The Buzz on Caffeine

David Letterman told Esquire in an interview, "If it wasn't for coffee, I'd have no discernible personality at all". I dare say that this is a belief held by millions of people across the globe as they exist daily with their caffeine dependencies. On the popularity scale, coffee holds the title for the world's most popular beverage with a grand total of 400 billion cups consumed each year. That could potentially be a large number of caffeine dependencies.

Is David Letterman really serious when he says that his personality is a derivative of caffeine? Studies show that low doses of caffeine (up to 200 mg) alone can create positive mood effects such as increased well-being, happiness, energetic arousal, alertness and sociability. That means that we would all have great personalities if we stuck to two cups or less of coffee a day. But many coffee drinkers would have to confess that they typically consume two cups or more a day and studies show that higher doses of caffeine, (200 mg or greater) may produce negative impacts including increased anxiety, nervousness, sleeplessness and upset stomach. Remember also that the affects of caffeine can also vary from person to person depending on their body weight, sensitivity, and any tolerance a person has built up toward caffeine..

Caffeine doesn't only hide in coffee. Although 75% of caffeine intake does come from coffee, it can also be derived from other sources as well. This stimulant that we call caffeine is found naturally in coffee beans, tea leaves, and chocolate but is also a popular added ingredient in carbonated beverages and some over-the-counter medications. Surprisingly enough, compared to an 8 ounce cup of coffee that has on average 100 mg of caffeine, a carbonated beverage such as Mountain Dew contains a whopping 55 mg of caffeine. So, you see sources of too much caffeine are not limited to only coffee alone.

With caffeine presenting itself in so many different foods and medications, it's difficult to say that we will just avoid it altogether. So the important question would be, "How much is too much". The American Heart Association states that one to two cups of fresh steaming coffee a day does not seem to be harmful for most people. This would mean 200 mg or less of caffeine intake. It's significant to note that, although caffeine receives a lot of bad press, those that consume moderate amounts, as suggested, can receive certain health benefits as well. These health benefits come from antioxidants and other substances which help regulate blood sugar, prevent gallstones and reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease.

If you are passionate about your coffee and feel that you can't live with only two cups of java a day, it is vital that you make yourself aware of the risks that are associated with increased caffeine intake. Studies that I have looked into explain that an increased level of caffeine can speed bone loss, increase heart risk and might reduce birth weight if too much caffeine is consumed during pregnancy. Women who are pregnant should drink no more than two cups of caffeinate coffee per day and postmenopausal women should also stick to these limits..

The studies on the risks (and benefits) of caffeine intake are ongoing, but quite simply put, the buzz on caffeine is that it makes you feel alert and pumps adrenaline to give you energy. Grab yourself a cappuccino and voila, you now have the caffeine buzz.

Fair Trade Coffee - Another US Marketing Ploy

Dear Coffee Drinker,

"Fair Trade" is a certification that is given primarily to a company that can prove, together with a specific coffee farm, that fair prices are being given to the independent farm. These are certifications that are primarily being marketed in the USA by a firm in California. For example, StarBucks may promote a certain type of coffee that is being sold as Fair Trade coffee. Not all their coffee can be sold as such because this only applies to a very few farms that hold these certifications together with the buyer. This needs to be proven to the agencies in the United States that govern this certification. Even though StarBucks sells one type of coffee that is certified Fair Trade this does not mean that all their coffee is certified. This would be an impossible task. The biggest problem is most US companies only pay the farmer or roaster Fair Trade and then they have to trust that the roaster is passing this extra money to the laborers. So the farmer gets a fair price but the laborers, many times children work for pennies a day.AND FAIR TRADE - However does not ensure that children are not used to pick coffee or that the children are given a fair price. Neither does it ensure that the migrate farm laborers are paid fair prices. Fair Trade has been great in elevating people's awareness of the coffee industry and has ensured that the coffee farmer and or roaster is getting a fair price and to a lesser extend some farmers but it has not always helped the people actually picking the coffee and completing the other coffee labor. Worse it has allowed the bigger farmers to make more money buying up the smaller farmers and making more money while the labor pool suffers. The going rate for labor has not increased in five years while Fair Trade Coffee prices have doubled. So whats fair about the owner making more while the laborers still suffer.

Worse Fair Trade has become so popular that it elevated many "bad or poor" coffees into popoluar brands - not because they taste good but because they have become Fair Trade - as that has any correlation to taste. Sadlty Fair Trade only means the large land owner gets more money.

Costa Rica on the other hand has a different system than most coffee producing countries. The coffee you purchased is from one of the best regions of coffee in the world, known as Tarrazu Costa Rica. There is a cooperative in Tarrazu known as CoopeTarrazu. StarBucks is a large buyer of CoopeTarrazu's coffee. CoopeTarrazu owns 25% of our company. CoopeTarrazu in turn is owned by approximately 1500 small to medium sized independent farms. The function of CoopeTarrazu is to get the best price for the coffees that these 1500 plus farms turn into this processing plant as a group. The profits are then divided and paid to each farmer based on his percentage interest or the amount of product supplied to CoopeTarrazu by him. The entire process is governed by the Government of Costa Rica. The overseeing body is known as ICAFE. It regulates all coffee that is processed and exported from Costa Rica. ICAFE's watchful eye makes sure that the independent farms are receiving fair market prices for the coffee they turn into CoopeTarrazu. Not only does Costa Rica have some of the best coffee in the world it also is some of the most expensive coffee in the world. The reason for this is directly linked to ICAFE's involvement in the coffee industry within Costa Rica. It makes sure that the farmers are receiving fair prices for their coffee. Our plant is registered with ICAFE for this reason. This proves that we are part of the system that makes sure our coffee is truly Fair Trade coffee even though we are not certified by the USA body known as Fair Trade. We are also owned by 3 other cooperatives in Costa Rica - CoopeVictoria, CoopePalmares, and CoopeSabalito. In other words we work with more than 8000 small farmers. Each cooperative has a significant % share in our roasting plant and these are the sources from which we draw upon for our raw product, our green bean.

There are some other functions of ICAFE, which works very closely with the Minister of Health, the Minister of Children, and the Minister of Labor. For example, ICAFE also makes sure that the Indians that come in from the jungles of Panama and Nicaragua to pick coffee during the harvest season are paid fair wages, given health insurance, and proper housing accommodations during the harvest season. They also work closely to make sure there is no exploitation of children and adult workers. Costa Rica is very much into protecting the less fortunate and overseeing their rights. This is another reason why we are proud members of ICAFE.

So if you want to make a statement and buy a coffee really making a difference - buy a Costa Rica coffee.

Sincerely,