an apple a day is no match for a nice hot cuppa joe...

Thank you, Los Angeles Times, for verifying what I already knew. Coffee is good for you. Good. Not "not as bad as you think" or "won't really hurt you." Nope, Sunday's Times confirms that drinking coffee may not only be good for your heart, it may even prevent strokes. 

So while an apple a day may keep the doctor away, a few cups of strong life affirming java may be even better.

Doctors are quick to say that perhaps it isn't the coffee itself, but the physical and mental make up of coffee drinkers, that makes their risk of stroke lower. But I am looking at my cup as half-full. In Japan, women who drank one or two cups of coffee a day lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease by over 20%. Not bad. And often delicious.

Unfortunately many of the studies done on men were on male smokers; but even so, among smokers, the risk of stroke was much lower with those who drank coffee than those who did not.

So grind those beans! Go ahead and splurge on that Costa Rican mountain blend. This fuel is way more of a bargain than anything you'd get at the pump. By the way, those coffee tainted milk shakes masquerading as coffee drinks don't count. I'm talking about beans, hot water, and a touch of half and half, period.

Want to find other coffee lovers in your neighborhood? Maybe hook up with an exclusive roaster? Stay tuned to heyletssplitit for all this and more.