Usually use a cafetiere but dont always have access/time to so i just dump some ground in a cup and drink it – having been served coffee like this in dubai and enjoying it.

Guys in the office think this is really bad for me.

Google just brings up crap about it being good for the garden.

The way i see it is whats different about this to me eating chocolate covered coffee beans ?

over to you – prepared to get a million different opinions !

in a cup with hot water i might add …. before some pedant comes along

I haven't got any references I can quote to hand, but IIRC research has shown that coffee beans leach carcinogens into the water when sitting in water for a prolonged time. i.e. this isn't an issue for systems such as Cona, filter or espresso since the time the water is touching the beans is very short. but when using cafetiere or just in the cup, then the research indicated there are raised levels of bad things being consumed.

so where is that different to me eating coffee beans on there jones then ?

So im damned if i do and damned if i dont since my cafetieres gonna kill me anyway !

well it all depends on how long the coffee is sitting in the water prior to it being consumed. again IIRC cafetiere coffee is increasingly less of an issue the less the time the water sits in the jug before you poor it off.

similar with tea, if you let tea sit in water for more than about 4 mins then the liquid becomes acrid and the pleasant tea drink becomes harsh and not nice (thus many people resort to sugar to make it more palatable)

so with coffee if you let it sit for 4+mins then a) it tastes increasingly poor (none of that freshness left) and b) it becomes less and less good for you and more and more likely to be bad for you the longer you leave it.

but if you consume the grounds as well then surely the 'badness' continues to leech out when it's inside you?

as your mother would say – everything in moderation dear!

just off to get my 1st macchiato of the day

these days – my ride to work is a carcinogen – my coffee is – my dinner probably is if i took it to work in a tupperwear – my water is because i drink it out of a camelbak bottle …

[cressers mode]

You're DOOMED!!

[/cressers mode]

Yet more misunderstanding about the actual quantity of increases in risk I suspect.

Cant stand grounds in coffee though!

I often eat coffee beans – wonderful crunchy texture! Chocolate coated ones are even better :o)

yep i love the beans them selves probably Oded on them at relentless chocolate beans and a double espresso every lap at night !

"Waiter waiter!!! This coffee tastes like mud!"
"Yes sir, it was fresh ground this morning!!!!!!"

don't know of any studies looking at coffee beans being consumed. I'd suggest it's a very different chemical reaction when the bean is crunched and then ends up in your stomach and mixed up with the rest of your stomach contents and digestive juices.

as for your whole life being surrounded by carcinogens then yes… it is, always has been, always will be. but the important thing is the quantity, the exposure level and what else you do to ensure you can put the balance in your favour.. i.e. antioxidants etc. a cup of coffee or tea (or wine for that matter) should also contain a significant level of antioxidants, and thus the good offsets the bad in a well made beverage..

You're gonna die of something, might as well make it something you enjoy… 😉

get an individual re-usable filter thing – thats what I use makes lovely coffee and no real hassle involved

I use one of these:

dead easy (and it captures your grounds).

you can get identical cheap ones for ~£4