Caffè Lungo [topic: review 5]

I have been to Palazzo de Piro quite a few times. This place has a very lovely setup in the silent city of Mdina. However, I must say that despite being a busy place, service should never be a let down. Apart from relatively long waiting time for a normal caffé lungo, this was the result I got on my table.

Literally a storm in an espresso cup

Please note the presentation. It seems that the server passed through a storm on his/her way up. Being Illy, perhaps the most common coffee brand on the island of Malta, I would say that the taste was basically OK. Yet, taste needs to be complemented with a better quality of service. Also, having ordered just an espresso I expected the traditional glass of water.

Overall, please note that such a place deserves a better quality of service. Having quality servers is great, the coffee product however needs to be better at all times!

Stay tuned! In the mean time, keep spreading the love for the BEAN!

Caffè Lungo [topic: review 4]

My apologies for not posting in the past few weeks. For this review post I went for a dinner at a relaxing bay in Gozo (the sister island of Malta) where dining al fresco could not have ended any better than ... CAFFÈ LUNGO! The place is Moby Dick @ Xlendi.

A creamy lungo

Despite the fact that the restaurant was reaching closing time, this coffee was delivered in less than 3 minutes. One must admit that the trajectory from the bar to our table included a couple of steps so I have to excuse the lack of presentation (even though not fully excusable). In spite of the storm that hit my lungo, the texture was still there. One slight stir and it was all restored.

This place uses Kiimbo as seen in the picture I am presenting. One must say that Kimbo is not one of the most popular coffees in the Maltese islands. I was curious in fact to check it out. I have to say I was not much impressed, perhaps my expectations were too high. However it was all pleasurable. My usual comment however has to be made ... garçon .... WATER PLEASE! How on earth can one present coffee on a practically empty table without providing your customer with a sip of water to clear the taste buds before and after a divine experience?

Whilst giving my kudos for the temperature it was served in, this espresso was overall well done. Keep improving quality in Gozo guys!

Stay tuned! In the mean time, keep spreading the love for the BEAN!

Coffee vs The Heart [topic: general]

I have been reading and researching for a long time about the link between coffee and its affect on our health, especially THE HEART. Seriously, coffee seems to be quite beneficial, yet there is a fine line we ought to beware of so as to avoid any unwanted circumstances simply for enjoying our favourite drink (especially if overdone).

A very high %age of adults consume coffee everyday. A good %age of coffee consumers do so more than once or twice a day. While some of it might be beneficial, the effects of more than one/two coffees per day seems to be alarming. Blood pressure increases with every coffee consumed and also this high blood level is directly linked to heart disease. Thus if anyone is on the pre-hypertension line, or even taking hypertension medication, it is better to limit the coffee intake to ONE or maximum TWO coffees per day.

Lately, a news item set me thinking. A teenager took a caffeine overdose (not all the intake was in fact coffee) and his heart literally stopped functioning. Well this may an isolated case, yet still indicative of the effect that coffee and caffeine related products have on our health.

Some researchers claim that regular coffee drinkers develop a kind of natural resistance, a tolerance to the temporary blood pressure spike caused by the coffee intake. Results may be conflicting, yet moderation is the best solution to practically everything. The median line is the best way so as to include other things in our daily diets. Coffee is surely a stimulant as it contains caffeine. We are all so different and our bodies are so complex that it is always beneficial to not abuse of any substance, not even caffeine even though it might be very legal and very conventional.

An interesting fact is that decaffeinated coffee has a higher risk on the heart for the simple reason that the bean from which this coffee is extracted is higher in fat content and thus might cause other problems despite being promoted as a better option.

On the other hand, coffee has been found to be beneficial in may other ways such as being a preventive of some types of cancer (liver; throat etc) as well as other health benefits. Some might disagree with such studies, yet the natural elements found in coffee are surely not dangerous when consumed moderately.

You think I'm exaggerating the idea? Well, here are just three news links describing the story I mentioned earlier:

1) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/teenager-caffeine-drinking-too-much-davis-cripe-mountain-dew-mcdonald-a-latte-energy-drink-south-a7737926.html

2) http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/16/boy-died-after-drinking-mcdonalds-latte-energy-drink-and-large-mountain-dew-6640250

3) http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/south-carolina-teen-died-caffeine-overdose-coroner-rules-n759716

Stay tuned! In the mean time, keep spreading the love for the BEAN (but pay attention not to overdo it)!