Experts Say You Should Delay That First Cup Of Coffee

Asking people to delay that first cup of coffee is asking a lot. For most of us we have a set routine when it comes to coffee in the morning. Maybe you're the type of person that pours that first cup down your gullet as soon as you can get it brewed. There are others that wait till after they finished their morning rituals of awaking and taking a morning shower or whatever it is they need to do. These people put off the first cup of coffee till they're on their way to work.

For me doing a morning radio show and being up at the unholy hour of 3am I need that first cup of coffee as soon as I wake up. In fact, I have a drip coffee maker that I set up to brew the night before so all I have to do is pour that first cup as soon as I stumble into the kitchen.

On the other hand my wife can wait a couple of hours before her first cup. That always amazes me, because I actually crave that first cup of coffee before my feet hit the floor.

She might be on to something...

Have you heard this term yet?  "The New York Times" did a big write-up on something called "caffeine delay" . . . or the idea that it's better to wait an hour or two before your first cup of coffee.

A ton of influencers claim you'll get a bigger energy boost if you wait, and it might be true.  But is it worth it?  According to experts, only if you want to limit yourself to ONE cup of coffee a day.

Caffeine works by binding to receptors in your brain and blocking a chemical that makes you drowsy called adenosine.  (uh-DEN-uh-seen)

Your adenosine levels are at their lowest right after you wake up, so there's less of it to block.  That's why an immediate cup of coffee might not do as much as it would when you're dragging later in the day.

But for most people, there's no harm in having a second cup of coffee later.  You'll still get that bigger boost.  Plus, just the THOUGHT of coffee helps some people wake up.  So if that first sip is what gets you out of bed in the morning, go for it.

Delaying could also be dangerous for some people, since a lot of us don't get enough sleep and rely on caffeine.  If you wait, you might not be as alert on your drive to work.

(NY Times)

If you're a fan of cold brew ice coffee, here are 7 Massachusetts breweries that are coffee roasters too. Everyone it seems in the Bay State loves breweries and now there is another reason to love them. They brew coffee too.  So, now they have you covered morning, noon and night with coffees and beers.

According to the writers at Food and Wine here is the difference between cold brew and iced coffee. "Cold brew is in some ways a misnomer. The more accurate term to describe what we know of as cold brew would be cold steep, or cold infusion, but those don’t have the same curb appeal. Even still, cold brew never truly goes through a process of brewing — which, when it comes to coffee, means mixing with boiling water. Instead, cold brew coffee is made by steeping coffee grounds in room temperature or cold water for many hours. It is an infusion technique that has historically been used for tea to yield a more gentle, aromatic flavor profile."

Most breweries have  more than one vat and too make sure they stay busy, it's smart to diversify  their product line. It used to be breweries would just add another beer or ale concoction to their line. Now, with the ever increasing taste for coffee, iced or or cold brewed, these local breweries have gotten into the game in a big way.

As you peruse these 7 Massachusetts breweries that brew coffee too, you will notice that they have come up with some very imaginative brews. They have taken the challenge of creating new brews that are not only tasty, but very well thoughts out originality. These are worth your money for sure.

If you're tired of drinking the same old cold brews from the big guys, then you should give these local brewers a chance. They are all within driving distance of Boston and I dare say, worth the drive.

It's described as having notes of apple, walnut and brown sugar. It sounds like the perfect cold brew for the colder days of Fall.

Tree House's first cold brew batch is described as having a rich chocolatey fudge taste that is syrupy smooth. Sounds great for an anytime treat.

Lamplighter's Pepita Coffee sounds absolutely delicious and comes in big growler size of 32 ounces. That's a lot of cold brew to keep you moving!

The cold brew is excellent here and so is the restaurant at Cold Harbor Brewing in Westborough is very extensive and has much more to offer than a typical brewery does. It's a lot more than pretzels and pizza.

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Night Shift in Everett offers cold brew in the can and is very proud of it. They say that any season is cold brew season and we agree!

Winter Hill offers a nice Pumpkin Spice cold brew latte that is full of all of your favorite Fall flavors like cloves, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla beans and star anise. That's a lot of flavors packed in a can.

Mighty Squirrel offers a hearty cold brew that features chocolate notes with caramel. They want you to enjoy this cold brew first thing this in the morning instead of hot brewed coffee. Might be worth a try!