Source: http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064941 DISCUSSION In this study, the findings of 127 meta-analyses of coffee and caffeine exposure were reviewed; the meta-analyses examined 62 outcomes, including cancer, and cardiovascular and other outcomes. Most of the evidence came from meta-analyses of observational studies; only a few meta-analyses included RCTs [randomized controlled trials (RCTs) rjw]. Comparisons of pooled analyses of observational studies and RCTs were possible only for blood pressure and hypertension, and low birth weight; the findings for these analyses were inconclusive. Based on these results, there is probable evidence of the beneficial effects of coffee consumption for a number of chronic diseases, including some cancers (endometrial, prostate, colorectal, and liver), CVD and metabolic-related outcomes (such as type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome), and neurological conditions (such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and depression). The risk estimate relations in most of the meta-analyses were calculated as high versus low consumption; thus, they did not allow a clear reference exposure to be defined. Among the studies providing dose-response analyses, some relations were linear but others showed the lowest risk at about 4–5 cups/day. Adverse effects were limited mainly to pregnancy-related outcomes following caffeine intake rather than other components in coffee, as controls were administered decaffeinated coffee. . . . SUMMARY POINTS There is probable evidence that coffee consumption has beneficial effects for a number of chronic diseases, including cancers, and cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological conditions. The dose-response effect in most meta-analyses was linear, with the lowest risk reached with the consumption of about 4–5 cups/day. Adverse effects were mainly limited to pregnancy-related outcomes associated with caffeine intake rather than other components in coffee. Evidence retrieved for other potential adverse effects, such as lung and gastric cancers, seems to have been affected by the confounding effect of smoking. Source: In California, coffee may come served up with a cancer warning label – Daily News A lawsuit filed by the Council for Education and Research on Toxics in 2010 wants to require coffee sellers, including Starbucks, BP, Gloria Jean’s and 7-Eleven, to warn customers about the dangers ingesting acrylamide, as Time reports, a possibly cancer-causing chemical that’s produced when coffee beans are roasted. Under the state’s Proposition 65, businesses are required to notify customers if their products contain any of 65 chemicals, including acrylamide, that are linked with cancer, birth defects or other reproductive issues. Because cafes do not post carcinogen warnings, the lawsuit maintains, they are in violation of this policy. Sadly your daily jolt of java may well fall under this category of toxins. For the record, USA Today notes that acrylamide, a carcinogen found in cooked foods such as French fries is also a natural byproduct of the coffee roasting process. The coffee industry asserts it is at harmless levels in your a.m. elixir and may also be outweighed by benefits from drinking coffee. The attorney representing the nonprofit, Raphael Metzger explains that the real goal is to force coffee companies to reduce the amount of the chemical to the point where there would be no significant cancer risk. Bob Wilson
I'm sorry, but some of the California legislation by ballot box seems a little silly to me, especially cases like this. Some people would like to legislate every last bit of fun out of life, but they fail to see the harm in anti-vaccinationists, people who aren't doctors propagating false claims for non-medical treatment (Gwyneth Paltrow and her Goopy fads), people feeding their autistic children industrial bleach in misguided attempts to "cure" them, homeopathy purveyors of all ilks, and so forth. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I'm making a 10 "cup" pot. How somebody decided a cup = 6 fluid oz/117.45 ml is beyond me. In ancient measurement scheme, 1 cup is 8 fluid oz/236.59 ml (yes, there are different measuring cups for non-fluid ingredients, but you're usually better off weighing them). Did these studies use 6 oz cups or 8 oz cups, or did they use ml if conducted in countries that use the metric system? Enquiring minds need to know! How do you correct for this in meta-analyses? I suspect it's got to do with complicated math that's beyond me. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
So..... Does this mean that coffee is 'statistically' bad for you, while being real-world safe? I don't live in California (thank GOD!...for both of us) so I can happily ignore the cancer finding there. I'm normally good for 4-6 cups a day. We have a saying locally that, since it's an even year, coffee is bad for you. Next year (or last year) it's the other way around.......statistically speaking, that is.
Worse, the French press method carafes measure a cup as only 4 ounces. So if you buy a "10 cup" version, you only get something that will about fill a semi large mug. Kinda not worth it unless you want to use the press a couple times per day. I was about to buy one of those French presses as my 20 year old Mr. Coffee gave up the ghost recently. After looking at the underside of where the brewed coffee comes out of the drip machine, I about threw up. Oh my gosh - yuck. Most all the reviews of french presses I could find for all makes costing $25 to $100 that use borosilicate carafes had stories of glass shatterings and handles that broke or got loose. Not wanting to write a future bad review myself, I figured out how to replicate the process without a coffee maker at all, using just what I already had on hand. Using a 3 quart saucepan, boil water. Stop heating it when it achieves boil. Grind the beans somewhat roughly and dump the grinds into the boiled water. Unlike the borosilicate glass carafes, you don't need to wait until the water is less than 205 degrees F. Stir somewhat infrequently for 5-10 minutes. The trick is to use a medium sized flat (or curved) micro-fine metal strainer. Pour the mixture through the metal filter into something else. I use my old Mr. coffee carafe, which I also used to measure the water before I boiled it. There might be some almost microscopic bits of coffee in the bottom, but if that bothers you, that can be avoided by not pouring out everything from the second container (or filter it with a paper filter). The result is a much more bold coffee that doesn't waste any grind vs. a drip machine, and identical with what you'd get with a French press. And not needing to clean the french press screen, flimsy tiny carafe and plunger assembly is a bonus. I think rough cleaning is what might be causing at least half the breakages with those French press makers.
Grandmother Adams brought a quart pan of well water to boil and added a half cup of coffee and boiled another +5 min. Poured into cups using whole milk from the morning chores with a little cream that gravity separated, just the thing for an Oklahoma farm house you could tell the wind strength and direction in the living room. Bob Wilson
French press are a PITA to clean, but Bodum makes a "Bistro" coffee maker with a metal carafe and a metal mesh filter. It's not fancy, nothing programmable, but the carafe won't break easily and there's no need to buy paper filters. It looks decent, too. Parts look like they're fairly easy to get on Amazon. I had a less expensive Bodum from Target, but disaster struck and the carafe got broken. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a replacement for it. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Thanks, pilotgrrl. My post was meant more to bring to light that no fancy contraption is necessary to make good coffee, except a $20 Williams Sonoma super mesh metal strainer, or the like. The metal French press makers still have the mesh cleaning mess, and as I recall, the build was not as nice as the pictures appear to make it in reviews (handles and mesh plunger looseness problems). Also, the "stainless steel" on all Bodums is from China, and might not really be stainless steel as we define it. I'm not ever going to gamble with food related products from China where suspect parts actually touch the food. I have several imported really cool looking Canon Lens mugs that report to have a stainless steel inner liners, yet magnets stick to every one of them. They're more toys to me than drinking mugs. Perhaps I could/should also grow plants in them to make them more useful.
When I did use my ancient Bodum French press, I filled it with water from my electric kettle. The filter can be unscrewed for cleaning the component parts. The carafe is thicker than regular ones, and it can be taken out of the holder. It's just a bigger mess overall than the cone filter in the coffee maker. If I had a 1 HP disposer, it wouldn't matter, but the cheap one in my apartment would roll over and die on more than the faint whiff of grounds it gets as is. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I have a hand-me-down Keurig on my desk at work, and its replacement in the kitchen at home. I justify the expense of the pods by reminding myself that I never go to coffee bars, and selective purchasing helps too. This is a convenience thing. For my weekend coffee, it's french press time! Half a cup of grounds. Real creme. Real sugar. I'm a black and bitter guy during the week, both for dietary and convenience reasons.
Likely, glass bruises when it gets banged around. These bruises are weak points that aren't visible under normal light. The rare times I actually make coffee, I cold brew it. A cup of rough grounds in a pickle jar, and then filled with water. In the fridge for at least a day. The brew will be strong enough that it can be watered down.
I don't find cleaning a French press to be much of an issue. Maybe I'm just used to it. The grounds get spooned into the compost, and the filter and glass get rinsed, then placed in the dishwasher. The little effort is worth if for good coffee. I'm definitely a quality over quantity kind of person when it comes to coffee, as I can only have one big one a day without upsetting my digestive system. We have lots of paraphernalia for different brewing methods, but the press is my favourite. An Aeropress works well too, especially with a metal filter, and is wonderful for camping when the large and fragile Bodum gets left at home. Others here prefer a pour-over cone filter, but I'm not keen on the paper waste, or the taste. I have one friend who likes it as dark and thick as possible, keeps a thermos of it handy, and has the the machine primed and loaded for the next batch. I think people really can be addicted to it.....
"stainless steel" on all Bodums is from China@13. Stainless steel in China is mostly a recycled product from which 'plain old' steel has been incompletely removed. So it visibly corrodes; typically in small patches. It looks bad but I don't think it contains toxic metals. == No one has mentioned Beethoven's 60 coffee beans here. Y'all don't trivia.
I love coffee in the morning - a whole carafe myself from my Bunn. Beethoven was a man after my own heart.
