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Beverage Facts from Food Fun and Facts

Beverages- Beverage Facts

Coffee, Tea, Chocolate and Cocoa
Tannin is in both coffee and tea. Tannin retards digestion, acts as an astringent and imparts a bitter flavor to tea. Coffee contains a volatile oil called caffeine, which gives coffee its delightful aroma and flavor.

Metals affect the flavors of coffee and tea. They are best prepared in pots which are porcelain, china or glass.
A cup of tea contains 1-2 grains of caffeine and 2-3 grains of tannin.

Tea is prepared leaves of the tea bush or shrub and the quality and flavor of the tea depends on whether young shoots or whole leaves are used. The buds and young leaves make the choicest teas.

Black Tea is made by sweating, fermenting and firing the leaves. In the process of fermentation, much of the tannin is destroyed. Black tea comes chiefly from India, Ceylon, Java and China.

Green Tea is prepared simply by drying and firing the leaves so that its tannin content is materially higher than black tea. Green tea comes chiefly from China and Japan.

Oolong Tea is made by an intermediate process which partially destroys tannin. Oolong Tea comes from China and Formosa.

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The American Beverage Association
Beverages and Nutrition and Health
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1. Keep tea and coffee in closely covered containers

2. Do not use tin tea or coffee pots.

3. Do not let tea or coffee stand on grounds long after it is made.

4. Coffee is best if freshly roasted, freshly ground, and freshly made.

5. Do not reheat coffee. Serve as soon as possible.

6. Black tea and black coffee have no food value.

7. Drip coffee contains less tannin and more caffeine than other coffee.

8. Have all part of the coffee pot scrupulously clean!

The information on beverages is taken from an old book titled "Dietetics Simplified, The Use of Foods in Health and Disease" by L. Jean Bogert, PHD Published by Macmillan Company 1938

Cocoa and chocolate are made from the seed of the cocoa bean. Like coffee the beans are roasted to develop flavor, after which the outer covering is removed and sold as cocoa shells. They have little or no nutritive value. The inner part or cocoa nib is very nutritious, being high in fat and carbohydrate.

Chocolate is prepared from the ground cocoa nibs and may or may not have sugar added to it. Cocoa is prepared from chocolate by removing a large part of the fat. Chocolate and cocoa both contain tannin and theobromine, a stimulant resembling caffeine chemically, though less marked in its stimulating effect, therefore, it should be given to children only in a weak form.

A cup of coffee contains 2-3 grains of caffeine and a small amount of tannin. Coffee is made from the seeds of berries of the coffee tree which is grown in all the tropical countries, though chiefly in Brazil. Roasting of the coffee develops the delightful aroma and flavor which makes the coffee so appetizing. The flavor of coffee is due not only to the kind but also to the blend and the degree of roasting. Coffee deteriorates rapidly after being ground.