A BAD IDEA TO HAVE COFFEE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH?

If you love starting your day with a cup of coffee, you are not alone. But you may have asked yourself whether it's better to avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach. While coffee can help you feel more alert and less tired, and caffeine may boost your brain function, mood, and exercise performance, the bitterness of this drink can make your stomach produce more acid. Some people say it can irritate the stomach or even cause further stomach issues. Others believe that drinking coffee on an empty stomach is particularly bad because there's no other food that can prevent that acid from causing problems. However, there is no research that has found any connection between coffee and digestive problems, whether you drink it on an empty stomach or not. Nevertheless, it's important to pay attention to how your body reacts to coffee and whether you feel better drinking it before or after breakfast.

If you keep your coffee in the freezer, you should know that this way, your coffee stays cold but not fresh, whether you have it as grounds or beans. What you want is to keep it away from light, heat, air, and moisture. That's why an airtight jar might be a good choice, and it's best to keep that jar in a cabinet away from the stove or direct sunlight.

If you're a fan of coffee flavor but find the taste too bitter, just put a pinch of salt before adding water to your grounds. The salt contains sodium, which eventually makes your coffee less bitter because it prevents the receptors on your tongue from feeling those bitter flavors. The simplest and fastest way to breathe new life into your favorite beverage is to add a pinch of cinnamon to the coffee grounds before adding water. Of course, you can get even more adventurous and go with nutmeg, cardamom, or cloves.

If you're a fan of creamers but don't like those store-bought ones because of added oils, too much sugar, or some other ingredient you might not like, you can make your own. Add a bit of almond or vanilla extract to your cream, together with a pinch of your favorite sweetener. If you prefer a rich texture, go with sweetened condensed milk, or make yourself a coffee with coconut oil or butter. What a frothy and filling way to start your day! Plus, it's a good way to maintain your energy levels.

Speaking of French Press, if you want to froth your milk for your coffee but don't have a frother, heat up your milk, pour it into the press, take the lid off the cover, and leave only the whisk plunger. Plunge or whisk the milk for a couple of minutes until it froths.

Here's a cool fact: When you hear "cold brew," it refers to a way of making coffee without using hot water. Instead, you let coffee grounds soak in cold water for at least 12 hours, which creates a very smooth taste. You only need a jar, water, and coarsely ground coffee. After you do it, you'll have a strong coffee concentrate that you can drink as is or add ice water or milk to it. You can heat it up too if you want to drink it hot. So cold brew coffee isn't just for drinking cold; it's a whole different way of making coffee.

You can make ice cubes out of coffee, not water. Regular ice is likely to dilute your brew, so your coffee might end up too watery. So just prepare some coffee, pour it into an ice cube tray, and put it in the freezer.

If you have trouble with coffee stains, put baking soda on the rough side of a sponge and rub it carefully. They will come off quickly.