Welcome to Coffee Vans Melbourne!

If you are wondering about such an odd name for this website, let me explain why I chose this title.  It all started with me hunting for a mobile coffee van that could provide freshly brewed hot coffee for the guests at our daughter’s engagement party.

While our lawn was being prepared for the event, it suddenly struck us that it would be a good idea to have a mobile coffee vending cart instead of other catering options.  This search for a good mobile coffee vendor, made me type ‘Coffee Vans Melbourne’ into Google Search and found that it threw up several coffee vans in that area and I found one that was really good in terms of quality and service.  So I decided a website titled ‘Coffee Vans Melbourne’ is bound to bring relevant visitors to my site.

Now let me tell you why I put up this website in the first place.  David, a good friend of mine, was running a fairly successful roadside cafe until he started noticing a downward slide in walk-ins. He couldn’t figure out why there was such a significant drop in business until an old customer told him how convenient it was for him to grab a mug of his favourite espresso closer to his office rather than having to walk all the way to my friend’s cafe.  So out of curiosity, David and I decided to take a walk and check out this new cafe on wheels.

It turned out that this mobile coffee cart was being run by one of his oldest customers!  So we all got talking and found out that it definitely was easier to run and attracted more customers.  Within a few months of this, David decided to wind up his cafe and started his own mobile coffee cart business.  He is doing extremely good business and being able to move around, has kept boredom at bay as he finds it very interesting to meet a lot of new people.  His signature coffee brews have always been much in demand, and soon the word spread that David’s coffee shop is mobile with state of the art coffee machines, and he is now much in demand at parties and important business events.

Just before David decided to take on a mobile coffee franchise,  I helped him research the business and get him some info on whether it is really a viable option.  I found so much of interesting information on this new concept and also several interesting tidbits on coffee that I decided it would be a great idea to compile it all into a website.

Being a coffee lover myself, I delved and probed into all that is good and bad about coffee.  You won’t believe the amount of research data that claimed that caffeine was good for health while another set of data that proved that caffeine was actually bad for health!  I figured that as a coffee enthusiast, I was not going to stop drinking coffee even if it was eventually proved that it was bad for health.  Coffee really perks me up in the mornings when I find myself sluggish and dragging my feet to work.  And the intermittent mugs of coffee throughout the day, keep me on my toes and enthusiastic about work.

Coffee Vans Melbourne is essentially a website that is designed to serve as a one-stop resource for all information relating to coffee.  You will find here several articles on coffee written by experts and also many links to authoritative sites that will give you an idea of the Australian coffee industry and how Australians’ coffee consumption data show their extremely discerning taste buds when it comes to their coffee.

I will also provide you with some information on the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and snippets from the Coffee Trade Journal that will provide you with some background information on coffee.

I will also be getting updates on the latest in all matters relating to coffee; the cultivation and production of the best coffee beans; why the Arabica coffee bean is better than the Robusta; and what is so great about the Civet Coffee that makes it the most expensive and much sought after coffee in the world.  So join me on this exciting journey through the world’s coffee trail mapped expertly by Coffee Vans Melbourne.

 

Much has been said over the years about the benefits and ill-effects of coffee. And whenever researchers declare coffee universally bad for health, there is some other research data that spring up to refute this claim. The way things are going we are never going to know if coffee is good or bad for us, but what all of us would agree on is that coffee tastes great and peps us up like nothing else can!
In this section of Coffee Vans Melbourne, I bring to you some very balanced and impartial articles on the effects of caffeine on your health. Go grab a coffee, put your feet up, and read on.

Health Effects of Coffee – Health Benefits of Caffeine

By Alan Kenyon
Research work about the health effects of coffee has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 25 years. One outcome of this phenomenon was that health workers consistently warned the public that drinking the beverage habitually might be unsafe. More recent studies suggest, however, that coffee may actually be more beneficial than harmful to health. That should be news for the myriad throughout the world who consume it.
Caffeine, the primary ingredient of coffee, is considered a mild pick-me-up that counts raised blood pressure, increased heart rate, and occasional irregular heartbeats among its immediate effects. Of late, researchers have been veering toward the view that these physiological reactions are by far insignificant and transient.
What they are increasingly recognizing from empirical data is that coffee is a drink that has an assortment of potential health benefits to offer. There is evidence, for example, that coffee reduces the risk for colon cancer if consumed at the rate of four cups a day — not the most salutary effect you can cite considering that intake at such an amount can easily lead to greater ills. But there are other, more pertinent findings that depict coffee, even at moderate consumption levels, as a protagonist rather than a culprit in human health.
Like wine, coffee has antioxidants that get rid of free radicals in the blood and consequently lower the risk of heart disease and some types of cancers. A number of studies showed that the concentration of antioxidants in coffee is higher than that in tomatoes, apples or cranberries. Some scientists point out, however, that fruits and vegetables have an edge, as far as being sources of essential vitamins, minerals and fiber is concerned.
Research works from China present strong evidence that coffee can diminish the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Two scientific reports, one from the U.S. and the other from Scandinavia, indicate that both decaffeinated and regular coffee lessen the odds for developing type-2 diabetes.
Positive effects of coffee on the digestive system have been observed as well. There is reason to believe from available data that coffee may lessen the chances of developing calculi (stones) in the kidney and the gall bladder. Caffeine is also known to induce the secretion of stomach acids, which improves digestion, or the breakdown of food.
Caffeine has been demonstrated to ease constriction of respiratory airways in asthmatic individuals, if ingested in moderation. Another important ingredient of coffee, theophylline, adds to this salutary effect by acting as a bronchodilator.
Needless to say, there are risks that go with coffee’s promise as a health-promoting drink. Some studies draw an association between substantial coffee intake and a tendency toward infertility. (Mammalian spermatozoa, though, have been found to swim much better in coffee-laced fluids.) A possible connection between increased consumption of coffee and higher blood levels of homocysteine, a suspected risk factor for coronary heart disease, has also been demonstrated. Some studies point to an increase in low-density lipoprotein (“bad” cholesterol) as a result of drinking coffee. How significant these factors are in helping to cause heart attack is subject to debate.
Most coffees made by the European way of boiling ground beans contain cafestol, a substance said to have the effect of raising the levels of cholesterol in humans. Many Americans, however, like their coffee percolated or filtered, processes which remove cafestol, except in the case of decaf.
Women coffee drinkers have been found to have lower calcium levels and bone mineral densities than non-consumers. And those that take four or more cups a day double their risk of contracting urinary incontinence.
On the whole — and most people will now probably agree — the beneficial impact of coffee on health outweighs its potentially adverse effects, at least when consumed in judicious amounts. Coffee guzzlers might want to reduce their caffeine intake by substituting with colas. One ounce of your regular cola contains only one-third the caffeine found in coffee of the same quantity. But Coke in place of a Latte? The switch doesn’t sound like it’s worth the sacrifice in flavor and in number of health benefits.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Kenyon

Is Cofee a Health Benefit Or a Health Risk?
By Swati Nitin Gupta
The debate whether coffee is a health benefit or health risk has been going on since the day this aromatic brew was first discovered. Since then there have been controversial studies that keep surfacing which are more confusing then helping. If one study suggests that drinking coffee is good for you, pop comes the other one saying that it is not safe to drink coffee. So what do you do? Do you stop drinking coffee because a study says it is not good for you or do you keep drinking it because earlier you read that it is supposed to be good for your health? Either ways you are being dependent on the information which keeps changing and keeps resurfacing either in a magazine or a newspaper or on the Internet.
So what should a person who loves his or her coffee do? Stick to the personal choice or pay heed to the study that says that drinking coffee is not good for one’s health. As a coffee lover myself, I have realised that it is best to follow my heart. If you love coffee you should drink it and if you don’t then don’t start drinking it because you read someplace that it is good for health. Similarly you should not stop drinking it because some study suggests that it is not good for your health. So whether coffee is a health benefit or a health risk is a matter of personal belief. If you believe it is a health risk it will affect you that way and if you think it is a health benefit then the result will be different.
Personally, I feel that coffee is a health benefit. Why? Simply because it uplifts my mood, cures my headaches, and is a source of antioxidants — component needed to ward off cardiovascular diseases.
That is a very layman approach to the topic. However there are some scientific reasons as well and although there have been controversial research and findings related to coffee and one such research has proved that coffee does has disease fighting properties thus lowering the risk of certain diseases like Type II diabetes, Parkinson’s and colon cancer.
This apart, it is a common knowledge that coffee contains caffeine which acts as a stimulant and it is for this reason people consume it in the mornings and when they are feeling tired. Students also swear by this brew during their examinations and late night study sessions. People in the late night shifts also feel alert after having a cup of coffee.
Apparently there are more health benefits of drinking coffee than there are risks and coffee lovers all over the world are a happy lot after learning that there are more health benefits of drinking coffee. And that will be a separate topic altogether.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Swati_Nitin_Gupta

This section of Coffee Vans Melbourne is dedicated to the mobile coffee culture that is springing up all over the world.

Wherever we go, we can see people crowding cafes sipping on hot cups of coffee. Coffee is a beverage that is very addictive and is always welcome in large or small groups. Conversation comes easier and is livelier over coffee. When this brew is served, long-winded lectures become endurable. People just don’t seem to be able to get enough of this drink. This has made mobile coffee vans very attractive in the eyes of the common man.

More than 250 million people all over the world consume coffee on a daily basis. The introduction of the mobile coffee van has made access to coffee easier. It allows quick service to coffee drinkers and cuts out the long waiting lines at cafes. Without having to drive a long distance for your cup of coffee, you can just step out to the nearest mobile coffee cart and get your fix of caffeine for the day. Shorter breaks from work are made feasible with easier access to coffee.

The mobile coffee van concept aims at bringing you a mug of hot, steaming, freshly brewed coffee right to your doorstep. It is also a good catering option for small get-togethers at home or in the office. Hiring a mobile coffee van is ideal for sports events.

Taking up a franchise is also quite popular and you can easily become a business owner with minimum investment. It offers the flexibility of moving around and gaining new customers every day. There are several entrepreneurs who have their finger in the mobile coffee pie making it simultaneously competitive and popular. Mobile coffee sales show a definite upward trend and looks like it is set to go much further. The need to have a fixed physical location for your cafe is no longer needed, which cuts down on cost of operation with an increase in revenue.

Mobile coffee vans have mushroomed everywhere. You see them in parks, outside schools, corporate offices, and on busy streets. It really is a very novel and enticing approach to coffee vending. The flexibility and mobility brought by this concept is exactly what is needed for the increasingly busy working populace.

The wafting aroma of freshly brewed coffee never fails to attract the coffee enthusiast so the idea of bringing coffee closer to people is good for business. This cafe on wheels saves on expense for the business owner and that translates into lower prices for the consumer with no compromise on quantity or quality.

Coffee being an extremely popular beverage, you don’t need to spend as much on advertising to get people to drink it! Mobile coffee vans are in themselves walking advertisements and if they can back it up with a good menu and expertly brewed coffee, there is nothing to beat it.

There are many benefits and opportunities associated with the mobile coffee van in the business world. Not only for eager entrepreneurs but also for those who are totally enamoured by this addictive drink. Instead of the coffee lover going in search for a cafe, the idea of bringing coffee to the consumer has turned the cafe culture completely around. With this ease of access, the consumption of coffee has gone up considerably.

As such, the mobile coffee van is not only beneficial to those who are crazy about coffee but also to business-minded individuals who are keen on making a profit and creating a presence for themselves in this highly competitive field. There are several mobile coffee van franchises that make it easier for an entrepreneur to set up and run with expert guidance and support. It also offers the flexibility of trying out and establishing your own signature coffee brew.

The satisfaction of inhaling the aroma from a good cup of coffee and sipping it slowly is heavenly. Coffee relaxes you completely and gives you the energy to continue with your work. Coffee is here to stay and in spite of confusing information on the deleterious effects of coffee, it would be very hard to give up coffee. The coffee cart is a very convenient miniature cafe that brings coffee to you without you having to do much to get to it.

Welcome to Coffee Vans Melbourne !

According to the 2008 Coffee Statistics Report, coffee is the most common beverage worldwide. The U.S. imports more than $4 billion worth of coffee annually and Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day. Nearly 52% of Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee daily. Coffee represents 75% of all the caffeine consumed in the U.S., the rest comes from soft drinks, tea, cocoa, and many prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Although coffee is one of the most heavily researched commodities with studies spanning decades, there is still much controversy surrounding its effects on health. Many studies show conflicting results and there is always a new study to discount the last one.

Science Of Caffeine

Caffeine is the most prevalently used legal stimulant in the world. It stimulates you, gives you energy or a “lift”, and it makes you more alert. To understand how caffeine affects your body, we have to look at the science of caffeine. When you take in caffeine, it triggers the secretion of stress hormones, similar to a fight-or-flight response when you have to deal with sudden danger. The following is how the body responses to an elevation of stress hormones:

* Pupils dilate to increase visual acuity.
* Bronchial airways dilate to increase availability of oxygen.
* Liver releases sugars and fats into the blood to fuel the survival effort.
* Muscle fibers contract, ready for sudden movement.
* Heart rate and blood pressure increase to supply fuel to muscles.
* Circulation reduced in digestive system to make more blood available to muscles.
* Small blood vessels in the extremities constrict to make more blood available to muscles.

In caveman days, such fight-or-flight response was designed for episodic stress events. In modern times, however, stress tends to be chronic, and most people typically consume caffeine at regular intervals during the day. When your body is in a constant state of “emergency alert”, the results can be devastating.

Harmful Effects Of Caffeine

* Caffeine can generate wild swings in blood sugar, causing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Symptoms include weakness, nervousness, sweating, heart palpitations, and jitters.
* Caffeine can raise blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
* Caffeine can alter the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, leading to impaired digestion. It is associated with increased risk for ulcer, acid reflux, and irritable bowel syndrome.
* Caffeine can lead to skin irritations.
* Caffeine can have a detrimental effect on the body’s calcium-phosphorus balance, which is associated with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis (porous bones).
* Caffeine can aggravate your PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and menopause symptoms.
* Caffeine can affect the quality of your sleep. The fact that you have built up a high tolerance for caffeine does not mean that your sleep quality has not been compromised. Caffeine can also worsen symptoms of insomnia, panic attacks, and anxiety disorders.
* Caffeine can increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects such as cleft palate, and low birth weight among babies. Pregnant women should always avoid caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant drug that easily passes through the placenta to the developing fetus and is also transferred through breast milk.
* Last but not least, if you regularly take in more than 100 mg of caffeine (about half a cup of brewed coffee) a day, you are probably addicted to caffeine and are likely to experience some withdrawal symptoms such as headache, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and muscle stiffness.

Other Health Issues Associated With Coffee

* Coffee is usually a heavily sprayed crop, so every cup of non-organic coffee exposes you to a dose of toxic pesticides. Worse, many chemicals banned in the U.S. for their ultra toxicity are exported to South American countries. Some of these chemicals are known to be used in coffee plantations which export their coffee back to the U.S.
* If you are a Protein Metabolic Type, you won’t do well with caffeine. You should only consume decaffeinated coffee in small quantities.
* If you are going to drink decaffeinated coffee, make sure that it uses a non-chemical based method of decaffeination, such as the “Swiss Water Process”. Most coffee is chemically decaffeinated, even if it says “naturally decaffeinated” on the label.
* If you use a “drip” coffee maker, use non-bleached filters. The bright white ones are chlorine bleached and some of the chlorine will be extracted from the filter during the brewing process.

Health Benefits Of Coffee
Although coffee is associated with many health risks, research suggests that it also offers a number of health benefits, provided you drink at least two cups per day. Evidence indicates that coffee provides protective effects for the following diseases:

* Alcohol cirrhosis of the liver
* Alzheimer’s disease
* Asthma
* Colon cancer
* Type 2 diabetes
* Gallstones
* Some types of headaches
* Parkinson’s disease
* Strokes

However, when you are drinking two cups of coffee daily, your body is already hooked to the regular stimulation of caffeine. It is after all, a personal choice to weigh the benefits of drinking coffee against its many negative health effects.

The Bottom Line

* Despite the many health claims, caffeine is still a stimulant drug. Regular dependence on caffeine to enhance performance stresses the body, the same way all other life stressors do.
* Tea is a good alternative as it has lower caffeine content. Tea also contains antioxidants (polyphenols) that help prevent cancer, heart disease, and stroke. White tea is the least processed and contains the most antioxidants, followed by green tea, and black tea. To cut down on the caffeine in black tea, steep it for less time or switch to green or white tea.
* Coffee is clearly not the healthiest liquid to drink (best choice is pure water) but if you do choose to drink coffee, buy the organic version as the crop is heavily sprayed with pesticides.
* The best decaffeination method is the “Swiss Water Process” which is completely chemical free.
* Only use non-bleached filters for brewing coffee.
* If you are pregnant, breast feeding, or have the following conditions, you should avoid caffeine altogether – digestive and bowel problems, chronic fatigue syndrome, gallstones, ulcers, anxiety or panic attacks, heart problems, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia, insomnia, PMS, menopause, osteoporosis, and skin irritations.

Carol Chuang is a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Metabolic Typing Advisor. She has a Masters degree in Nutrition and is the founder of CC Health Counseling, LLC. Her passion in life is to stay healthy and to help others become healthy. She believes that a key ingredient to optimal health is to eat a diet that is right for one’s specific body type. Eating organic or eating healthy is not enough to guarantee good health. The truth is that there is no one diet that is right for everyone. Our metabolisms are different, so should our diets. Carol specializes in Metabolic Typing, helping her clients find the right diet for their Metabolic Type. To learn more about Metabolic Typing, her nutrition counseling practice, and how to get a complimentary phone consultation, please go to http://cchealthcounseling.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carol_Chuang

Check out this vid on how to make great coffee.


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