Coffee Lovers
Our first Blog post and I thought it was only right to dedicate this to my true love….COFFEE!!
Firstly let’s start this blog by saying……… COFFEE is actually very healthy, despite anything you may have heard. It is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that can benefit your health.
BUT this is not going to be your typical blog on Coffee. I’m not going to detail all the health benefits because this can be found all over the internet now.
This blog will give some helpful hints and tips on best times to drink coffee, how much to drink and how to get the best flavour out of it!
Times to drink (and not drink) Coffee……
MORNINGS – yes I’m sure you already knew this, but it really is the best way to start the day. Coffee really gives you that kick you need to go out and attack the day ahead!
PRE – WORKOUT – something you might not know! Coffee is possibly the best natural pre-workout drink out there due to its high caffeine content and it’s not going to break the bank. Drinking Coffee before your workout will give you that extra edge you need to get through those intense sessions.
The caffeine in Coffee triggers the muscles to start using fat as an energy source rather than carbohydrate sugars. It has been used by many athletes as a way of getting extra energy out of their body’s reserves during events. A single cup of coffee may be enough to trigger these beneficial effects.
7-8 HOURS BEFORE BED – STOP!!! Yes Coffee has many health benefits and can help improve performance but there are times you shouldn’t really drink it. Don’t drink any Coffee within 7-8 hours of going to sleep. One negative of Coffee is that it can really affect your sleep and sleep patterns. Sleep is very important to achieving your goals (something for another day and another blog).
Getting the best flavour from your Coffee…..
THE PERFECT CUP!!
If you want to really taste the flavour of good Coffee you need to drink it BLACK!! Adding milk, sweeteners, coconut oil etc is just going to mask the actual Coffee taste. If you’re feeling the need to add any of these you haven’t found a great tasting Coffee yet.
If you’re a serious Coffee lover like me I would start by investing in a Coffee grinder and brewer if you haven’t already (worth every penny). This allows you to buy organic whole bean coffee and start the whole grinding and brewing process yourself which really heightens the flavour. Once Coffee has been ground it starts to lose its flavour so only grind what you will use instantly. The more you can do to preserve the integrity of the beans and the delightful flavour inside right up until the moment of brewing, the better the Coffee will be. Keeping the beans intact for as long as possible helps immensely.
BUYING COFFEE – I would recommend purchasing your Coffee where you live, try to buy locally roasted beans to benefit from the freshness. Aside from that buying whole bean coffee is vastly superior to buying pre-ground coffee. Whole bean coffee is best within one month of roasting (only buy what you will use within a month).
WATER– use either bottled or filtered water to benefit from the best taste possible.
STORAGE – Once Coffee’s original packaging is opened it quickly loses its freshness. Coffee (once original seal it broke) should be stored in air tight containers in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a cupboard.
So how much coffee should I drink?
When it comes to stimulants like caffeine, less is always better, and know your body! Those new to caffeine should start with around 100mg (a shot of Starbucks espresso has 75mg).
If you’re drinking coffee for the fat-burning effects of caffeine, this seems to start around 200mg. Sticking with Starbucks coffee, this would equal a grande Americano (225mg caffeine) or slightly less than a tall regular brewed coffee (260mg caffeine).
BONUS TIP – Your body will get used to Coffee and the benefits will reduce over time. For this reason I recommend ‘cycling’ Coffee consumption. By this I mean – drink for maybe 4-6 weeks and then go a full week without drinking it!
TAKE NOTE OF THE ABOVE POINTS AND YOUR WELL ON YOUR WAY TO HAVING THAT AWESOME CUP OF COFFEE WHICH SETS YOU FLYING THROUGH YOUR WORKOUTS AND THE DAY AHEAD.
If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook.
Thank You!
Chris ‘The Coffee Machine’ Morris
P.S ….. Don’t do what I have just done and let an awesome cup of coffee go cold while writing this!!!
