The quintessential magical drink is that of the druid Panoramix. Not knowing the recipe, we had to go on by error and trial and error until we produced the one that seems to us, however, to approach the mythical potion of the old rooster: No. 124.
Times have changed since the Gauls needed magic potions to disrupt legions of Romans. Nowadays, we still use wood and stone to make our tools, but the former is extracted fossilized as petroleum and turned into plastic, the latter from silicon becomes microchips: our tools are computers, and a magic potion must take into account this fundamental difference between us and the Gauls.
We are cerebral primates. It is our brain that demands a certain food. It wants sugars, which it consumes in large quantities, but it also wants scents. It wants exciting substances, but it wants to be able to rest when it feels the need. He is very demanding. And because it doesn't want to feel too guilty, at least the conscious part demands that what we ingest be healthy-don't poison the body.
No. 124 was created with these needs in mind.
No sugar
It is true that the brain wants sugar, but putting refined sugars such as those in "sachets" into our bodies is bad for us. To the brain and to the body. We all know that-and that's why 124 has no added sugars: its mildly citrusy sweetness comes all from coffee beans.
Stimulant
There are many brain-stimulating substances. Not all of them are good for you. All are bad for you in large amounts or concentrations. Caffeine, for example, has been known for thousands of years to have the effect of increasing the ability to concentrate. But if you down a double espresso, on the run, the only effect will be to find your heart galloping and a feeling of panic.
The concentration of caffeine in 124 is about one-fifth that in arabica coffee espresso, down to one-tenth for robusta. By sipping a 250ml bottle of 124 in an hour while in a meeting, giving a lecture, or simply talking to friends and girlfriends, you allow your brain to remain alert and attentive, yet relaxed.
Sporty
Caffeine not only increases resistance to fatigue, it is also a bronchodilator. And unlike corticosteroids-it is not considered doping. Between tennis matches, before a game of five-a-side football or a walk in the mountains, No. 124 gets you off to a great start. Plus, thanks to the amount of water in the drink, you hydrate.
Natural Medicine
124 is not a medicine, but because it is a beverage made from coffee, it has various properties valued in the medical field
- As mentioned, it is a bronchodilator, so it is indicated for colds (you can drink it warm!) and hay allergies
- It helps prevent certain types of cancer. Various studies found below show that daily caffeine consumption reduces the incidence of cancers of the colon, endometrium (uterus), liver, pharynx, and oral cavity^.
Fragrance, stress and performance
Here the brain can only give thanks. Without wishing to exaggerate with miraculous claims about aromatherapy, there are studies that show that our attention span, and our intellectual performance, increases when we are exposed to pleasant scents.
The aromas of 124 have nothing to do with the typical bar espresso or the powder we put in the mocha. Comparing the coffee beans in 124 to these is like comparing the Nebbiolo grapes in Langhe Barolos to those used for Tavernello. Both have their merits, but if you smell plum, raspberry and rose in Barolo, it is because each Nebbiolo seedling produces a single hand-picked bunch, while Tavernello, with more than a million hectoliters produced annually, has to look more to consistency of quality than excellence.
So: pour your 124 into a goblet, let it oxygenate, smell it, drink it and appreciate the aftertaste.
Your brain will be grateful.
* As the Association for Cancer Research(AIRC) well explains, in order for us to be concerned about alleged "cancer-causing" doses of coffee, we would have to reach 400 cups of espresso a day.
^ Does coffee protect against hepatocellular carcinoma?
Coffee Consumption and Its Impact on Health
