Archive for October, 2008

I love coffee, so am naturally drawn to any stories or information I find about it (especially stories about the benefits of coffee or reasons to drink it!). The latest “coffee fad” appears to be coffees with added components to make it “better” for you. I found a really interesting article on the LA Times website that described different types of these new coffees and what is in them.

Below is a list of different new types of coffee, what’s in them, how they taste, and a few recommendations as well. Reading it made me very jealous of the taste testers who HAD to try the coffees!

Spava – Organically grown (fair trade) arabica beans, fortified with green tea (20 mg per 6-oz serving) and guarana extract (15 mg per 6 oz). The coffee purports to stimulate metabolism and burn fat. Taste: More acidic, bolder, stronger and earthier than the other coffees tested, with a slightly grassy undertone.

Kosmo Protein Coffee – Organically grown (fair trade) arabica beans roasted with organic whole soy beans. The soy adds 2 grams of protein per 6-oz serving. Low in acid, the coffee contains half the caffeine of regular coffee, due to the diluting effects of soy beans. Taste: This was the smoothest and mildest of the coffees.

JavaFit Energy Plus – Arabica beans with garcinia cambogia, green tea extract, niacin and extra caffeine (150 mg extra per serving). Notes: Unlike the other coffees sampled here, JavaFit recommends 1 tablespoon. We soon found out why. To make a direct comparison with the other three coffees, we used a ratio of 2 tablespoons of coffee per 6 oz of water. Big mistake. After one cup, our body was buzzing like a tuning fork — and the effect lasted all day. Next, we brewed it according to the package directions. Much better. Taste: Fortissimo. The aroma was strong, almost pungent. The flavor was very robust, and almost bitter at first, but the bitterness mellowed after a few sips.

Fusion, Diet FX – Organically grown (fair trade) arabica beans, fortified with hoodia, green tea and yerba matte. Amounts of the added ingredients are not included in the packaging. Notes: Available in the U.S. in 11 varieties at 7-Eleven stores by the cup and in “portion pillow packs” that make one pot of coffee. Taste: Noteably smooth and non-acidic, with a nice aroma. Tastes surprisingly similar to upper end, generic coffee served on airplanes, which isn’t a bad thing overall.

It seems to me that the most important thing to keep in mind is that often drugs are added to the coffees, such as herbal extracts and more caffeine, so be sure to keep an eye on what you’re actually drinking.