Coffee

When I think of “coffee beans”, instantly I think of the coffee industry’s biggest heavy hitters like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts to name a few. My senses are aroused with thoughts of a hot, steamy and rich cup of java. The strong intoxicating exotic smell and distinct taste of a good cup of coffee is appreciated many people the world over and has been for many, many years.

Coffee was first discovered and consumed around the 9th century in the highlands of Ethiopia. After being introduced, coffee consumption spread quickly to the Muslim world followed by Europe and later the Americas. The history of coffee that followed after has certainly been interesting and controversial. Coffee in earlier years has been associated with religious ceremonies in Africa and Yemen as well as being associated with rebellious political groups in Europe. The cultivation of the coffee bean has caused much debatable conversation in the past due to certain medical effects and conditions that have been disputed many times over throughout the years.

A coffee bean is the seed of a coffee plant. Coffee beans contain endosperms that contain caffeine. Once the coffee seeds have been removed from the plant, the seeds are roasted and this process causes several physical and chemical changes. The coffee bean is then brewed to create the ever popular product and beverage known as coffee.

Coffee is one of the world’s largest traded commodities after oil. The coffee bean is a primary source of income for many third world countries mainly African countries and much of Central American countries. Coffee beans from different countries have different characteristics such as flavor, aroma and body, such as the well known coffee originating from Colombia as an example.

Brazil is the largest coffee exporting country and in recent years Vietnam has inched in at a close second. The legendary Colombian coffee is rated third largest in export.

In our modern society of recent times there are many different variations and presentations of the coffee beverage. There is the common brewed and roasted hot cup of coffee, the espresso, café latte, cappuccino, café macchiato and the iced coffee served cold. To match so many variations of the coffee bean, the marketing distribution of coffee has many unique creative forms aside from the traditional self brewed method. The roasted coffee bean can be distributed as instant coffee, freeze dried, canned coffee and coffee is being sold right out of vending machines.

Yaser Dorri, an American scientist, has proposed that the smell of coffee can restore and increase appetite. Our civilized society may want to reconsider our much anticipated ritual of an after dinner coffee. Our evolving society may want to possibly embrace the thought of coffee as what it truly is a stimulant that if going to be incorporated in your daily dietary consumption should be best utilized in conjunction with a healthy and positive needed acceleration and or stimulant in your body’s system and process. Simply put; coffee before dinner would be more logical and practical. Coffee as a stimuli at night is not favorable unless intentional. Remember with any consumption; being responsible and moderate will always keep you safe and healthy.

Tania Penwell provides information on coffee beans and other java related topics for Coffee Xpert – your online guide to coffee.

Author: Tania Penwell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Coffee Around the World

Coffee plants are grown throughout the world in areas that have moderate rainfall and nearly year round sunlight. Areas such as Africa, Arabia, South America and Southern Asia are well suited for growing coffee and are notable for their large plantations. Other tropical regions such as Hawaii and Jamaica are known for smaller yields of high quality beans. There are only two different species of coffee beans that are used to make beverages, Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is considered the better tasting coffee and accounts for about 75 percent of the world’s coffee production, but it is more difficult and expensive to grow. Robusta, is less expensive to grow and can thrive in areas that Arabica cannot be grown, but it is considered to have an inferior “bitter” flavor.

Mexico & Central America

Mexico began exporting coffee in the late 1800s. The majority of coffee produced in Mexico is exported to the United States. Unlike many regions of the world, most of the beans grown in Mexico are grown not on large plantations, but small family operated farms. Although smaller than Mexico, Guatemala is also famous for its coffee production. First cultivated in the nineteenth century by German immigrants, Guatemala is considered to produce some of the finest quality coffee beans due to the optimal climate and excellent soil that is found on the southern slopes of the country’s volcanoes. Most other Central American countries also produce at least some coffee including Ecuador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Jamaica must also be mentioned as the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is produced there, and is considered by many to be one of the finest coffees in the world.

South America

The climate and geography of South America, especially the mountainous areas, lends itself well to coffee production. There are a number of regions in South America known for their coffee plantations. Brazil is one of the leading producers of coffee in the world producing over twenty million bags of raw coffee beans a year. The country has a long history of coffee production and has grown and exported Arabica coffee beans since the 1700s. Both Venezuela and Columbia are also major South American producers of coffee. Although not as well know as the traditional South American coffee producers, Peru is home to numerous coffee plantations, and is becoming known as a producer of both “generic” and high quality coffee beans.

Asia

Vietnam has become a major producer of coffee in the last few decades, producing nearly six million bags of coffee a year. The climate of Vietnam is not optimal for the more delicate Arabica coffee plants, so the majority of the coffee grown in the country is the hardier Robusta variety. The large islands of Java and Sumatra also both produce significant quantities of Robusta at their lower elevations and Arabica can be successfully grown at the higher elevations of the volcanoes and mountains. Other coffee growing areas in Asia include Timor, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and India.

Africa

Africa was the original home of Arabica coffee plants, and a number of African countries still produce coffee for export. Ethiopia, considered by many to be the first site that coffee was cultivated produces around four million bags of Arabica coffee beans each year. Coffee exports are particularly important to Ethiopia and other poor African countries and brings in much needed hard currency. Africa is a large continent and due to the variety of climates and geographical features, it includes many different types of coffee plantations. Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya all grow mainly Arabica coffee, while Madagascar and Tanzania grow a mixture of both Arabica and Robusta depending on the local climate and soil. Cameroon produces mainly Robusta, although some Arabica is grown there.

If you like coffee, you probably have a coffeemaker! If you have a coffeemaker, you have probably broken the carafe at some point! If this happens, you don’t need to buy a new coffeemaker, just a replacement carafe! To find out what carafe fits your coffeemaker and other coffee information visit Replacement Carafe Net!

Author: Felix J. Sheffield
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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