Coffee

Many of us drink coffee because we like the taste or “need” the stimulation of caffeine. However, as with anything that is woven into the cultural fabric of so many countries coffee has a history that contributes to its worldwide popularity today. So, sit back and discover “the rest of the story.” I’ll sip a cup while writing this article.

The Popularity of Coffee: An Historical Prospective

In 850 coffee was discovered by a goat herder in Ethiopia who notices his goats are friskier after eating strange red berries. But the internet was slower then and coffee wasn’t cultivated for another 250 years on the Arabian Peninsula. Because Arab Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol they made a beverage from plants called “qahwa.” It was here, at around the year 1100, that the beans were first roasted and boiled.

What wine was to the Europeans, coffee became to the Arabs. In 1475 the worlds first coffee shop opens in Constantinople. Two more follow 80 years later.

As trade routes were established from Arabia into Africa and Europe this new bean, and beverage, enters Europe through the port of Venice and by 1654 the first coffeehouses open in Italy. As the Europeans established trade routes around the world coffee was a main component of trade.

Coffee is introduced to the New World by Captain John Smith, who established Virginia. While the colonists enjoyed both tea and coffee with a preference for tea, British taxation of tea, and with the history that followed, caused coffee to become the hot beverage of choice for most Americans.

The Role of the Coffeehouse

Just as restaurants opened to satisfy the social need of people, in addition to the biological, coffeehouses allowed people soon to sit down together and enjoy coffee outside of their homes.

Soon, an association between coffee and with social interaction began to form. Arabs began to view coffee as a social drink, similar to our view in modern times. But Arabs also saw it as an intellectual drink calling it “the milk of thinkers and chess players.”

Something similar happened in England. Because a penny is charged for admission and a cup of coffee, coffeehouses are called “penny universities.” Edward Lloyd’s coffeehouse opens in 1688 and eventually becomes Lloyd’s of London, the world’s best known insurance company. The word “TIPS” is coined in an English coffee house: A sign reading “To Insure Prompt Service” (TIPS) was place by a cup. Those desiring prompt service and better seating threw a coin into a tin.

Worldwide Cultivation

With its popularity growing it was inevitable that the cultivation could not be contained in Arabia. In 1690, the Dutch become the first to transport and cultivate coffee commercially. Coffee is smuggled out of the Arab port of Mocha and transported to Ceylon and East Indies for cultivation.

At around 1723, plants are introduced in the Americas for cultivation. A French naval officer transports a seedling to Martinique and by 1777, 1.92 billion coffee plants are cultivated on the island. The Brazilian coffee industry gets its start in 1727 with seedlings smuggled out of Paris.

Lance Curtis is editor and contributor to TheCoffeeDrinker.com where coffee lovers gather with a cup of their favorite brew.

The Coffee Drinker uncovers those hard-to-find gourmet tidbits that coffee lovers, like you, enjoy.

Click the link to discover a world dedicated to you, The Coffee Drinker!

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Author: J. Lance Curtis
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The history of coffee dates back more than a thousand years and is as rich as the brew itself. It is believed that coffee plants originated on the shores of the Red Sea, in the Horn of Africa. Initially, coffee beans were eaten as a food, not drunk as a hot beverage. Tribes located in East African would grind the coffee cherries (the fruit containing the pulp and seed – what we now call the coffee bean) and mix the ground pulp with animal fat making a paste. This paste was eaten by tribal warriors to gain energy for battle. Ethiopians, around the year 1000 A.D., created a coffee wine by fermenting the bean in water. Coffee was also native to the Arabian Peninsula where, in the eleventh century, it was first taken as a hot drink.

Like wine during the first century, coffee developed a mystical, religious reputation. Many believed that the stimulating properties of coffee gave a religious ecstasy to those who consumed it. This drink became shrouded in secrecy and associated with the educated people of the times usually priests and physicians. Out of this environment two stories developed to explain the origin of this gift to man.

The most common history of coffee told relates a goat herder, named Kaldi, became frisky after eating the red cherries of a wild plant. After eating the fruit he was excited to feel the effects of caffeine, of course not knowing what that was. Later, it is told, he was spotted by some monks passing by dancing with his herd. After some experimentation, the monks created a drink by boiling the coffee bean. This beverage was consumed just before all-night ceremonies to keep the monks awake.

The second story that is popular involves a Muslim dervish who was sentenced to death by his enemies. He was forced to wander in the desert to die of starvation. During this time he heard a voice telling him to eat the fruit of what was a nearby wild coffee shrub. In his delirium he tried to soften the beans in water. When this failed he simply drank the soak water out of thirst. He was immediately invigorated and believed this to be a sign from God, returning to his homeland to share his discovery.

It was during the fifteenth century that coffee was first cultivated and the Arabian province of Yemen was the most prominent source of coffee. As demand grew past the boundaries of the Near East, the exportation of coffee went through the Yemeni port of Mocha, destined for Alexandria and Constantinople. This trade was lucrative and cloaked in secrecy. It was so closely guarded that no live plants were allowed to leave the country. The restrictions proved to be no match for those Muslim pilgrims who smuggled coffee plants back home after their trips to Mecca. Soon cultivation grew in India.

As trade routes flourished, coffee began to pass through the port of Venice where shipping fleets along the Spice Route brought Arabian merchants with tea, cinnamon, and other luxuries, including coffee. Liquid consumption became the most popular method with street vendors offering the hot beverages next to their cold ones, like lemonade. As Europeans traveled and experienced coffee in Arabia they also began to return home with this new and exotic drink.

The Dutch started the first plantation-styled coffee cultivation, during the seventeenth century, in their colonies in Indonesia primarily on the islands of Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, and Bali. The French, taking a cutting from a coffee tree to Martinique, introducing the plant to the Caribbean and Latin America. Brazil became the worlds largest producer of coffee after a rare plant disease killed the coffee plants in Southeast Asia in the mid-nineteenth century.

It is interesting that today coffee is the second most traded commodity behind oil, and many of the nicknames we have for this drink, e.g. Java and Mocha come from locations that have played a prominent role in the history of our favorite beverage.

Lance Curtis is editor and contributor to TheCoffeeDrinker.com where coffee lovers gather with a cup of their favorite brew.

The Coffee Drinker uncovers those hard-to-find gourmet tidbits that coffee lovers, like you, enjoy.

Click the link to discover a world dedicated to you, The Coffee Drinker!
http://thecoffeedrinker.com/the-rich-history-of-coffee/

Author: J. Lance Curtis
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Coffee consumption started in a corner of Ethiopia when a young herder discovered the “magical powers” that red beans from a tree had on his goats when they ate them. Monks from a nearby monastery brewed the first cup of coffee after some trial and error. Over time, consumption of this new beverage spread among the monasteries throughout Ethiopia and to neighboring mosques and Muslim regions where alcohol was not allowed.

Coffee was generally regarded as a luxurious stimulant and its fame spread beyond country borders. Coffee became known as a black beverage that inspired love and loyalty, healed the sick, comforted the exhausted, and allowed long nights of prayer and meditation. Coffee became in high demand from Ethiopia to the great port of Moka (also “Mocha”) on the Red Sea and then to the Gulf of Aden into Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula. Coffee was cultivated in the Arabian Peninsula which explains why the name for the Arabica coffee became popularized.

Coffee continued to spread to Turkey and to the rest of the Ottoman Empire. It was in the Ottoman Empire where coffee was roasted on bonfires and became famous for its wonderful aroma and color. Coffee drinking became widespread and was adopted as a beverage of choice in Persia, Egypt, Syria and Europe.

It is interesting to note how mystery and claims of magical powers continued to surround coffee to the point that it became an almost sacred substance. Coffee could not be cultivated in Europe as a result of northern climates, temperatures and soil conditions unfavorable to the crop. As a result of being an import, coffee availability was rare and scarce. This happened so much that coffee became a symbol of luxury and the gift of choice for royalty. Without a doubt, this “prestige” made coffee very attractive to people in religious and political spheres of society.

Coffee consumption grew rapidly throughout Europe among nobles, artists, intellectuals, scholars and many more wealthy and powerful people. Coffee houses followed and coffee became synonymous with good service, hospitality and friendship. Coffee eventually made its way to Southeast Asia and to the Americas. Dutch, French and British merchants brought coffee to their plantations in Ceylon, Indonesia, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and to many other countries along East Indies merchant routes. In short, coffee literally went around the world and has become at present the second most traded commodity in the world after petroleum.

When you think of it, that is indeed an awful lot of coffee for everyone! Drinking coffee is a fun and personal activity. Something you can do with friends or by yourself. Millions of people all over the world get their day “started” with a cup of coffee. The brew is served 24×7 just about everywhere you go. But coffee is so much more than just a beverage!

Coffee offers many health benefits and that is a great thing. Remember some of the “magical powers” that legends associated with coffee? Well, it turns out that there is much truth in such “magical powers.”

• Coffee has been the subject of research for decades. Consistently, the results show that coffee is more healthful than harmful. Such statement is based on research findings that take place daily on coffee, caffeine and health around the world in public and private organizations, laboratories, universities and other specialized facilities.
• How does coffee improve the health of your body? It’s the “magic’” in antioxidants and caffeine! Both of these substances have proven health and anti aging benefits.
• Antioxidants help your body repair damage to cells caused by free radicals.
• These free radicals are produced as a by-product of cells through normal daily activities.

Coffee is a delicious and very versatile beverage. Hot or cold. There are more than 69 different flavors to choose from such as Chocolate Coffee; Nut and Crunch Coffee or Hazelnut coffee.

Let’s celebrate the wonders of coffee and get some of that “magic” in us, shall we? Recommendation: A delicious gourmet flavored coffee freshly roasted just for you!

Timothy (“Tim”) S. Collins, the author, is called by those who know him “The Gourmet Coffee Guy.” He is an expert in article writing who has done extensive research online and offline in his area of expertise, coffee marketing, as well as in other areas of personal and professional interest.

Come visit the author’s website: http://www.ourgourmetcoffee.com Also visit: http://www.squidoo.com/coffee-lensography-TheGourmetCoffeeGuy

Copyright – Timothy S. Collins. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Author: Timothy S. Collins
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Coffee Beans

Coffee Beans are derived from coffee plants found in tropical and sub-tropical countries primarily in Central and South America, Africa, and Southern Asia. Though some might claim that coffee is the second largest traded commodity after oil, a more accurate statement as defined by the UNCTD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) is that coffee remains the second most valuable commodity exported by developing countries.

Depending on how statistics are interpreted, coffee could have annual industry value from as low as $22 billion to as high as $90 billion. What is indisputable is that coffee sustains a global workforce of well over 20 million and remains one of the most popular beverages in the world.

History of Coffee

The origin of coffee is ostensibly traced back to the 9th century. It was at this time in Ethiopia where a goat herder noticed heightened activity in one of his goats after it ate a few coffee beans from a coffee tree. Though an amusing story, a more accurate account dates back to the 15th century where monks in Yemen documented the stimulating effects of coffee.

Coffee Bean Types

The flavours, aromas and strength of coffee are determined by two primary types of coffee bean; Arabica and Robusta. Originally sourced from Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula, Arabica coffee is grown globally and accounts for an estimated two-thirds of coffee production. The flavour of Arabica is often characterized by a variety of sweet, fragrant, chocolaty and hazel notes. Robusta originally sourced from central and western Africa accounts for an estimated one-third of coffee production. Robusta derives its name from the fact that the tree is more robust than its Arabica counterpart. Robusta grows in a greater number of conditions, at a faster rate and requires less care than Arabica. Finally, Robusta contains twice the caffeine as found in Arabica and is sharper as well as more bitter in flavour.

Popular coffee will typically consist of either a 100% Arabica base or a combination of Arabica and Robusta with the higher percentage skewed toward Arabica and a lower one to Robusta. In the simplest terms, by varying the ratio of Arabica to Robusta, the end product with regards to flavour, aroma, strength and colour are impacted.

Roasting

The process of coffee roasting alters the entire cellular structure of the coffee bean transforming green coffee beans into the commonly recognized brown coffee bean. Depending on the degree of temperature and length of time, a coffee bean’s colour, taste, smell and size are altered which will in turn impact the flavour.

In applying heat to beans, moisture is lost creating a reaction called pyrolysis. Roasters listen for an audible crack to measure the stages in the bean development during roasting. It is here where starch is converted into sugar and protein is broken down. More importantly, this process causes the coffee bean to release caffeol – coffee oil – which produces the essence of the prized coffee drink.

Getting the roast right is a fine balance. By applying too much heat caffeol will burn. In not applying enough heat the caffeol will not be produced.

Flavoured Coffee

It may be considered a recent trend in the world of coffee, however adding flavours to coffee has been practiced for years. Consider that in the Middle East, coffee with cardamom has been a common tradition over hundreds of years. In Mexico, adding cinnamon to coffee has also been a common practice. The two methods of flavouring are to either add the flavour directly after roasting or to add syrup to a coffee that already has been prepared.

Andrew Greenwood is a member of the Fairfax Coffee Web Team. Fairfax have been in the coffee machine business since 1945 and are on hand to offer impartial advice on choosing the perfect coffee machine for you.

Author: Andrew J Greenwood
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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By the 17th Century, with the popularity of coffee ever increasing in Europe, the interest of the then World Superpowers – Britain, France, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain – also grew. Up until this point, coffee imported into Europe had come from the Arabian Peninsula, over which none of these nations had any control. The Europeans had sample coffee and liked it, and now they wanted to start producing it for themselves. The race was on to establish their own coffee plantations in their respective colonies.

It was the Netherlands who took an early lead in this race. In 1616, Dutch spies successfully managed to smuggle a coffee plant out of Mocha (Yemen). Although, to begin with, they were only involved in small scale cultivation. This changed in 1658, when they defeated the Portuguese to take control of Sri Lanka. Very soon coffee plantations spread all over Sri Lanka and into Southern India. Then, in 1699, the Dutch started production in Indonesia, when cuttings were successfully transplanted from Malabar (India) to Java.

Without help from the Dutch, the other Superpowers would not have got out the starting blocks. By 1706, the first coffee beans from Java had reached Amsterdam, along with a coffee plant for the Botanical Garden. From this plant, a number of successful cuttings were made. These new plants soon found their way into various botanical gardens throughout Europe as they were given as gifts to visiting dignitaries.

One such plant was given to King Louis XIV of France in 1714, by the Burgermeister of Amsterdam. The plant was re-homed in le Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Several years later, a French Naval Officer named Mathieu Gabriel de Clieu, while on leave from his station in Martinique, asked for the King’s permission to take a cutting of this plant back with him. Unfortunately for him, the King refused his request. Convinced that the Caribbean would be an ideal place to cultivate coffee, de Clieu led a daring moonlight raid on the Jardin des Plantes to secure a cutting.

In 1723, de Clieu began his journey back to Martinique, with his newly procured coffee cutting in tow. He kept the shoot in a glass cabinet, which he would bring up onto the deck each day so it could be warmed by the sun. If de Clieu had thought that the hard part of his mission was over, he would have been wrong. As, during the journey, one of the men on board (allegedly with a Dutch accent) tried to wrestle the plant off de Clieu, managing to break a side-shoot in the process. The crew had to fend off an attack by pirates which lasted nearly a whole day; a storm descended that shattered the glass cabinet; and the portable water supply ran so low that de Clieu had to share his water ration with the plant.

Finally de Clieu returned to Martinique, where he successfully cultivated the coffee plant. Some twenty months later de Clieu had his first harvest, which he distributed among the island’s doctors and other intellectuals. As luck would have it, at the time the cocoa plants on the island were doing badly after a recent volcanic eruption, so coffee was soon adopted by the locals. Within three years, coffee plantations spread all over Martinique and to the neighbouring islands of St. Dominique and Guadeloupe. Coffee production was so successful in the Caribbean that King Louis XIV forgave de Clieu for his earlier transgression, making him governor of the Antilles.

The coffee plant had become a very desirable object. In 1727, the Brazilian government decided it was time they joined the coffee market. Using the guise of an intermediary in a boundary dispute between the French and Dutch in the Guianas, Brazil sent Lieutenant Colonel Francisco de Mello Palheta on a mission to steal a coffee plant from the French. Using his charm and charisma, Palheta befriended the governor of French Guiana’s wife. Once the dispute was resolved, the governor’s wife presented Palheta with a farewell gift, a coffee cutting concealed in a bouquet of flowers. From this scant shoot grew the world’s largest coffee empire.

The British did not seriously compete in the coffee race until 1796, when they took control of Sri Lanka from the Dutch. With the arrival of the British, even more land was cleared for coffee plantations. So much so, that the relatively small island of Sri Lanka briefly became the world’s largest coffee producer in the 1860s. However, in 1869, a lethal fungus known as coffee rust arrived on the island. This fungus causes premature defoliation of a coffee plant, seriously weakening its structure and reducing its yield of berries. Since rust was not considered to be a serious disease, the British continued to clear more land for coffee plantations during the next decade. It was not until 1879 that they realised the seriousness of the situation. Unfortunately by then it was too late: the productivity of the plants had declined so greatly that they were no longer economically viable.

Luckily for the British, a successful marketing campaign led by the British East India Company for tea entitled “the cup that cheers”, back in the early 18th Century, had laid the foundations for tea to become the British national drink. Between 1700 and 1757 the average annual tea imports into Britain more than quadrupled and consumption continued to grow steadily for the rest of the century. So when coffee rust devastated the coffee plantations of Sri Lanka, and later India, production simply switched and the coffee plants were uprooted and replanted with tea. Although Britain continued to cultivate coffee on a limited amount of colonial land, mostly in Jamaica, Uganda and Kenya, by the end of the 19th Century tea had surpassed coffee as the beverage of choice.

James Grierson is the owner of Galla Coffee: http://www.gallacoffee.co.uk – Uk online retailer of designer coffee accessories. Through the Coffee Knowledge section of his website he aims to help people understand more about coffee and give them tips on how to make great tasting coffee in their home.

Check out http://www.gallacoffee.co.uk/acatalog/Coffee_Knowledge.html for more articles or if you have a question send it to: coffeeknowledge@gallacoffee.co.uk

Author: James Grierson
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