and the case of the mysteriously vanishing K-cups…

Working with people has got to be one of the strangest things that individuals have to deal with in their life.  If you think about it, no two people from different families and/or backgrounds are raised the same way.  Sure, people can have certain similarities and such, but really we are all as individual as snowflakes.

In the workplace all types of people come together to form a department or team.  This differing backgrounds and personalities can certainly make for great working relationships, but they can also put people in weird and maybe even uncomfortable situations.  This is especially true for people who do not value the fact that money should not be wasted and drinking seven cups of coffee from the Keurig coffee maker does, in fact, waste money.

What is a typical morning for you? I know for me the first few minutes of my day revolve around making my way to the coffee maker, stat. Each and every morning my alarm clock rings out and I put my feet on the floor only to stumble my way into the dark kitchen to push the little button that my index finger is oh so familiar with. I am not even sure if I open up my eyes most mornings. It is by my own little habits that I can navigate with ease to get to the coffee.

Some of the greatest things in the world are chocolate, love, and coffee. Today, we’ll be talking about the third in that sequence. Coffee can be pretty addictive. That’s why so many people love it. But what is it, chemically speaking, that causes coffee to have such an attraction for us all? Where and how is it grown, and is it enhanced to make us more and more addicted? Or is it just that, like coffee and love, we tend to know a good thing when we find it, and we go for it in copious amounts?

At some point, most people who really love their coffee are going to want to try brewing the perfect cup at home instead of running out to Starbucks or the local small café barista. Perhaps you are one of them, and you’ve tried brewing your own coffee only to be disappointed and give up on your dream of achieving the perfect coffee on your own. The most likely thing that happened was that you didn’t know much about coffee brewing when you tried it, and the result was an uninformed cup of coffee that could have been a lot better if only you’d known where to start and how to finish.

When you go for that morning does of liquid caffeine in a cup, be sure you know your reasonable limitations. There can be such a thing as too much of a good thing. Coffee can get you going in the morning, but it can also send you spiraling over the edge of jittery chaos if you overdose – which is surprisingly easy for most people to do. In the case of most healthy adults, moderate doses of caffeine are considered to be between 200 to 300 milligrams, the equivalent of about two to four cups of brewed coffee a day. These amounts of coffee are not considered to be problematic in the general population. Still, there are some circumstances that may warrant limiting or even ending your caffeine routine. If any of the following apply to you, you might be one of the people who needs to cut back or stop altogether.

Over the years, the medical profession has wavered greatly as to whether coffee is good for people, or the opposite. Right now, the conventional wisdom seems to be swinging in the favor of coffee lovers. Not only can coffee add to one’s mental acuity, but it may help protect certain individuals against heart disease, and reduce symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Growing evidence supports the supposition that coffee drinkers, as opposed to those to abstain, are less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. They also have fewer reported cases of certain cancers, a lesser instance of heart rhythm problems, and might even be protected against strokes. This is all good news for those who enjoy a few cups of java each day.

Have you ever wanted to boycott Starbucks just because it is a huge American corporation and has cornered the market of coffee as far as most people are concerned, putting small mom and pops coffee houses in jeopardy of losing their businesses? Do you worry that Starbucks has somehow redefined coffee in America, making anything less (or just different) seem inferior by comparison? Well, you are not the only one. Some people are on a mission to support independent coffee shops, as opposed to Starbucks and other high profile coffee chains. There are even apps for your smart phone, both Android and iOS, that can find anything but the nearest Starbucks so that you can indulge your desire for coffee without lining the wallets of corporate giants.