Coffee
 

The Journal of Nutrition confirmed that coffee is indeed a significant source of antioxidants

Coffee heaven

Coffee breaks are much needed indeed during stressful times
 
Life is like a cup of coffee, isn’t it - bitter, sour, sweet, creamy, rich, hot, mild, strong, cold etc.

Hey, coffee lovers out there, have you heard the latest news? Coffee is now safe to consume. Isn’t that just fantastic news!

The Journal of Nutrition confirmed that coffee is indeed a significant source of antioxidants. In fact, coffee is one of the richest sources of chlorogenic acid, a strong antioxidant that can protect our body from free radicals. Most coffee beans have about the same amount of antioxidants, whether caffeinated or decaffeinated.

A recent report in The Sun (2009), also said that women who drink coffee may be lowering their risk of suffering a stroke, new US research suggests.

Women who drink five to seven cups of coffee a week are 12% less likely to have a stroke than those who down just one cup a month, a study by the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health revealed.

So that means I’m saved! You cannot begin to imagine how much coffee I’ve consumed in my life so far.

When I was working at a broadcasting house years ago, my working schedule was super crazy. I would be on my way to the office at 3 am in the morning for transmission that starts at 6 am. The programme I produced was from 6-10 am every morning. Perhaps you’ve heard of Malaysia Hari Ini (Happenings in Malaysia Today).

We finish work around noon but none of us would leave the office. Reason being, the sun was too glaring for us to even open our eyes to either drive or be where the sun shone to go home.

So we would hang around the office. One of the perks of doing programmes at that un-godly hour of the morning is that breakfast was catered, so there was a free flow of food and, of course, coffee.

That was when, we broadcasters survived on coffee - black coffee, kopi o kaw, Nescafe O, Nescafe tarik and the likes of it. You name it and we drank it. As long as it had caffeine, it worked. I consumed so much coffee that it practically cured my migraines. I’m serious, but I daren’t ask my doctor for her opinion.

Now I teach at a university with classes scattered throughout the week. I normally bring a mug of coffee to class together with my laptop, books and other stuff for my 8 am class. So in the midst of my lecture, I would pause and take a sip of my brewing coffee. The students normally hang on my every word waiting for me to complete my sentence. It gives me a sense of style, at least I think so, and also significance before I deliver my next point.

My students are rather wary during the fasting month. This is the month that I fast and therefore undergo a caffeine deficit. I always tell my students ‘do not agitate me as I suffer from Caffeine Deficit Syndrome’. Some students have commented, “Oh my God, that sounds serious”. Well it is, if you agitate me...

But you cannot say that you’re a coffee lover until you’ve tasted Kluang Rail Coffee. Ever heard of it? Kluang Rail Coffee originates from a small town in Johore called Kluang, of course.

There are a few outlets here in KL but those are franchised. The original is still back in this small quaint town where I grew up. It started at the railway station; hence the name Rail was maintained.

Kluang Station coffee is 100% local as the beans are home- grown and painstakingly hand-roasted to perfection. This labour-intensive method produces a special Kluang aromatic coffee blend that speaks for itself.

Generally, coffee lovers drink either the dark coffee (Kopi O) or coffee with milk (Kopi). But over in Kluang Station, they have a huge following of ‘Cham’ drinkers. This mixture of coffee and tea drink is reputedly addictive even for non-coffee lovers.

But I still prefer the original. I always joke with my Dad that I don’t order Cham for fear of getting a ‘stomach headache’. Since Dad and Jack, the owner are good friends, he frequents Kluang Rail everyday without fail for a cuppa, toasted bread and good company. He always tells us that he’s going to visit ‘his constituency’.

At Kluang Rail, you have a choice of plain bread, plain buns or corn buns toasted hot and spread with butter that melts and their signature ‘kaya’ (coconut jam). The Kaya is a very much sought after item for its quality taste and texture. It is full-bodied with a hint of screw pines aroma (pandan leaves).

The Kaya is freshly made every two days through a very tedious and time-consuming traditional double boiled process. To accommodate the demand by Kaya lovers, they are packed in convenient takeaway containers. These are souvenirs for my friends whenever I go home to visit my parents.

If I were to tell you Kluang coffee tastes great, you could say that I’m biased. So to prove my point, I brought a few sachets of Kluang coffee to try to sway a few of my tea-drinking friends.

One of my friends who swears to be a tea-lover, was game enough to try. This friend of mine fell in love at first taste. What more can I say … We share a cuppa now and then when we can spare the time talking about the wars of work and life, among other things.

Well, life is like a cup of coffee, isn’t it - bitter, sour, sweet, creamy, rich, hot, mild, strong, cold etc.

So if you are ever in Kluang, go visit the original Kluang Rail Coffee and see if I’m right. The coffee, good food and the cozy ambience are very enthralling. And while you’re there, look up, you’ll be surprised to actually see railway beams hanging from the ceiling!
     
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