Chemestry & Art in every cup.

Here in the Port city it is stated by the folks at Bard Coffee  that there is a story in every cup of "Joe" they make. It's also a fact that my favorite barista Nigel says the best coffee and Jitter Juice art in town is to be had at Bard (185 middle street in Old Port).  Portland is a city of Art heads and I think it's great we can get a jolt and have art simultaneously, but wait there's more.  I just found out about the "Thursday Throwdown! "   The last Thursday of every month Bard presents a Latte Art competition between the finest Barista's in our fair land.  It's serious art for the caffeine conscious art appreciator.    .

   I did some Coffee Research, much of it has nothing to do with art, here is what I turned up. It seems that Caffeine and it's chemistry has several beneficial & interesting effects.  I have listed them for your quick review: 
1. It may help ward off depression.

1,3,7-trimethylxanthine also known as Caffeine

Anyone who perks up after the first sip of morning coffee will tell you that it has mood-boosting effects. The proof has been revealed, a study from the Harvard School of Public Health, published last month in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that women who regularly drink fully caffeinated coffee have a 20% lower risk of depression than non-coffee drinkers. The study, which followed a group of women for 10 years, found that as more coffee was consumed (up to six cups per day), the likelihood of depression decreased. Caffeine changes the chemistry of the brain by mimicking Adenosine (the stuff that keeps you alert) and also increases the actual levels of naturally produced Dopamine in your brain (the stuff that just makes you feel "all good".)
 2. It can aid digestion.
Drinking an espresso or cappuccino after a meal is more than a relaxing habit.  David Levitsky, PhD, professor of nutritional science at Cornell University, "Caffeine decreases the rate at which the stomach dumps its contents into the duodenum-a part of the small intestine where digestion takes place-and also increases metabolic rate."  Sipping a cup post-meal could, in small part, help promote a more healthy digestive process.
 3. It may boost fertility in men.
"Studies have shown that caffeine has a positive effect on sperm motility-the ability of sperm to move toward an egg-and could increase your chances of [getting pregnant]," says John Wilcox, MD, FACOG, managing partner and reproductive endocrinologist at HRC Fertility in California. In fact, a study conducted at the University of Sao Paulo found that sperm motility was markedly higher in coffee drinkers versus non coffee-drinkers. And it turns out that it doesn't matter whether you drink one or ten cups a day: The only detectable difference was found between coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers.
 4. It may reduce the risk of skin cancer.
Staying out of the sun and regularly applying a liberal amount of SPF should always be your number one line of defense against skin cancer. That said, a new study out of Brigham and Women's Hospital found that women who drank more than three cups of coffee a day had a 20% lower risk for basal cell carcinoma, and men had a 9% reduced risk. ( the study stated nothing about the fact that after consuming 3 cups of Jitter Juice it's darn hard to just lay still on a towel in the sun ) The research totally avoided any mention of the deadliest form of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma.
5. It's not truly addictive.
While many people claim that they can't make it through the day without a few cups of java, Liz Applegate, PhD, faculty member and director of sports nutrition at the University of California at Davis, explains that caffeine is not addictive. "Caffeine is a mild stimulant, and the World Health Organization states that it is wrong to compare caffeine intake to drug addiction, since people can reduce or eliminate caffeine from their diet without the serious psychological or physical problems that result from a true addiction.  I consume 2-3 cups of coffee per day at about 100mg per Caffeine per cup.  I can report stopping coffee cold turkey, I was bitchy, had a head ache and couldn't get out of my own way..." However Dr Applegate said, serious coffee drinkers (6 cups a day = 600 mg Caffeine )  who stop or reduce intake are most likely to experience those symptoms, but they will usually resolve themselves after a few days. Below is a listing of many commonly known caffeine delivery systems and the buzzaire, a delivery system I just found out about.
                              
                             Caffeine Comparison Chart

Drink/Food	Caffeine Content
12oz Can of Coke	34mg
12oz Can of Mt. Dew	37mg
12oz of Jolt Cola	78mg
10oz Bottle of Bawls/Red Bull Etc...	80mg
8oz of Brewed Coffee or 1 cup Espresso	70-120mg
One breath of Buzzaire (Caffeine Inhaltion device)	150mg

6. It doesn't necessarily cause stomach pain.
If you've ever blamed java for stomach discomfort, you might want to visit your doctor to see what else could be at the root of the problem. According to Lauren Gerson, MD, MSc, associate professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, "There is no evidence from reviewed studies that coffee causes ulcers or more pain in patients with documented ulcers." She also notes that there is no evidence that coffee could be the cause of stomach pain in patients with indigestion. However, there is one type of digestive issue that coffee can aggravate; Dr. Gerson explains that drinking coffee may worsen heartburn symptoms, since it stimulates the stomach to produce gastric acid.

7. Over 450,000,000 cups of coffee are consumed in the USA each day! 

Now back to the art.  Ok the whole Latte art thing in the states started of course out in Seattle and as you would think they are way way serious about it.  There are set Latte art patterns like Flowers or Rosettes, the ever popular Valentines Day themed Heart, also Swains, Little Tweety Birds,  Shrimp and even Bicycles.  The Coffee art thing is really much bigger than I ever imagined. Click Here to see over 50 images of Latte Art.

If  the idea of grabbing one's laptop, heading to a local coffee joint for a half-cap, light- carmel macchiato, with soy and no whip or Getting down with your bad self  by partaking in a Sweet-Spicy Chai + delicious espresso AKA the Dirty Chai, well that's a personal Choice,  having art in your morning cup, now that's beholden. You can experience coffee art in many of the fine Coffee shops in the Greater WMPG Listening area. You can only experience the Thursday Thrown Down only at Bard Coffee near Tommy's Park The last Thursday of the Month. For more information go to the Bard Facebook page or website...  Here is a link to a video of the November Zombie Thursday Night Throw Down

Why experience the Thursday Thrown Down 

Art in a cup competition at BARD COFFEE ? 

Experience it because your good mind needs good art. 

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/  

Note: WMPG 90.9 fm has increased it's FM signal strength from 1100 kilowatts to  4500 kilowatts! Thank you for making that possible. This means that you are now able to hear MPG on your car radio from Augusta to Dover , New Hampshire .  The station management, the University of Southern Maine & DJ's are totally pumped and excited about the ability to bring you fresh diverse live radio with a clean crisp sound!