What Do You Want To Know About Coffee?

We launched the Mornin' Grind, hoping that we'd build a following. We know we can't build a loyal audience unless we actually show you things about coffee that interest you. So, we're going right to the source...we want to know what you want to know about coffee.

Don't be shy! Ask away. Do you want to know more about the medical benefits and possible side effects of coffee? Do you want to know about local coffee establishments? Do you want to know about special blends, the roasting process, or tips to make your home-brewed coffee taste even better?

We look forward to hearing your ideas and seeing what we can do with them!

Coffee & Community

If you watched this morning's segment of the Mornin' Grind, you saw me hanging out with the fine folks at the Green Frog coffee shop in Byron, GA. Beyond the fantastic customer service and a pretty nice mocha cappuccino, I was most impressed with the sense of community.

The Green Frog, which I think almost anyone would tell you is a pretty small establishment, was full, pretty much the entire time we were there. And it wasn't a sea of anonymous faces. It was a crew of regulars, who didn't disdain the newbies (me, Tyler and Jason Lewis). We were welcomed, beverages were offered, hands were shaken, and stories were shared.

They watched avidly while we taped the segment (see how flushed I was from all the attention), asked questions when we took breaks, told us stories about the shop and about the regulars and told us about future events.

Coffee and community come together at the Green Frog, and I can't imagine that the fine folks who visit each morning could think of any better way to start their day. I know I can't!

Not Gourmet? That's OK

After freezing my fingers scraping ice off the windshield this morning, I knew I wouldn't be able to hold out until I got to the station. I'd need some coffee, stat. Your choices, at barely after 5 AM, are pretty much limited to the gas station variety. And that's totally fine by me.

I admit it, I actually like gas station coffee and their version of a cappuccino. Granted, gas station cappuccino is more akin to a liquid candy bar than a true cappuccino, but I'll leave that for an on-air segment and future blog. The point is, I can enjoy a 99 cent fix as much as I can a pricier blend at a true coffee house. It all really depends on the time of day, my body's current level of caffeine depletion, the temperature outside and, finally, the number of items on my daily to-do list.

I don't always have time for a finely brewed espresso...
(Photo Credit: Gannett News Service, Bill Steber/The Tennessean)

Example, work coffee. You certainly can't complain, because it's free...and when you're a coffeeholic, the daily fix could get expensive if you refused to indulge in some free, but perhaps not the best, brew. So, I'm happy to work at an establishment that provides us with the coffee we need to make it through the day. I just add a little extra cream and sweetener to ensure it's as palatable as it can be.

How about you? Are you a, gasp!!!, coffee snob? Or do you take that hit of coffee goodness in whatever form is quickest and easiest to acquire. I hope you'll share.

The Health Benefits of Your Morning Brew

If you watched the first segment of the Mornin' Grind, you saw that, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine, people who drink 3-4 cups of coffee each day are 25% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. And according to the American Association for Cancer Research, men who drink at least 6 cups of coffee a day have a much lower risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.

So, what other health benefits go along with your morning cup of joe?

According to Tomas DePaulis, PhD, a research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies, "Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful".

And per WebMD.com:

• At least six studies indicate that people who regularly drink coffee are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk.
• Research also shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones.
• Coffee may even offset some of the potential damage caused by other vices, according to some research. "People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don't," says DePaulis.
• There's EVEN some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.
  

We'll look into each of these in more detail as we continue to post to this blog. But for now, it's good to know that our favorite way to start the day might not get us in too much trouble when we have to visit the doctor!

Mallie Dein

So...why am I the Mornin' Grind girl?

So, why did I get the shot to be the face of Mornin' Grind, our new morning segment dedicated to that greatest of morning beverages? Coffee! Well, you might say I was born to it.

How? Well, though the few of you who've seen me sub for Ben on Scene 13 or who've seen the short web hits I do from time to time to direct viewers to new segments of the site know me as Mallie Dein, I was born Mary Lynn Coffey. Yep, Coffey was my last name growing up. The family joke was that my Mom had thought seriously about naming me Mary Jane Beth so that I could be called MJB Coffey for short. MJB Coffee was a big grocery store brand when I was growing up on the west coast.

Add in that I just love coffee, in its various and sundry forms. From expensive blended cappuccino to the bargain buck brands at the gas station, I'll drink it all. Coffee ice cream, coffee flavored candy, chocolate covered coffee beans...love them all. If there was a coffee-flavored gum that worked wonders against coffee breath, I'd buy it.

But, I'm no expert. I'll be learning right along with any of you who regularly tune in. I'll try my hand at brewing, roasting, french-pressing, whatever springs to mind. I'll quite possibly make a mess, might brew something that tastes foul and nasty, and you may see me make some faces as I try stronger coffees sans my usual cream and sugar.

So, I hope you'll check out the segment, Monday mornings in the 6:30-7:00 AM block on Eyewitness News Mornin'. And I hope you'll tell me how you think I'm doing. If we're managing to make the beverage many of us take for granted at the start of our day interesting and fun.

Wake up and enjoy the coffee!

Mallie Dein