What's in the Cup

Morning will never be complete without a cup of coffee. I think its part of the Filipino tradition to drink coffee in the morning. Just the smell of its aroma awakens the sleepy senses. It brings back life to the cold feeling of the body crouching on the bed. The warm taste of coffee with its right sweetness and creaminess can make an ordinary fried rice and egg breakfast amazing. There’s something special with coffee that makes it an ingredient in everyday life.

Coffee comes from the roasted seeds of the coffee plants which is called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries which grow on trees. Coffee berries, which contain the coffee seeds or "beans", are produced by several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown are the highly regarded Coffea arabica, and the "robusta" form of the hardier Coffea canephora. The seeds are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways.

Making coffee is very simple but there are some factors that need to be considered. Good coffee beans and water, right temperature and correct length of time can spell the difference of a great coffee. Coffee beans are sensitive to air. Coffee beans lose the subtleties of their flavours once exposed to air. Coffee beans should be kept on an airtight container to preserve its flavour.

There are different types of coffee. One of my personal favourite is the cappuccino. Cappuccino is a strong coffee with a frothy cream topped with a pinch of powdered chocolate. The black strong coffee is called espresso which is prepared by forcing live steam through dark-roast coffee beans. A perfectly brewed espresso will have a surface covered with a thick, foamy, golden brown crema. Coffee with a mixture of chocolate syrup is called Mocha. This drink is a cappuccino or latte with a chocolate syrup added to the mix. Mocha is highly recommended for people who are not fond of caffeine. There are other different types of coffee.

Dark Mocha Frappuccino from Strabucks

The most popular coffee for young adults is the frappucino. Frappuccino is a line of trademark blended coffee of one of the most popular coffee stores in the world – Starbucks. Frappuccino is a coffee blended with ice and other different ingredients usually topped with whipped cream.

I’m a real coffee addict. I can drink three cups of coffee in a day. Sometimes I even feel an urge to drink coffee and I feel uncomfortable if can’t surrender to that urge. Well, coffee has some health benefits so I don’t feel that terrible if I drink three cups of coffee in a day. Coffee has a lot of antioxidants that is needed by the body to fight all of the free radicals that can cause cell damage. Aside from caffeine, which everybody knows as its primary component, coffee also contains the compound methlypyridium. This is known as an anti-cancer compound. The compound is only formed during the roasting of the beans. Consumption of coffee is also known to reduce the risk of liver cancer. Although coffee has health benefits, too much intake can also cause harm to the body. Just like what they say, anything taken too much is harmful. Aside from antioxidants, the roasting of coffee also results in certain compounds called rodent carcinogens which when consumed in large quantities can be carcinogenic. Though these are naturally occurring, prolonged consumption in large quantities can prove harmful. 

Well, whatever they say it wouldn’t change my love for coffee. So if you’ll ask me what’s in my cup, it’s coffee.