Would You Like Wine Infused Coffee?

An article about wine infused coffee got us thinking. Organic coffee antioxidants are good for you. And red wine has antioxidants as well. In fact red wine may be the reason for the French fatty food paradox. The National Institute of Health writes about the French Paradox.

The French paradox is the observation of low coronary heart disease (CHD) death rates despite high intake of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat.1,2 The French paradox concept was formulated by French epidemiologists in the 1980s.

The answer proposed for the French Paradox was that the French drink red wine which is high in antioxidants. They are coffee drinkers as well which give you a double shot of antioxidant protection. So, wine and coffee have health benefits. Would you like your wine and coffee served separately or would you like wine infused coffee? Time writes about wine-infused coffee.

The improbable combination of alcoholic depressant and energy-boosting stimulant comes to us courtesy of Napa Valley’s Molinari Private Reserve, a vineyard partnership with a master roaster for Peet’s Coffee, as FoodBev reports. They’ve apparently worked for over two years to perfect the combination of a house-made red and “carefully selected” coffee beans. The beans “relax” in the “artisan-crafted” wine to absorb its flavors, then get dried and hand-roasted. The result? A rich small-batch coffee with a blueberry note, according to Molinari. Plus, a double boost of antioxidants.

The folks at Molinari say that the wine infused coffee works for iced coffee or any coffee house coffee. The question is which coffee are they using? It had better be good coffee when they are selling it for $19.95 for a half pound bag. On the other hand the wine is from Napa Valley. Our suggestion is to skip the wine-infused coffee and go with the real items on both counts. You can find excellent Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley wines throughout the world and you can get excellent coffee from Panama or coffee from Colombia freshly roasted and sent to your door. Take a look at our Organic Coffee Price List and contact us via the comment box.

It’s All about the Antioxidants

It is the antioxidants in coffee that account for the majority of its health effects. The American Institute for Cancer Research says that coffee contains the following:

  • Chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant compound that is the major phenol in coffee
  • Quinic acid, a phytochemical that contributes to the acidic taste of coffee
  • Cafestol and kahweol, compounds that are extracted from the beans’ oil during brewing. Unfiltered coffee, such as French press or boiled coffee, contains these compounds
  • Caffeine, a naturally occurring stimulant that affects the central nervous system
  • N-methylpyridinium (NMB), created by roasting, may make the antioxidants more potent

Chlorogenic acid may be slightly lower in decaf coffee according to limited research, but it still contains plenty of phytochemicals. Lab studies suggest that instant may be lower in antioxidant potency than brewed coffee, though more research is needed.

And just what do antioxidants do?

An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits cell damage and cell death in human cells caused by oxidative breakdown of other molecules. Oxidation is a factor in sickness and aging.  Antioxidants in coffee do the same things chemically as other antioxidants and because we drink so much coffee worldwide coffee is the primary source of antioxidants.

Because wine also contains antioxidants it also has benefits for your health. Wine-infused coffee may be a good idea but we prefer a glass of one and a cup of the other.




Leave a Reply