Gary and Diane, two wonderfully devoted morning regulars, describe how their piece of “artwork” came about:

“Sweetwaters downtown had an art show called “Variations on a Square.” It was this show that inspired us to produce a piece of art from something we see every morning at the cafe, the wax paper liner from the morning cinnamon rolls delivery. We wanted to play a joke on Barb, a Sweetwaters’ morning manager, who prides herself as quite an art critic.

So, Diane and I took one of the cinnamon roll parchment paper liners, mounted it, placed a title card (just like all the other pieces of artwork) with this caption:

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Coffee has often been either vilified or lauded.  Since many of us cannot go without our daily brew we decided to focus on the positive.

Here are some studies that you can feel good about:

A Japanese study finds that smelling coffee may have an effect  on the body that is similar to drinking it.  The research, conducted on sleep-deprived rats, indicates that the aroma of coffee restored levels of mRNA for genes important to brain function to near-normal levels.  Although the study has not been conducted on humans, many of the genes in question do have human equivalents, so there could be similar perks in human bodies.

Findings published in the European Society for Human Reproduction & Embryology in Barcelona indicate that consuming large amounts of coffee (4 cups a day) can lower a woman’s chances of getting pregnant by 25%.

A strong cup of coffee has a greater effect on men than women, according to a study from the University of Barcelona.  When 668 subjects consumed coffee, men and women became more alert 10 minutes after finishing their drink, but the effect on men was more exaggerated.

Coffee consumption linked to lowered risk of dementia. Researchers from Sweden and Denmark tracked coffee consumption in 1,409 middle aged women and men for an average of 20 years, finding those who drank 3-5 cups daily were 65% less likely to develop dementia than those who consumed 2 cups or less.

A study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology indicates that caffeine helps kill human cells that have been damaged by UV light, one of the leading causes of skin cancer.  Several other studies have found that people who regularly drink coffee or tea have lower instance of non-melanoma skin cancers.

A cup of coffee before exercise may give you a healthy boost; a University of Illinois study finds that the practice can result in less muscle soreness.

So, drink or smell a cup of coffee and you will lower your risks of getting pregnant, getting skin cancer, going crazy, and you’ll be able to run a mile without feeling sore – what a miracle!   Take these stories with a grain of salt… or a grind of coffee.

Another love connection at Sweetwaters blossoms into a new marriage! Teresa and Jose held their wedding in Mallorca, Spain and to remember their first meeting they gave each guest a mini Sweetwaters coffee bag as a wedding favor. Teresa put this label on her favors:

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