Drinking *Caffeinated* Coffee in Martha’s Vineyard

Mid-August in Martha’s Vineyard is as good a time as any to drink coffee. And there are lots of good options to find good coffee. Two of the best known are Mocha Mott’s, with locations in Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs and the Black Dog Bakery and Café in Vineyard Haven. I love them both.

Black Dog vs. Mocha Mott’s

I like Mocha Mott’s for its reliability and I *love* their peanut butter cookies (When I feel guilty about eating them I focus on the high levels of protein compared with chocolate chip cookies).

 I like Black Dog coffee for its smooth taste and dark roast. It’s mellow….almost better to drink it on an overcast day, rather than a sunny, let’s-hit-the-beach day. Black dog coffee always tastes like summer turning into fall. It reminds me of trees with a few brightly colored leaves and pullover earth-tone sweaters. It’s good coffee to drink if you have to get some work done.

 I have been enjoying both Mocha Motts and Black Dog coffees for years and don’t really have a preference. However, despite the fact that the well-known cafés that sell these blends are go-to coffee spots, there are also some unsung coffee shops on the Vineyard---many. I’m going to focus on one.

Little House Café

In my opinion, the best cup of breakfast coffee in Vineyard Haven is from Little House Café.  Some of the best coffees they serve are their Guatemalan and Ethiopian coffees. Their coffee is rich, full of texture, hot, hot, hot, and very, very caffeinated.

Coffee and Tinnitus—Drink More, Ring Less

Why would you drink anything else other than caffeinated coffee? That is if you want to enjoy some of the coffee-related health benefits that come from the caffeine. A study that came out last week in the August 2014 issue of the American Journal of Medicine evaluated the effect of caffeine intake on the risk of tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Using data from the Nurses’ Health Study, including analysis of more than 65,000 women, researchers found that women who drank at least 600 mg of coffee a day (that’s about 4 cups) were 21% less likely to experience tinnitus compared with women who consumed 150 mg a day or less (1 cup or less). Who wants ringing in their ears? And clinically speaking there’s a bit more to the tinnitus story---it's not just the bother and annoyance of hearing sounds internally. Did you know that 90% of people with tinnitus have underlying hearing loss and a large percentage of patients with tinnitus suffer from severe depression and from insomnia. 

Caffeine and Fat-burning….It Works

Coffee’s fat-burning qualities are widely appreciated. Not only does it help stave off appetite, it also helps boost metabolism for up to 4 hours after consumption. A 2004 study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition evaluated the effect of caffeine on fat dissolution in study subjects—at rest. Their metabolic processes were tested 90 minutes after consumption and then again at the 240 post-consumption mark.  Drinking caffeinated coffee doubled the rate at which fats were broken down in the body and increased energy expenditure by 13%.  And if you drink caffeinated coffee and EXERCISE you burn even more fat and increase your metabolism even more. YAY EXERCISE!!!!

All good stuff! Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Get Fitter this Summer with Pre-exercise Caffeine---and the Joy of Trying New Coffee Places on Vacation

OK, this notion of getting the perfect summer body is cliché. But so what? A lot of people are into working out and it can be lots of fun. Everyone knows (and appreciates) the benefits of working out, but did you know that drinking coffee before exercise makes you burn 15% more calories hours after exercise. It’s basically a two-for one proposition: post-exercise health benefits and increased metabolism plus a metabolic boost from coffee. 

The precise numbers can be found in this paper from the June 2014 issue of the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. If you like to parse numbers and enjoy a good quantitative read, you will really enjoy this paper; however, the big takeaway is coffee before exercise augments exercise-related benefits.       

      

 Have you started vacationing or taking mini-vacations yet? The season is definitely ramping up, and it feels great. Several years ago, when we were in Mystic, Connecticut on a mini-vacation, I went to Bartleby’s Cafe on Main Street, aptly named for Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener. (I think perhaps if the guy had more coffee, he could have figured out how to get out of his unsatisfactory job situation.) Anyway, the coffee is excellent and the peanut butter cookies are amazing. So this year, I came back for more coffee...and my business card was still on the bulletin board five years later (talk about having a home-town feel).  It’s really close to the drawbridge and across the street from Mystic Pizza and the Black Dog General Store. Don’t miss it the next time you’re in town! 

Can one day of Gorilla Coffee in Montclair lead to a lifetime of love?

By the time I got to Whole Foods this afternoon, I was on the brink of exhaustion (though it was a happy exhaustion since I had just completed an hour of power yoga and half an hour of cardio).  I had been up working during the early morning hours, gotten kids to schools, worked out---and gone for a walk. I had already consumed at least 5 cups of coffee....

So when Rhiannon Corby, a representative from Gorilla Coffee, a microbrewery with 2 locations in Park Slope, Brooklyn, offered me coffee, I actually wavered briefly. Very briefly. "Sure," I said. I tried a small cup of Ixil A' Achimbal single-source Guatemalan coffee--a coffee grown by a collective of coffee farmers in the rugged western highlands.

My response: It gave me a sense of completeness. A satisfaction that even I could not articulate. Drinking this tiny cup of Gorilla Coffee made me feel more alive and gave my life in that moment brighter overtones. I felt like a craving was being fulfilled and stimulated at the same time.

Rhiannon told me that the subtle bliss I was experiencing may be related to the coffee's "herbal overtones," a quality that she referred to as "herbalicious."

I had to have it. EXCEPT: The Guatemalan coffee was sold out. Web site to the rescue. And as I was leaving, I said to her, "Do you know that coffee is the #1 source of antioxidants in the American diet?

"Of course," she said. "And it prevents diabetes and a lot of other diseases."

Exactly. Would you like to share my coffee-drinking epiphany? There are new experiences to be had. Perhaps I'll see you in Brooklyn...

Locations:

Flagship store/cafe: 97 5th Avenue in Park Slope (at the corner of Park Place)
New location! 472 Bergen St.
Both locations are easily accessed from the Atlantic Ave./Pacific St. stop

#GorillaCoffee

Suddenly Sunny! Coffee Decreases the Risk of Skin Cancer (and More)

Happy spring! The weather has morphed from on-the-verge-of-one-more blizzard to feels-like-summer-during-the-daytime weather. The sun is shining. There are even a few people sporting sun visors and Vera Bradley sun hats.

Spring means renewal---and a desire to get away from the same old, same old.  For years, I’ve been ruminating on the many benefits of coffee. The fact that coffee is the #1 source of antioxidants in the American diet (we absorb the antioxidants in coffee more readily than fruits and vegetables) and that it significantly decreases the risk of Parkinson’s disease, depression, liver disease and type 2 diabetes. It also makes you smarter, less depressed and a better athlete. 

We know that: NEXT!

So here’s the news---speaking of fashionable, uber-chic visors and sun hats: Drinking coffee decreases the risk of skin cancer in women, according to a study from Harvard University. In a 20-year-study of 112,000 people, women who drunk at least 3 cups of coffee per day were much less likely to develop skin cancer. 

Get ready for summer…It’s coming! And enjoy the spring holidays! Chag Sameach! Happy Easter!

The 5th Annual MLK Coffee Drinking Party: Civil Rights and Coffee--Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (What a Party it Was!)

On Sunday, January 19^th, 2014, we hosted our 5^th annual MLK Coffee-Drinking Party. (MLK, Jr. loved coffee and was a regular coffee-drinker.) Five years seems like a long time, certainly long enough to create a tradition in a community like Montclair, New Jersey. But when you think about long-standing traditions, you should think about coffee. Coffee has been part of the human experience since the 9^th century when, according to the legend, an Ethiopian goat-herder “discovered” coffee beans after observing his goats eating them and becoming unusually active. By the 1400’s, coffee beans were being cultivated and roasted on the Arabian Peninsula, and by the 1600’s, regular coffee consumption was part of life in Europe and New York.

Coffee and Civil Rights—Two Old, Cherished Traditions

Now think about Civil Rights. Think beyond the United States for a moment. What are civil rights? Civil rights are secular human rights that guarantee legal, social and economic equality. The quest for these rights is as old as the human experience. There have always been people who found themselves in unfair, unjust situations, who sought to align their outer circumstances with their inborn inner dignity. Coffee drinking/civil rights are very old traditions. Just as, by comparison, drinking coffee in the United States and being able to celebrate the victories of the US Civil Rights Movement (The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which authorized federal action against segregation in public places; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968) are both relatively new.

For us, and the people at our party, and lots of other people, celebrating MLK Day and the American Civil Rights Movement continues to be an important “tradition”---a cultural touchstone, worth acknowledging---a holiday that particularly resonates in a place like Montclair (for a number of reasons, the photos themselves tell an important part of our story). It also reminds us that there is more work to do here in the United States to further advance socioeconomic and racial equality.

Coffee, Cocoa...and Wine

Now back to the party: Every year, more and more people come. The goal is to always make room for more. This year, about 55 people got together to drink coffee, hot chocolate, tea, wine or seltzer—and eat sweet and savory treats.  People came, they went, it snowed, we had fun and the kids played. Toddlers dressed up in tutus, while tweens danced around with Wii joysticks. Everyone enjoyed the jazz. Once again, there were zucchini cookies (thanks Shannon!) and amazing brownies, really good savory treats, and gluten-free and vegan options as well. Though many of the same people come each year, this year there were new people, which made it more festive and even more interesting.  It was the usual diverse assortment of writers, editors, lawyers, educators, I.T. professionals, fitness enthusiasts, Wall Street executives, business people, volunteers and creatives. Lots of parents, some not parents. Some people born and raised in Montclair, some from other parts of the country, many from NYC (mainly Brooklyn or the UWS), and many Montclairians who came by way of Italy, Ghana, Russia, Israel, Romania, or Hong Kong. And though we went quite late, everyone was out by 11:30. The next morning (which normally would be reserved for spin or yoga classes, or family walks) was a no-holds-barred day for volunteering as part of a newly evolving MLK Day tradition in Montclair called Day ON.

 The party was not political---after all the politics that led to the party had mainly happened before most of us at the party were born. We were there to drink coffee, to honor a tradition and to express our gratitude, which we did by holding up our cups in honor of Dr. King and taking photographs. Thanks to the efforts of eighth grader, Noah Gale, who made the “Thank you, Dr. King!” poster this year, we had lots of visual reminders of Mr. King surrounding us. Most parties here in Montclair tend to be easygoing, light, fun affairs---the hard work around the issue of diversity, inclusion and ‘civil rights’ is done in the classrooms, where our children are taught; in the township council; in editorial offices in NYC and here in town; in local real estate offices; and at dinner tables and during quiet moments when no one is looking. The hard work is a day-in, day-out grappling with a reality that doesn’t easily bend to symbolism. The hard work is done not only here, but everywhere, wherever there is work to be done—by those willing to do it.

Civil Rights and Coffee Cups For All

Now for a bit of honesty: To our children, the Civil Rights tradition feels very ‘traditional,’ mainly because they are so young. Yet, they somehow seem to get it, most likely because their teachers are young and dynamic and able to contemporize the Civil Rights story for them. It’s important that they understand the reality that the civil rights “issue” is ongoing, always relevant and never ending----and there are many, many “issues.”

In a world, in a nation, that is increasingly global and truly multinational, the African American Civil Rights movement is quintessentially American and rooted in the 20^st century (with earlier roots that go back to the 17^th century and the beginning of American slavery). Lack of civil rights is a daily reality for millions of people worldwide. Their struggle is just as profound as our struggle. In fact, human slavery thrives now as much as it ever did. According to the Global Slavery Index, 21 million people worldwide are living as slaves, meaning they are either in a forced labor situation, in debt bondage or living as sexual slaves. Many of those affected are children. Of the 60,000 slaves in the United States, the largest percentage are 12- to 14-year-olds who are being used as sex slaves, because of their youth, vulnerability and sheer attractiveness to the adults who buy them.  For more information about global slavery, please visit: http://www.globalslaveryindex.org/.

Thanks to everyone who came this year…and to those of you who wanted to, but couldn’t. Coffee connects people and cultures, and in the process, reinforces a sense of community, personal dignity and well-being. Looking forward to next year---and looking forward to a time when our children will be able to raise their cups not only to Martin Luther King, Jr., but also to other leaders who successfully help bring civil rights to others here and everywhere else who struggle daily for their human dignity.

A Red-Letter Day for Coffee Drinkers--Consolidate Your Memory and Hydrate with Coffee

January 13, 2014 was a red-letter day for coffee drinkers!

Two major health-related stories were widely reported, starting with news (published in Nature Neuroscience) that caffeine enhances “memory consolidation.” Although there have been lots of studies showing that coffee is a cognitive enhancer, there has never been a study in which study participants were asked to memorize something without the benefit of coffee, take caffeine after the memorization activity--- and then perform at a later date….until now.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University got 160 people between the ages of 18 and 30 to look at pictures of various things (ducks, etcetera) and to identify them as either “indoor” or “outdoor” objects. Shortly after this task, the participants received either a placebo tablet or a 200-mg caffeine pill. Then they left. 24 hours later, everyone was back at the study site looking at the same pictures.

The goal was to determine whether the pictures were old, new or the same. The people who had consumed caffeine after looking at the pictures the previous day were better at determining which ones were the same. The important takeaway here is that you can consolidate memories you want to retain by drinking coffee AFTER you hear something, read something or see something. Very interesting…

How does that work? Well, one hypothesis from the researchers is adenosine blockade (the same mechanism responsible for preventing fatigue). For more information about that, please see the Nature Neuroscience article.

Another Coffee Myth Bites the Dust…

In 1928, a study demonstrated caffeine’s diuretic effect, but that study was never validated. So 86 years later (in 2014), researchers at the University of Birmingham in England decided to test how caffeine impacts hydration status by conducting a switchover study on 50 men. (Women were excluded from this study, because menstrual cycles affect water balance.) 

In this switchover study, some men drank 4 cups of coffee a day for 3 days, while others drank 4 cups of water a day for 3 days. After a 10-day wash-out period, they switched from coffee to water and vice versa. The researchers tested hydration status throughout by looking at body mass, total body water, and blood and urine tests. They found that caffeine did not alter hydration status. Drinking coffee contributed to hydration as much as water….Surprise!

So if you’re thirsty, looking for energy and interested in being healthy, drinking coffee just makes sense---and it tastes good too! If you want to remember everything you've read in this post, have a cup of coffee....then you can consolidate these ideas more easily. Comments are welcome!

Want to Achieve Your Goals in 2014? Don’t Stop Drinking Coffee

One source of joy at the beginning of a new year is the sense that we get a clean slate. A chance to be kinder, work harder, to fulfill dreams and be healthier.

And while a common resolution to break bad habits (things like cigarette smoking, binge eating, hoarding, drinking too much and regretting it later, watching too much reality television, being overly engaged in social media at the expense of everything else…), you should not stop drinking coffee in 2014 (unless of course there is a compelling medical reason).

The Health Benefits of Coffee

 Drinking coffee not only significantly decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cirrhosis, and depression, but it is packed with antioxidants. Plus coffee is a good source of B vitamins. One serving of coffee contains 6% of the RDA of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), which supports the adrenal gland and functions as an anti-stress supplement. The same cup of coffee also provides 11% of the RDA of vitamin B2, which supports metabolic function, making our ability to digest proteins, carbs and fats more efficient. When you think about it, having a cup of coffee in the morning (hold the sugar and high-fat dairy creamers and milk) is like having a serving of vegetables.

 Want to be more productive, alert of cognitively prepared? Want to burn calories more quickly? Drink coffee. Want to be part of a vibrant coffee-drinking community? You know what to do…

Bringing in the New Year with a Group of Coffee-Drinking Friends

Drinking coffee is an anywhere, anytime, go-to activity that brings a sense of instant companionship. On New Year’s Eve, as we waited for the countdown to 2014, I drank half a glass of wine and then got up the nerve to ask my hosts for a cup of coffee. The hostess happily started brewing coffee and putting out mugs and saucers, while her husband offered a (surprisingly) delicious vanilla soy creamer. Our small group of celebrants emptied the pot in less than 20 minutes, as we chatted. We were warm and stimulated and buffeted against the below-zero temps outdoors.

 Twenty minutes before the ball dropped, we did what millions of others were doing. We descended to the basement, sat on comfy sofas and channel-switched back and forth between NBC, FOX and CBS, watching as Ryan Seacrest smiled jauntily next to various beautiful women. Our young children pranced around in oversized 2014 sunglasses as glitter dropped all over the carpet.

 Finally, it was time. 5,4,3,2,1---we swigged our champagne, hugged and kissed, and hung out a bit longer to watch Mariah Carey sing. It truly was a happy new year, full of good friends, good wine and champagne---and exceptionally good coffee.

Happy New Year!