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In the Spotlight
Coffee: A Writer’s Best Friend
by Jaden
Woe was me when I stopped drinking coffee for a few years in my grand effort to be über-healthy. To heck with that!
Is coffee bad for you?
Coffee can cause mad-babbling, hyperactivity, anxiety, and suppress your appetite, from my personal studies.
The semi-official studies say (probably spearheaded by Starbuck’s): Coffee is supposed to be good for the liver; a nice counter-attack for that over-consumption of whiskey. Seems far-fetched to me, but they say several cups of coffee per day throughout a person’s life can reduce Alzheimer’s disease up to 60%; one cup a day shows no difference. Coffee possibly reduces the problems of Diabetes 2. A few cups a day supposedly keeps old people spry. I’ve heard that active brains are healthy, so maybe it has something to do with that.
The coffee warnings: People with blood pressure problems beware of coffee as the caffeine affects the heart. Pregnant woman might want to lay off of it. There is a very long unconfirmed list of illnesses that might be aggravated or triggered by coffee, but also might be from smoking or lack of veggies and exercise. Finally, coffee is a mild diuretic; to counter the need to run and make a poopy on a hot morning date, drink a glass of water.
Whatever you are drinking, eating or doing, you need to consider how it affects YOU; that’s the bottom line.
Espresso coffee derives from 1,500 chemical substances. Yikes! Research on bean growing, roasting, grinding, and packaging for the best flavor is a very expensive and intricate process, so when an entity gets it right, let’s clap our hands.
For strong rich coffee flavor, Italian brands rule the north western hemisphere. 
What is generally accepted as the best and most accessible coffee of Europe is Illy
The United States brands I prefer are Peet’s
In Hollywood, my favorite roaster is Urth Caffé on Melrose Avenue, a place full of scenesters and drop-dead gorgeous women. It is always annoyingly packed and therefore terrible for writing, though I still try. Eons ago, when it was less popular, I met some successful screenwriters there. The eggs are gawd-awful, but the coffee is the best in the city. Their specialty drinks are nips of heaven; I’m addicted to the Granita.
My favorite place in the world to drink coffee (usually they serve Illy) is in Paris. Any charming café will do. I just sit there for hours watching people and writing.
Trying every type of cheap coffee brewer from the regular ol’ pot, to a double espresso camping thingamajig, to a glass coffee press, my favorite is a recent purchase from Italy for $15, it is a stainless steal Class Bialetti
and screw on the top, you place it on the stove burner. This makes a kickin’ cup o’ joe.
When I received a fine gift of coffee beans from Seattle, I had to break down and buy a coffee grinder too. For freshness, taste, and strength, you can’t beat freshly ground coffee. After looking at about 30 products, I chose the Mr. Coffee Grinder with Chamber Maid
If coffee is your favorite flavor too, let me give you a breath-saving tip. Rinse your mouth with hydrogen peroxide one-to-one with water. Much cheaper and more efficient than mouthwash, it is only 99 cents a bottle, it whitens your teeth, kills bacteria, and freshens your breath. Brush your teeth and floss too. Take care of your filthy stinking coffee breath, you writer.
Please share your favorite coffee brands, tricks, and experience with us.
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12 Responses to “Coffee: A Writer’s Best Friend”
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Great tips! You considered the health aspects (something I’m big on!) as well as the mental aspects, then moved on to flavor, settings, and more!
I personally really appreciate the bad breath tip, and I’ll subtly try to direct certain family members and friends to this page!
Not to toot my own horn (AKA - I’m about to toot my own horn!), but you may also want to let your readers know that coffee is a very common cause of Acid Reflux/GERD. There is a safer coffee for those who suffer, though: http://www.joyfuldigesting.com/blog/coffee-and-gerd-together-at-last/
I love coffee but I usually have to keep it down to one cup per day, otherwise I’m bouncing off the walls. I’m a starving writer so I’m pretty much stuck with brands like Folger’s but a friend once made me a cup of this fancy gourmet coffee and it was to die for! I thought I was ruined forever but I managed to re-acclimate myself to the cheap stuff. When I make it big, freshly ground gourmet coffee is going to be one of my treats!
I love coffee! It’s the only reason why I can keep up with work and maintaining my website. Having travelled recently to Egypt, I got the chance to taste some rather exotic tasting coffee, said to be part Turkish, part Egyptian, or whatever they call it, it’s quite bitter but very effective, especially for people who want to keep awake and do something at night.
I love to taste gourmet coffee too!
Joyful Digesting - Laughing. Please DO toot your own horn. People ought to toot their own horns more often. Very good point about Gerd, I knew that, but forgot about it at the moment of coffee inspiration. Really important problem for people, thanks for adding it.
Melissa - Laughing. Nice confession. I used to eat Folger’s by the spoonful when I was a little kid. I feel ya!
Jed - Ah yes, Turkish coffee is sooooooo good. I wanted to write about it, but didn’t know where to slip it in. At this Afghan restaurant in the slutty part of San Francisco’s North Beach area, they bring a little pot over and cook you up a cup of Turkish coffee on a flame with all the thick grinds in it; pretty amazing!
Thanks for the coffee info! If I buy a cup of coffee, I’ll get it at Tim Hortons (famous in Canada), but I rather get lattes and cappuccinos at Starbucks or Second Cup.
Hell, you have to have at least one vice. I dont smoke anymore,hardly drink, so I have to at least have my cup of JOE!
Interesting read about coffee! I’m not a coffee drinker though….tea is more my speed, LOL. I’ve just found coffee too strong tasting for my liking, but, like you stated, if I knew it was a good diuretic….well um, I’d probably start drinking it, LOL.
The odd time that I do, I do enjoy going to café’s and just relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere there.
I’ve heard of the Urth Caffé on Melrose Avenue, since it also happens to be one of Jake Gyllenhaal’s haunts on occassion….shhh, you didn’t hear it from me, lol.
Great breath tip to combat coffee breath…wonder if it would also work with smokers breath?
Well, I’m trusting the toothpaste companies, and hopefully getting white teeth in the process, since I use toothpaste with hydrogen peroxided in it. Yes I know, I’m gullible, LOL.
JAN - Good gawd, you make me laugh!
YES use hydrogen peroxide especially if you smoke! I told a friend about it and she was so happy with the results. It is way cheaper and better functioning than any mixed ingredient product. I’ve tried teeth bleaching products that made my teeth hurt so badly, and did not whiten nearly as well or naturally looking or as quickly as H/O. (I do organic toothpaste. Tom’s clear gel.)
I guess next I will have to write about TEAS then… While I had my few years off of coffee, I tried every tea and got hooked on two. So I will do the tea special post just for you!
I haven’t seen Jake at Urth, but I have seen tons of other celebs there, but mostly wannabe celebs, or ontherewaytobe celebs, lots of models, and lots of plastic surgery.
My new secret place is the new hot spot, but I won’t be writing it here because it is perfect for writing all day and getting away from the masses — can still get a seat there which is rare in Hollywood. I do interviews there too, is nice and peaceful. Since you are one of my top commenters, I will email you the secret spot if you promise to keep it a secret. All my best secrets won’t get posted; have to keep some things exclusive for myself and the people I like.
I’m not a smoker myself, but using hydrogen peroxide is a good tip for all of my friends and family to maybe try, who do smoke. So, it would be perfectly safe for a person’s teeth if they were to rinse every day then?
I must admit, I’m a pretty boring tea drinker, lol. I’m not into herbal or green teas or anything like that, yuk, lol–even though some of them are supposedly good for your health. Sounds like fun, looking forward to maybe reading a future tea post of yours here, and all the benefits and flavors. Who knows, perhaps someday I may take the plunge and be daring and experiment….MAYBE, lol.
….Promise, my lips are sealed!
JAN - Yes, hydrogen peroxide is safe for daily use and whitens teeth drastically in 2 weeks! It’s sort of like soda water with magick powers. Everyone I have turned on to it, is so thankful.
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Water all the way :D