FDIP Toastmaster Club -- Member's Corner -- Featured Speech of the Week

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Featured Speech of the Week
This site area is created to give special publicity to our member who was voted as the Speaker of the Day. It is published here to highlight the key strong points of the speech in which the speaker was able to meet speech's objectives.

A Cup Of Coffee Before Bedtime
Rosette Hizon
Date presented: May 31, 2002

Who among us here are coffee drinkers? Raise your hand. Why do you like to drink coffee? For those of us non-coffee drinkers, what is our reason for not drinking the substance? Is it because of its smell, its taste or its after taste? I, myself, am a non-coffee drinker. My sister on the other hand, is very addicted to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and she makes it a point to have a cup everyday to keep her going amidst of the hustle of her work.

Since there are a lot of coffee lovers nowadays, coffee stands are becoming popular. Name it: Starbuck's Coffee, The Coffee Beanery, Seattle's Best, Figaro, The Coffee Experience, and many more. If it's really true that caffeine is bad for us, then how come these establishments boom at present?

Coffee has been called the 'nectar of all men', 'juice divine', 'lovelier than a thousand kisses' and the wine, which no sorrow can resist. Latterly, it has inspired the term 'coffee break' which tells it all. Coffee is the office sanity-saver, the wonder drink that eases tension, soaks up the stress and relieves boredom.

There are on this earth more than 1 billion coffee drinkers: at least one quarter of the world's population drinks coffee. It is produced in 50 countries in the warm tropical belt that encircles the globe.

Perhaps the most import thing to know about coffee and caffeine is that the strength of a coffee's taste has little or nothing to do with how much caffeine it contains! While caffeine itself has a slightly bitter flavour, our perceptions of strength comes from the degree of the roast (the darker the "stronger") and the ratio of coffee to water used during the brewing process which creates the actual strength of the coffee.

Caffeine content of a cup of regular espresso coffee will range from 90 to 120mg, depending on the types of coffee used in the blends and the strength of the brew. The roasting process alters caffeine very little. It is readily water-soluble at temperatures above 170F and consequently is fully released into the finished beverage during brewing.

Caffeine varies between species of coffee trees. Arabica coffees contain about 1% caffeine by weight in green form, while robusta beans contain about 2% by weight.

Well, contrary to what we know about the effects of coffee in us, do you know that it's actually good for us? Yes, forget the reasoning that coffee keeps you awake at night or it increases your blood pressure. Research consultants from the Institute for Coffee Studies at Vanderbilt University explains the potential health benefits of some of the hundred compounds in coffee. These compounds have potential health benefits that combat cirrhosis of the liver, certain types of cancer, bronchial asthma, heart disease and parkinson's disease. Studies have shown that non-coffee drinkers have a higher incident rate of these diseases than those who consume coffee in moderation do. Preliminary studies have shown that coffee is also a rich source of anti-oxidants, which reduce the effects on the human body of harmful substances and could fight a host of illnesses.

Coffee Science Information in Britain states that anti-oxidants are known to protect against oxidative stress by mopping up free radicals, which destroys the cell and body tissue. These free radicals are known to be a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and decline the immune and nervous system.

For the past 20 years, most research has concentrated on its major active ingredient, which is caffeine. It is known to stimulate the central nervous system and has long been used as pain relief and appetite control. The prospect that coffee could reduce your weight is a vital and exciting lead for study.

Nowadays, drinking coffee for medicinal purposes is widely accepted. Recently launched and the first of its kind in the market created and formulated to eliminate toxic residues is the "Bavarian Brew". It has a rich blend of Robusta and Arabica beans mixed with Sena herb. It is not just coffee – it's a slimming coffee. So, still worry that a cup of coffee before bedtime could keep you awake at night? Well, it's just a short-term effect. Drinking a cup is actually good for you. In short, it should be taken in moderation. So, today if you're tense and tired from your work, let a cup of coffee soothe your nerves. So, coffee anyone?

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