Posts from — December 2008

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.