What is green coffee and how to drink it correctly?
Among the many options for a coffee drink, green coffee is considered one of the most original and very useful. It has a very specific taste, so you need to know how to drink it correctly.
Description
Green coffee is not a separate plant variety, but only a variant of it. Ordinary grains, after harvesting, are processed, fried to give them a dark shade and a taste familiar to everyone. The green variety does not lend itself to such influences, because its color and taste are very different. The absence of additional procedures for grains allows you to save much more useful substances, antioxidants and vitamins in them.
For use in green form, Arabica and Robusta varieties are used. Arabica is a more expensive option, it contains less caffeine and fat, it does not have such a high acidity, which makes its taste more noble and pleasant. Due to the extensive flavor range, most drink lovers prefer this particular variety.
As for Robusta, it is inferior in quality, taste, and therefore cheaper, which for some is an indisputable advantage. Regardless of the variety, fertile soils are essential for growing green coffee, and no chemical pest control or additional synthetic fertilizers are used to cultivate them.
To be sure of the quality of the product, you need to carefully inspect the coffee beans, they must have an olive color and be completely clean, without traces of insect activity, extraneous stains, mold and unnatural smell. This coffee has a less pleasant and noble taste, but it is much more beneficial for the body. Its aroma is grassy-tart, and the taste has a pronounced sourness and viscosity. Green beans can also be roasted to turn brown, but they will be lighter in color and still taste different.
The grains that are collected on the plantation have two processing options, according to which the varieties of the drink can be distinguished:
- Dry, for which only sunlight is needed. This is the simplest and oldest version of working with grains, but it is still relevant today. The whole crop is scattered on the prepared surface in a thin layer and dried in the sun with occasional stirring. Cover everything at night to keep moisture out. The procedure lasts two weeks, after which all grains must undergo a peeling process. For this, specialized installations are used.
If the area where the coffee is dried is not suitable for drying with the help of the sun, you can use appropriate devices that, with the help of a similar effect, allow you to get the finished product after 3 days.
- Wet - a more expensive and time-consuming option, but it is it that is used to work with expensive varieties to get elite green coffee.Working with grains is carried out in 4 stages: sorting raw materials and choosing only the best options, placing the beans in a mill, where the skin is removed from them, soaking the grains in water for a day to easily remove the particles of pulp that remain after the mill, and drying the grains. When the work is completed, the resulting fruits are sent to warehouses, where they are examined again. Only the best and highest quality beans are kept for storage.
Black or green coffee beans are very popular among the population of the entire planet. The drink that came from Ethiopia has become loved by everyone who appreciates the taste, aroma and benefits of grains. Thanks to the variety of processing methods, a huge number of varieties can now be observed, and everyone chooses the one that he likes.
Compound
The trees on which coffee beans grow are already a storehouse of useful substances, therefore it is not surprising that the fruits are also rich in various micro and macro elements, as well as vitamins. Coffee beans before and after processing have a different chemical composition, so there are several processes for obtaining drinks. The most important components of any of them are:
- Caffeine, there is a lot of it in the black variety and an insignificant share in the green. It increases mental and physical activity. The optimal amount of the substance helps to get rid of fatigue, speeds up metabolism, increases memory capacity, prevents the accumulation of fat in the body, helps the normal functioning of the heart and relieves spasms.
- Tannin helps to form a special film in the body that will protect against the negative effects of external and internal factors.The effect on the body allows you to reduce the permeability of capillaries, narrow the blood vessels, neutralize the activity of bacteria, heal wounds at a faster rate, and normalize the activity of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Chlorogenic acid is a potent antioxidant. This substance is found only in the raw form of coffee and when roasted, it becomes a simple compound that gives the drink a characteristic aftertaste. The action of the substance allows you to stop the accumulation of fat masses. In addition, it actively stimulates the central nervous system, participates in the work of hematopoietic and respiratory systems. Helps normalize digestion, stimulates nitrogen metabolism.
- Theophylline, which helps to improve blood circulation in the kidneys, normalize respiratory function, saturate the blood with oxygen, lower the concentration of carbon dioxide, stimulate the heart by increasing and strengthening the frequency of muscle contraction, lower the tone of blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots.
- Amino acids allow you to improve the absorption of vitamins and minerals, develop antibodies that resist infections, and hormones that help the course of metabolic processes. They produce hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout the body. In addition, they help in increasing muscle mass and in faster recovery after training, breaking down fat masses and dulling appetite.
- Lipids provide processes for the synthesis of almost all hormones that regulate the activity of the central nervous system.
- Tannins astringency inherent in this drink is added to coffee, and when combined with organic acids, they speed up metabolic processes and lower blood glucose levels.
- Cellulose helps to normalize digestion processes, removes excess cholesterol, stimulates natural weight loss, improves blood flow in the pelvic area, helps restore the functioning of the urinary organs, facilitates the manifestation of allergies, strengthens the immune system, reduces the risk of heart disease, and prevents oncology.
- Trigonelline present in coffee beans that have not gone through the roasting process. Under the influence of temperature, this substance is transformed into nicotinic acid, which also has a good effect on the body.
- Essential oils help regulate the work of the heart, relieve inflammation, facilitate the cough reflex, increase the flow of mucus from the bronchi, and improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Due to the presence of a huge number of useful components that are included in green coffee, there is no doubt about its benefits to humans. In view of the not very pleasant taste of the drink, you need to study ways of how to make it tastier.
Varieties
Modern green coffee has many varieties, each of which has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. The main ones are:
- Coffee beanswhich, by themselves, are not intended to be consumed. Their use requires additional processing, namely roasting. It is very difficult to do this at home, because the whole process has a strict sequence, so that the consumer receives a quality product without the risk of poisoning by decay products, mold, rodent residues and other things.
- Ground coffee is the same beans that were milled in production. Since the grains are very hard, it is extremely difficult to make a powder-like mixture out of them.The finer the grind, the better the product. Buying this option also carries a risk, because the conditions under which the grain was processed are unknown. Whether there was a selection of the best of them and sifting out spoiled beans cannot be verified either.
It is better to buy green coffee from well-known brands that care about their reputation.
- Ground coffee with additives, which are the components that help a person lose weight and get a toned body - with ginger, St. John's wort, flax and algae. The effect of its use may be different, but one thing is for sure - additional supplements do not harm health.
- A mixture of green varieties with roasted. Such coffee can be presented in two forms: ground and instant. The appearance of such a drink was invented by coffee producers who wanted to come up with something revolutionary new, and they succeeded, but for a while. Now the demand for such a mixture is very low, and there is an explanation for this - the taste of the resulting coffee is much lower than each of the varieties separately, the benefits are also reduced, which leads to low demand for this product.
Those who love and revere coffee for its aroma and taste will benefit from trying the green variety. Real gourmets will be able to appreciate the drink, getting from it not only pleasure, but also benefits for the body and figure.
Benefit and harm
Like any drink, green coffee has its pros and cons. Useful properties include:
- participation in fat burning;
- activation of metabolic processes;
- dulling the feeling of hunger;
- normalization of blood sugar levels;
- removal of toxins and toxins from the body;
- preservation of youthful skin;
- protection from the influence of UV rays;
- improves metabolism and blood circulation;
- normalizes the work of the heart;
- helps to strengthen bone tissue and muscles;
- helps the CNS.
Among the negative factors caused by the use of green coffee, we can distinguish the following:
- The emergence of caffeine addiction, in which pain occurs in the head area, which entails a drowsy state, lack of vigor. Irritability, depressive moods, nausea reflex, muscle pain appear.
- A negative effect on nerve cells, which, from exceeding the permissible norm of caffeine, receive constant stress, which leads to malfunctions of the entire central nervous system.
- Uncontrolled intake of caffeine can cause diseases such as psychosis, epilepsy, paranoia, attacks of severe aggression.
- Excessive consumption of caffeine makes the heart work faster, thus wearing it out. Because of this, blood pressure rises.
- Large consumption of coffee leaches minerals and vitamins of group B from the human body, which leads to negative consequences: damaged teeth, brittle nails, the appearance of osteochondrosis, pain in the back and spine, and problems with the blood supply to the brain.
Any coffee should be drunk in reasonable quantities. This drink is quite aggressive if consumed in excess.
All positive properties instead of benefits will begin to harm the body, and instead of feeling good, a person may end up in a hospital. Of course, green coffee is useful, as evidenced by numerous reviews, but it is worth drinking it in moderation in order to receive only benefits.
How to cook?
To prepare a drink from green coffee beans, you need to process them in one way or another. If you need to brew the contents, it is important that it is in powder form.At home, this is extremely difficult to achieve, because the process will require specialized equipment. The use of blenders and similar devices will be inappropriate, because, due to the high grinding speed, the grains lose their qualities, which affects the amount of nutrients.
The optimal equipment for home grinding is a hand mill, with which you can set the average pace of work and save the benefits of the future drink. It will not be possible to make a powdery state in this way, especially if you do not pre-soak the beans so that they become a little softer. It is believed that the finer the grind, the better the taste of coffee and the more benefits you can get from the drink.
To make coffee from ground beans, just pour them in a cup and leave for a few minutes, or pour them into a Turk and boil. You only need one teaspoon of green coffee per glass of water. You can also use ginger, which is added to the Turk to the ground grains. When the liquid is ready to boil, it must be removed from the stove and strained.
You can drink this drink no more than three times a day.
How to use?
Due to the presence of a large number of elements that make up coffee, it is important to strictly observe the amount of drink drunk. It is not recommended to drink more than three cups per day, which is equal to 10 g of powder. If an extragreen variety is used, then it can be drunk no more than 8 grams.
Since green coffee promotes weight loss, it is not allowed to add sugar or any other similar ingredients to it.
The optimal time for taking is 15 minutes before eating or half an hour after that.It is important to know that it is impossible to drink a drink along with alcohol and cigarettes, because it enhances their effect, which further harms the body.
To get the most benefit from green coffee, you need to add calcium-rich dairy products to your diet, which is actively washed out with caffeine. For those who like to drink a drink every day for several cups, such compensation will be very useful, otherwise problems with teeth, nails and bones may begin. It is also important to replenish the body's water balance by drinking at least two liters of plain pure water per day.
Note to the owner
Every woman wants to look good and attractive, and therefore she is looking for any opportunity to make her body slim. Using green coffee can help with this, but only if the drink is taken in the right way. It is recommended to drink it in the morning, no more than one cup. The second time is to drink coffee after dinner, closer to the afternoon snack, and the last dose is in the evening, so that at least 3 hours remain before bedtime. If you strictly adhere to these conditions, then the effect will be noticeable in the near future. In the case of green coffee, it is very important not to exceed the allowed amount of the drink, because from this the body will receive significant harm instead of benefit.
Despite all the benefits of green coffee, it should be used with caution, because it is not recommended for everyone. You can not drink it during pregnancy and during lactation, as well as if there are problems with sleep or pressure. Those who have a weak intestine are also at risk, because various reactions can occur from coffee components, up to diarrhea. It is important to know that the use of a green drink is not allowed for those who suffer from disorders of the musculoskeletal system.Also, if you have visual impairments, it is better not to use it, because this coffee will only harm you.
For those who want to lose weight without making any special efforts, they came up with special tablets with an extract of green grains. It is not recommended to drink more than two of them, otherwise there will be a reverse effect. Each manufacturer indicates its own rules for use on the packaging, but one thing remains common: it is necessary to follow a diet and have any physical activity.
The pills themselves will not help if the calorie content of food per day is much higher than normal, therefore the use of green coffee in any of the options will be effective only with accompanying events.
For information on how to brew and drink green coffee, see the following video.