Benefits of Drinking Black Coffee

A few months ago, I walked into a quaint cafe and treated myself with chocolate mocha after a delicious meal. The decadent cup was inhaled in three large gulps. For my gluttony, I was about to suffer miserably.

As soon as I clicked on the car seat belt, I felt uncomfortable. An hour-long walk in the playground nearby felt like I was dragging a heavy rock behind me on that beautiful Spring afternoon . As soon as I was indoors, the walls began to close in. So I headed out again into the chilly twilight for a breath of fresh air and ponder why I couldn't stomach one day of indulgence.

As the blood flowed freely, I recollected other times when I felt similarly uncomfortable. The culprit was identified milk. More specifically, my lactose intolerance.

While my usual cup of coffee at work or home has a splash of cream or milk (which didn't noticeably irritate my stomach), a full cup of whole milk was too much. I also happen to dislike ice-cream since a young age, and now it makes sense why orange popsicle was always my jam!

With this new insight, I updated my coffee to black "normal coffee", without any additives. Most of us don't like coffee black because we don't pick quality coffee. We add milk/cream and sugar to make it more palatable, because cafe solo (Spanish for 'coffee alone') can taste bitter. When brewed right, black coffee is a delightful sensory experience!

Cognitive and mood benefits are often attributed to caffeine in coffee. The aroma of freshly brewed mug of coffee dispels brain fog. Hence the idiom:

Wake up and smell the coffee

The jolt of caffeine can kick start your metabolism. Bonus points when you hit the gym right after consuming your cup of joe.

Psychoactive effects include better concentration and faster response. I give credit to successful score during my Class 10 exams to coffee. I'd wake up at 5am for final revision with a steaming cup of coffee in my hand. Whatever I'd crammed up last night was lost from memory; the formulas and names I read in the morning seemed to stick. I went on to apply the same recipe for Class 12 and college grad exams. Coffee is often prescribed for teens suffering with ADHD for less disruptive classroom behavior and better test scores.

On days when I haven't slept enough (less than 8 hours), I take a 'coffee nap' to feel less like a zombie after lunch. For nailing a successful coffee nap, you guzzle a quarter mug of coffee, set your alarm for 20 minutes, put on your eye mask and play a white noise soundtrack. The caffeine starts to work its magic in 20 minutes and you awake pumped up and revving to go. It's the same reason a cup of black coffee is advocated before a workout.

Don't just take my word for it. This video by Michael Greger shows scientific studies confirming that milk blocks absorption of good nutrients in coffee, chocolate, tea, even blueberries.

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Desi brew French eshtlye

Think outside the box

This phrase is often tossed around in brainstorming sessions. I've heard my share during a stint with an ad agency. For disruptive thinking, I often disrupt my daily routine.

I had been on a vacation visiting family in SoCal recently. The imposing heat which soared to 100F by mid-morning daunted me from the kettle for a rolling boil to pour into the French Press. But I sorely missed my caffeine fix. After a sweltering run in the nearby baseball court one morning, I grudgingly prepared a hot brew to thwart sleep, which would have meant I'd miss out on picking up my niece and nephew from their Montessori.

As I sat beside the air vent, blasted by the cool air sipping my freshly pressed coffee, an idea germinated -

What if I used the French Press for making a cold brew?

As you've read before on this blog, Cold Brew is something I've toyed with in the past. Chiefly, it is low in acid

approximately 67% less acidic than coffee brewed by conventional hot-brew methods

However, purchasing an expensive and bulky apparatus deterred me from introducing it into my daily ritual. Using a coffee filter, propped into a funnel turned out to be tacky and time consuming; let's not forget messy!

I ran the idea by my brother. He was skeptical but I promised that we'd try it only if he liked the result the next morning. So, before hitting the sack I measured 8 coffee spoons and 3 cups of normal water into the glass carafe. I stirred the grounds into the water and then stuck it into the refrigerator. The next morning, there was froth gathered in the carafe when we took it out.

Since my sis-in-law prefers a lukewarm coffee, I heated and frothed the milk, and then poured the cold brew for her cuppa. My brother and I had our coffee piping hot with a dash of cinnamon. We collectively agreed that the coffee was smoother and less bitter than the regular French Press brew. Moreover, there was no residual at the bottom of the cup as all the fine particles settled down during the 12 hours the coffee steeped in the cooler.

For the remainder of my stay, I would fix up the coffee carafe the night before, so we could grab our caffeine fix first thing in the morning, without waiting 15 long minutes for the grounds to stew. Time saved is time earned. In my case it was a treat of spending the time playing and chatting with my toddler nephew and infant niece before they headed to the Montessori.