Coffee and tea have been seen as villains for the body. An entire industry has popped up around alternatives to just good coffee or a piping hot cuppa tea. There is a rough estimate the world drinks three cups of tea for every cup of coffee. And tea is the second most popular beverage in the world (behind water). Now science is indicate Coffee, tea and good health may go together.
The study, published in PLOS Medicine, surveyed data on 360,000 people between the ages of 50 and 74, looking for their coffee and tea drinking habits and incidents of dementia and strokes over the years. After the initial survey was conducted, these same participants were followed up with 11 years later, allowing researchers to compare and contrast.
The study concluded participants who drank two to three cups of any of these two drinks a day fared better than those who didn’t drink them at all. The sweet spot was found when people consumed the amount of each beverage daily (4 to 6 cups total), resulting in a 28% lower risk of dementia and 32% lower risk of a stroke.
In an email exchange with CNN, Dr. Lee H. Schwamm, chair of the American Stroke Association Advisory Committee and chair in Vascular Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, explained while the study was intriguing there was no way of establishing causation from this initial data.
“We cannot impute causality, and say ‘drinking more coffee or tea is good for your brain.’ What we can only say in this study, people who reported moderate coffee/tea drinking were less likely to have a stroke or dementia occur in the 10 years of follow-up,” he said.
Coffee has long been associated with preventing a wide range of diseases and improving heart health. Still, it’s always important to approach caffeine in moderation, managing your coffee intake without keeping too much of a stern hold on it. When it comes to tea, studies have found links suggest lower odds of cardiovascular disease, better teeth, and even protection against cancer.
In short, go for the warm drink in the morning, and don’t overthink it if you get the urge to have more later on in the day.
While it isn’t even Thanksgiving, stores, restaurants, and some homes are already prepping for Christmas. The big retailers are already premiering a holiday section, travel is being booked, and Starbucks is playing the Grinch by ignoring their classic Eggnog Latte. The seasonal drink, which contained espresso, steamed eggnog, and ground nutmeg, pretty much tasted like Christmas in coffee cup. Starbucks first introduced the holiday drink in 1984 along with the Christmas Blend coffee. It was their first foray into marketing festive beverages and was a success. In 2023, in North America alone, fans drank over 1 BILLION eggnogs (none from Starbucks). It seems the largest retail coffee company has a “War on Eggnog” and is working to ruin the festive spirit.
Starbucks temporarily removed the Eggnog Latte from its menu in 2014 to streamline the menu, but brought it back after being flooded with customer complaints. Then during the late part of the pandemic in November of 2021, Starbucks added to the misery by dropping the menu favorite.
Eggnog originated in medieval British. The original beverage included wine and beer, starting teh tradition of a boozy drink. In the 17th century, it was fashionable for the aristocracy drink it with sherry. In colonial America, eggnog was made with rum and George Washington served eggnog helping make it part of the holiday culture. Different parts of the country add their regional liquors including bourbon.
What is interesting, the new “holiday” menu has 4 hot drinks and 4 cold drinks, highlighting a trend toward chilled refresh drinking. Returning drinks include:
Caramel Brûlée Latte A blend of espresso, steamed milk, and caramel brulée sauce, topped with whipped cream and caramel brulée topping.
Chestnut Praline Latte Espresso and steamed milk combined with chestnut praline flavors, finished with whipped cream and spiced praline crumbs.
Peppermint Mocha A classic combination of espresso, steamed milk, mocha sauce, and peppermint syrup, topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte Blonde espresso mixed with sugar cookie flavors and almond milk, garnished with festive sprinkles.
Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai A refreshing iced chai latte infused with gingerbread flavors.
It is pumpkin spice season – why not add a little something extra to make it more fun?
Their arrival announces autumn and people flock to welcome an old friend’s return! Over 30 million pumpkin spice latte’s are sold in the US and Canada every fall/holiday season. Starbucks concocted the beverage and spawned a whole industry including candles, cereal, soap, scents, food, and more. It is seen as a treat, but what if you make it even more special? Here is how to add a little marijuana to your pumpkin spice.
American and Canadians spend rover $500 million on pumpkin spice products each year. The average Starbucks pumpkin spice drink costs 15.9% more than a non-pumpkin drink, so need/desire is more important than cost. With a majority of customers having access to legal cannabis, why not have a little extra in the coffee to either chill, relax, treat some pain or just have fun. It is not complicated and it can add a whole new dimension to the fall favorite.
The most easy way is to stop in by a local dispensary and buy some cannabis oil. The flavor isn’t as strong as that of vegetable oil, but you will taste some plant matter. Ask for a couple of extra pumps of flavoring for the coffee and you should be all set.
A popular brainhack is adding a dose of either butter in your morning cup. You can double the effect by adding a small dollop of canna butter instead. It will give a richer flavor and you can still savor the pumpkin flavor. Making canna butter is easy and you can use it on toast and other foods.
Adding a cannabis tincture (oil) to creamer will enhance the flavor and be safe on the fridge shelf for the duration. Oils can be purchased at your local dispensary and a little can go a long way.
Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, all the spices in pumpkin spice, are native to Southeast Asian islands. This spice was discovered on a few island groups as well as ancient pottery shards in Indonesia and brought back to Europe by the Dutch East India Company.
Starbucks wanted to create a new fall drink after tasting pumpkin pie and espresso. The team experimented with different pumpkin to spice ratios, but ultimately decided on a recipe without pumpkin. After consumer complaints the drink didn’t contain any pumpkin, Starbucks added a small amount of pumpkin puree to the syrup in 2015. And had it has been a popular drink ever sense.
Denver’s first cannabis spa is almost ready to start serving locals R&R – as in reefer and relaxation.
When it opens on Sept. 14, Pure Elevations Canna-Spa & Salon (185 S. Santa Fe Drive) will be among the city’s first public consumption spaces, where guests who book a massage or pedicure will be able to smoke weed onsite before or after their appointment. The business will sell marijuana products from a small dispensary counter in its salon for guests to consume on the outdoor patio, and it will also integrate topicals into its services and treatments. That means THC- and CBD-infused massages for anyone who wants to get extra chill.
Owner Rebecca Marroquin’s unique concept was inspired by her own experience using cannabis lotions to help with pain. In 2011, Marroquin was preparing to finish school and become a massage therapist when she was involved in a car crash that broke her neck. Four months of using infused topicals had her back on track to graduate.