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Tag: Coffee

  • Coffee may help with muscle mass as you age, new study says

    Coffee may help with muscle mass as you age, new study says

    Coffee may help with muscle mass as you age, new study says

    “The research shows a clear association.”

    Your go-to cup of coffee may do more than pep you up in the morning—it could help you to age more comfortably. That’s the main takeaway from a new study, which found a link between drinking coffee every day and having higher muscle mass. Video above: Six ways drinking coffee is linked to better healthIn case you’re not familiar with it, muscle mass is the amount of muscle in your body, and it helps with your strength, balance, and metabolism. Plus, as you age, having a higher muscle mass has been linked with more mobility and a lower risk of falls.But what does coffee have to do with muscle mass? Here’s the deal.What did the study find?For the study, which was published in Frontiers in Nutrition in August, researchers analyzed health data from more than 8,300 adults in the United States. The scientists looked at participants’ muscle mass through bone density scans and then compared that with their coffee intake from questionnaires.The study authors found that people who drank coffee every day had an 11 to 13 percent higher muscle mass than non-coffee drinkers. This, they concluded, may help lower the risk of developing sarcopenia, a musculoskeletal disease. (Worth noting: There did not seem to be an association between drinking decaf coffee and muscle mass.)“An appropriate increase in coffee and caffeine intake may be advocated in populations at high risk for low skeletal muscle mass,” the researchers added.Does coffee improve muscle mass?It’s important to point out that the study didn’t prove that drinking coffee gives you higher muscle mass. Instead, it found a link between a daily coffee and having higher muscle mass. “It’s not definitive proof that coffee alone will preserve muscle mass as you age,” says Scott Keatley, RD, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy.Still, Keatley says that findings are “fascinating,” adding, “The research shows a clear association between coffee and caffeine intake and improvements in skeletal muscle mass.” As for why, Keatley says it could be due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of caffeine. Inflammation is linked to decreased muscle mass, so tamping down on it could potentially have the opposite effect, he explains. Coffee may also help clear out damaged cells and maintain muscle integrity, Keatley says. “That could help prevent the muscle degradation typically seen with aging,” he says. Should I start drinking coffee for muscle mass? Nope, we’re not there yet. “While the research suggests coffee can have benefits for muscle mass, I wouldn’t recommend starting a coffee habit solely for that purpose,” Keatley says. “While coffee may have some benefits, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution,” he says. “People need to take into account their own health, lifestyle, and whether caffeine affects them negatively.”If you want to build up your muscle mass, Keatley suggests focusing on having a balanced, protein-rich diet with lean sources like fish, chicken, and plant-based proteins. “Engaging in resistance training is a proven method to build and maintain muscle mass, and combining that with activities like walking or cycling helps improve overall function,” he says. And, if you happen to drink coffee, that may help you out, too.

    Your go-to cup of coffee may do more than pep you up in the morning—it could help you to age more comfortably. That’s the main takeaway from a new study, which found a link between drinking coffee every day and having higher muscle mass.

    Video above: Six ways drinking coffee is linked to better health

    In case you’re not familiar with it, muscle mass is the amount of muscle in your body, and it helps with your strength, balance, and metabolism. Plus, as you age, having a higher muscle mass has been linked with more mobility and a lower risk of falls.

    But what does coffee have to do with muscle mass? Here’s the deal.

    What did the study find?

    For the study, which was published in Frontiers in Nutrition in August, researchers analyzed health data from more than 8,300 adults in the United States. The scientists looked at participants’ muscle mass through bone density scans and then compared that with their coffee intake from questionnaires.

    The study authors found that people who drank coffee every day had an 11 to 13 percent higher muscle mass than non-coffee drinkers. This, they concluded, may help lower the risk of developing sarcopenia, a musculoskeletal disease. (Worth noting: There did not seem to be an association between drinking decaf coffee and muscle mass.)

    “An appropriate increase in coffee and caffeine intake may be advocated in populations at high risk for low skeletal muscle mass,” the researchers added.

    Does coffee improve muscle mass?

    It’s important to point out that the study didn’t prove that drinking coffee gives you higher muscle mass. Instead, it found a link between a daily coffee and having higher muscle mass. “It’s not definitive proof that coffee alone will preserve muscle mass as you age,” says Scott Keatley, RD, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy.

    Still, Keatley says that findings are “fascinating,” adding, “The research shows a clear association between coffee and caffeine intake and improvements in skeletal muscle mass.”

    As for why, Keatley says it could be due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of caffeine. Inflammation is linked to decreased muscle mass, so tamping down on it could potentially have the opposite effect, he explains.

    Coffee may also help clear out damaged cells and maintain muscle integrity, Keatley says. “That could help prevent the muscle degradation typically seen with aging,” he says.

    Should I start drinking coffee for muscle mass?

    Nope, we’re not there yet. “While the research suggests coffee can have benefits for muscle mass, I wouldn’t recommend starting a coffee habit solely for that purpose,” Keatley says.

    “While coffee may have some benefits, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution,” he says. “People need to take into account their own health, lifestyle, and whether caffeine affects them negatively.”

    If you want to build up your muscle mass, Keatley suggests focusing on having a balanced, protein-rich diet with lean sources like fish, chicken, and plant-based proteins.

    “Engaging in resistance training is a proven method to build and maintain muscle mass, and combining that with activities like walking or cycling helps improve overall function,” he says. And, if you happen to drink coffee, that may help you out, too.

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  • 4 Cups Of Coffee May Lower The Risk Of Heart Disease, Study Finds

    4 Cups Of Coffee May Lower The Risk Of Heart Disease, Study Finds

    How many cups of coffee do you find yourself drinking a day? One? Two? Maybe more? Well, a meta-analysis of cohort studies published in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases found that there’s a specific number of cups that might have some favorable impacts on the risk of death and cardiovascular disease—especially in people with type 2 diabetes.

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  • Does Coffee Cause Inflammation? Doctors Explain The Impacts

    Does Coffee Cause Inflammation? Doctors Explain The Impacts

    Some days (most days), the thought of coffee is the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. And if you try to talk to me before I’ve had my first cup? Forget about it. But while there’s certainly a comfort factor to a steaming (or iced, if that’s the way you roll) cup of joe, there’s also a lot of discussion about how coffee can fit (or whether it does fit) into a healthy lifestyle. 

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  • Denver’s first canna-spa, opening soon, brings marijuana and massages under one roof – The Cannabist

    Denver’s first canna-spa, opening soon, brings marijuana and massages under one roof – The Cannabist

    Denver’s first cannabis spa is almost ready to start serving locals R&R – as in reefer and relaxation.

    When it opens on Sept. 14, Pure Elevations Canna-Spa & Salon (185 S. Santa Fe Drive) will be among the city’s first public consumption spaces, where guests who book a massage or pedicure will be able to smoke weed onsite before or after their appointment. The business will sell marijuana products from a small dispensary counter in its salon for guests to consume on the outdoor patio, and it will also integrate topicals into its services and treatments. That means THC- and CBD-infused massages for anyone who wants to get extra chill.

    Owner Rebecca Marroquin’s unique concept was inspired by her own experience using cannabis lotions to help with pain. In 2011, Marroquin was preparing to finish school and become a massage therapist when she was involved in a car crash that broke her neck. Four months of using infused topicals had her back on track to graduate.

    Read the rest of this story on DenverPost.com.

    The Cannabist Network

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  • Cult fave Sheetz sets opening date for first-ever Michigan location

    Cult fave Sheetz sets opening date for first-ever Michigan location

    An opening date has been announced for the first-ever Michigan Sheetz location, a Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain with something of a cult following.

    The store is set to open to the public at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 33380 Wick Rd., Romulus, with a grand opening celebration planned for 9-11 a.m.

    The company says it’s the first of about 50 stores it plans to open in the Detroit area in the next five years or so. It’s the first major expansion the chain has made in about 20 years.

    The Romulus store will include the chain’s 24-7 food and coffee options, as well as indoor and outdoor dining seating and grocery items. The company also touts one of the largest electric vehicle charging networks in the U.S.

    Grand opening festivities will include a $5,000 donation to the Forgotten Harvest and Special Olympics of Michigan. The company also says it will provide weekly food donations to local food banks, financial assistance, and other community initiatives.

    Sheetz says it plans to hire around 30 workers for the first store. The company has been ranked among the “Companies that Care” by People magazine and among “Best Workplaces in Retail” by Fortune.

    Lee DeVito

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  • This Compact Coffeemaker Makes Brewing Pour Over Coffee a Breeze

    This Compact Coffeemaker Makes Brewing Pour Over Coffee a Breeze

    xBloom’s new coffee machine uses the company’s coffee pods to automate pour over coffee. The built-in grinder, brewer, and scale combined with its app lets it make specialty coffee at the touch of a button. But it also has semi-auto and fully manual modes for those that enjoy the process. The app even has a neat recipe sharing section.

    Lambert Varias

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  • Is Black Coffee Good For You? Benefits & Pro Drinking Tips

    Is Black Coffee Good For You? Benefits & Pro Drinking Tips

    There haven’t been a lot of studies done on this directly, but the short answer is: maybe. “In theory, drinking black coffee may assist in reducing belly fat. The caffeine present in coffee has thermogenic properties, meaning it can stimulate the body’s metabolic rate and thus, boost fat-burning processes,” says Greenleaf. “Additionally, consuming coffee before engaging in physical exercise may enhance overall workout performance and increase the number of calories burned during the session, ultimately contributing to reduced belly fat.”

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  • Starbucks workers union asks for community support this weekend in fight for a fair contract

    Starbucks workers union asks for community support this weekend in fight for a fair contract

    click to enlarge

    Photo by McKenna Schueler/Orlando Weekly

    Courtney Thompson (left) stands on the picket line with fellow Starbucks workers at Central Florida’s only unionized Starbucks on March 22, 2023.

    Unionized Starbucks workers across the country, and right here in the Orlando area, are calling for community support this weekend, asking the public to visit local union stores and wear red to support workers’ fight for a fair union contract.

    “As we continue making progress toward our contracts with the company, union Starbucks workers are asking for your help!” the union wrote on a webpage promoting the event.

    “During Red for Bread Weekend (July 26-29, Friday through Monday), stand in solidarity with us by stopping by your local union shop, wearing something red, grabbing a beverage (or free water) under the name ‘UNION STRONG,’ and sharing some words of encouragement with baristas who are more than RED-dy for a collective bargaining agreement!” the page reads.

    The Orlando metro area, while suffering no shortage of Starbucks locations (in addition to other locally owned favorites like Foxtail, Lineage and Drunken Monkey) currently has just one unionized Starbucks, located at 305 E. Mitchell Hammock Road in Oviedo.

    Workers there, in a historic victory for the region, became the first Starbucks workers in Central Florida to unionize back in 2022, although they have since recently been joined by baristas at another Starbucks location in Tampa. A wave of organizing within the chain first took the U.S. by storm in 2021, when workers at a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York became the first to successfully unionize with the labor union Workers United.

    Since then, more than 470 locations and 10,500 Starbucks workers across 45 states and the District of Columbia have unionized, inspiring workers for other retail and service employers — like Trader Joe’s and Amazon — to apply the same grassroots energy to their own efforts.

    Clay Blastic, a shift supervisor at the union Starbucks in Oviedo, told Orlando Weekly their location has suffered turnover recently (not uncommon in the industry) and that those new to the store — and new to the union — would welcome a show of support.

    “This community has had our back in this long fight from the election to today, and I hope we can continue the work and support as [we] fight in contract negotiations,” Blastic told Orlando Weekly in a text. “They’ve been invaluable in giving us the support to keep going.”

    Baristas at unionized Starbucks locations have been in what has been, in the past, an aggressive fight with their employer — a multibillion-dollar coffee giant — to reach an agreement on a union contract.

    Starbucks has been accused in hundreds of complaints with the federal labor board of committing unfair labor practices — essentially, violations of federal labor law. It has poured hefty resources into lawyers from notoriously anti-union law firms like Littler Mendelson. A number of pro-union workers were allegedly fired by Starbucks for their union activity, while others have reported other forms of retaliation for supporting the union, such as being scheduled fewer hours or facing discipline for wearing pro-union pins on the job — all common tactics of union busters.

    However, the tide shifted in what was considered by both sides to be a major breakthrough this February, when the union and Starbucks agreed to begin talks on a foundational framework for union contracts. Even President Joe Biden weighed in on the announcement, offering his support.

    “Today, I applaud workers and Starbucks for announcing a framework that respects the right to form and join unions. When workers win, we all win,” Biden shared in a post on X.

    Starbucks workers are largely advocating for better scheduling and staffing practices, quality healthcare benefits, a living wage that allows baristas to afford to live in their communities, and a commitment from Starbucks to have workers’ backs when they face harassment from customers.

    According to the union, both parties have held monthly bargaining sessions for contract talks, with more than 400 workers from unionized locations involved. Workers involved are democratically elected by their fellow coworkers to represent them in contract talks as delegates or caucus members, according to the union.

    “Starbucks and Workers United met last week in Dallas, Texas to continue advancing the framework intended to be the foundation of each single-store contract,” the union shared in a statement with Orlando Weekly. “The two days of positive negotiations advanced non-economic measures within that framework. We look forward to continuing negotiations, and our goal remains to reach ratified contracts for partners in represented stores by the end of this year.”

    Blastic, the Starbucks worker at the Oviedo location, told Orlando Weekly they have already heard from a couple of local organizations that plan to show up this weekend to support them, including Central Florida Jobs with Justice and the Orlando chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America — both of which have similarly demonstrated solidarity with the union in the past.

    Readers can make their own pledge to visit their local union Starbucks this weekend here. A map of unionized locations is available on the union’s website.

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    McKenna Schueler

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  • National chain Toastique to open first Michigan location in Ann Arbor

    National chain Toastique to open first Michigan location in Ann Arbor

    East Coast toast and juice café Toastique is set to open its first Michigan location.

    Since its launch in Washington, D.C. in 2018, the chain known for its health-conscious menu of gourmet toast, smoothie bowls, and cold-pressed juices has grown to over 20 locations nationally, with just as many on the way.

    The newest location will be at 200 E. Washington St. in Ann Arbor, just steps away from University of Michigan’s campus. The first 100 guests at the grand opening on August 10 will receive $50 in Toastique dollars with a $10 minimum purchase. These rewards can be used on future visits through the Toastique loyalty program.

    Toastique’s menu includes items like Smoked Salmon Toast, Spicy Crab Toast, PB & B Bowl, Green Machine Smoothie, cold brew coffee, and iced collagen lattes.

    Franchisees Candace and Austin Kovar are bringing Toastique to Michigan after initially considering the franchise in 2019. It wasn’t the right time then, but seeing the brand grow so rapidly in just a few years revived the couple’s interest.

    “Running my own business has been a goal of mine for the longest time, and since having my daughter, I hope to pave a way and be a role model to her that strong-minded women can do anything they set their minds to,” Candace Kovar said in a press release. “I grew up in the restaurant industry, but when it came down to deciding what type of concept we wanted to run, Toastique was a clear fit for us.”

    She added, “The city of Ann Arbor is future-focused and Toastique is too,” Candace Kovar said. “We want to complement the communal atmosphere of Ann Arbor with a concept where locals can gather and enjoy a relaxing brunch or post-workout meal that’s filled with high-quality healthy produce and responsibly sourced ingredients. We can’t wait to join the Ann Arbor community on August 10th for a big grand opening celebration!”

    Following the grand opening, Toastique Ann Arbor will be open daily from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

    More information can be found at toastique.com or on Facebook @toastiqueannarbor.

    Layla McMurtrie

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  • MALK Just Launched A Creamer — And Our Coffee Rituals Have Never Been Better

    MALK Just Launched A Creamer — And Our Coffee Rituals Have Never Been Better

    We take our morning drink rituals seriously around here. That’s because we know that when you win the morning, you win the day. Most days, we’re only a mug away from positivity, inspiration, and productivity. Does it get better than a fresh cup of coffee with a swirl of creamer? Actually yes, yes it does.

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  • The Best AeroPress

    The Best AeroPress

    Buying an AeroPress used to be easy; for years, there was only one model. Thanks to its ingenious design—a syringelike plunger that pushes coffee in the brewing chamber through a small paper filter—it made fantastic coffee, offered all sorts of room for experimentation, and was easy to clean. In 2019, some 14 years after the debut of the first AeroPress, the company introduced the travel-friendly Go. This minimally miniaturized version of the original design was particularly nice for using on trips, since it meant an end to relying on crummy K-Cups in hotel rooms.

    For a while, it was just those two. Then the dam broke—the result of both a 2021 investment in AeroPress by Tiny Capital and fans’ insistent clamoring for more AeroPresses—and the company released a few new versions of its brewer. Unfortunately, while the Original and Go had a “lightning strikes twice” vibe, the new crop is more of a mixed bag. Somehow, after all this time, what’s come out still feels rushed. We’ve been using the Original and Go for years and started testing the new gear as soon as it came out. While it’s not as universally appealing, there are features that fans may want to consider and some to avoid. If you already have an AeroPress, that’s almost certainly everything you need. But if you’re buying a new one, here’s some advice on which version to get.

    Be sure to check out our other coffee guides, including the Best Coffee Grinders, Best Portable Coffee Makers, Best Coffee Bean Subscriptions, and Best Espresso Machines.

    Updated July 2024: We’ve added the AeroPress Go Plus and the latest version of the Clear, and we’ve updated links and prices throughout.

    If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more.

    Best for Home or Office

    If you’re a longtime AeroPress owner, chances are this is the one you’ve got. Not much of a looker in its cloudy gray color, but it’s an exceedingly high performer and has been a favorite of baristas and home brewers since it came out. Part of the reason is that it allows you to control so many of the brewing variables: water temperature, amount of coffee, grind size, and bloom and brew times. Even when you don’t make a perfect cup, it’s usually still pretty good. The compact size means it barely takes up more space than a mug in your kitchen, and it’s fairly easy to take on a trip. Plasticky? Yes, but also durable enough that I no longer remember how long I’ve owned mine. I have an Original and a Go, and I tend to use the former at home and take the Go on the road. If I worked in an office, I would keep an Original there. Compared to the other models, it’s probably the most versatile, ready to accommodate your inner nerd when you want to take a deep dive. Even if this were still the only one in existence, we’d be just as fanatical about it.

    Best for Frequent Fliers

    It never really dawned on me that the Original could be improved, and in a way the Go is just a slightly smaller version, yet the changes are ingenious, allowing for it to nestle inside a mug, along with a scoop, stirrer, and little compactlike clamshell that holds filters. Pack it all up and toss it in the bottom of your suitcase for your next flight, or put it in your backpack and head for the hills. (Campers love these.) You can, of course, bring whole beans and a hand grinder, but that seems like overkill to me. Grind what you need before heading for the great outdoors or, if your adventure is more urban, find a coffee shop at your destination, meet some locals, buy a bag, ask them to “grind it for AeroPress,” and ask if they have any brewing suggestions—I bet they will. Before you skip town, buy a bag of beans to grind at home and call it both a souvenir and self-care reward. The 8-ounce Go (9/10 WIRED Recommends) is obviously for the travelers out there, but if you’re not too finicky, it’s close enough to the 10-ounce Original that owning both feels redundant. I travel a lot, so if I had to pare it down, this would be The One.

    Aeropress also recently released an update called the Go Plus ($80), but this one’s a bit of a dud. While the original Go is a tiny marvel, ready to make your morning cup in your kitchen or be packed into its mug and tossed in your backpack or carry-on bag, the Go Plus seems to be more angled toward commuters, with all of its brewing parts and accessories packed inside an insulated metal travel mug. Two big problems drag it down. First, the magnetic slider on its cup lid makes drinking from it surprisingly unpleasant, as it’ll likely be touching your nose as you drink, leaving you stuck in a weird nether space between making a seal and not making one; it is neither sip nor suck. Worse, unlike the Original, Clear, and Go, you can’t brew it into a mug with an inside diameter smaller than three inches … which is to say, most mugs. It’s also hard to puzzle out exactly whom it’s for. Compared with the Go, it feels a little too heavy to bring along in your luggage, and if you’re supposed to drink it in a car, do you just leave the brewing parts at home? At that point, you could use a normal AeroPress and just pour it into a travel mug that you like.

    Best for Gifting

    While there isn’t a huge difference between the new Clears and the Original, these are our new favorites. The completely clear version is excellent for seeing what’s going on inside the brewing chamber and is … clearly … better looking than the cloudy, opaque Original, which could be considered our budget pick now. The many color options make it a little harder to see what’s going on in there, and while we tend to be more functionally focused with our reviews, having something cheery-looking that doesn’t remind you of lab equipment or plumbing will certainly open doors to new users. If you already own an AeroPress, there’s no reason to upgrade, but if you’re just starting out, this is the place.

    Best for (Really) Big Boys

    AeroPress fans have been clamoring for a bigger version of the classic brewer for years, mostly because the Original’s 10-ounce capacity means making coffee for more than one person can be a pain in the butt. Those fans got their wish with a model that’s twice the size of the original. But bigger does not seem to be better. In fact, bigger seems a little more dangerous. While the Original, Clear, and Go all use the same size cap and filter, each piece of the XL is larger. It has its own filters, and you brew into the carafe it comes with, because the XL’s larger diameter makes it too big to brew directly into most mugs. It also gains a lot of height. With the plunger extended and connected to the barrel, and all of that sitting on the carafe, it’s 19 inches high. In our testing, 5’3″ Seattle barista Reyna Callejo from Olympia Coffee Roasting Company stood on a stool to get it to work, a balancing act involving hot liquids you likely will not want to be doing before your morning coffee, or ever, really. Using the inverted method also feels more perilous—that’s half a liter of hot water you’re perching high above your countertop, legs, and private parts. If you really love AeroPress, want an extra cup’s worth every time you brew, and aren’t put off by the potential perils, go for it, but most of us who crave more coffee would likely be better off with a different kind of brewer.

    Put a Lid on It?

    This accessory—which attaches to all AeroPress models except the XL—is designed to keep your brewing dripless, which it does if things are working right. A ketchup-bottle-style pressure-actuated valve allows the inverted-averse to experiment with grind sizes and brewing times with no drip. Your coffee won’t go anywhere until you press the plunger. It also is supposed to create an “espresso-style crema” with dark roast, which turns out to be vaguely sudsy bubbles, not the delicious, dense, caffeinated foamy goodness you might hope for. It’s sort of like the peach fuzz on a teenage boy’s upper lip compared to a legit bushy mustache. In fact, I did not notice much in the way of positive change that the cap had on the coffee it made. That flow control works great, though. Good luck cleanly ejecting the puck into the compost bin; without some peculiar futzing that I—and a lot of people online—never figured out, the filter and a layer of grounds tend to detach from the rest of the puck and get stuck in the cap. I had fun looking through the Amazon reviews, many of which complained about leaking, but laughed out loud at the one that hit home the most: “I don’t think it does anything.”

    Filtered Results

    This reusable stainless filter allows AeroPress users to avoid using and pitching the paper filters. Cutting down on paper waste is a noble intention, but I was fairly unimpressed with the results. Most notably, the end product is much sludgier than what AeroPress users are used to. Even for me, a French-press fan who doesn’t mind some sediment in the bottom of my cup, this seemed like a lot. Unless you use a Flow Control cap, the stainless filter also lets coffee drip through much faster than a paper filter does. Amazingly, water poured from a tap through an empty (no grounds) AeroPress with the stainless filter and stock cap will fill then overfill the vessel beneath it, not the brewing chamber. With a paper filter and the same cap, the brewing chamber fills, then takes well over a minute to empty out. Similarly, when you’re brewing coffee and depress the plunger, it sinks so fast and easily that keeping steady pressure on it is tricky. Finally, among all of our daily environmental sins, pitching a compostable 2.5-inch-wide paper disc (which can be used for multiple brewings) barely makes a blip compared with, say, that plastic- or plastic-lined bag your coffee comes in. As with the Flow Control cap, there’s probably a tiny niche of people who will make regular use of this, but I think most of us will drop 15 bucks on it, struggle with it a few times, then forget about it in the utensil drawer.

    My Own AeroPress Setup

    Most of us will be completely happy with just one AeroPress. Through work, I happen to own two, which is mostly redundant. If I had to whittle it down to just one, I’d take the Go. If I traveled less, I’d be fine with the Original and just take that on trips—it does just fine.

    The rest of my home setup includes an Oxo scale for weighing coffee beans by the gram. The current version of the scale is this Stainless Steel Food Scale ($56), a great all-rounder in the kitchen. WIRED reviewer Michael Calore likes Oxo’s Precision Scale ($56) that features a built-in timer, which is useful with more complicated AeroPress or pour-over brews.

    My grinder is a Baratza Encore ($150), which I love for the quality of the grind, overall value, and durability. It’s also repairable, a spot where many other manufacturers fall short.

    While I love the look of gooseneck kettles, I find them finicky and slow-pouring when I’m not using them for coffee. Instead, I’ve been using the Cuisinart CPK-17 ($100) for four years, and it’s still chugging away fine. It’s a reviewers’ darling, with six preset temperatures and a “keep warm” button to hold it at that temperature for 30 minutes.

    One little thing I’ve come to appreciate is working on a silicone mat while I brew. AeroPress fails are rites of passage, mostly because they can make a spectacular mess. I use a Silpat mat from my baking drawer, which provides a solid, nonslip base and helps keep disaster at bay.

    Joe Ray

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  • This Is Why You Should Supercharge Your Coffee With Creatine

    This Is Why You Should Supercharge Your Coffee With Creatine

    When you think of creatine supplements, you may picture a bulky man scooping a powder into a shaker cup and gulping it down before hitting the weights. But creatine is no longer confined to the weight rooms of elite athletes. People are now realizing that this supplement can benefit almost everyone—helping them get the most out of whatever their fitness routine looks like.* 

    If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you. †Not detected or below detectable limits. mindbodygreen’s clean coffee+ undergoes comprehensive, third-party lab testing in the USA for hundreds of purity, potency, and sensory tests. Rigorously tested for caffeine, theobromine, polyphenols, heavy metals, yeast, mold, bacteria, mycotoxins, acrylamide, pesticides, solvents, acidity, and more—our premium, whole coffee beans exceed industry-leading quality standards for potency, purity, and taste experience.

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  • What Should We Eat?  | NutritionFacts.org

    What Should We Eat?  | NutritionFacts.org

    Here is a review of reviews on the health effects of animal foods versus plant foods.

    Instead of looking only at individual studies or individual reviews of studies, what if you looked at a review of reviews? In my last video, I covered beverages. As you can see below and at 0:20 in my video Friday Favorites: What Are the Best Foods?, the majority of reviews found some effects either way, finding at least some benefits to tea, coffee, wine, and milk, but not for sweetened beverages, such as soda. As I explored in depth, this approach isn’t perfect. It doesn’t take into account such issues as conflicts of interest and industry funding of studies, but it can offer an interesting bird’s-eye view of what’s out in the medical literature. So, what did the data show for food groups? 

    You’ll note the first thing the authors did was divide everything into plant-based foods or animal-based foods. For the broadest takeaway, we can look at the totals. The vast majority of reviews on whole plant foods show protective or, at the very least, neutral effects, whereas most reviews of animal-based foods identified deleterious health effects or, at best, neutral effects, as you can see at 1:14 in my video. 

    Let’s break these down. As you can see in the graph below and at 1:23, the plant foods consistently rate uniformly well, reflecting the total, but the animal foods vary considerably. If it weren’t for dairy and fish, the total for animal foods would swing almost entirely neutral or negative. 

    I talked about the effects of funding by the dairy industry in my last blog, as well as substitution effects. For instance, those who drink milk may be less likely to drink soda, a beverage even more universally condemned than dairy, so the protective effects may be relative. They may arise not necessarily from what is being consumed, but rather from what is being avoided. This may best explain the fish findings. After all, the prototypical choice is between chicken and fish, not chicken and chickpeas.

    Not a single review found a single protective effect of poultry consumption. Even the soda industry could come up with 14 percent protective effects! But, despite all of the funding from the National Chicken Council and the American Egg Board, chicken, and eggs got big fat goose eggs, as you can see below and at 2:20 in my video. 

    Also, like the calcium in dairy, there are healthful components of fish, such as the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Not for heart health, though. In “the most extensive systematic assessment of effects of omega-3 fats on cardiovascular health to date,” increasing intake of fish oil fats had little or no effect on cardiovascular health. If anything, it was the plant-based omega-3s found in flaxseeds and walnuts that were protective. The long-chain omega-3s are important for brain health. Thankfully, just like there are best-of-both-worlds non-dairy sources of calcium, there are pollutant-free sources of the long-chain omega-3s, EPA, and DHA, as well.

    The bottom line, as you can see below and at 3:04 in my video, is that when it comes to diet-related diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, mental health, bone health, cardiovascular disease, and cancers, even if you lump together all the animal foods, ignore any industry-funding effects, and just take the existing body of evidence at face value, nine out of ten study compilations show that whole plant foods are, in the very least, not bad.

    However, about eight out of ten of the reviews on animal products show them to be not good, as shown in the graph below and at 3:24 in my video.

    This reminds me of my Flashback Friday: What Are the Healthiest Foods? video, which you may find to be helpful for some broad takeaways.

    If you missed my previous video, check out Friday Favorites: What Are the Best Beverages?.

    The omega-3s video I mentioned is Should Vegans Take DHA to Preserve Brain Function?.

    For more on eggs, see here.

    On fish, go here.

    And, for poultry, see related posts below. 

    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • What Should We Drink?  | NutritionFacts.org

    What Should We Drink?  | NutritionFacts.org

    Here is a review of reviews on the health effects of tea, coffee, milk, wine, and soda.

    If you’ve watched my videos or read my books, you’ve heard me say, time and again, the best available balance of evidence. What does that mean? When making decisions as life-or-death important as what to feed ourselves and our families, it matters less what a single study says, but rather what the totality of peer-reviewed science has to say.

    Individual studies can lead to headlines like “Study Finds No Link Between Secondhand Smoke and Cancer,” but to know if there is a link between secondhand smoke and lung cancer, it would be better to look at a review or meta-analysis that compiles multiple studies. The problem is that some reviews say one thing—for instance, “breathing other people’s tobacco smoke is a cause of lung cancer”—and other reviews say another—such as, the effects of secondhand smoke are insignificant and further such talk may “foster irrational fears.” And, while we’re at it, you can indulge in “active smoking of some 4-5 cigarettes per day” without really worrying about it, so light up!

    Why do review articles on the health effects of secondhand smoke reach such different conclusions? As you can imagine, about 90 percent of reviews written by researchers affiliated with the tobacco industry said it was not harmful, whereas you get the opposite number with independent reviews, as you can see below and at 1:18 in my video Friday Favorites: What Are the Best Beverages?. Reviews written by the tobacco industry–affiliated researchers had 88 times the odds of concluding that secondhand smoke was harmless. It was all part of “a deliberate strategy to use scientific consultants to discredit the science…” In other words, “the strategic and long run antidote to the passive smoking issue…is developing and widely publicizing clear-cut, credible, medical evidence that passive smoking [secondhand smoke] is not harmful to the non-smoker’s health.”

    Can’t we just stick to the independent reviews? The problem is that industry-funded researchers have all sorts of sneaky ways to get out of declaring conflicts of interest, so it can be hard to follow the money. For instance, it was found that “77% failed to disclose the sources of funding” for their research. But, even without knowing who funded what, the majority of reviews still concluded that secondhand smoke was harmful. So, just as a single study may not be as helpful as looking at a compilation of studies on a topic, a single review may not be as useful as a compilation of reviews. In that case, looking at a review of reviews can give us a better sense of where the best available balance of evidence may lie. When it comes to secondhand smoke, it’s probably best not to inhale, as you can see in the graph below and at 2:30 in my video. 

    Wouldn’t it be cool if there were reviews of reviews for different foods and drinks? Voila! Enter “Associations Between Food and Beverage Groups and Major Diet-Related Chronic Diseases: An Exhaustive Review of Pooled/Meta-Analyses and Systematic Reviews.” Let’s start with the drinks. As you can see below and at 2:51 in my video, the findings were classified into three categories: protective, neutral, or deleterious.

    First up: tea versus coffee. As you can see in the graph below and at 2:58, most reviews found both beverages to be protective for whichever condition they were studying, but you can see how this supports my recommendation for tea over coffee. Every cup of coffee is a lost opportunity to drink a cup of green tea, which is even healthier. 

    It’s no surprise that soda sinks to the bottom, as you can see below and at 3:20 in my video, but 14 percent of reviews mentioned the protective effects of drinking soda. What?! Well, most were references to papers like “High Intake of Added Sugar Among Norwegian Children and Adolescents,” a cross-sectional study that found that eighth-grade girls who drank more soda were thinner than girls who drank less. Okay, but that was just a snapshot in time. What do you think is more likely? That the heavier girls were heavier because they drank less soda, or that they drank less sugary soda because they were heavier? Soda abstention may therefore be a consequence of obesity, rather than a cause, yet it gets marked down as having a protective association. 

    Study design flaws may also account for wine numbers, as seen below and at 4:07 in my video. This review of reviews was published in 2014, before the revolution in our understanding of “alcohol’s evaporating health benefits,” suggesting that the “presumed health benefits from ‘moderate’ alcohol use [may have] finally collapsed”—thanks in part to a systematic error of misclassifying former drinkers as if they were lifelong abstainers, as I revealed in a deep dive in a video series on the subject.  

    Sometimes there are unexplainable associations. For example, one of the soft drink studies found that increased soda consumption was associated with a lower risk of certain types of esophageal cancers. Don’t tell me. Was the study funded by Coca-Cola? Indeed. Does that help explain the positive milk studies, as you can see in the graph below and at 5:02 in my video? Were they all just funded by the National Dairy Council? 

    As shown below and at 5:06, even more conflicts of interest have been found among milk studies than soda studies, with industry-funded studies of all such beverages “approximately four to eight times more likely to be favorable to the financial interests of the [study] sponsors than articles without industry-related funding.”

    Funding bias aside, though, there could be legitimate reasons for the protective effects associated with milk consumption. After all, those who drink more milk may drink less soda, which is even worse, so they may come out ahead. It may be more than just relative benefits, though. The soda-cancer link seems a little tenuous and not just because of the study’s financial connection to The Coca-Cola Company. It’s hard to imagine a biologically plausible mechanism, whereas even something as universally condemned as tobacco isn’t universally bad. As I’ve explored before, more than 50 studies have consistently found a protective association between nicotine and Parkinson’s disease. Even secondhand smoke may be protective. Of course, you’d still want to avoid it. Passive secondhand smoke may decrease the risk of Parkinson’s, but it increases the risk of stroke, an even deadlier brain disease, not to mention lung cancer and heart disease, which has killed off millions of Americans since the first Surgeon General’s report was released, as you can see below and at 6:20 in my video. 

    Thankfully, by eating certain vegetables, we may be able to get some of the benefits without the risks, and the same may be true of dairy. As I’ve described before, the consumption of milk is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, leading to recommendations suggesting that men may want to cut down or minimize their intake, but milk consumption is also associated with decreased colorectal cancer risk. This appears to be a calcium effect. Thankfully, we may be able to get the best of both worlds by eating high-calcium plant foods, such as greens and beans.  

    What does our review-of-reviews study conclude about such plant-based foods, in comparison to animal-based foods? We’ll find out next.

    Stay tuned for the exhaustive review of meta-analyses and systematic reviews on major diet-related chronic diseases found for food groups in What Are the Best Foods?.

    The alcohol video I mentioned is Is It Better to Drink a Little Alcohol Than None at All?, and the Parkinson’s video is Pepper’s and Parkinson’s: The Benefits of Smoking Without the Risks. I also mentioned my Dairy and Cancer video. 

    What about diet soda? See related posts below. 

    What’s so bad about alcohol? Check out Can Alcohol Cause Cancer? and Do Any Benefits of Alcohol Outweigh the Risks? for more. 

    I’ve also got tons of milk. Check here.

    My recommendations for the best beverages are water, green tea, and hibiscus herbal tea. Learn more in the related posts below.

    Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

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  • We went to the East African coffee ceremony at Whittier Cafe

    We went to the East African coffee ceremony at Whittier Cafe

    On a recent sunny Sunday, smells swirl by the front door of Whittier Cafe.

    Streams of spicy smoke waft from lit powdered incense, slightly sweet popcorn lays on a woven serving tray and roasted coffee beans gurgle in a clay pot called a jebena.

    All the while, Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel gives spectators a play-by-play.

    “Some people just know when the coffee is going to bubble up,” Birhanemaskel said, leaning over the jebena’s long spout with a watchful eye, waiting to catch the eruption of brewed goodness into another pot. “It really is a competition with the moms of whose daughter makes the best coffee. So, don’t be the one who lets it spill everywhere.”

    The roasted beans that Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel has prepared for her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    Birhanemaskel is in the middle of the cafe’s weekly East African coffee ceremony, a tradition where friends, family and more gather to gossip, provide life updates and enjoy each other’s company.

    It’s a tradition seeped in community connection, an idea that stems back to why Birhanemaskel opened the cafe to begin with.

    Whittier Cafe is celebrating its 11th year

    The cafe — found in the Whittier neighborhood at 1710 E. 25th Ave. — serves up African coffee, teaches cultural lessons on the beans and provides a third place.

    “We’re here 11 years going strong, busier than ever,” Birhanemaskel said. “It’s really amazing how much support we get and it’s all because of our local community … It’s still a real neighborhood spot where people come and talk to each other, which really isn’t a thing anymore.”

    Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel sends roasting smells through her coffee shop during her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    Talking to strangers and being a neighborhood staple is at the heart of her business, Birhanemaskel said.

    When the cafe opened, Whittier was still a predominantly Black neighborhood. But change was stirring.

    Gentrification, Birhanemaskel said, is a violent process, but it’s also like a flower blooming — slow, until all of sudden you look around and things are different.

    Black-owned businesses were closing left and right. For the cafe to survive, Birhanemaskel said the shop had to create a space where all people could connect, no matter their disagreements.

    “We had to figure out how can we get people to still connect with each other and not feel like it’s us versus them,” Birhanemaskel said. “How do we show a part of the community that is often invisible … How do we get some of those folks to open up and understand who’s coming into their community … How do we get people who are new here to recognize and get to know their neighbors who have been here forever.”

    Years later, Whittier Cafe has become an almost “neutral” ground spot where all sides can meet for a drink and (somewhat) relate. Birhanemaskel wishes she knew how it happened.

    ‘Neutral’ doesn’t mean apolitical, however.

    The cafe isn’t nicknamed the “activist’s coffee shop” for nothing.

    Birhanemaskel said she’s always going to stand up and speak her mind. Social justice is at the root of her core.

    The cafe is currently boycotting Ethiopian coffee beans in light of the Tigray War. The shop was home to the local Black Lives Matter chapter. Different political candidates and leaders have used the space to pitch their platforms. At one point the bathroom housed all types of protest signs.

    All of this has come at some cost. Someone sprayed hateful rhetoric on their fence. At one point, Birhanemaskel said her employees’ tires were being slashed (which she paid to fix). A dead pig was found in the alleyway, “which I didn’t get,” Birhanemaskel said.

    Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaske walks through her coffee shop. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    “If somethings wrong, somethings wrong. You shouldn’t be afraid to speak or stand up regardless of whatever the consequences,” Birhanemaskel said

    But ultimately, Birhanemaskel said, if you can’t have these types of chats in a coffee shop, where all kinds of people converge for caffeine and pastries, where else can you have it?

    “We’ve done some controversial things, which to me aren’t controversial. We’ve said things that have really offended people. And well, if you can’t be in a coffee shop, if you can’t have that conversation in this space, then we’re doomed. Where else are you going to have that space,” Birhanemaskel said. “Maybe we can’t change anything, but can we at least see each other?”

    Teaching is also at the core of Whittier Cafe

    When Birhanemaskel set out to open the coffee shop, her plan was simply to teach people about coffee.

    Many don’t know that the continent of Africa produces about 12 percent of the overall worldwide production of coffee, Birhanemaskel said. Specifically, Ethiopia and Uganda are listed in the top 10 countries producing coffee beans.

    The beans that Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel will roast for her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    Not only that, coffee was first discovered in Africa. According to the National Coffee Association, legend has it that a goat herder named Kaldi discovered the beans. He noticed that after his goats would eat certain berries, they’d get so energized they would refuse to sleep at night.

    The herder told a monk about his discovery. The monk made a drink out of it and felt the same energetic burst. Thus, coffee was born.

    Whittier Cafe uses beans from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. They also serve African beer.

    “I was so frustrated that everything you hear about Africa was always negative,” Birhanemaskel said. “There’s plenty of negatives to talk about and plenty of problems, but what I was frustrated about was that every day you literally start your day with a little piece of Africa and you don’t even know it … That’s why I started the coffee shop. I wanted people to know there’s some beautiful stuff over here too.”

    Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel puts on her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    The focus on teaching is also why Birhanemaskel hosts the weekly coffee ceremonies.

    The ceremony is done every day back home, sometimes multiple times a day, depending on if guests stop by, Birhanemaskel said.

    The ceremony is rooted in family. Regardless of age, or whether you even drink coffee, everyone is present for the serving. It provides space for family members to connect and catch up.

    Usually, the women in the family perform the ceremony. Mothers, aunties and grandmothers pass on the tradition. Birhanemaskel’s mom taught her.

    Here’s how a coffee ceremony works

    Birhanemaskel starts by making popcorn. Typically the coffee is served with some type of food, either bread or popcorn. We got kettle corn.

    Next, she begins roasting the green beans in a simple misshapen tin pot with a long handle.

    “It’s funny because in this country, people will buy expensive roasters when this is like a $3 tin pot,” Birhanemaskel said. “The most important thing is to not burn your beans. That’ll completely throw off everything.”

    Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel roasts beans during her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    She shakes the pot consistently to prevent the beans from burning, roasting them until they get dark and plump. Her thumb muscles are working overtime.

    Crackling sounds pop up from the pot, along with a rich, almost sweet, smell as the oils burn away from the beans.

    Birhanemaskel said she can’t give a time frame on when the beans are done roasting. It’s kind of a “if you know, you know” thing.

    “I don’t have a good answer because when I ask my mom, she says you just know,” Birhanemaskel laughed. “She’s like, just look at it.”

    The roasted beans that Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel has prepared for her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    Soon, the green beans become a dark, dark brown. They, of course, aren’t burnt.

    Once the beans are grinded, they’re mixed with water inside the jebena and the brewing begins.

    For the ceremony, the coffee is brewed and served three times.

    The first round will be the strongest. By the third serving, a guest is well beyond caffeinated. That final round is more in line with how most people enjoy their coffee strength, Birhanemaskel said.

    Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel pours grounds into an urn during her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    Birhanemaskel explains all of this while keeping a close eye on the jebena. If the coffee bubbles out the spout and spills, the ancestors will laugh and the aunties will gossip.

    Part of the ceremony is allowing the coffee to bubble up three times. Each time, Birhanemaskel catches the brew in the misshapen tin pot and pours it back into the jebena.

    After the third bubbling, Birhanemaskel removes the jebena from the fire and prepares for the pour.

    She lays out all of the cups, pouring a good amount of sugar in each. (“The coffee is really strong,” Birhanemaskel laughs.) No milk.

    For the ceremony, the goal is to fill all of the cups with one continuous pour. No spilling. The idea behind the single pour, Birhanemaskel said, is that everyone is interconnected.

    Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel puts on her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    The problem is, of course, that the pot is heavy.

    “You don’t know this pain unless you actually do it,” Birhanemaskel said, using one arm to hold the pot over the cups and the other to prop her pour arm up. “It’s like a weird muscle that we never use, except when we pour the coffee. You’d think I’d have a strong muscle by now.”

    As Birhanemaskel approaches the last few cups, the crowd starts to cheer her on. She perseveres, completing the first round without putting down the jebena. No spills.

    She hands each person in Whittier Cafe a cup, even if they weren’t watching the ceremony.

    Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel shares cups with guests during her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    It’s strong, smooth and sweet. It tastes like hard work.

    Everyone in the circle nods in approval. The second and third rounds come quickly and the coffee just gets better and better.

    Felix J. Lopez said he learned about the ceremony randomly. He didn’t know what time it started, and was about to leave just before it began. He’s glad he stayed.

    Felix J. Lopez sips coffee prepared during Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel’s weekly ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    “My family is Mexican, so this reminds me of a very community-centric aspect that I really appreciate. It’s a pleasant surprise,” Lopez said. “I think the ritual … there’s such a simplistic beauty in it that somehow also brings so many people together. We were all strangers but it doesn’t feel that way anymore. We’ve made connections.”

    And that’s the point of the ceremony. It’s the point of Whittier Cafe.

    Birhanemaskel said she’s ready for the next 11 years.

    She’s never wanted to expand, but if the right location presented itself, she’d consider it. Whittier Cafe is under a lease for another four years.

    But Birhanemaskel said the coffee will keep coming for as long as people will have it. The cafe will always be a center for social justice.

    And as far as the ceremonies go, Birhanemaskel said there is no Whittier Cafe without them.

    Really, there’s no cafe without the community, she said.

    “The ceremony is really about connection and community … When we do it here, we may not be blood family but we’re forming that connection,” Birhanemaskel said. “That’s what’s missing for everybody is that connection. That’s why people are so crazy all the time … I don’t see how you survive without community. It’s impossible to be healthy without community.”

    Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel (left) embraces her childhood friend, Kimberly Johnson, as she walks into Birhanemaskel’s weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

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  • French-inspired coffee shop Café Noir opens in Detroit’s North End

    French-inspired coffee shop Café Noir opens in Detroit’s North End

    Hopefully third time’s the charm for this new coffee shop at 9405 John R. St. in Detroit’s North End.

    The French-inspired Café Noir opened a few weeks ago in the space formerly home to Black Coffee, which opened in late 2022. A year before that, the coffee shop was named Kenilworth Cafe.

    Now, new life has been breathed into the community spot once again.

    While Café Noir is a play on the name Black Coffee, the space has been heavily reimagined and updated, with a French-inspired menu and ambiance, rather than the Afro-centric vibe that Black Coffee took on. The spot serves up a variety of coffee drinks alongside pastries and sandwiches, aiming to “provide a welcoming space for people to connect, socialize, and build community.”

    While there’s a lot that is new, the space’s unique and fun outdoor co-working circles, as well as free community WiFi access, are still present.

    click to enlarge

    Randiah Camille Green

    Outdoor co-working cubes with WiFi for summer use.

    “It’s a modern vibe, but still has a French provincial aesthetic where we have tables outside and we really want to invite people just to come in [and] relax,” new owner Evan Fay says. “If you want to do work or just grab a quick lunch, we want to have a really cool vibe and be a neighborhood cafe.”

    Fay bought the entire seven-unit building that the coffee shop is located in around three months ago. As the coffee shop’s previous manager didn’t plan to continue running the space, Fay decided to take on the challenge himself. But first, he needed some help.

    With a background in real estate, the owner was in search of a coffee professional, and quickly found one in Asher Van Sickle. Fay says it was a “match made in heaven,” so he asked Van Sickle to join him as a partner to help create a strong brand for Café Noir.

    click to enlarge Asher Van Sickle (left) and Evan Fay (right). - Courtesy photo

    Courtesy photo

    Asher Van Sickle (left) and Evan Fay (right).

    “He comes from the development side and I come from the coffee and cafe side, but our connection point is community and neighborhood development. That’s a really important thing for both of us,” Van Sickle says. “We want to provide a really good space and we want to provide an excellent cup of coffee, but more so than any of that, we want to be a neighborhood spot that is truly just developing community for the neighborhood here in the North End.”

    Not only has Van Sickle worked with other cafes in Detroit, but he has also traveled the country competing in barista competitions and sees the importance baristas and coffee shops have in people’s everyday lives.

    “When I visit a city, I travel via coffee shops. I’m a firm believer that every neighborhood deserves a good cafe, and that’s something that this neighborhood really needed was just a really good solid cafe to provide excellence and a sense of community,” Van Sickle says. “Café Noir is developed with that in mind, just a pursuit of excellence and a pursuit of quality and just fostering that sense of community for the North End neighborhood.”

    Being from a military family who moved frequently, Fay is not originally from Detroit, but chose to settle down in the city after moving from Alaska. Van Sickle has lived in Detroit for 12 years. Both of the business partners now live very close to the cafe.

    “I love, really, everything about the North End and its cultural diversity,” Fay says. “The inspiration for our logo is Josephine Baker, so we did a mural on the side of the building of a young Josephine Baker, and the quote that we use is, ‘To realize our dreams, we must decide to wake up,’ which really kind of captures how in order to realize your dreams, you have to be willing to step out and invest, and the North End really kind of embodies that.”

    Van Sickle adds, “It’s full of people chasing after a dream and building something and that’s what we’re also trying to do here at Café Noir.”

    In addition to a mission of building community, Café Noir also has a goal of being sustainable, partnering with food waste app Too Good To Go to allow community members to purchase excess pastries and coffee at a lower price.

    Looking forward, Fay and Van Sickle hope that the new coffee shop can be a long-standing “quintessential third space” for the local community.

    “Yes, we want to offer coffee and really good food but we also want to be community-centric… We just want to offer a space that is inviting and if you need to use it or there’s a private event or whatever, we want to make sure that we’re that space,” Fay says. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, a lot of people have been very excited about coming to the space and showing support. We’re really thankful to the community in the North End. We’re really excited. We’re here to be consistent and be available for people to come.”

    Currently, Café Noir is still in a soft-launch period, but the plan is to have a grand opening in July alongside other new and rebranded businesses in the same building. While a date is not yet solidified, the event promises to be a fun day showcasing the plaza and the greenspace behind it to the community.

    Café Noir is open Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. More information and updates can be found on Instagram @cafenoir.det.

    Trinosophes is one of our favorite local coffee spots.

    Layla McMurtrie

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  • Supermom In Training: Do you let your kids have caffeine? Some do…

    Supermom In Training: Do you let your kids have caffeine? Some do…

    Do your kids drink coffee? Even though coffee is life for this mama, my kid doesn’t. But some do. I was listening to a radio show the other day and in some Latin American and Italian cultures, kids as young as toddlers are given coffee in the form of a latte. Some parents were appalled by this, and others said it’s been a custom in their household for generations.

    It might seem a bit surprising to give a child coffee, but do we not let them eat chocolate and drink soda or iced tea? These all contain caffeine.

    According to Johns Hopkins, too much caffeine in children can cause issues such as increased anxiety, increased heart rate and blood pressure, acid reflux, and sleep disturbance. They said that too much caffeine is dangerous for kids, and in very high doses, it can be toxic.

    The scariest part about coffee and kids is that we just don’t know… researchers don’t yet know the long-term effects of giving kids a morning cup of Joe. 

    Would you let your kids have coffee?

    A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with Suburban readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.

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  • Our 13 Favorite Electric Kettles to Get the Water Going

    Our 13 Favorite Electric Kettles to Get the Water Going

    It’s important to maintain your electric kettle for a variety of reasons—it’ll increase its longevity, let your tea and coffee taste fresh, and keep the kettle itself looking its best. But as with other kitchen appliances, you can’t simply throw it in the dishwasher or scrub it with some soap and water. Below, we answer all the common questions that come with descaling an electric kettle.

    Why do I need to descale my electric kettle?

    Water contains natural minerals like calcium carbonate and magnesium. When boiling water, the heat causes those minerals to precipitate into a white, chalky deposit inside the kettle known as limescale buildup. Descaling your electric kettle removes that buildup. While limescale isn’t dangerous to your health, it can damage the kettle and affect its efficiency—causing it to take longer to boil water. It can impact the taste of the water too.

    How do you descale an electric kettle?

    You can descale your kettle using a water and vinegar solution—the mild acidity helps to break down the buildup of minerals. Add equal parts water and vinegar to the kettle and bring it to a boil. If you don’t have vinegar on hand, you can also use baking soda or lemon juice. When using baking soda, you should add one to two tablespoons to two cups of water and bring it to a boil. For lemon juice, you can either cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice out or use ¼ cup of lemon juice. Then, add the juice to one cup of water, mix it, and bring it to a boil.

    Depending on how much mineral buildup there is, or how long it’s been since you’ve descaled your kettle, you can let your solution sit inside the kettle for as little as 15 to 20 minutes or as long as overnight. Then, pour the water out and wipe the inside with a sponge, soft cloth, or soft-bristle sponge. You can repeat the process if you still see limescale.

    How often do I need to descale my electric kettle?

    If you live in an area with hard water (which is water with a high mineral content), you should descale your kettle every three months. If you live in an area with soft water (which has a low mineral content), you can wait a little longer. However, you should also descale it if you notice mineral deposits in the kettle, your tea or coffee tastes somewhat off, or you see grainy sediment at the bottom of your mug.

    Brenda Stolyar, Chris Haslam

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  • Whataburger Wants to Be Your New Go-To Coffee Shop

    Whataburger Wants to Be Your New Go-To Coffee Shop

    Whataburger hit the nail on our beverage-obsessed heads with its most recent product announcement: “Whataburger’s New Hot and Iced Coffees Are Here to Fuel Your Caffeine Obsessions.” The Texas-based burger chain has introduced new hot and iced coffee, available 24/7 with vanilla, caramel and mocha flavors…

    Lauren Drewes Daniels

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  • This 35-year-old turned a local Indonesian coffee stall into a unicorn startup — today it brings in $100 million a year

    This 35-year-old turned a local Indonesian coffee stall into a unicorn startup — today it brings in $100 million a year

    In college, Edward Tirtanata had a brewing love for coffee, so much so that he’d order “one huge cup” every day from either Dunkin’ Donuts or 7-Eleven.

    Today, the 35-year-old CEO and co-founder of venture-backed unicorn coffee company Kopi Kenangan, still has his cup of joe daily — except that he’s upgraded it to three or more cups a day for “product testing” purposes.

    What started as a local Indonesian coffee stall in 2017 has now become an international coffee brand worth over $1 billion, with more than 800 locations across Southeast Asia.

    The company raked in over $100 million in sales in 2023, according to documents provided to CNBC Make It.

    Within the span of seven years, Kopi Kenangan went from a local Indonesian coffee stall to a venture-backed unicorn coffee company.

    Entrepreneur in the making

    Tirtanata grew up in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

    But he moved to the U.S. in 2007 when he started college at Northeastern University in Boston, where he studied finance and accounting.

    While he never enjoyed studying, he had the heart of an entrepreneur from the start.

    Edward Tirtanata with his parents.

    Courtesy of Edward Tirtanata

    “When I was a kid, I was definitely naughty — I didn’t really study much,” he told CNBC Make It. “But whenever there is an opportunity to make money or do businesses, I always [got] excited.”

    “It’s not about the money — it’s about the pleasure of doing it. It is something that really excites me until today,” he said.

    Even as a student, Tirtanata discovered a key business principle: “Buy low, sell high.” He learned to sell Pokémon cards and gaming bots to friends at school for a profit. It was almost instinctive for him.

    Inspired by his parents who were also entrepreneurs, Tirtanata always enjoyed the hustle of making his own in the world.

    Edward Tirtanata with his family.

    Courtesy of Edward Tirtanata

    During his freshman year in university, he received a fateful call from his mother, who revealed that his father’s business had encountered some major financial setbacks.

    After that call, Tirtanata decided to speed through his five-year program and finished it in three.

    He quickly returned to home Indonesia and became his father’s business partner.

    “Back then, my days were filled with a lot of stress and uncertainty — but I think this is one of those moments that made me a better entrepreneur,” said Tirtanata. Despite facing these financial difficulties with his family, Tirtanata went on to forge his own entrepreneurial path.

    Business beginnings

    Before starting Kopi Kenangan, Tirtanata opened a tea shop chain called Lewis & Carroll in 2015 with locations across Indonesia. By the time he opened his fifth store, he realized that the tea shop wasn’t as profitable as he expected.

    Tirtanata and his long-time friend James Prananto discovered the problem one day, when they were having a casual chat at his tea shop: many of the big coffee and tea chains in Indonesia were too expensive for the local population.

    According to the Starbucks Tall Latte Index, while a Starbucks tall latte costs approximately 2% of the median daily income of people in the U.S., that same drink costs more than 30% of the median daily income of people in Indonesia.

    Kopi Kenangan’s first outlet in Indonesia.

    Courtesy of Edward Tirtanata.

    The idea of Kopi Kenangan was born.

    In 2017, Tirtanata and Prananto together invested a total of $15,000 into their first grab-and-go location in Jakarta, Indonesia. This model allowed them to ditch the costs of renting and designing a sit-down cafe space, and instead, invest that money into quality ingredients. 

    “Instead of focusing on the sofa, or fast Wi-Fi, we’re going to focus on a good, high quality cup of coffee,” Tirtanata said.

    This decision helped Kopi Kenangan scale to over 200 locations and 10 cities within the first two years of operations.

    Kopi Kenangan’s secret formula

    It’s no secret that the coffee business is highly saturated, especially in big metro areas.

    Asked what has separated Kopi Kenangan from its competitors, Tirtanata said there are three major reasons: the company’s grab-and-go model, it is a tech-enabled business, and it takes a hyperlocal approach.

    “So while Starbucks and other global coffee chains really prioritize consistency, I realized that people have different tastes and preferences,” he told CNBC.

    “This is where we really shaped our strategy for our global expansion — we want to make sure that the sweetness and robustness of the coffee really suits the market that we are operating in, using a data-driven approach,” Tirtanata said.

    Taking a data-driven hyperlocal approach means that a Kopi Kenangan latte in Singapore will taste different from a latte in Indonesia.

    During Covid, Tirtanata and Prananto doubled down on their efforts to integrate technology into their business. This helped Kopi Kenangan more than triple its store count during the pandemic.

    From Indonesia to the world

    As of April, the coffee chain has raised over $230 million in funding from investors across the globe, according to documents seen by CNBC Make It.

    Tirtanata with the Kopi Kenangan team.

    Courtesy of Edward Tirtanata

    Today, Kopi Kenangan stores can be found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

    But that’s not enough for Tirtanata, who plans to expand the company globally and hopes to list the business in the U.S. one day.

    “It only gets more complicated as a business grows bigger — so I try to learn everyday how to become a better leader,” he said.

    “I’m very excited [about] what the future holds for us. I believe that we are just [at] the beginning of our journey.”

    Want to make extra money outside of your day job? Sign up for CNBC’s new online course How to Earn Passive Income Online to learn about common passive income streams, tips to get started and real-life success stories. Register today and save 50% with discount code EARLYBIRD.

    Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

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