Much like bread, coffee is so often subjected to nutritional criticism. Sipping from their mugs of hot water and lemon, the purists will scorn the coffee drinkers and their dirty caffeine habit. But what if coffee was good for you?
Well, it is.
In celebration of coffee and all its wonderfulness I was invited along to an event at the weekend at the beautiful Wyndham Tea – don’t worry, it’s not as ironic as it sounds, their cups of Joe are as good as their infusions!
Wyndham Tea Cardiff
So why is coffee good for us? Unfortunately it might not be good for everyone if you struggle to tolerate caffeine (it can lead to anxiety issues for some, for example) and of course if pregnant or nursing, but here’s just some of the brilliance coffee can offer.
1. Coffee is hydrating
I promise you this is not a wind up. After the first cup, coffee (and indeed tea) contributes to daily fluid intake. It’s total hearsay that coffee dehydrates the body.
2. It’s a detoxifier
I appreciate this is probably getting less and less believable as I go on but stay with me… Every crash diet will yell at you from the get go “YOU MUST GIVE UP THE COFFEE.” But what this punishment / crime against humanity totally ignores is that the phytonutrients in coffee are actually liver protective, supporting our major detox organ to do its thing.
3. Beyond the buzz
I’m totally with you on celebrating and embracing that first thing in the morning ‘hit’. But give coffee the credit it’s due and you’ll find out it’s about so much more than the caffeine. If I say antioxidants you say…? Blueberries? Kale? Coffee? I didn’t think so… Dig (brew?) a bit deeper and you’ll soon find coffee’s naturally occurring antioxidants and beneficial phytonutrients, notably the polyphenol chlorogenic acid.
Above all I love the sentiment surrounding drinking coffee. Long before I embraced my first cup in 2011 (I know!!! Rest assured I’m making up for it now!) I’d so often accept a lovely “shall we go for coffee?” invitation. Amongst friends it’s a chance to catch up. As colleagues it’s for things that need a little more time, discussions that are less formal, sometimes more meaningful than business transaction. Each morning, even on a work day, my husband and I enjoy a mug in bed whilst listening to the day’s headlines on the radio. We set the alarm for it. It sets us up for the day ahead.
Coffee got serious. Latte art throw downs are set to become an Olympic sport
I equally love how passionate folks get about their coffee; snobby, others may say. There’s an entirely new breed of barista. Latte art competitions. Caffeine conventions. Mail order roasts from across the globe. Beautiful hotel rooms with whizzy machines with a clunk, a click and a capsule flick into the most magnificent of creations with no need to stand on line or be subjected to being called a name with no resemblance to your own.
At the event there was latte art, cupping (who knew it extended beyond the realms of Gwyneth Paltrow’s back and to the humble cup of coffee?), cocktail making and tasting. Lots of tasting.
How do you like your coffee? Do you ever feel guilty about drinking it?
All the discussion