Archives for May 2013

Colgate Patents Caffeine-Releasing Toothbrush

May 16, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Too lazy to make coffee? You’re in luck. Colgate’s designed a toothbrush that releases caffeine as you brush.

It could also dispense meds, Benzocaine for teething infants, or an appetite suppressant, says the company. Or it could simply deliver groovy taste sensations. But don’t race over to Walgreen’s just yet: this invention isn’t released, but it is filed with the U.S. Patent Office.

Colgate-Palmolive’s plans show a patch on the brush, designed to slowly release a substance with repeated uses over time. Each patch would visually indicate its function – such as flames for cinnamon, a leaf for aloe vera, or (my favorite) a lightning bolt for tingling sensations. Zap!

The material could be released in several ways – by abrasion, temperature swing, a change in pH or by dissolution.

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And why do we need this? Colgate’s patent application notes:

While consumers may seek to clean their tongue or teeth, there has not been a toothbrush which provides a chemical sensory response in a mouth to enhance a user’s brushing experience. Further, consumers have not been provided with a visual method to select a toothbrush which provides a sensory response. Hence, there is a need for a toothbrush that provides a biochemical sensory effect when in contact tissues of the mouth and supports a method to visually communicate the sensory effect to a user prior to use.

So I wonder…If kids can develop cravings for caffeinated sodas, could they also get addicted to caffeinated toothbrushing? Who knows: there may be an upside to Colgate’s contraption, and a boost for those who really need to work on their oral hygiene.

Click to see patent diagrams and application for Colgate Palmolive Company’s Oral Care Implement No. US 20130048020 A1.

Chocolate Chip Cappuccino Biscotti

May 15, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Whoa! These babies are like cappuccinos that crunch. Each bite is rich and dreamy with cinnamon, almonds, coffee, and tiny chocolate chips. Dunk into coffee or nibble on them as you sip. Butter and eggs make them crisp yet tender. They’re good for dunking, and hold their shape nicely. And unlike liquid cappuccino, they don’t spill.

Chocolate Chip Cappuccino Biscotti

By Kate Heyhoe

2 teaspoons warm water
1-1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12-3/4 ounces (2-3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 ounce (2 tablespoons) coarsely ground coffee beans
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
5 ounces (2/3 cup) fine or regular granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
4-1/2 ounces (1 cup) chopped slivered blanched almonds
4 ounces (2/3 cup) mini-chocolate chips (like Nestle semisweet mini), or chopped bittersweet chocolate
Turbinado or demerara sugar as garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheetpan with parchment. Place a second sheetpan under the first to prevent scorching.

2. In a small bowl, microwave the water to warm it if it’s not already warm. Stir in the espresso until dissolved. Add the vanilla extract. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, stir or whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground coffee beans.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium until smooth and slightly shiny, 2-3 minutes. Mix in the espresso mixture and scrape down the sides as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well (15 seconds) and scraping the sides after each addition.

5. Set the mixer to low and blend the flour mixture into the eggs, just until there are no more patches of flour. Scrape down the sides.

6. Add the almonds and chocolate chips. Mix on low just until blended and all ingredients are evenly incorporated. The mixture will be thick and stiff, in large clumps – good! That’s what you want.

7. Dump the dough onto a floured surface, and with floured hands, shape into 2 logs, each about 13 inches long. Press down on the top and flatten to 2-inches across.

8. Place the loaves 4 inches apart on the sheetpan. Dampen them with wet hands to add sheen. Press some turbinado or demerara sugar into the top. Bake 30-35 minutes until firm but not too hard. (Rotate the pan halfway through.) The tops should have a slight give when pressed. Set the pan on a cooling rack and let cool completely, so the chocolate doesn’t smear during slicing. You can turn off the oven now and let them cool for an hour or several hours; or reduce the heat to 275 degrees F. and bake the second time as soon as they’re cool enough to cut.

9. Using a serrated knife, slice the logs into 3/8- to 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices evenly on the same sheet pan and parchment; the slices should be standing upright, with some space between them.

10. Make sure the oven is preheated to 275 degrees F. Bake 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Biscotti should be slightly soft in the center when touched, and will crisp up on cooling. Cool on the pan on a rack. Biscotti may be wrapped well and frozen for up to 3 months. Makes about 40 biscotti.

Caffeine Lasts Longer Than Cocaine

May 14, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Caffeine’s half-life is three times cocaine’s. How long caffeine lasts also depends on your genes.

In the classic movie The Big Chill, actress Glenn Close snorts cocaine, which she hasn’t done in years. In the next scene, we see her sitting up in bed, wide-eyed, rambling, fidgety, and fully awake, while her husband sleeps soundly next to her. The next morning, he’s peppy and ready for a run, while she’s a wrung out rag of exhaustion.

Caffeine’s Complicated Half-Life

For many people, caffeine keeps them awake as effectively as cocaine, especially when consumed late in the day. It takes hours for both drugs to wear off.

How long a drug stays in the body is measured by its half-life – the amount time it takes for half the substance to be eliminated from the system.

Cocaine’s half-life is short, about 90 minutes. Caffeine’s is about three times longer – from five to seven hours – but caffeine is a far less potent psychoactive drug. In either case, after the half-life moment is reached, the substance continues to churn in your system with diminishing impact, until completely eliminated. And whether you’re a slow or fast metabolizer of caffeine is determined by your genes.

One gene in particular regulates caffeine, and goes by the formal name of CYP1A2. This gene comes in two versions (or alleles; in this case differentiated by a single nucleotide). It’s like having a switch that is either turned on or off. And this tiny variation (switched on or off) makes you either a slow or fast metabolizer of caffeine: it regulates how efficiently your liver breaks down and flushes caffeine from your system.

Genetics play a role, but other factors also affect how quickly the liver breaks down and eliminates caffeine, and this varies from person to person. For instance, smokers burn through caffeine quickly (ever notice smokers drink lots of coffee?). Caffeine’s half-life is 9-11 hours in pregnant women and 5-10 hours in women taking birth control pills. Liver function and certain medications also impact caffeine’s half life, as does age. Caffeine’s half-life can last as long as 30 hours in newborns.

Discover more about the complex world of caffeine in Caffeine Basics.

Brazil’s Children of Guarana: Tribe, Legend, Plant

May 11, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Want the crème de la crème of guarana? Head to the highlands of the Maués-Açu River basin in Brazil, and seek out the Sateré-Mawé tribe – the foundation of guarana culture.

They domesticated the wild vine and cultivate it as a shrub. The Indians’ care and traditions make theirs the best quality. But they sell less than two tons per year, and like premium winemakers, they retain most of the harvest for their own consumption. Commercial companies nearby also raise guarana, but the quality doesn’t come close to that of the Sateré-Mawé tribe. (Guarana is valued as a natural source of caffeine, and a main ingredient in energy drinks.)

Raising the Children

In November, tribesmen dig up guarana saplings – known as the “children of guarana” – from the forest, and transplant them in dark, highland soils close to their villages, reachable by foot or canoe. They arrange the saplings in pairs, crossing their stems to support their growth, in rows to make an X formation, allowing the saplins room to grow and spread. It takes another two to three years to produce a harvest. If the rains are late, the flowers dry up. The more humidity, the bigger the fruit. Over decades, the tribe has developed a complex knowledge of the genetics, pollination, reproduction and nurturing of the plant, including the effects of fluctuating conditions.

The production process starts with the harvest and runs from October through March (the rainy season). To ensure the best quality, the Sateré-Mawé harvest the guarana bunches before they’re completely ripe. They pluck the seeds from the branch. Then one-by-one and by hand, the seeds are peeled quickly, while they’re most potent and before they ferment. They’re dumped into pots of water to cleanse them of their white pulp, rinsed in running water, and drained.

Preparing Guarana, the Old-Fashioned Way

The seeds are now slow roasted, stirred evenly over the fire so they don’t get puqueca (burned spots). Just as a restaurant kitchen has expert chefs for each stage of a meal, the tribes have expert piladores (seed crushers) and padeiros (bakers) who turn the product into “sticks” – loaves of guarana dough. Skilled women wash the sticks and smooth their surfaces to make them uniform. Finally, the sticks go into fumeiros, smoking areas over low fires, to be dehydrated and blackened. The tribe’s knowledge and attention to detail make their sticks the best in the region.

To drink the guarana, a woman grates the stick with a rock or more likely, the bones of a pirarucu (a large Amazon fish), into a gourd of water. The beverage, known as çapó, is drunk by all ages. It’s used as a daily boost and at ceremonial rituals. Tribesmen consider it an aphrodisiac, though this effect is unsubstantiated. The tannins in the substance are said to aid digestion, and the drink relieves headaches (probably due to the caffeine).

Not much has changed since the first white men encountered the Sateré-Mawé. Father João Felipe Betendorf wrote in 1669 that the tribes have guarana “which they praise like whites praise their gold, and which, grated with a small rock and drunk mixed with water from a gourd, provides them with so great a strength that when the Indians go hunting they do not feel hungry and in addition it makes one urinate and cures fever, headaches and cramps.” [Note: Father Betendorf’s claims have not evaluated by the FDA.]

The Legend of Guarana

Both the Sateré-Mawé tribe and the plant’s forest saplings are known as the “children of guarana.” This legend explains how the plant was given to the people:

“The contrast of the colors in the split-open fruit gives them the appearance of eyeballs. Indeed, the origin myth behind guarana’s domestication is attributed to the Sateré-Maué Indians of Brazil, the first consumers of the guarana beverage, who tell of a malevolent god who lures into the jungle and kills a beloved village child out of jealousy. The village finds the dead child lying in the forest, and a benevolent god consoles them in their grief with a gift in the form of guarana. The good god plucks out the left eye of the child and plants it in the forest, where it becomes the wild variety of guarana. The right eye is planted in the village garden, where it sprouts and produces fruits resembling the eye of the child, forever after a pleasant reminder of their forever but lost child.” – H.T. Beck, The Cultural History of Plants

As with all legends, variations are plentiful. In one version, the child’s mother is a strong and courageous Indian girl who lives in the forest. Her two lazy brothers are dependent on her and prevent her from marrying, lest they must fend for themselves. The girl becomes pregnant, and gives birth to a boy with intensely beautiful eyes. But the selfish brothers kill the child. Crying and screaming, the girl throws herself over the boy’s body, and to preserve his eyes, she chews the leaves of a magical forest plant and washes the eyes with this mixture of her saliva and plant juices. She plants the eyes in the forest earth, and says “My son, you will be the greatest natural force. You will restore energy to the weak and free them from disease.” And from those eyes grew guarana.

For more on guarana, check out the Guarana Profile in Caffeine Basics.

Visit this site for images of the Sateré-Mawé tribe. and detailed descriptions of the Children of Guarana and how the tribe prepares and consumes guarana.

Cool Trend of 1707: Teacups Get Handles

May 8, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

If Kickstarter had been around in the 1700s, teacups with handles would have been a hot, hip crowd-funded campaign.

Chinese teacups don’t have handles. In the early days of Europe’s tea craze, fancy people kept burning their fingers on the cups. The Dutch and the Brits liked their tea hot enough to dissolve sugar and big enough to splash in some milk. But up until this time, most everyone lived on room-temperature ale, so scorched flesh wasn’t an issue.

From the get-go, tea was *the* trendy beverage of the wealthy – but people had a hard time figuring out how to drink it hot, yet gracefully. Along came porcelain handles to protect dainty digits from the heat.

But such things don’t happen overnight. For centuries the Chinese brewed their tea in the same cups they drank from. Later they invented teapots, using a durable “hard-clay” – a material strong enough to withstand scalding heat. But while these teapots had handles, the cups did not.

Tea Addicts Get Crafty

Back in Europe, the fresher the tea, the higher the price, and the bigger the frenzy. European clipper ships raced back from China with crates of fresh, loose tea. Some say the Chinese loaded teacups and teapots into the crates as ballast, cushioned by the tea. But really, the Chinese knew the value of their fine porcelains and designed teapots expressly for export, with spouts and handles, and pretty blue and white glazes so appealing to Europeans. They made sure their porcelain goods and tea arrived together.

Europeans saw a profitable industry in making their own teapots and cups. Unlike the Chinese tea “bowls,” they made cups with handles. But their soft-paste porcelain couldn’t withstand the shock of hot water as well as the Chinese hard-paste porcelain did.

German ingenuity came to the rescue in 1707. An alchemist by the name of Johann Freidrich Bottger mixed kaolin clay into his porcelain and solved the hardness issue, creating a new wave of European porcelain production, led by places like Limoges in France and Meissen in Germany.

Early Tea Accessories: There’s An App For That!

Like apps for ipad, tea accessories flourished. And like apps, they were fashionable and functional – until they were not.

Saucers were added first. Then came creamers, sugar bowls, tea trays, tea caddies, silver tongs, scoops, and storage jars. Bigger cups held more milk, larger saucers caught spills and held biscuits. European tea sets sported fanciful European woodland motifs and idealized faux-Asian scenes, full of romance but not reality. Teapots got supersized, compared to the demure Chinese pots, to service a whole family or social soiree.

Eventually tea became affordable and spread to the masses. Prestigious porcelain gave way to stoneware and earthenware. Cheap prices took the pizzazz out of tea’s upper crust rituals, along with silver storage containers and all the other specialized paraphernalia. (Not to mention the impact of teabags, a 1904 invention.)

From Nobility to Mobility

Today, we drink our tea both hot and cold, and Western teacups still have handles. But modern paper coffee cups don’t. Instead, they sport an invention just right for the go-go-go age: cup sleeves – which were invented in the early 1990s, about the same time that Apple’s first real laptop, the Powerbook hit the market, and Starbucks went public.

References:

A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World, by William J. Bernstein, Atlantic Monthly Press, N.Y., 2008

The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide, by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss, Ten Speed Press, 2007