Neuropsychopharmacology experts tested a group of 379 volunteers and have come to the controversial conclusion that people who drink a lot of coffee develop a tolerance for caffeine’s effects over time.

The study showed that heavy coffee drinkers, those who drink between one and six cups of coffee per day, did experience “withdrawal-like” symptoms (headache, tiredness) when given a placebo drink instead of coffee, but that when they were given actual coffee with 100mg of caffeine, they did not show any increases in alertness.

The finding then, is that heavy coffee drinkers may be drinking coffee in order to curb the withdrawal effects of consuming such high amounts of caffeine. They could, in theory, receive the same benefits from simply giving up coffee all together.

What do you think? Is coffee a circular process or does it really pick you up even though you drink it every day?

What will life be like for carafes after single-serve coffee makers?

I love my Keurig single cup coffee maker. It’s great for making a quick cup of coffee before I catch the bus in the morning and is also great when I’m entertaining and everyone wants a different brew of coffee with dessert. The Keurig has left me with just one challenge: what should I do with my poor drip-coffee-maker carafe?

So, I jotted down a list of a few ways to use my ex-coffee carafe constructively. After all, I probably won’t be using it for pouring coffee anytime soon!

1. Water Plants – I’m too cheap to buy an actual watering can, so I usually end up dumping water all over my coffee table and kitchen counter when I try to water my plants with a drinking glass. Turns out, my poor abandoned coffee carafe works really well for this surprisingly tricky task.
2. Refill the Fish Tank – It’s not so much of an issue now that humid summer is arriving, but during the winter my fish tank loses water to the air on a daily basis. A quick refill from my sink to the coffee carafe to the tank keeps my fishies happy and tank looking clean.
3. Orange Juice Pitcher – Don’t laugh! It works really well. I had an actual pitcher, but recently dropped it. I actually went out and bought another coffee carafe at Goodwill because they’re great for mixing and storing frozen concentrate juices in.
4. As a Measuring Cup – I don’t think this is true of all traditional glass carafes, but mine has 1-cup, 2-cup, etc marks on the side so it’s easy to measure water into your drip-coffee-maker. Carafes can easily be repurposed as glass measuring cups.
5. For Coffee (but with a twist!) – Occasionally, I’ve wanted to make more than one cup of coffee, but didn’t want to wait and wait for my drip-coffee-maker to gurgle and boil and hiss. I just put the carafe under my K-Cup brewer and make a few K-cups worth of coffee. It’s great for late nights when one cup just isn’t going to be enough.

Any other ideas? What will you use YOUR abandoned coffee carafe for?

This week I stumbled upon a short, informative video from the Discovery Channel on why coffee is good for you and what exactly about coffee gives you the “caffeine buzz.” Health nuts and coffee addicts alike should find this little clip interesting!

Well, it has been about 5 years since we have made any major changes to the website. With all the new technology and features now available we thought it was time for an overhaul. In the next few months we will be working closely with our designers and programmers to give users a new modern look and feel, but still easy to use experience. We plan on adding new features that will be more informative for our customers and help them with the shopping experience. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please feel free to list them here and help us make a better acsjava.com.

20% of people suffer from stomach irritation, and for many, that means limiting their coffee intake. But, a recent discovery means that those suffering from stomach irritation should be drinking more–not less–coffee.

A report published at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, found that dark-roasted coffees such as espressos and French roast causes the stomach to reduce acid production.

“This discovery is going to help a lot of people who suffer from coffee sensitivity,” said Doctors Veronika Somoza and Thomas Hofmann, on their recent study. “As coffee-lovers, we’re very excited about this research.”

Other research indicates that 40 million people in America either avoid or limit coffee intake in order to avoid stomach irritation. Although some have found ways to cope, such as taking a heart burn medication with coffee or drinking a blend marketed as being easy on the stomach, many would like to have more freedom in choosing when and which coffee they will drink.