Coffee Trivia...

Things you probably never knew about coffee...

The most expensive coffee...

Six hundred dollars (US) per pound. That is how much some are willing to pay for one of the rarest coffees in the world: Kopi (coffee) Luwak.  The strange brew derives from a very, very unconventional processing method which gives it a rich, chocolaty taste and specialty appeal.  The Luwak, known also as the palm civet, is a wild cat native to the Indonesian islands that loves to snack on only the ripest coffee cherries.  As the cherry passes through the digestive system of the animal, it is partially broken down and fermented by the animal's stomach acids and digestive enzymes.  The bean is then excreted, hand-picked by extremely dedicated field hands and washed carefully.  The flavour is said to be second to none, and the discovery of this fine flavour . . . well, maybe that's better left undetermined.

Keeping the pace...

The Australian Institute of Sport has concluded a study that should please coffee drinkers and athletes alike. Coffee, according to the study, can boost exercise stamina. The Australian researchers found that a small dose of caffeine can extend an athlete’s stamina by one third. The weight of the study relies on caffeine’s utilization of fat, rather than carbohydrate sugars, as an energy source. The study also shows caffeine to be effective only in small doses—one cup of coffee, for example. So that Stairmaster might not feel so torturous after a cup, but don’t expect to break any land distance records by loading up on espresso.