Herbal Tea a Change from the Everyday

Yesterday an acquaintance of mine called Mathew very kindly provided some herbal tea for me to sample.
The tea in question was called Spiced Apple Cider and had originally been a gift to Mathew, who told me that it had been originally purchased from a specialty store called Teavana, which has outlets in the Mississauga area at such retail venues as Square One and Erin Mills Town Centre.

I had the tea for the first time at home last night. I found the tea to be to be quite refreshing, though it could have been improved with the addition of a tea infuser. As it was the taste was hampered somewhat by the presence of tea dregs floating in the top of the cup. I did manage to get rid of most of the stuff with a spoon, however.

I must admit that for the most part I drink very little herbal tea. This has resulted in me possessing quite a collection of the stuff. I guess you could call me a black tea kind of guy. Nevertheless, I do welcome a change in my diet from time to time, and I think it is good idea to have some on hand should a guest ask for it.

My one concern about the herbal teas I have is that I am not sure how long the tea will last before it reaches the expiry date. I will definitely  need to look into this further.
 

New Technology Simplifies Coffee Making Process

Just when we thought it couldn't get any easier, now a company called Bonaverde has come up with a machine that will not only grind and brew our coffee, but roast it as well. The new technology "allows the consumer to carry out the entire process of making coffee," (except for the actual growing taking place on the farms and carried out by those native to the area). The press release quotes the founder of the company responsible for the new technology -- Hans Stier -- who says the machine in question gives consumers more control than they had in the past; not only can they choose the brand they prefer, consumers will be able to control where their coffee comes from as well.

"Consumers want greater transparency in the coffee market across the entire value chain," the press release quotes Mr. Stier as saying. "Our concept is a complete shift away from the established market." Customers using the Bonaverde product will allow them to buy directly from a network of farmers all over the world, eliminating the need for middlemen.   

Bonaverde is using a public funding method known as the "Kickstarter Campaign" that the company hopes will lead to sufficient start-up money for the business to develop. To learn more, visit the web site www.kickstarter.com.

Christmas a Time to Share a Little Bit of Cheer

Spoke with one of the staff members, Linda D., at Destination Cafe recently. The cafe has been extremely busy with its Christmas preparations, in particular supplying customers with Christmas baskets. I bought two of these baskets last year around this time, and I can attest to the fact that these items are of very high quality. These baskets come in two main sizes. The smaller one costs $30 a piece, and has a variety of goodies, including a half pound of coffee, with a choice of Peruvian coffee or the Signature blend. The latter blend is a creation of the cafe's, and its exact ingredients are a closely held secret. The larger size costs $45.00, and contains a full pound of coffee. Both these baskets contain other items such as chocolates and biscotti, and tea is always included.  Custom-made Christmas baskets are also available, and can cost as much as $100.00, depending on size and contents. 

To order these baskets, customers can follow five steps: The first step is to select your holiday basket and quality, the next step is choose the type of grind you would like for your coffee: whole beans, French press, automatic drip or espresso. The third step is to select your method of payment, whether it is by cheque, cash or debit (the debit option is only available in store). You then need to select either pick-up or delivery (note that delivery is only available in Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, West Toronto or Dufferin County).

Destination Cafe is a community based "social purpose business" that is committed to providing those who are challenged by mental health issues to work in an accepting environment that tolerates individual differences. By purchasing these products, customers can find satisfaction in the knowledge that they are supporting people, community and the environment.  

Survey Reveals Surprising Results About Drinking Coffee

Received an interesting email some weeks ago concerning a survey sponsored by Le Meridian Hotels. According to the survey, which was conducted on a world-wide basis, drinking coffee first thing in the morning is more popular than sex for more than half of the respondents. The survey went on to say that more than half of the respondents make their coffee right at home. 

What was even more surprising to me was the fact that 78 per cent, an "overwhelming majority," would rather do without sex with their spouse, alcohol or social media for a year than do without coffee, demonstrating, according to the press release, that coffee remains "the ultimate high."

The survey was conducted in six countries: the United States, India, China and the United Arab Emirates, among others, according to the press release, and dealt with travelers to these countries as well. The survey found that the majority of travelers also prefer coffee as a means to start their day.  Drinking coffee, according to the survey results, is even more popular when away from home than is the case when people are at home. Many coffee flavours and methods of preparing coffee are "so distinct that a majority of seasoned jet-setters (53 per cent) claim to to have experienced nostalgia for a destination due to the cup of coffee they enjoyed" while staying at that destination.

Various Thoughts on my Coffee and Tea Habit

As I have mentioned in previous posts,  when outside my home my consumption of coffee has lately been limited to a cup or two of coffee together with cream and sugar. At home I usually drink tea, or perhaps some pop (if I am in the mood) but even this has taken a back seat to plain, ordinary water, fresh from the tap. The reasons why I drink water in this manner are partly economical, partly environmental in origin. Buying bottled water is not something I am in the habit of doing most of the time, unless I am at the gym and require something to drink. Another reason I don't bother buying bottled water is that plastic does not easily decompose over time. Although some of these bottles are recycled, the system is still in its infancy and isn't very reliable, in my opinion. 

All this is related to my not-so-recent decision to quit smoking (I quit smoking October 23, 2012). For the past year or so, one of my central strategies has been to drink water from a tall glass using a straw. This remedy has been so successful I find myself with another "addiction." I am restless when I have no water by my side. I am also quite dependent on having an available bathroom nearby, it must be said, as I have to go almost every 15 minutes.

This practice of mine has already lead to some improvements. My blood pressure is such that I no longer require medicine to keep it in the normal range. 

An Enjoyable Time at Port Credit's Farmer's Market

Managed to make it over to the Port Credit Farmer's Market yesterday morning, where Destination Cafe has maintained a presence for the past five or six years. It was a lovely day out there yesterday; sunny and quite warm, compared to recent weather trends.Plying his trade serving up coffee to those buying it was Day Manager Rob D (that's him pictured on the right in the photograph). I spent an agreeable couple of hours chatting with him and Business Coordinator Linda D.

It was Linda who spent some time with me getting up to date on various initiatives taking place in Mississauga, among which were opening a satellite cafe at one of the buildings recently acquired by Supportive Housing in Peel, the organization that helps to look after people affected by mental illness. The coffee shop in question will be called the Village Cafe and is scheduled to be up and running by October.

It will be staffed by as many as three people involved in food preparation as well as up to four barista staff.

The various coffee shops are part of what is known as a "social purpose enterprise" or SPE for short. These initiatives are designed to help people in the community with one of various "invisible disabilities" experienced by some people. According to Linda, the organization is "well underway" with the new cafe's design, purchasing, recruitment and training.

There will be more about the Farmer's Market and the various SHIP initiatives in the near future. 

Coffee, Tea and Chocolate: A New Perspective

Lately I have been drinking  a good deal less coffee and tea and consuming more chocolate instead. This is not a conscious choice I am making, but rather a spontaneous decision that I have been making on a consistent basis. I find myself drinking tea only once or twice a day -- one mug in the morning and another tea in the evening. The only time I have been drinking coffee is when I am outside my apartment, particularly when I visit the hospital for reasons that I have been dealing with for some time now. 

Another change that I have made (and one I have been making for almost a year) is to refrain from all forms of smoking. .This is a far more weighty decision and one more consciously considered than the others. It is one of the few decisions that I have made that I am unlikely to regret, and one I would heartily recommend to others. You may well ask how I managed to finally quit for good (I smoked nearly forty years) . One of the aids that I found particularly effective was to drink a lot of cold water in a tall glass with a straw. For me, this mimics quite nicely the oral fixation I developed when I was actually smoking. The only real drawback I experience is the need to visit the john on a frequent basis.  This is the real reason why I don't drink coffee or tea as much as I did previously. But even this newly formed habit  of mine is not without risks. I have been warned by many in the medical field that I run the risk of developing "water intoxication." What water intoxication actually means I am unsure. From what I can gather, this problem is quite rare. In  any event, a gallon of water seems to be the amount above which I need to really worry. 

Fortunately for me I no longer experience what is referred to in this country as edema, a medical condition involving swelling of the legs. To be quite frank, I find these problems to be a relatively minor concern. They pale in comparison with the smoking habit itself. And, though this attitude is for me a big change from the way I used to think about cigarettes, it is one that I am unlikely to regret.