Coffee, an Education.

Coffee, because crack is bad for you.

If you have CFS, coffee might just be your best friend. Now we all know the difference between Tea and Coffee. Tea is usually taken before you go to bed. It's relaxing and feels like a hug in a mug. Or tea cup, whichever you prefer. Coffee on the other hand, is what I most like to have in the morning. Or literally any time of the day. I love the feeling of stumbling out of bed in my pajamas, pouring myself a good strong, roasty-toasty brew to pep myself up and prepare for a day of, well, nothing. But here's a few reasons why i really really love my coffee.

Coffee is very important, in fact, when asked by baristas how i take my coffee I reply "Seriously, very seriously." It's obviously no joking matter. (Even though that was definitely a joke.) This is not because I have a caffeine dependency (although I might) but it is actually true that you can become a coffee addict, just don't overdo it. So chill out, I mean who are you trying to impress.
But! there are many medical benefits of being a coffee addict. if you're one of my friends studying medicine or what-not, please don't judge me for inaccuracy. I just need excuses to back up my habits.

Excuses for coffee addicts to continue drinking coffee.

FACT ONE: Having 4 cups of coffee in a day can reduce the chance of getting type 2 diabetes by 50%, and having an additional 3 cups can reduce the risk by 7%. Why you would drink 7 cups of coffee in a day I do not understand because I'm sure there are better ways of reducing diabetes. But hey if not sleeping is your thing, stay fresh to death.

FACT TWO: A study for 130,000 people who drink 1-3 cups of coffee a day said that they were 20% less likely to suffer from abnormal heart rhythms than non-drinkers. Just don't go crazy, having too much coffee in a day will probably give you heart palpitations. Calm down.

FACT THREE: People who drink coffee are 65% percent less likely to develop alzheimer's disease I have no idea how accurate this fact is. Or any of these facts for that matter.

FACT FOUR: For women who drink 2 or more coffees daily, there is a 20% lower risk of getting a stroke. Which sounds great.

Tasmania's Bragging Rights. 

If you're lucky enough to live in Tasmania, you will be blessed with an abundance of beautiful coffee, cafes and talented baristas. Baristas with cool tattoos. There are so many small cafes and businesses with shining reputations for their brilliant quality coffee. Which is great because I live in walking distance of all of them #blessed. My personal fave is Villino, a 4.9 out of 5 star rated cafe. Impressive. If ever you are in Hobart and go into town, please treat yourself and head up Critereon St to Villino. Get yourself a good cup of coffee, and maybe some beans to take home with you. You won't regret it. Even their Mochas are great.

Art and Coffee.

Making coffee is a true art form, and for someone who loves to call themselves an artist, I respect it. To me, there is no prettier colour than the colour of the perfect crema. Look at this one, it looks like it has actual milk in it but it doesn't. It's just compressed coffee and hot water and it makes this. It's actual magic.

Types of Coffee.

When I go to cafes I always order a latte. Not because I'm not adventurous I just really like the simplicity of lattes. Although there are so many different ways to have a cup of coffee. If you're one of those nasty fake coffee fans that go to starbucks and order a "Venti double-shot espresso hazelnut praline soy latte with sweetened whipped cream, a dash of salted caramel syrup, and crushed hazelnut on top of the cream, oh and a teaspoon of steevia, because "you're on a diet"" despite all the diabetes that is already in that takeaway cup, you know this to be true. You're also a disgrace to coffee drinkers everywhere. (And yes I have seen someone order that at a starbucks in Melbourne, if I wasn't already holding a coffee in both hands I probably would have slapped them.) (Also don't ask what I was doing in a starbucks in Melbourne.) 

But there are so many decisions to make when ordering (or making) your perfect coffee! Here's a few more facts about what makes coffee so interesting that i'll throw into this post to make myself look more professional.  

Light or Dark Roast.

light or dark roasted beans. (Yes there is a big difference between the two, and it's not just the colour.) Light roasted beans tend to have a sweeter, more floral flavour, whereas dark roasted beans have a bittersweet, toasted flavour. Although both have the same amount of caffeine and the flavour of one is not necessarily stronger than the other. The darker the roast the stronger the bitterness of the coffee and more oil on the beans. So don't get me wrong, there are many levels of roasting in between just Light and Dark. Starting from lightest to darkest, there is: Light, Cinnamon, Medium, High, City, Full City, French and Italian. I really like Full City but hey, I think all are beautiful I don't discriminate.

Arabica or Robusta.

Arabica and Robusta are actually different species of coffee. Robusta grows in lower altitudes and produces fruit faster in mostly Africa and Indonesia, but the most expensive Robusta beans grow in Latin America. The differing flavour and caffeine concentration between the two is

Arabica has a softer, more sweet taste and half as much caffeine as Robusta. 

Robusta has a stronger and more harsh taste and twice as much caffeine as Arabica (omg really?). Also, 70% of the world's coffee is Arabica.

Espresso and Drip.

Espresso is made by forcing hot water under high pressure through compressed, fine coffee grounds, making a "crema" (that magical thing I mentioned earlier). Espresso has a higher concentration of caffeine than drip. I also always get espresso coffee when ordering at cafes, because it's great when done by pros. I also suck at making espresso myself, I would say "leave it to the professionals" but I disagree. I am still learning, determination is key.

Drip is actually more exciting than it sounds. 
It is made by pouring hot water over medium-coarse coffee grounds through a filter, and your delicious easy-made coffee drips down into the coffee pot. 
It has a lower concentration of caffeine but I typically end up drinking more of it, so I get a similar buzz from it to the espresso. I love a good cup of home-made drip coffee when I first wake up. It's so easy to make, you can't stuff it up. And if you do, I hope you're ok. #PrayinForYou.

Black and White.

I don't want to say Michael Jackson was wrong.. but the shade of your coffee can make quite a difference to the flavour. This one isn't all too important if you ask me but here goes.

Cafe Latte is made with espresso and steamed milk. Apparently, ordering a Cafe latte makes you sound like Joe Schmoe (which I don't mind.)

A black coffee (Long black, Espresso, etc is made with espresso alone or with hot water and and ordering it makes you sound like Admiral Fancy-pants (according to pinterest) due to it's complexity of notes depending on the beans used. Black coffee is good for those who are Italian, those who would rather not do crack but could use a kick, or those who appreciate coffee on another level.

Espresso and Expresso.

Can we please clear something up? To the people that say "expresso" instead of "espresso," please, please, do not go anywhere near any cafes until you re-educate yourself and it is safe for you to go out for coffee without being humiliated. When you say Espresso, you are actually saying "pressed out" in Italian. Which is fancy and professional and screams, "I know what I'm talking about I'm also a coffee lover (probably with a caffeine dependency.)"

When you say Expresso, you are actually saying, "Hello respectable barista, I know nothing also please slap me in the face." 

So apparently your coffee choice can have some kind of reflection of your personality. I was intrigued by this and decided to do some research and according to my calculations (Velma moment) my choice of a latte reflects that I "tend to be neurotic" and "like to please people" I also am "indecisive when it comes to making decisions." I would say that the accuracy of this information is both rude and not plausible.

That is all, I hope you learned something from this very passive-aggressive blog post. I promise that my other posts won't be like this, don't worry. I also hope you feel impressed by my showing-off of my knowledge of coffee. 
Vienna x