Coffee with a Cop

A great time to have a good conversation is over a cup of Joe, while reading Coffee News, of course! Recently, the Omaha Police Department has decided that a cup of coffee is a good way to have a talk with the public with their new program, "Coffee with a Cop."

As reported in this article from the Omaha World Herald:

The Omaha Police Department wants to share a cup of coffee and conversation with members of the public.

The department is launching 'Coffee With a Cop,' which will give citizens the opportunity to meet with police officers and raise questions, complaints or concerns.

The first gathering will be from 8 to 9 a.m. Feb. 25 at Heartland Cafe, 2615 N. Main St., in the Elkhorn area.

About six members of the department who work in that part of Omaha will attend.

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This sounds like a great idea. What we here at Big O Coffee News like best is that Heartland Cafe in Elkhorn carries none other than our Northwest Edition.

1. Have coffee.
2. Talk to an Omaha Police officer.
3. Read Coffee News!

What better way to start your day?

New Advertiser Spotlight: The Reliquary

The Reliquary
Our newest advertiser is an antiques, estate property, and consignment store entering the Omaha market on 74th and Pacific Avenue. Their Grand Opening was held on Saturday, February 1st and they were off to a running start.

Andrew, one of the partners who own and operate the Reliquary, is offering 10% off any Coffee News reader's first purchase. Details for the shop are below.

7545 Pacific Street Omaha, NE

Email The Reliquary

Coffee: The Great and Powerful Bean

We here at the Big O Coffee News are, obviously, big fans of coffee as well as the business we run. At Big O Coffee News headquarters, we have a nice grinder to make fresh grounds which we brew in a rather fancy coffee maker.

Omaha is no stranger to the love of coffee. Just yesterday, the Omaha World Herald published this piece on the history and influence of coffee here in the big O.

My personal favorite section is on Aribica beans and is shared below. However, the entire article is worth a read if you're a coffee lover as well. From the World Herald:

"Arabica coffee beans must grow at higher elevations in cool, subtropical climates and need a lot of moisture, rich soil, shade and sun. The Arabica beans can be damaged by cold temperatures or poor handling.

Arabica, according to coffee roasters, is a better quality coffee, and people are interested in quality. Commodity coffee is like the craft breweries of 10 years ago,” said Chris Smith, owner of Beansmith Coffee. “I think people are looking for the best experience for the buck.”

Commodity coffee refers to the way coffee is traded. The popular term is “fair trade.” Fair trade guarantees coffee growers a set price prior to harvest, as opposed to the more traditional method of setting a price at the end of growing season based on yield.

To Vape or Not to Vape?

The title of this post is a question I'd like to pose to Big O Coffee News readers. The electronic cigarette has burgeoned into a $1.7 billion a year business and is gaining traction fast. An industry insider has even said that projections show 2014 will bring another 4.5 million users of these devices.

There are plenty of positives associated with smoking e-cigarettes, known as "Vaping." Eliminating dozens of known cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes is possibly the biggest plus. However, replacing the smoking habit with a nicotine habit minus the tobacco has other benefits. Tobacco smoking means inhaling flaming-hot particulates into the lungs, and vaping removes those as well.

On the flip side, there have been no long term studies done on vaping, which lets the user inhale nicotine-laced water vapor instead of tobacco smoke. There could be some health risks associated with that, even if those health risks pale in comparison to tobacco smoking.

Other concerns with vaping involve unintended consequences. Will vaping become a fad and get new people addicted to nicotine that weren't previous smokers? Is it more palatable for non-smokers to start vaping because its supposedly safer? What about the second-hand effects of the vapor? Will the unregulated nature of this industry get kids to start vaping, and then somking?

I, for one, don't believe that vaping will lead to smoking. Rather, I think vaping will switch millions of current smokers to a less unhealthy alternative and promote vastly more folks quitting tobacco than starting a new nicotine habit.

What do you, the readers, think?

7 Reasons Why Your Car Mechanic Should be ASE Certified

We here at the Big O Coffee News look for the best of everything, and love a good deal off the beaten path. While having a "Best of" logo on the store window is important here in town, do we really know what this means? In this post, we'll look at seven reasons why the ASE Certified logo really means something.

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence has a program to certify trained personnel.  An ASE certified mechanic has to pass an examination, have two years of on the job training and work experience. 

This ensures that the ASE certified mechanic works on all the parts of the car/vehicle and knows how to repair it.  In addition he (or she) also has to pass a refresher examination every five years.

Why you Need to Look for an ASE Certified Mechanic

1. As today’s cars/vehicles have so much advanced  technology in terms of electronics and computer chips and fuel efficiency, it has become necessary to have an ASE Certified Mechanic for maintaining and repairing your car.

2. An ASE mechanic is trained and has experience which enables him to diagnose and solve your  vehicle problems.  The garages that employ ASE certified mechanics are able to work on today’s cars, trucks, and SUVs. It can be very annoying if you have to take your vehicle back to the garage again and again, because it was not serviced properly the first time.  This can be avoided by using an ASE certified mechanic for your car/vehicle service and maintenance

Read on and see the other 5 reasons here. We're proud to have Victory Auto Repair as our exclusive auto repair advertiser in Omaha. And you know what? They're certified!