coffee

In our obsession with having a more “nutritious” coffee, we are throwing an ingredient that knows Charco: Spirulina

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In recent years a Curious practice: You have to add supplements to everything. Yogurt? With proteins. Cheese? With proteins. Frozen? With proteins too. In many cases, that ‘proteinization’ It makes no sense because they are added to products that They already contain a certain amount of proteinbut within the trend, there is a sub -totence: convert coffee into a superfood. And one of the last practices is to add spirulina to coffee. Spirulina. A few days ago we counted that Adding coffee proteins was not a bad idea. Creating a protein, banana and coffee milkshake (for example) gives us a lot of protein nutrients and fruitbut also the effects beneficial of coffee. It is something you can easily do at home to increase protein consumption, but it is also something that companies like Starbucks have seen potential. The Protein supplements They are integrated into our diet, but … What is that of spirulina? It is a spiral -shaped greenish microalgae that, converted into dust, has become the new ‘miraculous food’. There are many recipes that we can prepare with spirulina and per 100 grams (an unrealistic daily amount) provides 57 grams of protein, 23.9 of carbohydrates, 3.6 fiber and is rich in vitamins of the B complex. In addition, it has calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, iodine, chromium, vitamin A, k and folates. Another Superreceta. Whenever no Replace other foods in the dietSpirulina is a good complement that we can easily introduce in the form of dust into a multitude of food, preparations and sauces. And, as with protein, it is also a good addition to coffee. As? Well in the form of Latte And not looking for a huge protein contribution, but that supplementation of vitamins and minerals. Because also It has an effect antioxidant and anti -inflammatory, can contribute to glucose control and the improvement of vascular function, as well as a good intestinal flora. Come on, it seems that it only has positive effects. Eye. But there is a problem. Well, two. The first is that spirulina must be acquired through sources that ensure its complete security because, although there are studies that show benefits with both a gram a day up to five grams a day, it is a food that comes from the sea and the risk Heavy metal contamination is there. And if you have hyper or hyperthyroidism, It is not an adequate supplement. The second is, as in the case of Starbucks protein coffee, which brands have another miraculous food to label. Pret a manger It is a British fast food chain that has specialized in organic food. Above all, it makes sandwiches and sandwiches, but it has focused on that advertising that they use natural and organic ingredients. Sugar for a tube. There the spirulina fits like a glove, and, as we read in TelegraphIt is an opportunity that the chain has not let. The British media has contacted the dietitian Aisling Piggotspokesman for the British dietary association and, although it has confirmed that spirulina is a good supplement (whenever we do not enter in any of the risk groups that should not drink this), the Coffee with Spirulina de Pret is not. And the key is not in that microalga, but in that it is 19.4 grams of sugar per cup. It is more than there is in a can of a conventional soda and that is why you have to take into account what ingredients the coffee is prepared. Because if you have spirulina, very well, but to mask the taste that amount of sugar is added, the final product It is healthy. Trend vs reality. In the end, it is important not to get carried away by those benefits that some foods promise, but to read the label because, for many properties that spirulina or proteins, already prepared commercial drinks can contain huge doses of sugar that eclipse everything else. And, although coffee with spirulina, or the Chai Latte With this microalga, they have a very ‘instagrameable’ blue tone, the truth is that you have to like the earthly and strong texture, since the rest of the flavors are eaten. Image | Sunbliss, Blenz Coffee In Xataka | We thought it was a waste, but we just discovered that the residue of rice fermentation is a “superfood”

A programmer did not like how his coffee maker extracted coffee. So he dedicated 100 hours to hack her

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Few things give more anger than to play with an extremely simple device that does not respond exactly as you want. An example is the appliances that should be at our service, but sometimes they go from us, they are unnecessarily complex Or they have many functions, but not as simple as “don’t automatically turn off.” That is what a software developer was found to Buy a coffee makerand made the most logical decision. Return it? No: Hold it. And be careful, because that of ‘hacking’ the coffee makers is not so weird. Functions vs User. Gabriel Ciubotaru He is a software developer, but also an expert in cybersecurity and reverse engineering, among other skills. In a recent conference at the Defcamp 2024 (a relevant cybersecurity and hacking conference at European level), Gabriel told how he had acquired a coffee maker that he liked a lot, but that had a very annoying function: at 30 minutes of being on, he automatically went out. It is a function to save energy, and that is fine, but the problem is the enormous contradiction that arises when, every time it turns on, it performs a refined cycle that expels a moderate amount of water. In addition to water, it was a loss of time and Gabriel search between the options until finding a higher time limit: three hours. As he made a coffee every four hours, it was not adequate for his rhythm of life and decided to open the machine. Hold the coffee maker. The task seemed simple: extract the motherboard, locate the microcontroller and identify the system programmed to automatically turn off the machine and perform that refined process, change the firmware with the desired time value and reassemble the machine. The reality is that it found that component relatively easy, but the complicated thing was to find, throughout the code tangle, the lines that it should modify so that the coffee maker went out when he wanted. He did it, looking at a code that controls the warning icons that shows the coffee maker screen so that the user identifies his status following the instructions of the manual, so he modified those values, the modified code rose to the microcontroller and … ready, the coffee maker now works as he wants. I have explained it in a very simple way, but in Gabriel he gives all the details in his conference. He also comments that he has saved 30 seconds a day by investing 100 hours of work to hack the coffee maker, but that it is something that has been totally worth it because now it is the device that works as the user wants. More homemade projects. It is clear that not everyone has the resources, desire, time or interest in getting what Gabriel has achieved. Those 30 seconds, to many, would not be bother us, but what is also true is that there is an interest on the part of some users to hack their coffee makers in one way or another. One of the most popular coffee makers is Delonghi dedicates. It is what I have and has a series of default values ​​that respond to the amount of coffee extraction time. For a pressurized portfilters like the one that carries the machine, they are adequate, but when you buy a portfiltros in the air, these values ​​fall short and we have a way of programming a slower extraction based on combining its three buttons. It is something indicated in the manual, but what is not indicated is how to achieve a better milk foam. The sparkler included is functional, but not perfect. A trick to have more control over the process is to remove the metal part of the sparkler and keep the rubber, with a much thinner nozzle. Thus we can better control the process, but there is a problem: due to the pressure, the nozzle jumps. The solution? Set that mouthpiece to the coffee maker through a flangeand problem solved. Removing functions to the machine. That is a very simple modification, but there is another that is perhaps more interesting because it directly affects how coffee knows. In filter coffee makers, the most common is that the base has a resistance that keeps hot coffee for a longer time. This implies that coffee ‘cooks’ by extraction, but then continues to warm up with a high temperature base that modifies its flavor. It is not ideal, but even expensive machines (and that, supposedly, its manufacturers should know that it affects the flavor) implements it. Therefore, a common modification in this type of coffee makers is to open them and remove the cables that give energy to that resistance. It does not affect anything to the operation of the coffee maker when preparing coffee, but you eliminate that base that continues to cook the coffee once extracted. It is a modification that gives more “fear” than placing a flange, but it is worth it because, as I say, it has a direct influence on coffee. And as that modification there are many others, such as placing a more quality milk foamer in the aforementioned dedicate or changing the water pump pressure, Change the diffuser of water in a moccamaster … More serious implications. Ok, these cases are curious and allow to improve the functioning of the coffee maker, but really hacking a coffee maker is a serious thing. It is something that Martin Hron, Avast Security Researcher, demonstrated to the HAHKE AN INTELLIGENT COFFEE. Focusing on the first generation smartger, Hron got access to the system and realized that it worked as a unprotected Wi-Fi access point, with unbalanced connections and that allowed firmware updates without authentication. What did you demonstrate? Two things. On the one hand, which could rotate the mill without control, waste boiling water or emit beeps. He could also show a rescue message with a URL in which to make the payment so that the coffee maker ceases to behave … Read more

adjust the price of coffee while using them

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The price that a bar charges you for a coffee usually depends on issues such as where you drink it, what kind of grain is or what you accompany it. In Barceloneta, Barcelona’s tourist heart, in that equation it has begun to sneak An extra factor: How long it takes to drink it. If you sit on the restaurant terrace and hurry the cup in less than half an hour You pay a priceif you relax too much and pass from 30 minutes it will be another and if you already lose the notion of time and you end up more than an hour with the cup in front it will cost you much more. The same goes for tea. The measure has already generated debate. Coffee and minutes issue. In full Plaça de la Barceloneta, not much distance from the Museum of History of Catalonia, there is a small cafeteria that has gone viral in networks. His name: Perfetto. The reason: a small poster. On Sunday @maria_lostia, an X user, A tweet uploaded With a photo in the establishment, a plasticized price table and a message are shown: “In Barceloneta if you want coffee you have to drink it in less than 30 minutes.” If the publication of María is already on the way of 302,000 visualizations and has given rise to news in the Catalan media and of rest of the country It is not however because of what it says, but for what it shows. The table in question basically details what a coffee with milk costs, a Capuccinoa cut, a espresso or a tea depending on the time that the client passes on the terrace. More time, higher price. Click on the image to go to Tweet. You choose: 1.6, 2.5 or 4 euros. In The image It is seen for example that a milk with milk costs 1.6 euros. That is the starting price. If the customer passes with its consumption more than 30 minutes the rate is already 2.5 euros and if the time exceeds the price returns to another stretch until it stays in four. Something similar happens with the Capuccinothe cuts, the espressos or tea. For example, a cup of the infused drink costs two euros, but the rate rises to three past the first half hour and four with the second. What gravels that price increase is supposedly the time that the client enjoys the terrace of the cafeteria. It is not strange that businesses charge A supplement To serve drinks or meals outside the premises, but much less is that the price varies depending on the minutes that the customer passed on the terrace. Although for despair of the hotelier I am more than an hour with a single drink. “Businesses are not profitable”. eldiario.es has spoken with Massimo, the owner of the business, who explains that decided to print the famous table after witnessing a anger between customers precisely because of the lack of space. “It was a night when some were waiting for a table they got tired and faced those who were sitting, who had been lengthening without consuming,” says the hotelier. For him the table is a “warning”, “a way of raising awareness.” Despite the level of detail of the rates, Massimo ensures that the cafeteria does not apply them strictly either. “It is actually a kind of joke. And just we charge this if we have customers waiting. No one likes to see how people occupy a table where you want to sit if they are not consuming anything,” He recounts. “Joke” or not, the hotelier recognizes that customers who eternalize their passage through the terraces with a single drink directly affects business profitability. “You can’t spend many hours without consuming. If not, businesses are not profitable.” A not -so new measure. To collect more or less for a coffee depending on the time that the client passes on a terrace is not usual, but there are Other formulas They do have a tour in the sector. For example, businesses that require a minimum consumption or restaurant tables with limited time. Today it is relatively common that when a reservation is made, the waiter reports that the table can be used only until a certain time. Sometimes because the same table is reserved for another customer in a second turn. Another practice that Nor is it new They are the timed terraces, in which the stay of the clients is limited to prevent them from occupying their limited places with a single cane or coca-cola. In 2022 The newspaper It echoed In fact, some hoteliers in Barcelona were applying a kind of “time tarification”, with posters in which they reported the time each client could be based on what he asked. A soda gave right to 30 minutes. A meal at an hour and a half. The background debate. Although over the last days the media focus has been put in Perfetto, the reality is that its decision connects with other background debates that go far beyond the small cafeteria. The first is the attempt of the restoration to make their businesses in a Complex contextmarked by the rise in prices (special mention for Coffee) and the crisis of old formats, such as The reeds either THE MENUS OF THE DAYin crisis precisely because of how difficult it is to adjust costs. The other key debate, especially If we talk about Barcelonais that of the Tourist. The flow of tourists (including foreigners) moves millions of euros, but also directly affects the day to day of the inhabitants of the great destinations in such basic aspects as housing or Commerce, influencing in its operation. I recognized it recently Malaga in A report in which he warned that excessive pressure from the sector “can cause the expulsion of native businesses, being replaced by souvenir stores and tourist -oriented shops.” Images | Bryan Dijkhuizen (UNSPLASH) and Raimond Klavins (Flickr) In Xataka | More and more Spanish bars … Read more

Specialty coffee is expensive and there is something that increases it even more: to remove caffeine

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For many, drinking coffee is almost a daily ritual. There are those who take it for pleasure or by necessity, but there is also the case of Who wants all their benefitsexcept Caffeine. There are many ways to decaffeinate coffee, and not all are equally healthy. Among all methods, we know two that are employees for specialty coffee to remain specialty. Now, they are tremendously technical and more expensive than the most general methods. Market. The demand for decaffeinated coffee is experiencing sustained growth in recent years. In more commercial coffees Like capsules Or snapshots, we have decaffeinated varieties for a long time, but increasingly easy to find options among specialty coffees. Depending on the indicator we take (total market or only grains), and depending on the analysis, it is esteem That the decaffeinated coffee bean market was $ 31,580 million in 2024, with a projection to 41,050 million dollars by 2032. Others analysis They estimate it at 6,740 million in 2023, with a growth up to 12,330 million by 2031. The way they are, in what they coincide is that it is a upward market. Controversy without decaffeinar. Something that has also increased is awareness about what we eat. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle depends on a lot of factors, and that saying of “we are what we eat” points in an adequate direction. Why do I say this? Because there are several ways to eliminate coffee from coffee (although there is always a certain residual percentage), but not all are as natural as we would like. The two most used methods are precisely the most controversial. One is the one who uses methylene chloride to dissolve caffeine. In the process, the solvent is eliminated by evaporation and grains, subsequently, it is washed and dry, passing controls so that the solvent residues are maintained below the legal limits. The other uses ethyl acetate, which is a compound that is found naturally in some fruits and the process is the same as in methylene chloride. Although it is considered more natural, it is still a chemical solvent that can also leave an aroma impregnated in coffee. More natural processes. These processes in which solvents are used have been at the point of view of organizations such as the United States Food and Medicines Administration, being the methylene chloride in the conversation. But there are other methods that are used to substantially reduce the coffee level of coffee. One is the swiss water process. In it, the grains immerse themselves in hot water to dissolve caffeine. Then, the water goes through active carbon filters that retain only caffeine and this process is repeated until the grains contain a minimum percentage of caffeine. Image: Swiss Water Process Another is the one who uses Supercritical co₂. In it, the grains undergo high pressures and expose themselves to CO₂ in a supercritical state, acting as a selective solvent for caffeine. Decaffeination through the supercritical co₂ method | Image: James Hoffmann Technology to coffee power. That they are more natural does not imply that there is no sophisticated technological network after the process. James Hoffman, one of the reference baristas for coffee world lovers, has visited facilities in which this decaffeination process is carried out through the Swiss Water technique and we can see that … it is a fairly boring environment: There are simply drums, silos and warehouses in which that “soaking” of the grains, drying and storage is being carried out. But the key is in the control room. Hoffmann cannot show us the graphs that are used to control these processes, but comments that they have computers connected to probes that, in real time, send information of the caffeine present in the grains in several points of the process. Thus, the technicians are adjusting the process until leaving the caffeine necessary to be considered decaffeinated without altering the properties of the grains themselves. The great drums | Image: James Hoffmann And the cabin in which the information of all the sensors is collected to send it to the technicians responsible for supervising the process | Image: James Hoffmann Specialty. These are two more natural methods because they do not use chemicals or solvents, and something for which they are appreciated is because they better retain both the aromas and the original aromas of the grains. And there is a segment that interests that this is: that of specialty coffee. In the search for a coffee with a better flavor, but above all more sustainable for both farmers and the planet, the specialty coffee is earning a hole between palates both understood and profane. In regions such as Europe and North America, the global specialty coffee market is growing at a 10% annual rate. Of $ specialty coffee. Now, decaffeinated specialty coffee is 1 + 1. The specialty coffee is expensive because there is a meticulous process behind. They are selected crops, the harvests are usually done by hand, they have strict control processes for washing and drying, implies fair trade, more sustainable practices and a lower volume. All that makes it a more expensive coffee both to produce and buy. But, in addition, processes such as Swiss Water or the Supercritical Co₂, due to its complexity, the time that is required and, especially in the case of the supercritical co₂, due to the infrastructure to be mounted, make this type of coffee even more. They take away the caffeine, but add some cents to the price. Tags. That is why the methods without solvents are more used in the decaffeination processes of instant coffee, capsule or the most common mixtures that we find in the bar and the supermarket, while the most natural and expensive methods are those associated with decaffeinated specialty coffee. If you are a consumer worried about this, the way of knowing how your favorite coffee has been decaffiled is … Looking for information and look at the labels. When a coffee uses methods such as the supercritical CO2 … Read more

The coffee situation was already limit. Tariffs threaten to shoot their price at unbearable levels

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The situation of Coffee Market in 2025 It is a gallimatisms. Different factors have caused the price of coffee to experience one of the Greater climbs in historywe must all add one more: the US tariff pulse with the rest of the world. And there is a great question about the table: if the great toasters stop selling both to the US because the costs are unbearable, will they adjust production or sell their surpluses cheaper to the rest of the world? The answer is that … it seems that everyone will make war on their own. Problems everywhere. The 2024 coffee harvest faced a series of problems that caused raw coffee prices to increase drastically. Extreme climatic factors how droughts and irregular rains hit the two Main coffee producers (Brazil and Vietnam). This has affected both the production and the quality of the grain, but they have also caused transport cuts due to Problems on the Suez channelwhich has delayed shipments and increased costs. All this, in addition to other factors, has caused coffee to be going through strong inflationary pressure, with increases that, depending on the week, have reached up to 40% compared to what is seen a year ago. It is something similar to what is happening with cocoa and that has turned coffee into one of the thermometers of the global economy. The blissful tariffs. The one that was missing in the equation was … Trump. Tariffor “tariff” has become the word Favorite From the new president of the United States, and these last weeks we have lived an authentic tariff syrup between countries. It is something that affects markets such as cars, oil, technology, Digital services, food products And, obviously, coffee. These tariffs proposed by the United States are a protectionist measure, but also a throwing weapon with a clear intention: threaten countries To do what the USA wants. A clear example is the Tariff threat to Mexico and Canadatwo of the main US business partners that originated Dimes and Diartes among the presidents of the countries. And also We have seen it with Colombia. If the Latin American country did not yield to the aggressive immigration policy promoted from the White House, the threat was to impose rates of 25% and up to 50%. And what product that the United States loves is one of the world powers? Coffee. Hitting the pocket. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, in 2022 Colombia exported 15.6 billion dollars To the US, of which almost 1.8 billion corresponded to coffee. Coffee is the great merchandise exported by the country, in terms of value, only behind oil. The New York Times warned that imposing 25% or more to Colombian goods would impact the pocket of the Americans and here there are two options: or stop consuming so much … or assume the extra cost. Variety of postures. Boris Wüllner is the CEO of Green Coffeeone of the largest producers in Colombia that has been investing great sums In the country. In an interview for The RepublicWüllner comments that it is time for companies to look for the way of being more efficient in the production chain, even toasting the grain on American soil to “avoid a larger tax effect.” In fact, he sees it as a business opportunity. While Latin American coffees will be taxed with 10%, those of Indonesia and Vietnam will face tariffs of a 32% and 46% respectivelywhich will allow, despite those 10%tariffs, the Colombian product is more competitive. Wüllner also considers that it will be the consumer who absorbs the increase that these tariffs will imply, but that they will not stop drinking coffee. Different opinion have from Europe, specifically from Lavazza. Touching the limit. Its executive director, Antonio Baravalle, believes that consumer tolerance is reaching the limit due to high prices and is clear that this increase in costs for consumers is what has generated “an average contraction of the world coffee market of approximately 3.5% in the last two years”. And that the tariffs had not yet come into play. From the US National Coffee Association they share this opinion, commenting that “the great price increase is eaten the liquidity of the customers. They do not have all the money to buy what they need.” Beyond producers and USA. The issue is that it is not an issue that affects only the directs involved. “If the US imposes a 25% tariff on all Colombian exports, the coffee market, which is already red, will heat even more,” I commented A few days ago Javier Blas, Bloomberg columnist. Colombia is the third producer worldwide of a variety, the Arabica, which is also the most appreciated among specialty coffee shops. And that the Colombian market sets out in the United States could impact the rest of the world. Liquefied natural gas. As? With more price increases to cushion the coup to producers and toaster. But … what if the situation were different? Here we can look at the LNG. If large toasters reduce purchases in the US, the most likely scenario is a combination of production and detour adjustments to other markets. In other sectors, such as liquefied natural gas, we have already seen similar dynamics: when US imports decreased after fracking boomexporters they redirected Part of their sales to Asia and Europe, and even slowed their production. Although coffee and LNG play in different leagues (one is an energy raw material, the other a perishable agricultural product), market logic is comparable: less demand in a key destination forces to look for other markets or produce less to avoid collapsing prices. That could be the strategy of large coffee producers, who are already preparing for it optimizing costs and logistics, as Wüllner proposes. Hope? Depends. On the one hand, the FAO (the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization) estimates that The worst has not happened And that, because coffee has no alternatives, although prices rise, consumers will continue to pay them. On the other, … Read more

The world’s most expensive coffee cup costs 300 euros and is sold in the only country willing to pay something like this: Japan

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He price of a cup of coffee It is an excellent socioeconomic indicator. That “1.20 euros” of a coffee with milk in a conventional bar is the measure of measuring with which many Spaniards in recent years have compared the Daily Products Pricebut that rod has long since broke. The boom of chains like Starbucksspecialty coffee shops and trembling reality of the coffee market has caused the price of this delicious and healthy drink increase dramatically. But even if we pay more or less depending on the place where we live, there are so exclusive cafes that does not matter where we take it because its price will continue to be crazy. And one of those expensive coffees occurs on the Japanese island of Okinawa. The price? 315 euros. The cup, not the kilo. And even the most coffee experts do not know if it is worth it. Coffee that costs a third of the minimum wage We are talking about asking for a donut of a couple of euros to accompany a cup of coffee of more than 300 euros. It is complicated that many of us imagine something like that, but it is what happens with some coffees such as Nakayama Estate. And, within that it is a barbarity of money for a cup of coffee, I will turn to that xataka meme: it makes sense. Put the quotes you want here. Okinawa is just at the north limit of the so -called ‘coffee belt’, which makes it one of the most extreme areas where it can be cultivated. We have already told that coffee occurs mostly in what we know as the “coffee belt” and that, although the Climate change It is allowing coffee to develop in areas Like Sicily either Spainit is still a peculiarity that coffee occurs so to the limit of the optimal zone. In addition, Nakayama is not too high above sea level. To grow coffee, especially the Arabic varietywhich is usually used in the specialty coffee, the altitude to which it is grown must be between 1,000 and 2,000 meters above sea level. In Nakayama, farms are between 150 and 500 meters. To round the formula, it must be taken into account that they use sustainable practices without pesticides and with Japanese employees who charge higher wages than those that farmers from other coffee producing areas can collect. In summary: they are not the ideal conditions, it is difficult to harvest and the wages are high, which directly impacts the price, but there is more. Nakayama Café is not only exclusive for the achievement of carrying out such a harvest, but for the low production they get every year. Brazil is the main coffee producer and in 2022 that production was more than 3,100,000 tons. Vietnam is the second, with almost 2,000,000 tons that same year. New Caledonia is one of the most producers weakwith two tons of coffee. Nakayama would not enter the graphics, because its production is 300 kilos a year. And if we add that very scarce annual production with the factors mentioned above since coffee has distinctive notes thanks, precisely, to that low height crop, we result in a cup that is exceptionally expensive. I would be unable to distinguish a cup of this select coffee from my coffee in Costa Rica every morning, but someone can: James Hoffman. We have ever talked about him, since he was named better barista in 2007, he has such interesting recipes –I have tried this– like that of a Donut coffee and, in addition, It is coffee toaster. It has, in short, a palate qualified enough to analyze something like a cup that costs more than 300 euros. To do this, he went to one of the most expensive coffee shops: Shotin one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in London, to try this coffee. There are only special coffees, such as private crops of islands like Kona in Hawaii, Santa Helena Café (one of the most remote islands in the world) coffee Kopi Luwak that is extracted from excrement from an animal and, of course, that of Nakayama. The letter has no prices, and we already know what this usually implies. Ok, very good, but … is it worth it? According to HoffmannNo. Not quite. “It is more acid than I expected and has a good texture, a touch of wood and is very fruity,” says the British YouTuber. “The barista has done really well, there is a good barista after this coffee and it is a mature coffee, well -processed, well roasted and well done, but I do not think that its flavor and its price are connected.” In addition, he adds that he does not think he has distinctive characteristics of other low -altitude coffees that he has tried. And, although this may seem devastating, really, as I said before, it makes sense. Because, as Hoffmann, the price and perception of those 300 euros for a cup of coffee (espresso, in addition, without milk), depends on the value that we give to things, something that is linked to the size of the portfolio. It occurs with virtually any product whose price is not objective and depends on what we are willing to pay. This Okinawa coffee, better or worse, is like an exclusive wine, fashion brands, chocolate, watches, cars and What can occur to us. Because, obviously, Shot has not cost so much money, but has revalued to the extreme the price of that coffee due to the aura of exclusivity that has to be of the few coffee shops in the world that has those grains in particular. The truth is that, after writing this, I still escape from my head to pay 315 euros for an espresso and I don’t know how many Bernabéus equivalent. But I know that for the price of that espresso, you can buy three games of Nintendo Switch 2 and you have left over for a coffee from the street end. … Read more

Coffee has no cholesterol but does raise its levels. And someone has discovered the perfect elaboration to limit it

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We are increasingly clear that coffee is a food with Positive properties for our health. However, it has traditionally been surrounded by many myths. Many of them Caffeine relatedbut also some related to things as serious as supposed damage to the heart and its incidence in cholesterol levels. And the latter is half myth. Because coffee has no cholesterol, but compounds that, depending on how we prepare it, will influence more or less on LDL (“bad cholesterol”). Cafestol and Kahweol. Let’s see, if coffee has no cholesterol, how do some of its compounds do have an impact on cholesterol? The reason is that we do not drink coffee in grain, but we crush it to get a ‘dust’ from which to get an extraction and, therefore, the coffee cup. When we break down the coffee beans the oils of it are released, and in them we have fat -soluble diterpenes that are those that have an impact on blood cholesterol levels. Mixed effects. These compounds have some health benefits, since they have anti -inflammatory and anticancer properties. It has also been observed that it favors osteoblastic activity that helps bone health and can have antidiabetic effects. However, the contradictions are there. Although both have a similar effect, it is cafestol that acts as an enemy of FXR receptors, inhibiting the synthesis of bile acids in the liver and, therefore, reducing its effectiveness by eliminating the cholesterol from our body. When this occurs, cholesterol levels increase, with more notable increases in LDL cholesterol. The investigation. Does this mean that I must stop drinking coffee? Not much less, since although these diterpenes can influence cholesterol levels, lead It allows to maintain the cholesterol at bay. We are not talking about sugary drinks or alcohol, go. Now, in a investigation carried out by the University of Uppsala in collaboration with the Technological University of Chalmers have found the coffee preparation method that less Cafestol and Kahweol allows our body to reach. Processing. To do this, the team took two coffee samples from different offices resting machine machines every two or three weeks, with coffee varieties that included average and dark gall of five trademarks of ground coffee. Most machines use ground coffee, but a couple They grind before (the super -automatic). In total, eleven machines were analyzed, three that use coffee concentrate (mix with water). Compared the results with other preparation methods such as percolation, the French press, boiled coffee and samples of espresso. The goal is to see which one prepares coffee with the highest levels of both coffee and kahweol. And the result is overwhelming. Boiled coffee. In the upper graph we can see the concentration of coffee in the different elaborations and there is a clear winner, as well as an obvious “loser”. Previously, it had indicated that boiled coffee was the highest source of these diterpenes and was not as recommended on a regular basis. And it is logical because it does not filter coffee at all. On the contrary, the best elaboration to reduce coffee to the minimum possible is through filter coffee. Here there are variations depending on the filter material, but in the analyzes it is shown as the elaboration that, in a more consistent way, keeps the coffee levels in coffee. Interestingly, we can achieve the same effect by preparing boiled coffee if we like it more and then filtering it, which is the icon of the chart sock. Too many variables. A problem that researchers were found is that, although the concentrations of diterpenes in the machine of the machines was always inferior to the preparations of boiled coffee and other elaborations such as French pressthe concentrations vary significantly between machines and between the sampling intervals. Of the machines, those that use liquid concentrated coffee have lower levels of diterpenes, similar to those of the filtered coffee. Typologies. This may be due to the type of coffee that is placed in the machine or the temperature at which they heat the water, but there is a more disconcerting case: that of the espresso. The researchers comment that a “considerable and clear explanation variation is observed in the concentration of diterpenes among the four samples analyzed”, recognizing that it is something that requires an additional study because it could be relevant to the usual consumers of this preparation. “It can contain high levels of substances that raise cholesterol.” It is the warning of this machine in a Swedish office photographed by Uppsala University And limitations. The team has focused on measuring the concentration of diterpenes, ensuring that it is known that they negatively affect other lipoproteins such as triglycerides, but that it is an aspect that they have not taken into account for their research. In addition, they also recognize that, although the results are solid and there is a “better way to prepare coffee” to maximize coffee, the study has important limitations. On the one hand, the size of the sample, since these are several collection maintained over time, yes, but of eleven concrete machines when there are many, many more in the market. On the other hand, there are variables such as water pressure and temperature, contact time between ground coffee and hot water, grinding or grain gall. Next steps. Come on, too many things, something logical taking into account that there are not only many different coffee machines, but a huge fan in terms of water and coffee gut. It is something that, they point out, it would be interesting to analyze in the future, as well as studies that compare coffee consumers of companies with coffee machines in front of others in which they use paper filtered with paper. In whatever, there are many studies and they themselves comment that “long -term prospective studies on cardiovascular results that could help confirm the causality of the associations” must be carried out between the diterpenes and the increase in LDL cholesterol. At the moment, I will continue to have coffee regularly, but … Read more

Getting coffee in the ass is not a good idea, according to science

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Coffee is a food full of health benefits that we did not know until not too ago. However, introducing it to the anus is not in the list of what scientific evidence recommends to obtain its properties. And not only for a DOSIS MOST DIRECT CAFEINEbut to treat cancer. They are coffee enemas, and they can do more bad than good. PEC. Literally. If you had to write a ‘Young speaking guide‘In recent years, an expression that could not be missing is’ pec’. It is the acronym for “by the ass”, a modernization (and vulgarization, depending on who we ask) of the already classic “it is very cool.” In the case of coffee, it is something that is being carried out in a curious way: enemas. ‘Brain. Are Lavatives of coffee they became fashionable a few years ago due to the advice of the actress and businesswoman ‘Wellness‘Gwyneth Paltrow. Through your brand Goop -Centrada in him lifestyle and alternative well -being And holistic beauty-the actress has sold several cosmetic and well-being products, but also others of the most controversial. On the one hand, Jade eggs and vaginal vapors for intimate health. On the other hand, the Implant-o-rama. The latter is a curious name for something much easier to describe: coffee enemas. Its price is at the level of Best specialty coffee: 150 dollars. These products have been criticized For the scientific community because they lack support and it is not so much that they can be harmful to health, but there are people who replace treatments that support evidence to go to these pseudoscientific practices. The enemas that Paltrow sells, accompanied by phrases of people who claim that their cancer has been diluted thanks to them For sample, royalty. There is a real example. Literally. In February of last year it was announced that Carlos III, king of England, had been diagnosed with cancer. It was not specified what type of cancer was, but the monarch began to follow a conventional treatment while performing its functions. A few days ago, however, the story gave a flying: Carlos III was news because, according to nearby sources, left conventional therapy -The chemotherapy- and bet for alternative solutions. What solutions? Well, those dictated by Gerson therapy. It is an alternative treatment created by the doctor Max Gerson in 1930 designed to treat both cancer and other degenerative diseases. The trident is based on vegetarian and low sodium diet with a huge amount of daily natural juices, supplements such as vitamins, enzymes and extracts to support detoxification and crown jewel: coffee enemas. Detox. Gerson Consider that cancer appears as a result of a metabolic deterioration of the body and is reflected in a tumor. Therefore, restoring metabolic balance by eliminating toxins and strengthening the immune system, cancer is diluted. Of course, scientific evidence was thrown over because there were no controlled clinical studies that demonstrated the effectiveness of this method for not to cure cancer, but to improve the quality of life of patients. The National Cancer Institute has carried out studies, concluding that reported cases do not offer objective evidence of therapeutic benefits and, in addition, it is an extremely expensive treatment. When Carlos was still prince of Wales, he praised Gerson therapy in a speech on complementary therapies related to cancer to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The theory after coffee enemas aims to help detoxify the body by stimulating liver and bile ducts. The caffeine It is absorbed through the rectum and dilates ducts, facilitating the elimination of toxins accumulated by cell metabolism. In addition, it relieves pain and improves the immune system. And there are defenders who They affirm that doctors used them in the Second World War or in the Crimean War to relieve the pain of the soldiers. A portable machine to get enemas. There was a time when everything was worth it to enter the anus, even tobacco smoke And science arrived. He National Cancer Institute or the United Kingdom Research Cancer They have commented that there is no scientific evidence that supports those statements. And the American FDA, directlydid not approve the use of these practices to treat any disease. It is something that professionals and the medical community have turned its back due to that lack of evidence since the human body already has organs such as the liver or the kidneys responsible for that detoxification. More bad than good. Well, here we enter a thorny terrain because these alternative theories can be “good” whenever they combine with those that have scientific support. Drinking water with sugar can have a placebo effect Positive for a patient whenever he does not abandon medicine backed by science. The problem of coffee enemas is that it is no longer that it does something positive, but that it can be counterproductive. Specialists in the digestive system have warned that this practice can be dangerous even in healthy people due to a series of adverse effects that do not sound too well. Inflammation of colon or rectum, infections such as septicemia, electrolytic imbalances, rectal burns and intestinal perforations are on the risk list. Not all enemas. But, despite all that scientific evidence and information, there are still defenders of these alternative practices to conventional medicine. And public figures that advertise and submit to them. But something important in this matter is that enemas, In some casesthey are necessary. That is, it is a procedure that consists of inserting a liquid into the rectum to empty the intestine before surgeries, in very severe cases of constipation or as part of the treatment of people with intestinal inflammation. In the end, seeing the case of Carlos III I cannot not think of a phrase of the humorist Ricky Gervais in one of his millionaires and Netflix monologues in which he affirms that it seems very good that someone with a disease resorts to alternative practices as long as he does it while undergoing a treatment that has the support … Read more

The triumph of the daytime raves where the raveros consume coffee instead of alcohol

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We carry consuming alcohol Since the beginning of civilization. Beer is an example, helping to endure empires, but there is something that is changing: being abstemious is fashionable. At least, that indicates the trendsand it is something that young people seem to have less present on a day -to -day basis. Coffee consumption … that does not decline, even When prices go up. In fact, coffee is gaining ground to alcoholic beverages where it seemed impossible: in raves. Because it seems that there are those who think that electronic music combines with coffee better than milk. Coffee alcohol. If you follow coffee content on social networks, you are likely to crossed Videos of somewhat peculiar electronic parties: videos of rooms during daytime schedule full of young people who dance to the sound of electronic music, but instead of with a cubata in the hand, with an espresso or a capuchin. There is many, manybut what many videos (and could continue putting Links) that these show coffee raves In cities around the world, with the girl giving everything and socializing in cafes converted into discos. At least for a while. World. And there is not much more than you can see in networks: they are coffee shops (usually specialty) that take DJs to do their own while the public jumps, shouts, sings and drinks coffee. The lighting is totally different from what we associate with a night rave and the schedule is in the morning or in the afternoon, that at the taste of each establishment. In Spain, for example, Madrid coffee shops such as Santanera Coffee They already organize these events. See coffee In Barcelona it is also being seduced by the idea and is not something exclusive to Europe: coffee shops Buenos Aires and of Mexico City They also offer this unique experience. Ultimate Barista Fights. Ok, if you like coffee, surely you will now be looking on the Instagram of your favorite cafeteria to see if they plan to do something similar, but something important to know is that it is rare that something comes out of nowhere. Yes, it seems that that of the Coffee Raves is becoming a trend, but if we go back to the London in the late 2000s, we find something … similar. In some London clubs there was what was known as the ‘Ultimate Barista Fights’, a scenario that, in the purest battle style of Gallos or ‘The Club of the fight’ gathered enthusiastic baristas who competed to make the best coffees. They demonstrated their skills in Latte Art or even faced creative challenges, everything to the rhythm of music, in the purest underground style, with friendly provocations and with rules that could change to the flight. Coffee fight. In these competitions it was encouraged that the contestant baristas were challenged, but all in a friendly environment with a clear objective: create a community around coffee. It was a coffee celebration and it could be, perfectly, one of the germs of those ‘coffee parties’ that we see right now. Morning Gloryville. The other ingredient of the coffee raves may also have left London, specifically from the London culture of the early 2010s. While the raves are associated with what we have already commented (electronic music, night, drugs or alcohol), in 2013 Samantha Moyo and Nico Themmes gave life to the Morning Gloryville. It was the opposite: electronic music was maintained with live DJs, but they were daytime parties and were drugs free of drugs and alcohol. Not only was it aim of starting the day well, but they were spaces in which families had their hole and activities such as yoga, massages, healthy smoothies and … coffee were done. It expanded to other countries, reaching cities such as New York, Barcelona, ​​Paris or Tokyo and the main interest was to create an event to have a good healthy way possible. In my opinion, Morning Gloryville and what were the Ultimate Barista Fights are the ancestors of what we now see in coffee raves. It only remains to wait to see if it stays in a nice passenger fashion, in a trend or in something that the big ones Franchises will seek to capitalize. Images | Matthew T Rader In Xataka | It looks like toothpaste, but it is coffee in tube: the Swiss invention that wants to revolutionize how you consume caffeine

We have found a “remedy” even worse than coffee enemas: “Mumia”, or crushed mummy

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What happens when we mix a generalized ignorance of pharmacology and health, with ignorance about foreign languages ​​and cultures? Many things, and few as unpleasant as what happened between the twelfth and seventeenth centuries: the consumption of “Mumia”. During the final stage of the Middle Ages and the first centuries of the Modern Age, doctors in Europe considered this substance as a balm with healing properties of the most diverse, from healing an indigestion to fighting the bubonic plague. The problem is that The “Mumia” It was nothing other than an elaborate preparation From the mummified remains of killed people hundreds or thousands of years ago. That is, crushed mummies. But its consumption could have been due to a simple translation error, as Explain in an article for The conversation Professor of the University of Bristol Michelle Spear. We usually assimilate medieval medicine with the acquaintance Four mood theorybut this was not the only medical doctrine that inspired the medicine of that era. In his article, Spear relates mummy dust to the DOCTRINE OF SIGNATURES. This other theory considered that healing substances kept similarity to what they wanted to cure. It would then be “reasonable” that the mummified remains of a person were seen as a treatment against potentially lethal diseases and also as a remedy against infections or against necrosis and other forms of decay. Another doctrine that, according to this researcher at the University of Bristol, could have served as the basis for the use of corpses in medical practice is that of vitalism. Under the umbrella of this theory, the notion that the “vital force” of one person could simply transfer to another would be found. The use of anomalous substance began to spread in the twelfth century, an era in which Events like the Crusades They would give a new air to relations between the East and West. This was not only saw the spice trade between them, it was in this era that Europe began to Import Ancient Egypt mummies to fill your apothecies of the strange remedy. Long before Orientalism and Egyptology lead Europeans to explore (often loot) the tombs of ancient Egypt, their ancestors would have already taken numerous human remains belonging to that Mediterranean civilization. A misunderstanding? As Spear explains, this “fashion” could have had its beginning in a simple misunderstanding starring the Persian scientist whom we today know how Avicena. In his treaties, this thinker of the eleventh century mentioned a remedy used in his environment to treat injuries such as injuries and fractures. This ointment was a bituminous substance that they referred to as Mūmiyā. By translating Avicena’s texts into Latin, this Mūmiyā It would have transformed into nothing less than trust mummies, so the idea that the bodies hid the secret for the cure of numerous ills and disorders began to spread. To finish the mistake, the substances used in some reservoirs They could also have helped confusion. After all, these substances would not have been very different from the Mūmiyā used by the Persians. The story of the call “Medical cannibalism” It does not end in mummy dustso the notion that everything was a mere translation error may not completely explain this phenomenon. Fat, blood and human skulls have been consumed in different ways as a way of relieving evils of different kinds. In Xataka | A 2,000 -year -old cup has revealed an unexpected facet of the Egyptians: psychedelic cocktails Image | Bullenwächter / Émile Brugsch

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