The Chinese coffee market is on a boom for the past few years. With rising coffee consumption reaching a yearly increase of over a thousand percent, Chinese residents are finding it hard to resist that delicious morning cup of Joe. It wasn’t always like this, in fact, if you just move the clock back a decade, the Chinese coffee market was the complete opposite of what you see today in present-day China.

Good Morning China

Before 2000, Chinese coffee consumption was on average about one cup of coffee per year. They didn’t make popular coffee houses, there weren’t any advertisements for the newest instant coffee innovation, and you couldn’t find any real cafes unless you visited an international airport. Coffee was seen as a luxury gift given to people rather than a daily drink due to its rarity. Tea was more often drank for energy rather than coffee. This all changed in 1999 when the first Starbucks opened in Bejing’s World Trade Center.

Instant Joy

Instant coffee was the go-to coffee in China if you were a coffee drinker. It remained in popularity up until 2012. This is when specialty coffee houses became the new normal. Rather than make coffee at home, Chinese residents opted to join the western coffee house trend. This push is primarily driven by younger generations of coffee drinkers in China! Want to know more about coffee cultures in other countries? Read our Russian coffee blog right here!

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By John Toledo

The post Chinese Coffee Consumption Practices appeared first on The Coffee Class.

As the days end sooner with the Winter Solstice approaching faster and faster, some people may start to feel the “cold blues” as it has been referred to by a few folks. The scientific name for it is Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as S.A.D. It is said to be caused by anxiety in having the days be cut shorter, along with being out more during nightfall as clocks are moved an hour back. This means that nightfall comes even sooner from daylight savings policies. 

Cold Days

A survey backed by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee found that coffee can indeed improve cognition and mood in people and even help them through the more literal darker parts of the year with daylight savings time. The survey polled residents across several European countries. The poll questioned whether the participants felt more anxious and depressed. The poll was asked after the days started getting shorter following the colder seasons. These questions were then analyzed with another poll asking the same participants caffeine consumption habits.

Warm Coffee

The survey showed that almost a quarter of the participants drank coffee to feel happier during the season. Another quarter used coffee to stay awake during the season. Current research has shown that 75 milligrams of caffeine every four hours actually helps people feel happy throughout the day! A perfect prescription to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder! Coffee has other health benefits too like liver protection, heart health, and so much more! Check out another article showcasing how coffee can help with heart health right here on our website!

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By John Toledo

The post Seasonal Affective Disorder appeared first on The Coffee Class.

The intricacies of business often overshadow the routine parts of the business. Sure, you can understand your market inside and out, you can explain to any investor every detail of last quarter’s earnings report, and you can calculate the rate of growth per day of your business. All are important to a business in their own way, but none of which can overtake the importance of people. People are hard to come by, especially competent ones, and the ones that do come by come with a hefty price tag. This is why it is so important for anyone, business owners to business employees, to network.

Coffee for Two

You’ve heard of the elevator pitch, right? A supposed thirty-second conversation held in an elevator to a possible valuable connection in an attempt to expand your network. An instrument such as this has most certainly helped many find their way around town, but what happens beyond the elevator pitch? A business-savvy individual would probably invite their new friend out to a cup of coffee to continue their pleasant conversation.

Cafe Business

This is where your choices can make or break the meeting. When choosing a place to meet up for some coffee, make sure to keep distance in mind. Choose a location in proximity to the person you invited. Reduce their stress about meeting you as much as possible. Find a location appropriate for the meeting. If it is with a group, make sure the venue is not as crowded so that you can hear each other. In arranging the meeting, make sure you give the kind gesture of paying for the coffee!

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By John Toledo

The post The Coffee Pitch appeared first on The Coffee Class.

Is that same cup of coffee in the morning not giving you the same kick of energy anymore? Need some extra energy today for an important interview? Are you finding yourself drinking more and more cups of coffee to jumpstart your day? Then it may be time to learn some new tricks on how to get more bang for your cup of coffee!

The Secret is Caffeine

The active ingredient in coffee that keeps us awake when we chug it when our morning alarms go off is caffeine. Caffeine works by tricking brain receptors into thinking we are not sleepy. Adenosine is a natural chemical that the body produces which binds to receptors in the brain that slows down brain function telling us that our body needs to recharge and sleep. Caffeine mimics adenosine in the brain and binds to the sleep receptors that adenosine is supposed to bind to. This means that the real adenosine cannon bind to these receptors, thus tricking our bodies into thinking we are not tired!

The More the Better

So, obviously, more caffeine would make a stronger coffee to give us more energy! To get the most caffeine out of your coffee, you can use a lighter roast. Grinding the beans as finely as possible will extract more caffeine for your cup as well. Brewing your coffee for a longer period of time also extracts more caffeine. A good rule of thumb is that the lighter the roast, the finer the beans, and the longer the brew time, the more caffeine you’ll get for your coffee! So rise and grind!

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By John Toledo

The post Powered by Caffeine appeared first on The Coffee Class.