Coffee Basics

On my last trip to Disney World I purchased a Mickey Mouse French Press. I know with competition prep I incorporate more coffee into my regimen. I thought it would make coffee drinking more fun/decadent, and something special. Every time I poured a cup (or two) I could think back on my fun memories of being in Disney. I also purchased Disney coffee assortment to go with it. Btw, it is making coffee drinking more enjoyable. But it got me to wondering about some basic questions regarding coffee. Which is stronger :dark or light roast? Does a french press change the brew? How do you properly brew coffee? 

Let's start with the caffeine content. Caffeine is often incorporated into a fitness regimen for a pick-me-up but also for a slight boost in fat metabolism (you can think of it like a cheap fat burner without being overly potent like some over the counter products). 

Average cup of American coffee (a medium roast) = 100-150 mg caffeine

Espresso = 80-120 mg

Tea = 40 mg

Chocolate Bar = 20-60 mg

Cola (12 oz) = 40-60 mg

Granted I sort of already knew that scale since if I'm in a hurry I have simply a caffeine pill equivalent. But what about the roast?

The roast is one of the most influential steps in the process that affects the flavor, especially the degree or darkness of the roast. The longer the time being roasted and/or the higher the temperature, the darker the roast. Since this burns off more and more of the inherent sugars in the bean it produces a more tangy and bittersweet flavor - often thought of as stronger (stronger can also be created from the water:coffee ratio). The flavor of the coffee comes from the coffee oils. A bit of a misnomer, as the coffee oil is water soluble (defeating the definition of oil). Coffee oil is very fragile,however, as it readily absorbs surrounding flavors and evaporates easily. The flavor component is strong yet only 1/200th of the actual weight of the bean. The oil continues to develop as the bean is roasted. Eventually all the sugars are burned off completely, which leaves a woody flavor. In the end though, it is about the flavor of coffee you prefer as the roast only slightly affects the caffeine content of the bean. A darker roast has slightly less caffeine than light. 

As for brewing - being a coffee novice - I wanted to make sure I was brewing for the strongest/best cup of coffee. For grinding beans, they should be ground only to fine at most, never a powder. If you are using a french press or non-filter drip machine, a medium-coarse ground is best. 

At the very least, it should be 2 level tablespoons for every 5-6 oz of water (more for stronger). Coffee makers should be kept clean and rinsed with hot water prior to use. If possible, use fresh water that is free of impurities and also alkalines. The water temperature should be 200 degrees F. Don't boil coffee or reheat.

For a French Press, let the coffee steep for 4 min. A french press produces a more heavy and dense flavor as some sediment gets into the actual cup of coffee (but its not that bad I swear - it makes a really good cup of coffee).

FYI - as for the Disney coffees - the Chocolate Fudge and the Danish Pastry have been the best so far, but I have 2 still to try (French Vanilla and Hazelnut).

Roast color	Bean surface	Agtron Numbers	Common names	Notes
Light brown	Dry	80 - 70	Light Cinnamon New England	Can taste sour and grainy. Typically used only for inexpensive commercial blends.
Medium brown	Dry	70 - 50	Medium AmericanRegular City Brown	The traditional American norm. Flavor is fully developed; acidity is bright; characteristics of green coffee are clear.
Medium-dark brown	Dry to tiny droplets or patches of oil	50 - 40	Viennese Full-cityLight FrenchEspresso Light espresso Continental After-dinner European	The normal or regular roast for the West and for many newer specialty roasters. Acidity and the characteristics of the green coffee begin to mute. Bittersweetness emerges. The norm for northern-Italian style espresso.
Dark brown	Shiny surface	40-35	French EspressoItalian Turkish Dark	The normal or regular roast for many roasters in the West and Southwest. Acidity is nearly gone; the characteristics of the green coffee muted. Bittersweet tones dominate. The norm for most American-style espresso.
Very dark brown	Very shiny surface	35-30	Italian Dark FrenchNeapolitan Spanish Heavy	The normal or regular roast for Peet's Coffee and its imitators. Acidity is gone. In tactful versions of this roast some characteristics of the green coffee survive; in aggressive versions all coffees taste the same: bittersweet with hints of burned or charred tones.
Black-brown	Shiny surface	30-25	Dark FrenchNeapolitan Spanish	All differentiating characteristics of the green coffee are gone; burned or charred notes dominate. Body is thin. Flavor is reduced to faint sweet tones.

http://www.coffeereview.com/reference.cfm?ID=88

Breakfast Solution

This morning I was in a bit of a rush between clients and needed to get my breakfast ready a little bit quicker than usual. I opted to make a casein shake in place of scrambled eggs, and then still had my oats for my carb component. Well I decided I didn't want to take the time to drink the shake and eat the oats so I ended up pouring my shake on the oats. OMG it turned out to be delicious! Here's what I did:

Casein Shake -

6 oz water heated up in the microwave to be warm (never hot - the powder won't mix)
1 scoop Optimum Nutrition Casein Powder in Vanilla

whipped with a whisk to fully dissolve the powder

Oats -

1/4c uncooked oats
water to cover
heated in microwave for 2 min

sprinkled with a cinnamon spice mixture I made (it comes out different every time because I just wing it but you can think of it like an apple pie spice mix)
a little drop of agave

I then poured my warm casein over the oats and enjoyed (didn't stir in). It was like having an old fashioned warm bowl of cereal :)

I'm back!

Hello all!
Well it's been awhile since I have posted anything here since I was on vacation in Disney World. My trip was awesome, it was so great to see my parents and be in my favorite place. It's always important to make sure you take time to do something for yourself and to be with the ones you love.

While I was allowed more freedom with my regimen on vacation I still tried to make healthy choices for most of my meals. Admittedly, I indulged in some tasty treats since I was on vacation and also celebrating my birthday. But it is important to balance those treats with the rest of your meal choices and keep in mind your activity level. For example, if I knew I wanted ice cream for dessert I would make sure that my dinner was on the healthier side such as roasted chicken with mixed vegetables. I also kept in mind that for the majority of my trip I was walking around the parks all day and enjoying the sights!

It isn't too difficult to eat healthy at Disney. They have made an effort to provide cleaner meals than your typical fast food/tourist attraction fare. For our trip, my mom had added the Quick Meals Dining plan. For all those unfamiliar with Disney lingo, quick meals is their equivalent to fast food. It should be noted, however, that Disney's 'fast food' is hardy you average burger. I was able to get roasted chicken with mixed vegetables, chicken breast nuggets that were in chicken breast form (not processed pounded meat), and they even had steak on the menu - cooked right there in front of you. So it isn't too difficult to eat healthy. Most meals come with french fries or the like, but you are able to substitute vegetables, fruit, yogurt, etc - all you gotta do is say so. I never hesitate to ask for a meal made my way - Disney is built on customer service and having worked their I know what is at their disposal and how they can cater to you - even at the Quick Meal food places (my first summer I worked at Disney World was as a 'Quick Foods Hostess').

While I was down there, I got a kick out of my parents taking my lead sometimes and ordering healthier. And I got them to drink more water! At no time during the trip did either of them pick up a soda! We would have coffee/tea but other than that it was water (once or twice my dad had Vitamin Water Zero). They were amazed at how much water I drank on a day, and not because I wanted to, but because it was the rule for me (I drink at least a gallon a day).

With the Quick Meal plan each meal included a drink (bottled water was our choice), but if you don't have the plan or don't want to pay for bottled water, you can also ask for a cup of water, which is free. The only places you can't get a free cup of water is the little roll around carts (the ones that sell the ice cream, popcorn, etc) as they have to count their cups for inventory, therefore can't give them out. But I didn't see many of them anymore, I think they have switched their mobile units all over to bottled beverages (no more fountain drinks).

Overall, it was a great vacation! I'm back though - back to work - back to training and back to competition prep for the California in May!