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RE: The Health Benefits of Coffee
I see... so the health benefits you posted is the latest concensus then among medical experts? I remember a couple years ago hearing coffee was great for your heart, then a couple years later they said it may cause cancer, then just recently I read that coffee decreases cancer risk and has numerous health benefits even drinking large quantities... I wish they would make up their mind :)
I am not a coffee drinker at all, in fact, I avoid the stuff. However, if I knew there were health benefits I would probably start drinking it because I am all about being the healthiest I can be :)
Certain types of roasting may create carcinogens which is what I think you may have heard but this was looking at the actual compounds in the coffee and not the actual overall effect of consumption in people.
Also if you drink your coffee or tea super hot (which some people do) on a regular basis that may actually increase your risk of developing oral and oesophageal cancers - I read a paper on it some time back. This effect relates to actually causing repeated low level burns to to the upper part of your alimentary tract and results in something called squamous metaplasia which is a precursor to cancer. I suspect you may also have read about this too.
So don't have your coffee when it is burning hot and you may be better off avoiding certain very extreme roasts where it is burnt beyond recognition. Generally anything that is cooked to the point of burning is probably not good for you.
Yeah - this is pretty accurate. Much of the dark-roasted grocer brands (like Folgers and Maxwell House) are actually just burnt coffee. I explained why this occurs in my last coffee post. Basically - it masks the fact that the coffee beans are a poor quality and blended with different beans or beans from different regions. So, if you want to avoid terrible coffee, just avoid most grocery stores and don't buy dark roasts.
If you're looking for good coffee, find a nice medium roast, premium or specialty-grade arabica beans. You can occassionally find a decent "blend," but I would recommend a single-origin. Get them in whole bean and grind as you go for the best results - it will keep from staling as quickly. If you don't like hot coffee or want to avoid any of the heat-related health issues, then just cold-brew the coffee. It's delightful!
@jrcornel - If you want to learn more about any of that, take a look at my series, Make Your Coffee Great Again! All original content, including the images. You really won't find a series like it anywhere else.
Certain types of roasting may create carcinogens
hmmm
Years ago (no source, just memory) it seem I heard that the way coffee is prepared matters.
Drip (filtered) vs Percolated.
Filtered = good
Percolated = bad.