Sales of caffeinated drinks to be banned at Korea schools

SEOUL — Sales of all caffeinated beverages will be prohibited in all elementary, middle and high schools from next month.

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, a revised law will go into effect on Sept. 14 banning the sales of all coffee and caffeinated products — typically available for adults and teachers — in schools.

Schools are already prohibited from selling soda pop, fruit juice and dairy products if they contain caffeine. But selling other coffee drinks via vending machines and in cafeterias for consumption by adults and teachers had previously been allowed.


High intake of caffeine can cause insomnia, heart palpitations, anxiety and growth inhibition, and can be more dangerous for growing children.

Food and drink products that have over 0.15 milligrams of caffeine per milliliter are designated as highly caffeinated.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Starbucks plans to double stores in China in 5 years

NEW YORK — Starbucks is pushing ahead with its expansion into China and said Wednesday that it is on track to having 5,000 stores there by 2021, more than doubling the number of coffee shops it currently has in the country.

The coffee chain is looking to China to fuel the company’s growth. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has said that China could one day surpass the U.S. as its largest market. Starbucks Corp., which is based in Seattle, has about 13,000 stores in the U.S.

To oversee the expansion, Starbucks named Belinda Wong on Wednesday as the first CEO of its Chinese business. Wong was president of Starbucks China, and has worked for the company for 16 years.

Chinese customers are spending more time in Starbucks and are buying more food than Americans, Schultz said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The company has been adding unique flavors to attract Chinese customers, such as a Black Forest Latte, a mix of cherry juice, cocoa powder and coffee. In September, Starbucks began selling its Teavana tea brand at its China locations.

Late next year, Starbucks plans to open a 30,000-square-foot in Shanghai that Schultz called a “Disneyland for coffee.” The store, named Starbucks Roastery and Reserve Tasting Room, will be similar to one opened in Seattle nearly two years ago, where customers can watch coffee beans get roasted and sip coffee drinks. TVJ

source: business.inquirer.net

Heat, not coffee, may cause cancer

Switch to an iced latte then.

Coffee poses no cancer risk; it’s the extreme heat of the beverage, or any other drink for that matter, that may be dangerous when drank, according to an international working group of scientists convened by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The scientists concluded that coffee should no longer be considered a carcinogen. It however found limited evidence that drinking very hot beverages could cause esophageal cancer.

“[It is suggested] that drinking very hot beverages is one probable cause of esophageal cancer, and that it is the temperature rather than the drinks that appears to be responsible,” said Christopher Wild, director of WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Wild said the working group found no conclusive evidence of a carcinogenic effect from drinking coffee.

The WHO cited studies conducted in places like China, Iran, Turkey and South America, where coffee and tea are traditionally drank very hot.

The findings suggested that the risk of esophageal cancer increased with the temperature at which the beverage was drunk.

“Smoking and alcohol drinking are major causes of esophageal cancer, particularly in many high-income countries,” according to Wild.

High incidence

“However, the majority of esophageal cancers occur in parts of Asia, South America and East Africa, where regularly drinking very hot beverages is common and where the reasons for the high incidence of this cancer are not as well understood,” he said.

The WHO said esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cause of cancer worldwide and one of the main causes of cancer deaths, with 400,000, nearly five percent of all cancer deaths, recorded in 2012.

The WHO said the number of esophageal cancer cases that could be linked to drinking very hot beverages was not known.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Iced black tea and cold drip coffee

Until I visited its Makati branch, I thought Wine Depot was just a wine shop. Turns out, it’s a restaurant as well. The menu lists tempting dishes not ordinarily found in other dining places.

There’s pan-seared barramundi (apahap), a large white fish abundant in the waters of Australia, as well as chicken roasted with dukkah, a crunchy mixture of nuts, herbs and spices. Very interesting are the platters of European cheeses, hams and sausages, which one can order with homemade bread.

Coffee connoisseurs also visit Wine Depot for the rich Vittoria coffee, made from 100-percent Arabica beans that are roasted, blended and packed in Australia.   








Health benefits 


Tea is now likewise on the menu, due to growing interest in its health benefits. In keeping with its policy of sticking to premium brands, Wine Depot serves La Maison du Thé. Blended and packed in France, these delicate, handcrafted teas come in both loose leaf form and in tea bags of fine silk mesh.

Not only does the silk mesh allow for maximum infusion of the tea, it also acts as a kind of showcase for the tea leaves that had been patiently hand-torn (rather than being machine-cut).

To highlight this luxurious tea brand, Wine Depot now serves high tea on Wednesday afternoons. But in typical Australian laid-back style, there’s no fuss or formality. “Our high tea is very casual,” says marketing and communications manager Monette Atilano. “It’s more of a fun ritual.”

Classic flavors 


Between 3 to 5 p.m., diners can choose from among La Maison du Thé’s seven classic flavors: green tea, English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, chamomile, peppermint, and lemon and ginger. Each order comes with a generous spread of sweets and savories: meat and seafood rolls, fruit tarts, as well as classic Australian meat pies and lamington cake—a sponge cake with a layer of chocolate coating dusted with desiccated coconut.

Best of all, on sunny afternoons, customers can choose to dine at the outdoor garden.

Though the current rainy weather seems to call for hot brews, tea and coffee don’t always have to be served hot, says Atilano. Iced citrus tea and cold-drip coffee can be just as comforting. Here, Wine Depot shares its recipes for these cold brews.

Iced black citrus tea

    3 tsp La Maison du Thé English Breakfast tea (loose leaf tea) or 3 tea bags of same
    3 c hot water
    ¾ c white sugar (175 g)
    1 c unsweetened orange juice
    2 tbsp grenadine syrup
    Ice cubes
    Slices of fresh orange (optional)

Brew the tea in hot water for 30 minutes. If using tea bags, remove the tea bags after 30 minutes. If using loose leaf tea, strain the tea into a large bowl or pitcher. Let cool. Pour into a glass pitcher, then stir in the sugar, orange juice and grenadine.

Put ice cubes into individual drinking glasses, then pour the tea into the glasses. Serve with drinking straws and, if desired, garnish with slices of fresh orange. Makes 4 servings.

Cold drip coffee



Since it takes 18 hours to brew this coffee, be sure to prepare it the day before you are to serve it. If you intend to serve it for breakfast, for example, make the coffee drip at around 1 p.m. of the previous day. With 18 hours of dripping time, the coffee will be ready by 7 a.m. the next day.

    200 g Vittoria Cappuccino/Latte Ground Coffee (see tips)
    Cheesecloth
    6 c cold water
    Cold milk, as needed
    Simple syrup, as needed (see recipe below)

Pour the ground coffee inside a cheesecloth bag. Tie the top of the bag with a rubber band or a twist tie. Pour the cold water into a tall pitcher. Leave the cheesecloth bag in the cold water for 18 hours. As the hours pass and the water gets infused with the coffee, the liquid will become darker.

Pour the coffee into a clear wine bottle or a pitcher. Serve with a carafe of cold milk and simple syrup. (Each person can just add his/her own desired amount of milk and syrup.)

To make simple syrup: Bring 1 c water to a boil in a medium saucepan. When the water starts boiling, stir in 1 c white sugar. Let boil while stirring constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the liquid becomes clear. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Transfer to a bottle with a pouring lip. (Note: If syrup is to be stored, transfer to a bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Close the lid and keep in refrigerator until ready to use.)

Wine Depot is at: 217 N. Garcia St. (formerly Reposo), Bel Air, Makati; 6 Missouri St., Northeast Greenhills, San Juan; Westgate Corporate Center, Commerce Ave., Alabang, tel. 8894889 or 8973220.

For more tips, recipes and stories, visit the author’s blog www.normachikiamco.com, and Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/normachikiamco. Follow on Twitter @NormaChikiamco.

Cook’s tips: 



When brewing the tea, be sure to use a heat-proof container since you’ll be pouring hot water into it.

Aside from English Breakfast tea, you can use Earl Grey.

So as not to dilute the strength of the tea, put the ice cubes in individual drinking glasses (not in the pitcher), then pour the tea into the glasses, says Wine Warehouse head barista Michelle Perez.

Grenadine is a non-alcoholic cordial made from pomegranate fruits and available in wine shops.

For the cold drip coffee, Wine Depot uses Vittoria Cappuccino/Latte Ground coffee (available in its store), but you can also use ground barako coffee and decaffeinated ground coffee.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net