Antioxidants have been all the rage for years as a preventative against heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses.  Antioxidants are believed to eliminate “free radicals”, reactive molecules in the body that can do damage over time.  And for a long time, it’s been believed that tea has been the best source of antioxidants in the form of “flavonoids”.

(Note: when talking about tea as a source of antioxidants and flavonoids, we mean”real” tea, that is, tea consisting of camellia sinensis leaves.  “Herbal teas” and tisanes aren’t really tea and don’t provide any antioxidants.)

But did you know that coffee has roughly four times the antioxidants of tea?  A study by Switzerland’s Nestle Research Center found that green coffee beans contain about 1,000 antioxidants, and more are added over the roasting and brewing process.  The end result is that a serving of coffee has more free-radical fighting power than tea, wine, or cocoa.

Unfortunately for the lovers of finer coffees, Robusta coffees are a greater source of antioxidants than the higher-quality Arabica coffess–so believe it or not, that cup of diner coffee is doing some heavy lifting fighting that “he-man breakfast special” you just ate.  But Arabica coffees are no slouch in the flavonoid deparment, so the next time you want to make a healthy beverage choice, you may just want to make a trip to your local roastery.

Professional illustrator Christoph Niemann has a piece on the New York Times blog, illustrating his historical love affair with coffee through the use of drawing on napkins with brewed coffee and a paintbrush.  It’s adorable and worth the read.

“I order large coffees, but stop drinking when the coffee gets too cold. There’s always a couple of ounces left in the cup, so I can’t just toss it into my wastebasket. I dread the long haul to the bathroom to properly dispose of the coffee remains. Hence you will usually find a tower of paper cups on my desk.”

Read the full series on the New York Times blog.

And you thought you were mad to discover you were low on beans.  Recent coffee shortages in Venezuela may cost politicians allied with President Hugo Chavez to lose key positions:

“Venezuelans go to the polls on November 23 to elect state governors and city mayors in a test of support for leftist Chavez a year after he lost his first national vote since winning power in 1998.

Venezuela last year struggled with widespread shortages of staples such as milk and beef, which pollsters say contributed to Chavez’s defeat in a December referendum that would have let him stay in office as long as he kept winning elections.

The government largely eliminated shortages earlier this year. But in recent weeks, shoppers have been unable to find coffee in stores, though cafes still serve it and street vendors are selling it at about twice the regulated price.”

Coffee is the world’s secondmost heavily-traded commodity besides oil, and the lifeblood of many second- and third-world nations.  When the commercial coffee infrastructure falls apart in these places, it can have wide-reaching impacts not just at the day-to-day level but at business and government levels.

Read the full story here.