Coffee Drinkers Have Slightly Lower Death Rates, Study Finds

A new study has good news for coffee drinkers: Regular coffee drinking (up to 6 cups per day) is not associated with increased deaths in either men or women. In fact, both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption is associated with a somewhat smaller rate of death from heart disease.

"Coffee consumption has been linked to various beneficial and detrimental health effects, but data on its relation with death were lacking," says Esther Lopez-Garcia, PhD, the study's lead author. "Coffee consumption was not associated with a higher risk of mortality in middle-aged men and women. The possibility of a modest benefit of coffee consumption on heart disease, cancer, and other causes of death needs to be further investigated."

Women consuming two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease during the follow-up period (which lasted from 1980 to 2004 and involved 84,214 women) as compared with non-consumers, and an 18 percent lower risk of death caused by something other than cancer or heart disease as compared with non-consumers during follow-up. For men, this level of consumption was associated with neither a higher nor a lower risk of death during the follow-up period (which lasted from 1986 to 2004 and involved 41,736 men).

The researchers analyzed data of 84,214 women who had participated in the Nurses' Health Study and 41,736 men who had participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. To be in the current study, participants had to have been free of cancer and heart disease at the start of those larger studies.

The study participants completed questionnaires every two to four years that included questions about how frequently they drank coffee, other diet habits, smoking, and health conditions. The researchers then compared the frequency of death from any cause, death due to heart disease, and death due to cancer among people with different coffee-drinking habits.

Among women, 2,368 deaths were due to heart disease, 5,011 were due to cancer, and 3,716 were due to another cause. Among men, 2,049 deaths were due to heart disease, 2,491 were due to cancer, and 2,348 were due to another cause.

While accounting for other risk factors, such as body size, smoking, diet, and specific diseases, the researchers found that people who drank more coffee were less likely to die during the follow-up period. This was mainly because of lower risk for heart disease deaths among coffee drinkers.

The researchers found no association between coffee drinking and cancer deaths. These relationships did not seem to be related to caffeine because people who drank decaffeinated coffee also had lower death rates than people who did not drink coffee.

The editors of Annals of Internal Medicine caution that the design of the study does not make it certain that coffee decreases the chances of dying sooner than expected. Something else about coffee drinkers might be protecting them. And some measurement error in the assessment of coffee consumption is inevitable because estimated consumption came from self-reports.

This study was supported by National Institutes of Health research grants.

Coffee aroma alone 'enough to wake up'

Just the smell of coffee could be enough to wake us up in the morning, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that the aroma of coffee helped restore brain activity in sleep-deprived rats to normal or near-normal levels.

The finding, published in New Scientist, has led to suggestions that factory owners should pump the smell of coffee into the building to revive flagging workers unable to have a cup.

A team led by Yoshinori Masuo at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba, Japan, took a group of 30 rats and deprived half of them of sleep for 24 hours.

Half of those kept awake were then exposed to the smell of roasted coffee beans.

When the researchers then dissected the animals to examine their brains they detected lower levels of "messenger molecules" which show up genetic activity in the sleep-deprived rats.

But among those exposed to the smell of coffee, the molecules appeared to have returned to near-normal levels in most cases.

The researchers said that the experiment provided the first ever clues to the possible reviving powers of coffee bean aroma.

No research has taken place on whether the findings can be applied to humans.

But many of the genes singled out have human equivalents and the researchers now hope to carry out further work to identify the molecule in the coffee responsible for the effect on the rats.

"These results indirectly explain why so many people use coffee for staying up all night," the study concluded.

"In other words, the stress caused by sleep loss via caffeine may be alleviated through smelling the coffee aroma."

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Anger Release Machine Smashes Fine China For You

In this art piece, artists Katja Kublitz and Ronnie Yarisal created a vending "Anger Release" machine where you plunk in some change, select the fine china you’d want destroyed and watch the object fall and shatter into a million little pieces. Now there, don’t you feel better?

Coffee Machines of the 21st century

Coffee machines now come in all shapes and sizes. Here is a selection of the coolest coffee machine designs:























The most popular coffee drink machine on the market at present is Flavia which has drink machines for the home and office.

You are what coffee you drink

Yoy are what you drink, say Darebin's baristas. The local folk behind the coffee machine claim to know if you drink lattes, cappuccinos, strong skinny flat whites or chai teas, just by looking at you. "It's about the feeling you get," said Adrian Rigoni of Rucker's Hill Cafe in Northcote, who has coffee spotting competitions with staff.

"Mothers are all skinny lattes. The occasional decaf," he said. "People that are no fuss have the flat white. They don't worry about the froth, they want to get straight to the liquid. No time to be mucking around.

"Tradesmen tend to have a large coffee. Blokes that work a up a sweat ... they just want quantity." Phil Smiley from Palominos, also in Northcote, says guessing sugar amounts and milk varieties is the real art.

"Seventy per cent of people in Northcote drink lattes. Old ladies hot cappuccino ... they want it real hot.

"Anyone who looks slightly kind of alternative, they're going to have soy.

"And people from the outer suburbs usually have a lot of sugar."

Minh Nguyen from Tasties Cafe in Preston says the more diverse cultural backgrounds in Preston mean lattes are not the only coffees ordered.

"Older people want flat whites and cappuccinos because they're meant to be hotter," he said.

All three agree picking a tea drinker is harder. "I have one Aussie looking customer who always has a cup of English Breakfast," said Mr Rigoni. "Tea's a tough one."

DVD Rental Vending

I have rented VHS videos and DVDs for at least ten years so far, and have carefully watched the changes made to how we are able to rent and acquire new movies. Even though we're all used to seeing promotional advertisements for DVD rental services such as Vizumi (movie downloads), Love Film, Blockbuster and Netflix, I have only recently started to use the Redbox DVD rental service found in grocery stores and restaurants.

Some of you will recognize the Redbox as a big, squarish red box that likely is located near one of the entrances of your local grocery or McDonald's fast food restaurant.

Customers pay $1.00 plus tax per DVD for a 24-hour period, and it costs $1 per day you don't return the DVD back to a Redbox machine.

Interested movie renters simply go to a local Redbox vending machine, select a movie, add it to your shopping cart, checkout and pay using a credit or debit card. If you have a promotional code, you can also enter the code to receive one free movie rental. Redbox e-mails or text messages promo codes to its customers several times per week, and a quick Google search will reveal even more promo codes.

Each vending machine should have at least 50 new movie titles for you to browse, with most of the titles recent releases to DVD or cable on demand services.

Majority owned by Coinstar with significant shares owned by McDonald's, the vending machines can be found in more than 8,000 grocery stores and McDonald's locations across the United States. A search function on the Redbox web site lets you find the machine nearest you.

Assuming you know which DVD you want to rent from the machine, it's possible to have a single transaction completed in less than a minute. Customers who want to simplify the process further can reserve DVDs online and pick them up from the machine, which cuts down time at the Red Box further. Using the online service also lets you figure out which DVDs have already been rented, so you know which movies to select when you go the Redbox.

The Redbox vending machines obviously have a smaller selection of movies compared to Blockbuster, but I believe the lower rental cost plus the ease of renting movies makes up for the smaller selection. I will keep using Netflix to borrow movies I can't get at my local Redbox, but will use the vending machines whenever I go to the store to pick up some groceries.

Redbox warns customers that even though credit card safety is taken very seriously, criminals are still attempting to skim credit and debit card information on some Redbox vending machines. The multiple layers of data encryption offer a lending hand, but the company has posted several tips for customers to be aware of when they use their credit card.

A Redbox employee manually investigates the credit card reader each time he or she visits a Redbox, but the company still warns customers to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.

After announcing it has hired former JetBlue EVP CFO John Harvey to be the company's CFO, financial reports also indicate the company will file for IPO sometime during the third financial quarter. I hope to see more stores and restaurants deploy the rental vending machines, and also hope Redbox finds a way to expand the movie catalog; maybe add an occasional classic movie, or even add a couple of Blu-ray titles to each machine.

Those of you interested in trying out the service can go to a local Redbox vending machine and use the promotional code "REDBOX" to get one free rental.

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The Vending Times

When I was a kid, summers meant trips to New York and Cape Cod. As we grew used to the incredibly long car rides, my sisters and I would develop traditions, milestones, road games, and other ways to make the time pass a little less excruciatingly slowly.

One of our regular stops was at the Maryland House, a rest stop on interstate 95, fairly close to the Delaware line. This was a good place to take a minute, grab some food, hit the bathrooms, restock on all the things we forgot, and generally stretch our legs. Best of all, it had a bank of beautiful, exotic vending machines.

I remember staring at the wondrous goodies, trying to decide if I was going to spend my handful of change on a whoopie cushion, a smoking monkey, a key chain, a pair of magnetic dogs, or one of the dozens of other cool trinkets. I would weigh their relative benefits and deficits, until my parents made it clear that we absolutely had to leave, at which time I would employ the wisdom of Solomon to make my choice. For the next couple of hours, my parents could count on the little toy to keep me occupied in the back seat.

Over the past few years, vending machines have made a major comeback. I think I can trace the trend back to the 1993 furor over Japanese machines that sold used underwear, but I've been watching it slowly spread. Today, it is not only possible to buy a pair of Sailor Moon's unmentionables, but one can pick up fresh-cooked meals, art, and even iPods in vending machines. As customer service rapidly becomes a thing of the past, vending machines are offering a fun, playful way for consumers to get what they want with a minimum of fuss.

Automats
Once upon a time, anybody with a handful of nickels could walk into an automat and be guaranteed a hot, relatively fresh meal. After putting in their coins, customers would open doors on the vending machines to find bowls of lamb stew, plates of spaghetti, grilled cheese sandwiches, and dozens of other delights.

Unfortunately, however, the combination of inflation and more upscale tastes dealt a death blow to automats. The most famous American automat chain, Horn and Hardart's, went out of business in the 1970's, and the last of the original automats closed its doors in 1991. In 2006, however, a pair of entrepreneurs opened the BAMN! automat in New York City. Offering comfort foods ranging from chicken strips to hamburgers to pizza, BAMN! is thriving. Perhaps the time is ripe for an automat renaissance?

eSpot
Following the success of Zoom Systems' eSpot vending machines, Macy's is adding the automated geek emporiums to 400 of its stores. The eSpots carry high-end consumer electronic items, like Canon digital cameras, Harman Kardon headphones, iPods, and other fun toys. They accept credit cards and, best of all, they have short lines, quick service, and don't dispense attitude along with the merchandise!

Art-o-mat
Since 1997, Art-o-mat has been refurbishing old cigarette vending machines, filling them with miniature pieces of art, and letting the rest take care of itself. There are currently 87 Art-o-mat machines in service across the country, and they are stocked with work from over 400 artists from around the world.

While art may not seem as much a necessity as iPods, sandwiches, and panties, there's a lot to be said for bring artists and collectors together. Besides, as Pedro Carmichael said in Tune in Tomorrow, "Life's a [rain]storm, kid. And when it's raining [hard], the best umbrella is art!"

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Venturing into Vending

Venturing into the vending business can be a very rewarding business. Here are some practical tips and some advice to get you on your way to start a vending machines business.

If commercial vending machines are a business that you are interested in, there is a wealth of information about vending machines and vending routes available online. Some people prefer to get into the vending machine business by purchasing an established vending route. And most of the people who have dreamed about how to start a vending machine business have been hesitant to put their plans into action, as they cannot find answers to their questions.

The distributors that deal with your area will be able to give you advice about getting into this type of business opportunity. The vending machine sales that you might realize from your vending machine business are hard to predict.

When you sit down to discuss the business with a vending machine distributor, you can get a good estimate of the costs involved in operating this type of business. Keep in mind that you also have to deduct the commission that you pay the business owners of the locations where you place your machines.

A vending machine business comes with the following benefits:

• No experience required
• Flexible working hours
• You can work full time, part-time, or even as an absentee owner
• You never have to deal with your boss again
• Low overhead
• Good financing options for start-up vendors
• Excellent return on investment
• Immediate cash income
• Tax advantages
  

When you are getting started in this business it is best to try to find a unique product that you know customers want to buy. I can tell you from experience that the lack of knowledge when starting a vending business can be very costly & stressful.

Most people start out in the vending machine business with one or two machines. When you want to start a vending machine business of your own, the first thing you need to do is find a vending machine distributor that has the type of vending machines you want to start with.

Most business owners and managers will be very receptive if you approach them with your idea for coin-operated vending machines. Explain how having a candy vending machine at their location may draw more business and will make their employees very happy.

Since a lot of employees slip out to the nearest coffee shop for a cup of coffee, being able to offer specialty coffee at your customer's location helps to sell him on contracting for your machines.

Due to the demand of machines and the constant rush everyone is in, the vending business has started to reap the benefits and has answered the desire of our new robotic world with a large variety of national brand name products in vending machines.

Maybe you have heard that a vending machine business is one of the most profitable home based businesses. Basically, a vending machine business is just like any other business that needs your good attitude and management in order to bring in a profit.

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Vending Business 2008 Forecast

Vending has been very successful over the years so has the vending industry peaked? Far from it, the reality is that the UK vending market is still rapidly growing year on year in many sectors.

Estimations predict that UK vending market for 2008 will be worth over £3.6 billion with the major growth coming from the confectionery, snacking and chilled drinks sectors.

This trend looks likely to continue as the market evolves with new products and innovative vending equipment developed giving the consumer more convenient access to low price products.

In today's often busy fast paced lifestyle, vending is finding a new enlarged market as consumers struggle to find sufficient time to fulfill their everyday tasks and this includes eating and drinking, hence the enormous growth within the snacking, confectionery and drinks sectors.

If you do your research, and ask the right questions, you will be able to benefit from the booming vending business industry.

The pursuit of vending happiness and success

The vending business is not a new industry, far from it. Vending has been around since Roman times when pure drinking water was ‘vended’. Today ‘vending’ is very different with a massive choice of machines from the simple mechanical to sophisticated electronic vending machines. The vast amount of products available from vending machines include pizza, hot-dogs, iPods and even cannabis.

Vending machines are part of our everyday busy lives but have you ever stopped for a moment to think of a world without vending machines? All those convenient places that we just expect to find them, at our office, at the local leisure centre, hospitals, stations, airport, street corners, toilets and pubs.

Vending works as a business concept because it offers the consumer convenience and opportunity, whenever and wherever the consumer desires. It is this fundamental fact that makes vending a truly viable and desirable business proposition.

Many businesses are dependent upon a buoyant economy to thrive. Should the economy struggle like recently with mortgages and credit cards, increased unemployment and the onset of a recession, many businesses reflect this economic downturn with reduced sales and profits, and can even face closure. Fortunately, this barely effects most forms of vending due to the low cost impulse buy nature of most vended products particularly comfort eating treats, which consumers purchase regardless of outside economic forces.

Setting up a business is renowned for high initial set up costs such as acquiring premises, buying equipment, stock, advertising, marketing and so on. Should the business fail, the vast majority of that business investment will be lost and the business will be finished. With the vending business, the major investment is in the vending equipment, the variable is the site, and as long as you are able to acquire sites your vending equipment will always take money, in fact there are many operators today using vending equipment purchased over twenty years ago that has been in several sites over the years.

Other than the largest of vending operations, premises are not required for warehousing or offices. A reasonable size vending business can be set-up from the home garage or spare bedroom for the relatively small amount of stock that needs to be held. A commercial vehicle is not required for most vending businesses as the family hatchback or an estate car would be perfect for visiting your sites.

Compared to almost every other business category, vending provides a relatively low cost, low risk business opportunity with simple predictable growth in the long term. Of great appeal is the speed in which a new vending venture can be established and successfully trading.

Vending further benefits from being a cash business with no debtors and therefore no risk of customers not paying or having to finance the credit terms you offer your customers.

Vending offers total flexibility for those with an existing business or existing family commitments, vending offers total flexibility.

To service a simple mechanical vending machine can take as little as 5 to 15 minutes, with many sites having out of business hours opening, allowing the operator to visit when it suits them and when they have the time.

Finally, vending offers the opportunity to expand and grow your business at will, adding extra low cost vendors as and when required to increase your monthly income. Many operators started their vending businesses purely for some part time extra income, and have eventually built substantial size operations of several hundred vendors producing very serious profits.

Vending like any other serious business requires effort and commitment if you are going to be truly successful in vending you will have to work hard at it.

The good news is that vending is incredibly time efficient compared to most businesses and the real advantage is that as you do other things, your vendors continue to do business and earn you money 7 days a week 24 hours a day, now that really separates vending from the rest!

Flavia - Office and Home Drink Machine Favorite

Whether you love tea, coffee or hot chocolate, there is now a drink machine that can give you either choice at the touch of a button. FLAVIA, created by a division of Mars Incorporated will revolutionize the way we experience drinks.

The drink machine has come a long way over the years with new technologies bringing us fantastic new features and designs. In the past, it has always been difficult to find a drinks machine that can cater for the office environment as some people like coffee, some like tea, while others prefer hot chocolate, until now!

Finally, Flavia has seemingly answered this problem by developing a set of drink machines that can cater for many differing tastes. With gourmet coffees, real leaf teas, well-being drinks and indulgent creations all available, their will be no more people disappointed that the office machine does not have a drink they like.

You can combine different flavours using filterpacks to brew lattes, mochaccinos, healthful infusions, iced drinks or your own unique drink creations.

The best thing about Flavia drink machines is there is no mess and they guarantee that every drink is completely pure and "untainted" by previous brews so you always get a fresh cuppa. There are currently 4 models with each catering for different environments.

The Flavia Fusion and Fusion Deluxe drink machines are the best choice for the home and designed to use for the home machine. The Flavia SB100 is perfect for the small office with 25 people or less. The Creation 400 is for the bigger office of 25 people or more with the fastest brew time.

We recommend researching on the Internet and compare drink machine specifications so you get a machine that suits your needs.

All the Flavia drink machines can brew a variety of drinks without the waste of a whole-pot coffee maker or clean up of an espresso or cappuccino drink machine. It is so convenient you can spend more time enjoying your drinks.

There are 30 different types of drinks to choose from to suit your mood and tastebuds. The drink machines can accommodate different cups and mugs so you can still use your favourite cup. The Fusion machine contains a special water filter that ensures purified hot water and the easily removable water tank holds a large capacity of water so requires minimal refilling.

Flavia drink machines may well effect the vending business by converting some customers from the traditional vending machine to the office drink machine.

At home, conventional filter coffee machines are messy and take a long time to prepare so our prediction is that the Flavia drink machine with its ease of use, convenience, quality build, the variety of drinks available and cool designs will become a household and office favourite.

Find out more about the Flavia Drink Machine.

How to choose a coffee machine?

How to a Choose Coffee Machine
Here are some hints and tips on what to look for when choosing a coffee machine. Firstly you need to ask yourself the following questions:

• Which type of coffee you drink the most?
• How often are you likely to use an espresso coffee maker?
• What features do you want your coffee machine to have?
• How much money are you prepared to spend?
  

Types of Coffee: Espresso and Cappuccino
Let’s look at what you should be looking for when buying an espresso coffee machine to make your favourite type of coffee:

• Espresso
  A more expensive, high-quality, semi-automatic pump machine would be most suitable for this purpose. Although it will take longer to create espresso with a pump machine than it would with an automatic machine, a piston machine is considered by coffee purists to be the best type of espresso maker. Steam driven coffee machines are considered to be unable to provide the pressure required to produce quality espresso.

• Cappuccino and Latte
  If you prefer the frothy taste of cappuccino, a mocha or a latte made with steamed milk, and the quality of espresso is not important to you, choose a less expensive machine. A super-automatic may be just the ticket for you.

Frequency of Use
If you are going to use your coffee machine for the occasional dinner party, then a cheaper model will suffice. However if you are likely to use it daily, then it’s worth considering a high quality model with a 3-way solenoid connector.

Features
Here is a list of some of the more popular features available on espresso coffee machines and cappuccino makers:

• Hot Water Dispenser
  Useful for topping up, or when using the machine to make tea and other beverages instead of using the kettle.

• Cup Warmer
  Usually a flat area on the top of the machine that’s warm. Simple but useful nonetheless.

• Frothing Wand
  This steam wand is a real bonus when making lattes and cappuccinos. Cheaper machines may just have a wand, but higher end machines may have an actual canister for milk.

• Water Filter
  This takes out any chlorine or iron tastes that may be present in your tap water. Bear in mind that you will need to buy replacement filters.

• Pre-moistening cycle
  Moistens the ground coffee prior to the shot of espresso being pulled. Brings out more aromatic oils to improve the taste.

• Pod Compatibility
  Pods are pre-packed discs of ground coffee which reduce the preparation time quite dramatically. Newer models of coffee machine can take both pods and normal loose coffee.

• Strength Controls
  Quality espresso machines have controls which let you vary the amount of water used for each pull, giving the exact taste that you are looking for.

• Integrated Bean Grinder
  Coffee makers with this feature tend to cost more, but the bean grinder will grind enough coffee for the best brew.

• Bypass Doser
  Used in conjunction with an integrated bean grinder. This lets you use a different coffee to in the one that’s already in the grinder.

Brewing Components
Brewing components (boiler, filter holder and tubes) tend to be made of steel, brass or aluminium. Brass components are the most popular among espresso aficionados as they are heavy and retain heat well. Stainless steel is next in popularity as it retains heat and is non-corrosive.

Power Rating & Water Capacity
The general theory about power is that the greater the wattage, the better performance and endurance of the machine. This is because more power may let the boiler brew the coffee faster. However a larger water capacity in a boiler gives more endurance, making the heated coffee last longer.

If a built-in grinder is used then you’ll need a model with a higher wattage, but the manufacturer will usually fit an adequate power supply anyway, so a large enough boiler is actually the real priority.

Budget
Make sure that when you choose your drink machine that you have set a limit on the amount of money that you are prepared to spend. You’ll find many good deals on espresso/cappuccino machines online, so by shopping around you may get a better model than your budget would normally allow.

Office Coffee Machine Popularity

Many people have a coffee machine of some description at the office they work. Why are coffee machines so popular within the workplace? Well, the main reason is because it lets employees and managers alike have something in common and lets everyone have a short break from work while they refresh their coffee mugs.

Coffee machines can be found in offices, manufacturing plants and almost every type of business there is from fast food to convenience stores. The office coffee machine is a place everyone can go and chit chat for a few minutes similar to a water dispenser.

The usual office coffee machine (or coffee drink station as many prefer) is of the automatic drip variety and makes about 12 cups at a time. The funny thing is, 12 cups from a coffee maker means about 5 ounces per cup. Nobody drinks that little so you might as well assume one pot will serve 6 people.

For a busy workplace with more than 50 people say, a vending machine may be a better option to accommodate all tastes.

Many people feel better and more alert after drinking coffee along with the health benefits of coffee so naturally, a coffee maker in the workplace helps everyone. The caffeine in coffee is a stimulant and should help them feel that way. If your employee is alert, there is less chance of incomplete work and injuries as they should be paying more attention to the job at hand.

The type of coffee machine for the office should be discussed amongst those who will be using it to see what preferences everyone has. Budget will play a big part in the choice of coffee machine as they typically range from £15 up to £300.

A standard coffee machine will cost between £20 and £40 depending on the features the model has. The more technology involved, the higher the price. These higher priced coffee machines usually come with a foamer, grinder or some other special feature that would cause the price to be so high. You may want to just get two cheaper machines as there is always someone who wants decaffeinated coffee and doesn't like to mix the two types of coffee in one pot.

Another option is the Flavia drink machines which uses filterpacks that are individually sealed for freshness. Unlike other single cup coffee makers, revolutionary FLAVIA technology brews direct from pack to cup which means that every drink is completely pure and 'untainted' by previous brews.

The great thing about Flavia drink machines is that it caters for everyone because you can buy different flavour packets including coffees, teas and hot chocolates so it caters for a lot more people.

Healthy Coffee - Live long and prosper!

Ever wondered if the coffee you are drinking is good for you?

There has been a lot of debate over the years about how healthy or unhealthy coffee is for the body. This depends a lot upon the type of coffee you are drinking for example, if you are drinking a coffee with full fat cream and chocolate then obviously this is not a great healthy choice of drink!

If you ask any doctor the question "is coffee good for me", most of them would probably give you a vague answer that included eating and drinking everything in moderation.

While is this a good rule of thumb, what if you knew that the cup coffee that you enjoy every morning was actually healthy coffee?

Is Yours Healthy Coffee?

While there has been a lot of information in the past about how bad coffee may be for you, some more recent studies suggest that yours may be a healthy coffee! What has been found is that coffee may actually help the body fight against many different diseases such as cancer and even diabetes. While it looks as though coffee is safe to drink, you should not replace your fruits and vegetables with it, just yet!

Wondering what makes yours healthy coffee? Researchers believe that the antioxidants that are found in coffee can help reduce the risk of cancer in those that consume moderate amounts. In addition, coffee is also known to cleanse the bowels much more efficiently than would happen otherwise, which many believe is what can keep those that are prone to intestinal cancer from developing the disease. There are studies that link coffee to the reduction of instances in breast cancer as well as colon cancer, two very common types of cancer in the world today.

That healthy coffee has also been linked to prevention of diabetes. There was actually a study done that followed 28,000 different women for 11 years. Those women than drank four or more cups of coffee a day were 20% less likely to develop diabetes over the course of the study and the reduction in numbers was as high as 30-40% for women who drank decaf coffee instead of regular. These are astonishing numbers and has many people looking for more concrete information on this topic since diabetes has quickly become an epidemic in many parts of the world.

While you may drink healthy coffee, you have to remember what your doctor would say, that moderation is the key. You have to remember that as many benefits as coffee has it may also have some drawbacks if you drink it often.

Coffee is known to cause problems with acid reflux, which can lead to health problems. If you have trouble sleeping you may find that there is no amount of healthy coffee for you, as coffee is known for keeping people up at night due to even very limited amounts of caffeine found in decaf varieties.

The latest coffee machine will provide you with healthy options such as the Flavia healthy drink machine which comes with a massive choice of coffees and wellbeing teas.

Idiots Guide to Ordering Cup Of Coffee

I am relatively new to the world of fancy coffee drinks so I have done this idiots guide for everyone like me who hasn't got a clue what to order when it comes to a cup of coffee from the counter or coffee machine!

Americano
[uh-mer-i-kan-oh]

Espresso
[ess-press-oh]

Espresso con Panna

[ess-press-oh kon pawn-nah]

Flat White

Cafe Breve
[caf-ay brev-ay]

Caffé Latte

Espresso Macchiato
[ess-press-oh mock-e-ah-toe]

Caffé Mocha
[caf-ay moh-kuh]

Cappuccino
[kapp-oo-chee-noh]

About Espresso
Espresso is prepared by forcing pressurized steam through finely ground dark-roast coffee beans. Think of it is strong, concentrated coffee. You can add extra ’shots’ of espresso to make your drink stronger.

Espresso Drink Machine Flexibility

If you are like me and love coffee then you are likely to want to try something different when it comes to a good cuppa. Have you tried an espresso?

Espresso is a great drink that you will love and want more of with a very strong distinctive taste. Coffee houses and restaurants around the world sell espressos but what if you want to make a cup of espresso at home then an espresso machines could be for you.

An espresso machine will give you the power to have an espresso whenever you want it. Sitting down with a great espresso on a cold winter days is a wonderful way to relax. You can kick back and enjoy the quiet with this great cup of coffee.

You can buy your very own espresso coffee drinks machine for your home from many companies including Tassimo, De Longhi but also Flavia who have a great selection of coffee drink machines

If you know someone that loves coffee just as much as you do, you may want to get him or her an espresso coffee machine as a gift. There are many different brands and types of espresso machines so you are sure to get one that fits your budget.

Flavia Review - Coffee for the Office

The Flavia range of drinks machines work in an unusual and ingenious manner to serve a wide variety of top quality delicious drinks to the end user. After the drink choice has been made the appropriate drink foil pack is inserted into the machine, a cup is placed underneath and a button is pressed. Hot water is then forced into the foil pack to release the full flavour of the drink as it is dispensed into the cup.

Each drink is individually made and there is no cross contamination of flavours between different drink types. The machine has very low maintenance and can be plumbed in or just topped up with fresh water as required. Since no cup is dispensed the user has the choice to use their own cup or use branded Flavia waxed paper cups that can be provided by your supplier together with sugar sticks, stirrers, cup holders etc if required.

The Flavia machine is best used in a supervised environment as the ingredients are selected from a display case and there is no security. It is also best used in a low volume office type environment where drink choice and quality is paramount rather than serving a large number of people.

The main advantage of this type of machine is the sheer quality of the drinks produced and the amazing choice of drinks available. A huge number of fresh ground coffees are offered of different types of coffee beans and roasts, fresh leaf teas, specialty drinks, specialty teas, chocolates and even fruit infusions and green teas.

Note however that the drinks are usually sold from the supplier in cases of 80 so in reality most offices will want to limit the range of drinks offered although they can of course order different products each time they order.

Although the cost of the machine is relatively low when compared to other types of drinks dispensing machine (allowing the possibility of multiple machine sites) the individual drink cost is quite high and can prove prohibitive.

The Flavia option is not the solution for high volume sites, sites requiring security of ingredients nor for those requiring a coin controlled system.

However in the right environment the Flavia drinks system can be the perfect high quality solution for satisfying discerning drinkers at all times of the day.

Office Life and the Vending Machines I have known

Office work - don't you love it? It's been a while since I had the pleasure myself, but nevertheless the fond memories remain - of the vending machines. Seriously, nothing else. Just the vending machines . In each and every office I worked (apart from the ones without them, and what grim places they were) their contents represented the sole ray of light in my working day - if you didn't count lunch or going home, obviously.

I honestly don't know how I'd have coped without them.

Now, clearly, I'd be lying if I were to say that the rest of office "life" was Hell - it wasn't. Not by any means. No, Purgatory would be the more accurate comparison: seemingly endless days spent hoping to soon be somewhere nicer - Hell might at least have been more eventful; or so I would often wistfully imagine.

You see, what you would never think to describe any of my former jobs as would be eventful. In fact, the most exciting thing I ever had to do was to phone someone called Mr Bastard - nomen est omen? In this instance, no. You couldn't have hoped to speak to anyone more pleasant.

See what I mean? Even that was an anticlimax.

And that was why I was grateful for whatever vending machines happened to brighten each of these arenas of tedium - if nothing else, they at least represented some small way to break up the day - drinks dispenser, snack machine, over-priced crisps, under-strong coffee: it didn't matter. What mattered was having an excuse - any excuse - to leave your desk. And boy did I take those excuses! Yep, office life makes you fat.

Or perhaps, like a goldfish moved to a larger tank, I just grew to the dimensions of my ever expanding boredom?

Sadly, the truth is more prosaic than that: it was simply this: the prospect of snacks, both sweet and savoury, promised to myself as reward for getting through the next few hours, was all that got me through most days. Another couple of hours without succumbing to narcolepsy, I'd think, and you can have some Hula-Hoops. But you can't go on like that, can you?

Thankfully, I was soon sacked, and the next office I found myself in boasted only hot drinks vending (there was something wrong with the cold drinks part). Even better, the drink machine wasn't even on my floor - I could waste a whole extra two minutes every time I went for a coffee. Bliss.

Why everyone else used it, though, I dread to think. Since its only offering fit for human consumption (though only if, like me, you're the kind of human who's able to tolerate oversweet froth) was an oversweet Espresso, either their desperation for distraction outstripped even my own, or their taste buds were even more horribly warped. Truly, neither one bears thinking about.

Thank God, as I look back now, from the happier vantage point of self-employment, that all seems a world away. But it's left its mark: sometimes, even now, I can still taste that awful Espresso.