The Coffee Mug Set

While tea is most definitely best sipped from fine china tea cups and saucers, coffee on the other hand always seems to taste better when it is served in a coffee mug, although die-hard coffee connoisseurs will be quick to point out that different types of coffee should be served in different sized coffee mugs or cups! Seeing that coffee is consumed by over 50% of the US population, approximately 60% of Australians, and millions of others around the world drink at least one mug of coffee a day, the coffee mug has become an important item in any home. In fact, mug sets are almost as essential an item to own as a china tea set, especially when serving coffee to visitors, (unless it is a formal occasion in which case a coffe cup should be used or perhaps a coffee glass.)

So What Is It That Makes a Coffee Mug Special?

The coffee mug, often the first thing clutched at when arising in the morning, is a revered item in many homes. Ranging in size anywhere from 12 ounces to 20 ounces, coffee mugs come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. There are also many different types of coffee mugs, though the most popular types are the regular porcelain coffee mug, glass coffee mugs, plastic mugs and stainless steel coffee mugs. A typical coffee mug has a large enough handle on the side to curl your fingers around, unlike a dainty teacup which must be held delicately by the handle between the thumb and two fingers. Coffee cups generally do not sit on saucers but are rather firmly set down on the table, coffee table, sideboard, computer table (this one should be a ‘no-no’) or on any relatively flat surface. I have even seen people precariously balancing their morning coffee on their bed!

For everyday use, the porcelain type is usually the cup of choice. They are great for hot coffee as the porcelain, which is usually considerably thicker than a porcelain teacup, holds heat well and keeps your coffee nice and warm while you drink it. These types of mugs are often decorative. Some are brightly colored, many have patterns or designs on the sides and it is not uncommon to find a ‘mug with a message’ sitting on someone’s desk. In fact, I am often intrigued by what I find written on coffee mugs. You can find mugs of all colors, if you are looking specifically for a black coffee mug or black and white coffee mugs you should not have too much trouble locating it. Unfortunately porcelain will break if dropped. It will also chip fairly easily, thus you do need to take care not to damage your ceramic coffee mug.

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Studies say Coffee Lowers Risk of Prostate Cancer

A lower incidence of prostate cancer in men who drink coffee is the focus of a newly released study conducted at Harvard university. The 22-year study looked at groups of men who drink either regular or decaffeinated coffee, and from 1986 to 2008, the men were asked to report their coffee consumption. The researchers discovered that the men who drank the highest amounts of coffee on a regular basis had the lowest percentage incidence of prostate cancer, and were 60% less likely to die from the disease. According to the study, those who benefited from the decreased risk were those who drank at least six cups of coffee per day. Those who drank up to three cups per day were 30% less likely to die from prostate cancer than those who did not drink coffee at all or drank it on an irregular basis.

The researchers, however, have noted that it is not advisable for men to go out and start drinking massive amounts of coffee based on one study, and that further research will be necessary in order to come to a more validated conclusion about the complex series of factors responsible for causing prostate cancer. One thing the results of the study did not explain was why coffee might contribute to lower prostate cancer numbers. Researchers have speculated that it may have something to do with antioxidants, or with coffee’s insulin-regulating compounds.

Although this most recent study is likely to cause quite a stir amongst the male population, this is not the first time Harvard researchers have linked coffee to health benefits. In previous studies conducted at Harvard, coffee was also shown to reduce the risk of liver cancer and Parkinson’s disease, and coffee drinkers were also shown to be less likely to develop type II diabetes.

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Pay Fairtrade Forward Day gets underway

The concept of “paying it forward” involves doing a good deed for a complete stranger. But do good deeds extend to buying those strangers coffee? Well, that’s exactly what one local charity is trying to get Kiwis to do on Wednesday May 18, all in the name of Fairtrade. It’s a daily ritual for many, but buying a coffee for someone you don’t know and have never met is almost unheard of. “Pay Fairtrade Forward Day” was started by a charity that is encouraging New Zealanders to help end global poverty, it’s centred around one simple act of kindness.

“All you do is go into the café closest to you that sells fair-trade, buy the first coffee of the day – but not for yourself, for the person behind you,” says foundation founder Divya Dhar. “Walk out the door and the next person that comes in gets a free coffee. It’s up to them to pay it forward.”It is hoped the domino effect of customers paying it forward will also generate talk about the Fairtrade movement, which looks to guarantee farmers from poor and disadvantaged nations aren’t underpaid for their produce. “In doing that act of generosity you’re really helping a huge community somewhere else that you don’t even know about,” says Ms Dhar.

A visiting coffee farmer from one of those communities in Ethiopia, Tadesse Meskela, says profits from Fairtrade go directly towards improving living conditions. The price of coffee on the global markets is continuing to rise, and Ms Meskela says Fairtrade is a way of making sure growers don’t miss out on the benefits. The P3 Foundation says more than 1500 coffees were paid forward last year. It hopes to increase that, with cafes in Brazil, South Africa and Italy also taking part.

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Coffee may not raise blood pressure: Study

Good news for those who need a bit more coffee to get through their daily grind as the scientists have claimed that it may not increase your blood pressure. It's been suggested that coffee could cause high blood pressure, or hypertension, which has been linked to heart disease, strokes and shorter life expectancy.

But a new extensive study by a team from the Louisiana State University School of Public Health in New Orleans has now overturned this concern. It concluded that people who have several cups a day fare no worse than those who drink coffee less frequently.

For the study, the researchers pooled data from six old studies, covering 170,000 people, which asked participants how much coffee they drank each day and then followed them for up to 33 years.

According to their analysis, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, about one in five developed high blood pressure with the chance of diagnosis no different for people who said they drank more than five cups of a coffee a day compared with those who drank very little. But a member of the research team, Liwei Chen, said the relationship between coffee-drinking and blood pressure is complicated by the possibility that it does not work the same way for everyone.

"People with a different genetic background may react to coffee differently," she said. "For some people maybe it's safe to drink a lot of coffee, but not for other people." Blood pressure expert Lawrence Krakoff of Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York, said: "I don't think of coffee as a risk factor for high blood pressure."

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Free Starbucks Coffee for Earth Day

Friday will be a bit colder than temperatures we saw earlier this week. There may be areas of frost before 8 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Friday will be partly sunny with a high near 49 degrees and an overnight low of 42. There is a chance of rain after 5 p.m.

We’ll see rain on Saturday with a chance of thunderstorms after 2 p.m. The high will be near 60 degrees and the overnight low will be 53. Sunday will be cloudy with a chance of rain. A high near 69 degrees is possible and the overnight low will be around 50.

Friday is Earth Day and Starbucks is offering you a great deal to celebrate. Bring a reusable mug to participating location and get free tea or hot or iced coffee. If you forget the mug, request one of the store’s “for-here” cups and you’ll be able to get your free coffee.

On Saturday, Patriots boys track competes in the Old Bridge relays at 8:30 a.m. At 9 a.m. Patriots girls track and Colonials boys track participate in the Monmouth County Relays at Middletown High School South. Patriots baseball plays Toms River South at home at 10 a.m., while boys lacrosse takes on Jackson at home at that time.

The Freehold Borough Recreation Commission will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt for children ages two to 12 years of age on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the St. Rose of Lima playground on Lincoln Pl. Admission is free.

Wemrock Orchards will host its annual Family Egg Hunt on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. There are over 2,000 eggs waiting for you and the young ones to find them. The cost to participate in the hunt is $2.

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Coffee cup scuffle

A coffee break almost turned into a break-up for a Palmerston North couple after their beverages became weapons during an argument. On November 14 last year, Palmerston North mother Jamie Rowena Henry, 31, sat down for a brew, but bad blood brewing between her and her partner soon saw the coffee being used in a two-way assault.

Her partner Grant James Newman, 29, a railway worker, knocked her cup into her mouth, causing the coffee to splash and spill all over her. Henry escalated the situation by throwing two cups at Newman, both of which he deflected without serious injury.

As the argument became more heated, police were called. Yesterday, at Palmerston North District Court, the pair stood side by side in the dock, each facing a charge of assault with a weapon. Judge Gerard Lynch convicted them both and gave them a suspended sentence, meaning they could be punished should they offend again in the next nine months.

Newman's lawyer Tony Thackery said the whole incident was just a fleeting episode between the pair and that they had since made amends. Both were now undergoing counselling, which Henry, who represented herself, said was going well.

Mr Thackery asked for a discharge without conviction but the judge ruled that out because police had been called to the couple's address on 11 previous occasions.

They have two children, aged 13 and six, and Henry is their primary caregiver. Alcohol was not a factor in the argument, Mr Thackery said. While it was not good to see the couple standing together in the dock charged with assault, the judge praised them for trying to sort out issues in their relationship and make "significant changes" to their lives.

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Tap for coffee and see what you get

Keeping track of coffee consumption isn't necessarily at the forefront of the minds of coffee drinkers. After all, anyone who has ever delved into the dark elixir has at one time or another--or every day as the case may be--subjected themselves to drinking an overabundance of coffee. Aside from being easy to do, it's fun; jittering through the day can produce some interesting consequences. However exciting that may be, sometimes we just want to see what we are getting ourselves into before we get into it.

Every coffee drinker knows just how much coffee is in the pot, but sometimes it helps to see the magic in action. The Viante CAF-05T Brew-N-View Coffee Maker harkens back to an earlier time when percolating coffeemakers allowed users to witness the progression from water to coffee. It features an illuminated viewing window, allowing a peek into the inner process of coffee-making and supplying an intriguing perspective for the daily activity.

Coffee drinking has of course become much more sophisticated in modern times, and has been integrated into every aspect of our lives; coffee is always nearby. Along those same lines, the coffeemaker incorporates an uncommon feature designed for quick and easy access to the brew: a dispensing tap. Along with a 24-hour timer and an automatic 2-hour safety shutoff, the up-to-date appliance makes it easy to see--literally--how coffee fits into the daily routine.

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