The Coffee Debate: Coffee Aroma may have Stress-Busting Qualities

by Christina 123 | July 22, 2008 at 01:37 pm

1052 views | 0 Recommendations | 19 comments

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beans, lotsa beans lotsa beans lotsa beans!

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uploaded by Rachel Gordon

Coffee's popular image as the classic stand by of sleep-deprived students studying hard for exams, may have a basis in fact, for its memory-enhancement powers, as well as the caffeine induced alertness has now been demostrated. Scientists have revealed that just the smell of coffee in sleep-deprived rats was enough to restore their weary brains to near normal levels of memory retention.

18-Jul-2008 - Just the smell of freshly brewed coffee can help relieve stress, say researchers who studied the effects of coffee aroma on sleep-deprived rats.
Roasted coffee bean aroma created higher activity in a number of genes in the rat brain, including some that produce proteins with antioxidant activities, according to the study carried out by researchers at Seoul National University in South Korea and published recently in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry .... The study

The aim of the study was to demonstrate influences of roasted coffee bean aroma on rat brain functions and to evaluate its impact on stress induced by sleep deprivation.

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forestphoto

at 13:09 on July 23rd, 2008

I worked on an organic coffee farm in southwestern costa rica last fall. It was an excellent experience. I had no idea where coffee came from, even though I drank 1-4 cups a day.

We would get up bright and early, and head to the field.Coffee grows on slender leafy trees. They encourage picking the red and yellow beans as the green ones are usually to ripe. you collect the coffee in a bakset around your waist, and when your basket is full you put it in a burlap bag and set it ont he back of a truck, mind you the bag weighs about 120 lbs. While picking coffee you have to watch out for, ants, spiders, snakes and jsut about everything you can imagine, and because it is shade grown coffee it is sometimes hard to see what is in the tree you are about to harvest.The work was quite an experience, dirty,hot, and prone to lots of insect bites, but at the end of the day it was all worth it, because you got a nice big cup of coffee.

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JeZzAs KrEaTiOnS

at 15:22 on July 23rd, 2008

This photo is actually of a coffee covered candle. It was taken in a less than quaint coffee shop just outside of Toronto. In the context of the article below, accurate or not, coffee aroma is a powerful sensory 'mover and shaker' even for those that do not consume it! I brew coffee at the office every morning and my colleagues frequently comment on how pleasant it is to walk into the shared kitchen and smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee spiced with cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg etc..bottoms up to all coffee lovers!

JeZzAs KrEaTiOnS has contributed a photo to this story.

WaterChick

at 15:23 on July 23rd, 2008

Yum

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Vilseskogen

at 16:26 on July 23rd, 2008

These are dried, unroasted coffee beans from a ecological shade plantation in Ecuador, Before you roast them you need to remove the outer shell, seen here as yellow, and the thin papery layer below it too.

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naiadsoaparts

at 17:34 on July 23rd, 2008

Interesting article. I switched to decaf recently butnoticed that it still seemed to wake me up - it sounds like this study confirms that! My coffee bean soap pictured in the article is made with real brewed coffee, shea butter and cocoa butter. It has a yummy coffee scent and is a wonderful morning pick me up!

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Judy森呼吸

at 17:39 on July 23rd, 2008

陽光靜靜來到"柏藍小築"窗外~
咖啡香宛如踏著華爾茲舞步~
在嗅覺殿堂裡輕盈的舞動~
譜成一段醉心的旋律~
每一步是那麼的真切自然~
似乎令人找不到拒絕的理由~
2008/07/19 我在"柏藍小築"~

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edsoon

at 18:34 on July 23rd, 2008

Coffee beans can be roasted to various degrees: Beans begin as beige/green and are lentil like in texture. As they are roasted, some steam is formed as the bean looses moisture and turns yellow. Then the coffee turns tan in colour, and then you will hear a crack as the bean turns brown. Light/American- after first crack and before second crack Medium/City roast - first audible snaps of second crack - caramel taste High/Vienna/light French roast - second crack is under way - caramel-chocolate undertones Full French roast - quite a lot of smoke, second crack rapid and near its end - little acidity and burnt undertones in taste - expresso lovers like this level Italian/Spanish roast (where Sugars are heavily caramelized) - after second crack has slowed and beans are carbonised - flat flavour with charcoal overtone

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sweegh

at 00:55 on July 24th, 2008

Drinking a very good cup of coffee can be an ultimate moment to relax if you really enjoy and taste the coffee.

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Ahmed AL-Faraj

at 03:01 on July 24th, 2008

Very Nice Artricle with intersting information !

I usually enjoy the smell of freshly brewed coffee as much as I enjoy the cup of coffee itself !

widowsteel

at 03:15 on July 24th, 2008

I drink coffee all day and night. I love the taste and it doesn't keep me awake when I don't want it too. It's the perfect "anytime" drink for the masses. Coffee appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of the liver, and gout, but it increases the risk of acid reflux and associated diseases. Some health effects of coffee are due to its caffeine content, as the benefits are only observed in those who drink caffeinated coffee, while others appear to be due to other components. For example, the antioxidants in coffee prevent free radicals from causing cell damage.

tiha zaman

at 05:44 on July 24th, 2008

The smell and taste of coffee makes me sane enough until the next day. :-)

gjtech

at 08:15 on July 24th, 2008

banapple blend coffee beans

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hannah8ball

at 10:24 on July 24th, 2008

We actually use coffee beans that are past their prime to scent our house, as you can see in this photo.

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mikeythenut

at 07:57 on July 25th, 2008

These beans have been dried in the sun for a week at Greenwell Farms on the Kona Coast of Hawaii. Several more steps of processing must occur before they are ready to make your morning cup of coffee.

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Christina 123

at 10:50 on July 27th, 2008

Thanks to everyone who has crowd-powered this story, with some great comments and superb photos!

dlibbon

at 15:21 on July 28th, 2008

been roasting my own coffee for about a year now. Great way to get great coffee. Plus green coffee will last about a year. For more go to http://davesdeal.blogspot.com/2008/07/coffee-roasting.html

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Andrew Zahler

at 05:57 on July 30th, 2008

French roast coffee beans, photographed in a third-floor apartment in downtown Spokane, Wash. Part of my morning wakeup routine.

Andrew Zahler has contributed a photo to this story.

lookatthailand

at 20:20 on July 30th, 2008

To drying coffee bean from the hilltribe people of Northern Thailand at Ban Huaihee village (Karen community) Mae Hong Son province, Thailand ( http://huaiheevillage.blogspot.com )

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lookatthailand

at 20:25 on July 30th, 2008

Want to understand the customs and culture of Huai Hee village? This post will provide an overview of :
- Community based tourism. What is it?
- Prices for staying in the village.
- Village area attractions (Doi Pui mountain, orchid conservation site, cave).
- Village history, including way of life infermation (agriculture, arts, crafts, and others).

Village History : Huai Hee village is named after the stream that flows nearby. "Huai" in Thai means "stream," and "Hee" translates to a specific species of bamboo found along the streambed. The Karen people living in Huai Hee refer in the area for more than 100 years. The village was established in its present location in 1973 and the current school and main road were constructed shortly thereafter. More information...