Served over ice, Kuta easily asserts itself. Naturally sweet, it doesn't need sugar. I get delicious flavor, refreshment and rejuvenation in a single gulp.

Such a transcendent coffee moment is not as uncommon in the Washington area as you might think. In the past 18 months, interesting new cafes have popped up in the District, Northern Virginia and, to a lesser extent, Montgomery County, offering high-quality coffee from some of the nation's preeminent roasters. These cafes are friendly but elitist: They buy pricey coffee beans from hotshot roasters, and their owners have strongly held views about how coffee should be made and served.

Inspired by the film The Bucket List, in which Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman star as cancer patients whose ashes are interred in coffee cans on Mount Everest, consumers are turning to one of America's oldest roasting companies instead of their local undertakers to assist with funeral arrangements.

Starbucks may be closing 600 stores nationwide, but one local cafe owner says his business isn't just popular, it's growing.On Thursday, Adam Dudley, owner of the Sol River Coffee House & Lounge off Hiawasee Road, brewed and served his first batch of Kopi Luwak -- one of the rarest coffees available.At $180 per pound, or $30 for an 8-ounce cup, it's also one of the most expensive.

The 1.22 by 2.44 metre shed, built with mostly recycled materials, features the village's only boat-by window. It even has a patio table and four chairs on the dock for patrons not in a rush. Just like their land-based cousins, boaters can call ahead to order their favourite brew by tuning to channel 14 on their VHF marine radio."People were always asking about coffee," said Nicalena Chidley, 43, manager of the Kyuquot Inn, which runs the new business. "Fishermen always wanted to grab one for the road."

Recent comments by Starbuck’s chairman-CEO Howard Schultz talking up the product led me to believe it might be something substantially different than what I can find at my local tea and smoothie store, or even Jamba Juice.

Starbuck’s is testing Vivanno in California and Michigan. I got both versions of the new Vivanno at Starbuck’s on Main Street in Royal Oak, MI, just three blocks from our office. One is made with banana, milk, and an orange-mango-blend of juice, along with whey protein and fiber powder. The other is banana/chocolate.

It is known that when athletes or sports persons, or for that matter, anyone involved in any form of rigorous exercise, has worked out for a few hours the muscles see a depletion in the level of Glycogen, which can be termed as their main fuel source.

 However, a study published by The American Physiological Society found that, athletes given carbohydrates and caffeine had upto 66% more glycogen in their muscles even after the rigorous exercises than those given nothing or only carbohydrates.

STARBUCKS

The downsize strategy lifted its shares in the US nearly 6 per cent overnight.

Starbucks had previously estimated that it would close 100 stores and yesterday said that the majority of stores now targeted for closing will wrap up business by the end of March 2009.

The company estimated that total pre-tax charges associated with the planned US closures, including severance pay costs, could reach $US348 million ($364 million).

The largest US chain of coffee stores said the job losses would represent about 7 per cent of the company's global work force.

The Starbucks stores to be closed have operated since the beginning of fiscal 2006.

Starbucks embarked on an aggressive expansion program in areas such as California and Florida, both of which have been hardest hit by the US housing downturn. Some investors have pushed the company to increase the number of store closures.

The coffee store chain also said it will open less than 200 stores in fiscal 2009, whereas it had previously planned for 250 new company-operated stores.

With coffee houses at every corner, we are all consuming increasingly more amounts of caffeine.

Catching up with friends over a cup has become a part of our everyday life. The coffee pot is also an indispensable fixture in offices. A cup or two seems to give the burst of energy sought by office workers each morning, or to gain a slight edge on a mental task late at night. However, the caffeine plays havoc with your body and mind.

WHAT IS CAFFEINE?

In its pure form, caffeine is a bitter-tasting fine white powder that looks like icing sugar. It is soluble in water and so is easily absorbed into the blood stream and rapidly reaches the brain.

In general, a single dose of caffeine will appear in the bloodstream within 10 minutes of consumption. It reaches a peak concentration between 30 and 60 minutes later, but absorption is slower on a full stomach.

Coca-Cola Co. said Friday it plans to launch its coffee and energy beverage, Full Throttle Coffee, in the United States in August.

The drink is made with Colombian Arabica coffee and Full Throttle's energy and vitamin blend, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola (nyse: KO - news - people ) said. It will be rolled out in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast regions of the United States.

Full Throttle Coffee is part of the Full Throttle energy drink family, which includes Full Throttle Original, Full Throttle Unleaded, Full Throttle Blue Demon and Full Throttle Fury, the company said.

When I told friends I was off to eat chicken-fried chicken for breakfast, they all reacted with the same facial gestures: quizzical transforming into disgust and ending with near-outrage. “How do you chicken-fry chicken isn’t that redundant?” one asked.

“You’re asking for a coronary!” another gasped, and wasn’t that a clichéd thing to say?