A Cup of Coffee

I have always been intrigued by the ingredients inside a good cup of coffee.

Like many, my initiation to coffee addiction started in 1999 (I was 26) with the regular instant coffee (Nescafe). The taste was great until Starbucks invaded every corner and I got introduced to brewed Java beans. From there on I never tasted instant coffee again.

Whether an espresso, a filter machine or a French press I have ever since enjoyed 2-3 cups per day. Below is the latest study detailing the ingredients of a good coffee cup. It is quite interesting to say the least! Check it out.

Caffeine
This is why the world produces more than 16 billion pounds of coffee beans per year. It's actually an alkaloid plant toxin (like nicotine and cocaine), a bug killer that stimulates us by blocking neuroreceptors for the sleep chemical adenosine. The result: you, awake.

Water
Hot H₂O is a super solvent, leaching flavors and oils out of the coffee bean. A good cup of joe is 98.75 percent water and 1.25 percent soluble plant matter. Caffeine is a diuretic, so coffee newbies pee out the water quickly; java junkies build up resistance.

2-Ethylphenol
Creates a tarlike, medicinal odor in your morning wake-up. It's also a component of cockroach alarm pheromones, chemical signals that warn the colony of danger.

Quinic acid
Gives coffee its slightly sour flavor. On the plus side, it's one of the starter chemicals in the formulation of Tamiflu.

3,5 Dicaffeoylquinic acid
When scientists pretreat neurons with this acid in the lab, the cells are significantly (though not completely) protected from free-radical damage. Yup: Coffee is a good source of antioxidants.

Dimethyl disulfide
A product of roasting the green coffee bean, this compound is just at the threshold of detectability in brewed java. Good thing, too, as it's one of the compounds that gives human feces its odor.

Acetylmethylcarbinol
That rich, buttery taste in your daily jolt comes in part from this flammable yellow liquid, which helps give real butter its flavor and is a component of artificial flavoring in microwave popcorn.

Putrescine
Ever wonder what makes spoiled meat so poisonous? Here you go. Ptomaines like putrescine are produced when E. coli bacteria in the meat break down amino acids. Naturally present in coffee beans, it smells, as you might guess from the name, like Satan's outhouse.

Trigonelline
Chemically, it's a molecule of niacin with a methyl group attached. It breaks down into pyridines, which give coffee its sweet, earthy taste and also prevent the tooth-eating bacterium Streptococcus mutans from attaching to your teeth. Coffee fights the Cavity Creeps.

Niacin
Trigonelline is unstable above 160 degrees F; the methyl group detaches, unleashing the niacin—vitamin B3—into your cup. Two or three espressos can provide half your recommended daily allowance.

5 Points that Makes Vietnam a Must See Destination!

Vietnam! Forget Apocalypse Now, Rambo or any Hollywood movie, cause in reality Vietnam is (at least in my opinion) a World Top Destination.

Here are 5 points that explains you why:

1- People: The Vietnamese are so nice, happy, smiley and very hospitable people. They are modest and proud at the same time. As a sign of respect, they give you or take from you whatever using both of their hands. They have humor and laugh on every occasion. They are hard workers but you can see Happiness on their faces all day long.

2- Food: Yummiiii .... you cannot escape the extra kilos you put while visiting Vietnam. Food varies from North to Mid, down to South Vietnam, but all is very tasty and rich in flavors; fresh spring rolls, pork barbecue, noodles, rice paper, Pho (traditional soup), lemongrass fish, pineapple chicken, ginger beef etc...

3- Scenery: From the Sapa Mountains, to Halong Bay to the sandy beaches or the wide rivers and lakes. The green-yellow rice fields, the clouds on top of the mountains, the parks in the city, the floating villages or floating markets etc... It all makes Vietnam so rich in all kind of colors, aspects, and tastes.

4- Transportation: All means are available: you can use the bull pulling a kind of "carriage" in the villages (we tried it!), to the bicycles, motorcycles, river boats, sea cruise ships, trains (first class is a must, less "crawling creatures"!), to the bus, mini vans, "cyclos" taking around in the streets of the city ... all means enhance your adventure and experience in this big long country.
You can travel very cheap or very luxuriously, so you are free to choose how much you want to spend and how much you want to endure ;) Same applies to your accommodation, you can choose between a 5 stars luxurious hotel resort or a sharing bed in a street hostel!

5- Activities: To be honest my favorite activity in Vietnam was "Massage" all kind of massages are offered; foot, body, hot stones, etc... for a price varying between $7 to $12/hour!!! Nevertheless many other activities are offered all over Vietnam; one of the most popular one is the water puppet show, very nice and a must see. Other activities involve, diving, fishing, trekking, cycling, museums, religious sites and temples, shopping etc... the various nature of this country can satisfy all kind of hobbies and interests.

Travel consists of meeting and getting to know new or different places, cultures, religions, gastronomy, people ... Vietnam allows you to connect on a broader level to all of that.
So go ahead, you adventurous spirits, satisfy your appetite, indulge your body and relax your mind, just don't forget your way back :)

Adou