Mindful Coffee Drinking for Improved Mental Health and Wellbeing

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
Mindful Coffee Drinking for Improved Mental Health and Wellbeing

For many people, the first thing they reach for in the morning is a cup of coffee. But did you know that incorporating mindfulness into this daily ritual can improve your mental health and overall wellbeing? Mindfulness has been shown to offer numerous benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety, improving focus and concentration, enhancing creativity, and cultivating gratitude. In this blog, we'll explore how you can combine coffee and mindfulness to help you feel more present, focused, and calm. Mindfulness involves being fully present and engaged in the current moment, paying attention to your thoughts…

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: FEBRUARY 2023

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: FEBRUARY 2023

Well, that groundhog did it again, and we are looking at six more weeks of Winter. Kind of makes you think though; how come a groundhog seeing its shadow means we are in for more Winter? Wouldn't that mean the sun is shining and the seasons are shifting a little for the earlier warm weather? When the sun is out, I don't think, "ohhh it must be getting colder out there..." Ever since I was a kid, I have never understood it. Speaking of things, I’ve never understood, add the alarm clock to that list as well. Why do you say, "the alarm is going off," when it is really turning on?? I must have been a handful for my parents coming up with questions like these as a kid. Anyway…

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Why Coffee Doesn't Work for Everyone: A Scientific Explanation

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
Why Coffee Doesn't Work for Everyone: A Scientific Explanation

Coffee is a widely consumed beverage that many people rely on to help them wake up and stay alert. However, not everyone experiences the desired effects of caffeine. In this blog, we'll explore the reasons why coffee may not work for everyone. Caffeine is a stimulant that works by increasing activity in the…

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: JANUARY 2023

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: JANUARY 2023

January - the month of New Years resolutions, NFL playoffs, and bundling up like human burritos to brave the cold and make it into work - is almost at an end. Sure, as we enter February, we are still likely to have to deal with the  age-old debate of "polar vortex" vs "just a little chilly”, but we also have the super bowl to look forward to - and what a show that will be! I can’t speak for others, but I personally know I’m stoked to watch the Kelcee Brothers face-off (though I do feel for their Mom - how to choose a side!?). Other than that, as we bid farewell to the first month of 2023, (many of us struggling to make those New Years resolutions last past January), we invite you to perhaps forget about that kale smoothie for now, embrace that love for the bitter, dark elixir of life, aka coffee, and read on to discover what we’re talking about in this new Cafe Session!

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New Year's Resolutions for Coffee Lovers

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
New Year's Resolutions for Coffee Lovers

Well, 2022 has come and gone. The year seemed to fly by with quite a few collective highs, and a couple of lows. However overall, it was a good one. But we’re not here to talk about 2022. We’re here to talk about 2023 and the new possibilities it brings with it – especially for us coffee lovers! As most people do this time of year, we’ve set some New Year’s Resolutions for ourselves – resolutions that are actually possible to keep – and we think will genuinely benefit our lives! So we thought we’d share some of these resolutions with our fellow coffee enthusiasts. Keep reading to see our top coffee themed resolutions of 2023!

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: DECEMBER 2022

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: DECEMBER 2022

Christmas has now officially come and gone, and we are in that odd week that occurs at the end of every year, where we wait for the new year to arrive, avoid work if we can, (can anything really be accomplished in the last week of the year anyway?), and spend time relaxing and recuperating from the festivities of the past few days. That said, even though Rise Café itself is temporarily closed through January 2nd (time off is important everyone!), I couldn’t leave you all hanging – I know you all wait with bated breath for these Café Sessions… So, I decided I’d go ahead and answer some questions, with the idea of getting back to basics, as we finish up this year and enter the new one, (still having a hard time believing we are heading into 2023). Without further ado, let's dive in!

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Unique Gift Ideas For Coffee Lovers

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
Unique Gift Ideas For Coffee Lovers

It’s officially the Holidays, which means glittering lights, good food, delicious drinks, and of course – gift giving. While some people seem to have a knack for getting people things they’ll love, for most of us, this can be a stressful undertaking. In fact, we’ve received requests from people asking us about gift ideas for coffee lovers. And while we touched on this in our most recent Café Session, we decided a more fleshed out response may be helpful for those of you struggling to figure out what to get the coffee enthusiast in your life. Below you will find our top gifts for coffee lovers, and you may be surprised to find none of the suggestions include another mug or bag of coffee!

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: NOVEMBER 2022

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: NOVEMBER 2022

Thanksgiving is here (literally, it’s tomorrow)! And with the holiday comes lots of food, fun, and … delicious alcoholic beverages! It also means the official start of the “Holiday Shopping Season”, and people buckling down to get ready for the ultimate day of gift giving and merriment that will occur in a months’ time. So of course, I wasn’t surprised when your question this month revolved around both gift giving and food. Despite my lack of astonishment, I am, as always, more than happy to share my thoughts and expertise on anything you may wish to ask me. So, without further ado, let’s dive in!

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How To Keep Your Coffee Fresh

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
How To Keep Your Coffee Fresh

Waking up and brewing a fresh cup of coffee is truly one of the best, small pleasures, in this life! The delicious aroma while it brews, the warm and delectable taste as you hold your cup between your hands, and of course, that jolt of caffeine, all make coffee an important and beloved part of any morning ritual! But what would happen if you woke up to preform said ritual, to find your coffee was less than fresh – in fact, it might even have gone bad? We can’t think of a more devastating way to start the day! So, to prevent this terrifying possibility, we have decided to answer the age-old question of – how do you keep your coffee fresh?

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: OCTOBER 2022

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: OCTOBER 2022

Welcome to another cafe session! First and foremost, I want to wish you all a Happy Halloween! I hope you’ve all been out there celebrating, having a good time, and toasting with tequila shots to all things scary! And if you’re going out tonight, a reminder to be careful - just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do… Okay, now that I’ve gotten the obligatory Halloween salutation out of the way - I can’t post a cafe session on Halloween day and not mention it at all – but now we can move on to the more important stuff. No, that’s not a segue into football either - the Broncos suck this year and I have nothing more to say about them than that. I’m talking about coffee - and a bit about alcohol too, you all know me at this point - and the questions that come along with it.

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The History of the Americano

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
The History of the Americano

The Americano, (or Caffé Americano as it is called in Latin speaking countries), is a variation of coffee using espresso rather than regular brewed coffee. It consists of espresso, topped with hot water (usually enough to fill the rest of the cup). As we discussed in our latest Café Session, coffee in Europe begins with a strong espresso shot or two, to which sugar or milk is then added to satisfy your desired taste. Here in America however, coffee is brewed in large batches (usually using a filtration method like drip coffee, a French Press, etc.) to create a more extended beverage experience as opposed to the small, sipper, cup of an espresso drink. Legend has it…

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: SEPTEMBER 2022

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: SEPTEMBER 2022

Is it seriously already the end of September!? This month has flown by! Granted, I have been keeping pretty busy. Dominating in my Fantasy Leagues and watching as much Football as possible tends to make time fly by (you know, that plus work, life, etc.). It’s true what they say – the older you get; the faster time seems to go). Anyway, the end of September means Fall is officially here, which also means the typical rush for consumption of all things pumpkin is also back in full force. Pumpkin Spice, despite its complete popularity, is not everyone’s favorite fall drink – as evidenced by our first question of this session. So if this sounds like you (or even if you’re looking to add more drinks to your fall coffee raptor), keep reading for the other ways you can get your seasonal drink fix, without having to succumb to the pumpkin spice craze.

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Everyday Sustainable Coffee Habits

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
Everyday Sustainable Coffee Habits

Sustainability is a common word in the coffee community, and for good reason! All industries should be committed to using sustainable practices for the sake of preserving this beautiful blue/green earth we all share. In the coffee world specifically, the most notable sustainable practice is using sustainably sourced beans. A hot phrase, used to describe the beans grown and sold that are classified as organic and participate in fair trade practices - allowing for the individual farm to produce and sell their beans to various roasters.

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CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: AUGUST 2022

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
CAFE SESSION WITH STEVE: AUGUST 2022

Is anyone else ready for Fall? Don't get me wrong, summer days are nice - and all things considered, it feels like this August has definitely been more mild than last year. We've had fewer 90 + degree days and a decent amount of rain which has made the evenings much more comfortable. But I am ready for football and to start dominating in my Fantasy Leagues, stocking up on Fall themed IPA's, and cooler weather in general.

Fall also means it's back to school season. For those of you who are parents, this means early mornings getting kids ready for school, shuttling kids back and forth to all their activities, helping with homework, etc. Because of this, many of you may be looking for an extra boost to your regular cup of morning coffee. Maybe you've been Googling how to get extra energy in the mornings or what you can add into your daily cup of joe to make it a little more effective, because our first cafe session question this month is about just that - well sort of...

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What To Do With Your Used Coffee Grounds

/ Rise Cafe Denver/
What To Do With Your Used Coffee Grounds

We all know the essential function of coffee is to be the motivation to get you out of – and keep you out of – bed in the morning. However, what you might not know is, after your favorite caffeinated beverage is brewed, the grounds can continue to be useful to you in many other areas of everyday life. As if coffee wasn’t already great enough!

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