fluids.
Dizzy after drinking coffee? You may have been just dehydrated.
