Google

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Coffee - The Addictive Stimulant

Coffee - The Addictive Stimulant
Submitted By: Elsie Shan

[Word Count: 653 words] [Viewed: 8 time(s)] [Don't forget to rate this article] [Report this article]


Coffee is one of the important commodities in the world. It is consumed by many people around the world and plays a major part in some economies of the world. It is traded through some major commodities board around the world, e.g. New York Board of Trade (NYBOT). Currently, Brazil is the worlds largest coffee producer which constitutes about 32% (year 2006) of the total world production.
Coffee is an "addictive" beverage made from grounded roasted coffee beans. The pleasant aroma and taste makes it irresistible to coffee lovers. There are many ways to consume this concoction. Some like it hot and some like it cold. It can be consumed with or without sweetener, cream, milk or any other combination you can think of. Its very versatile and creative people can create new taste and flavor. Many businesses have built an empire around coffee, like Starbucks.
The Origin Of Coffee
According to legend, coffee was first discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia during the 9th Century by a shepherd called Kaldi. While tending to his herd, he was intrigued by the strange behavior of his goat. They were happily dancing and leaping after eating strange red berries. He plucked those berries and brought them to a neighboring convent and relates his observation to the priests there. They decided to boil those berries and after drinking the brew, found an extra boost of energy. From there on, the beverage starts to spread to other areas in that region from Egypt to Yemen before reaching Turkey, Persia and some parts of Africa.
Coffee eventually reached Europe in 1690 when the Dutch managed to smuggle coffee plants out from the Arabian land. It was first introduced into Moka (Mauritius), Sri Lanka, India and finally the island of Java in Indonesia before finally brought home to Europe. It was later introduced to the French Caribbean colonies. The coffee plant eventually spreads throughout the American Latin and soon the coffee beans become a major export commodity of some countries here.
Major Coffee Species
There are two major species of coffee plants cultivated for consumption, namely Coffea Arabica Linnaeus (commonly referred to as Arabica) and Coffea canephora (commonly called Robusta). The Arabica variety has a better taste compare to Robusta which is much bitter but less aroma. Sometimes, Robusta is used in the coffee blend to reduce cost. There are also other species of coffee plant like Coffea liberica and Coffea esliaca which is indigenous to Liberia and Sudan respectively.
The Art Of Roasting Coffee
The coffee beans have to be roasted before it can be consumed. After the coffee berries are harvested, the berries are stripped off their flesh leaving only the seed or beans. It is left aside to ferment in order to remove the slimy layer present on the coffee bean. When this process is completed, the fermented coffee bean is washed to remove fermented residue before being dried and graded.
There are several ways to roast coffee, such as traditional roasting, 10 minute quick roast, 90 second flash roast and many others. Different methods will give rise to different taste and aroma. As heat is applied, the coffee beans will loose moisture and turn dark. This is due to the natural occurrence of caramelized sucrose. When there is no more water in the coffee beans, the sugar and acid will begin to release their aroma. This is called the Maillard reactions. The roasting process is then halted and beans cooled and stored. Grinding can be performed and stored in an air tight container to maintain freshness.
Conclusion
Coffee is a favorite beverage of many people. It is now available in convenient forms like instant coffee granules. Some creative coffee companies have introduced pre-mixed sachets so that coffee can be consumed at any time, any place. Just add hot water and your coffee is ready. Canned coffee has also started selling in parts of Asia especially Japan and South Korea.

Opt-in Leads At A Glance

Opt-in Leads At A Glance
Submitted By: John Le Papillon

[Word Count: 601 words] [Viewed: 13 time(s)] [Don't forget to rate this article] [Report this article]


A description of the different types of opt in leads and how they can benefit an online business.
In our business world many are finding more benefits of online marketing then ever before. The world wide web is providing great options for marketers to gain hot new leads on prospective customers. There are several forms of opt in leads these are leads from customers who provide their information to a company of their own will. This gives the company the opportunity to send them information or advertisements on their products or services in the future. It also helps them lower the targets to specifically those who are interested. This will save them lots on advertising and promotional expenses. It keeps the companies from wasting their money on customers that are not interested in their products.
Determining which opt-in strategy or strategies are best for your company can be difficult. Knowing exactly what you want, as well as how much you are willing to spend can make a big difference on the strategy you choose to use. There are a few opt-in types available online listed below:
Mlm Leads: These types of leads are targeted for businesses that are looking for network marketing and Mlm Leads. They are a thorough evaluation of the prospective lead. They provide surveys, and email as well as phone call verifications in some cases. This will give you a great opportunity to get targeted and serious leads for your company you can also acquire local, national, and International lead generation.
Email leads and autoresponders: These types of leads are for all forms of companies. They can be used for those who are just looking to generate traffic or those who run an e-commerce business and are looking for more customers. They typically provide an Autoresponder with the package that allows you to personalize your potential customers and can produce leads as recent as 24-72 hours ago which gives you fresh leads. Auto-responders will also allow you to generate your business 24 hours a day increasing your business up to 90%!
Opt-in plus-investor leads: These leads give a company the heads up on investors targeted at there form of business. The investor leads can greatly minimize the overall amount a company invests in advertising. Finding solid investors on the internet is hard tasks these leads provide them with all the information they need to find what they are looking for at expand their company.
Overall to help your business thriving and to save on the advertising costs of online business one should invest in opt-in leads. It gives you protection from spam accusations as well as targeting your area of the industry. If you are looking locally, nationally, or Internationally Opt-In Leads can help!
Confirmed opt in or double opt in is definitely the way to go. This means that the subscriber will get an email to their email account asking them to click a link to confirm that they truly want to join your list. The insures that nobody else can use their email address to subscribe to your opt in list. Many people will not confirm. Some emails may unfortunately get blocked by spam filters. (This is why I suggest using an outside service to manage your list like Aweber or Getresponse.) However, those who opt in will be highly targeted opt in leads who really are interested in what you offer. It may take more time but you are better off going for quality in the long run and develop a real targeted list of confirmed opt in subscribers that you can market to over and over.