Ingredients: (Makes enough for 16 people)

• 12 shots of espresso
• 5 shots of Chocolate liqueur (ex: Godiva brand)
• 1/2 shot of Rum
• 2 shots of coffee liqueur (ex: Kahlua brand)
• 6 eggs
• 48 ladyfingers (usually 2 packages)
• 16 oz. of mascarpone cheese (usually 2 packages)
• 6 oz powdered chocolate
• 1/2 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• Whipped cream in a can for garnish

This recipe makes a huge amount of tiramisu: probably enough for 16, if they're exercising portion control. (But good luck with that once they taste this stuff!) If you aren't making this for an event or large gathering, you can half the recipe and you'll probably be just fine.

More good news coffee drinkers! 
A frequent topic from our friends in the health industry is that our favorite hot beverage is actually good for you. There are many health benefits of coffee and a now a new study of long-term coffee consumption may be associated with a reduced risk for endometrial cancer, according to findings from the Nurses' Health Study.

It is interesting that so many studies seem to prove that coffee is not only good, but good for you. This new study also seems to indicate that more cups of coffee per day may be of more benefit too. Drinking more than four cups of coffee per day was linked with a 25% reduced risk for endometrial cancer. Drinking between two and three cups per day was linked with a 7% reduced risk. The recently confirmed health benefits of coffee include:  anti- cancer properties, reductions in cases of gall stones and reduced risk of diabetes. Go my little caffeinated friends. Drink and be healthy!

For more of the benefits and some cautions here is a link to a good summary of the benefit of coffee.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0406c.shtml

We were so glad to have the opportunity to attend the Coffee Tea and Water show put on by our trade's association, NAMA at the Bally's Resort. We send our Thanks to Roger Stewart and the NAMA team for putting together for putting on such a fine event.

We were treated to a lot of new information and networking and the show was great. If you are in the "biz" you have to be sure to put the next NAMA show on your calendar. Here is a video we did of our time there. Enjoy!

The Success City Radio Show team will be interviewing the NAMA team and exhibitors as well as attendees of the 2011 Coffee Tae and Water Show later this month in Las Vegas. The CT&W 2011 is all about strengthening and supporting the operators and our industry. It is put on by the National Automatic Merchandising Association and features keynote speakers, suppliers to the industry and all involved in the Coffee, Tea and Water industry including operators, suppliers, brokers, manufacturers, and distributors.

For more information contact Roger Stewart at rstewart@namacoffeeservice.org or 616.299.6483           616.299.6483   
and watch the video below.

Your break room might serve purposes other than breaks for tired employees, but its most important function is to provide employees a place to relax. It is important that it becomes a place employees want to go.
The simplest ideas are the best ones and here are tips that are inexpensive and provide BIG pay offs. 

Make sure the coffee is good coffee: If you are intent on only buying the cheapest coffee on the shelf, it is better to not even provide it. Coffee is an amenity that most employees expect. It is also very important to have it available to offer guests and customers. This is not the place to go cheap. Bad coffee leaves employees sour and feeling unappreciated. And bad coffee leaves customers with a terrible impression. It is not that expensive to provide good tasting coffee and your coffee service provider should have the expertise to help you brew coffee the right way to insure it tastes good. Why go cheap here when it is so easy to do it right. There are better places to cut expenses.

Add some color to the walls and décor. Plain white walls, bright fluorescent lighting and stale smells make a break room look and feel like an institution or hospital. Put warm colors on the walls, and make the break room inviting. Purchase inexpensive artwork that works with a theme and consider live plants to boost morale and add color. 

Provide comfortable seating. Couches and lounge chairs in the break room will make the room more inviting. I am often amused at the hard uncomfortable chairs I find in many break rooms. They seem to say, “don’t get too comfortable”!  

Provide magazines or other reading materials. Employees that choose to eat lunch alone will appreciate something other than the walls or the TV to look at. With the new technology, employees are probably checking their smart phones instead of relaxing. Magazines offer interesting articles from a variety of subjects and provide a nice distraction. Take a poll of your employees to see what magazine subscriptions you should put out.

Ask employees what they want. Your employees are the ones using the break room most, so their feedback is an important tool to designing the ideal work environment. If you are designing a new break room, renovating an existing one or just want to offer a few more amenities, ask the team. 

Keep it clean. A clean fresh place to sit down and take a deep breath is vital for employee morale. Think “escape” and insure that the break room is not neglected.