Coffee

As you sit and drink your morning java, it may help you to know that you are imbibing a long-respected beverage.

While most of us think of coffee as a single species of plant and a single type of beverage, it is interesting to learn that there are more than 500 genera and more than 6,000 species in the Rubiaceae family of plants of which coffee is just one genus. Most of these varieties are either coffee shrubs or tropical trees that grow upwards of 30 feet. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer. Of these many types, Robusta and Arabica coffees are the main types used.

Historians believe that coffee originated in Ethiopia but spread into Arabia. Its ability to help people stay alert made it a useful secret weapon at first.

Iced coffee seems like a fairly new innovation, but really it isn’t. It is believed that coffee was not originally a hot drink. It was originally drunk with the grounds. Arabic peoples used it in religious ceremonies and as a medicine, but not as a beverage until about the year 1000 A.D. Eventually people tried to drink just the liquid and leave the grounds alone. As people discovered how coffee helped them to stay alert, coffee became more popular. As civilization progressed, coffee houses were created so people could enjoy the beverage and socialize in groups.

Gradually people discovered the pleasures of hot coffee. They began drinking it in their homes, usually as part of a ceremony. Coffee became a very important part of Arabic culture. It is believed that at least one Turkish woman was allowed to divorce because her husband refused to give her coffee. For a time, it was forbidden to take coffee out of the Muslim world.

However, explorers brought coffee from Constantinople, Turkey, to Venice, Italy and thus began coffee’s conquest of Europe. Originally, it is said that Catholic priests forbade the use of coffee, because of its origins in Arabic/Islamic culture. Some said coffee was given to the Islamic peoples by God because they were forbidden to drink wine. One report says one of the popes investigated coffee’s properties and was so enticed by the aroma he tasted it, even, some say, baptizing it. At any rate, his approval of the beverage lead to the spread of its use across Italy and then the rest of Europe.

Whether baptized by the Pope or not, coffee and its caffeine is truly considered to be a blessing by many. By 1940, the U.S. was importing 70 percent of the world’s coffee crop.

Today coffee can be found in just about every nation on earth and is clearly one of the world’s most popular drinks. That’s a fun fact to savor with your morning brew.

Robert Carlton very often produces reports on problems associated with bunn home coffee maker and bunn coffee machines. You might come across his observations on bunn coffee makers at http://www.coffee-espresso-maker-tips.com and different sources for bunn coffee makers knowledge.

Author: Robert J. Carlton
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Coffee was originally found in Ethiopia but has since spread world wide. Most of the coffee production in Ethiopia is still using the wild coffee tree forests that were naturally there. It is important that there is enough sunlight and rain which means these plants can only be grown in tropical or sub-tropical countries. Typically countries that are on the equator.

There is a narrow band around the equator which is used to produce most of the coffee for the worlds consumption. Coffee beans are grown in over 70 different countries all around the globe, and it is the second largest worldwide commodity in dollar value.

The largest coffee producer in the world is Brazil, they produce 28% of the worlds supply of coffee. Colombian coffee is extremely famous but even so they only produce 16% of the worlds output. Indonesia produces 7%, and Mexico is the fourth largest producer of coffee at 4%.

Coffee trees can be grown in a number of different locations, however they are best when grown at locations with high altitude.

Brazil has a number of very large plantations that cover huge areas of land. Hundreds of workers are employed to harvest and process the beans. In Colombia most of the transportation of the beans is done by mule or Jeep due to the treacherous conditions and poor economy.

Colombia has coffee trees growing on the sides of the mountains, while Hawaii has them planted on the slopes of the volcano. The ash is perfect for the plants as it provides good nutrition. The level of sun is also sufficient and the rainfall required is also provided.

Indonesia is a country that is made up of lots of little islands. Coffee has been grown on these islands since the Dutch introduced it in the 17th Century. Other countries have more advanced technology, however nowhere is as good at growing coffee as here. There are hundreds of individual farms on Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi which means they are the 3rd largest producers of coffee.

In Mexico the trees are normally planted in small farms, however there are over 100,000 of them throughout the whole country. This makes Mexico an important player in the world coffee market. Most of these farms are located in the south of Mexico. In some Mexican cities the high altitude varieties of coffee are grown.

In recent times Vietnam has started challenging Indonesia to be the 2nd biggest producer of coffee. Trees were first planted in Vietnam in the 19th century by the French. Small plantations produce robusta which is one of the common varieties of coffee.

Smaller producers of coffee include Africa, the Ivory Coast and Kenya. These are smaller, but they are very famous for producing dark fruity coffee. At the base of Mount Kenya some of the largest beans are produced there which produce a very fruity coffee. The Ivory Coast produces the most robusta which is normally used for espresso coffee blends.

No matter where the coffee comes from you can be pretty sure that it will be very popular. Coffee from all around the world is popular these days!

The scriptwriter Ray Walberg is particularly interested in ideas related to coffee roasting. You might come across his work on bunn coffee maker at http://www.coffee-espresso-maker-tips.com

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In this article we discuss the coffees from the Central American region.

Mexican Coffee

Mexico is the seventh largest coffee producer in the world, most of which is of the arabica variety from the southern part of the country, where it is grown by smallholders and sold on to the National co-operative.

Vera Cruz State, on the gulf side of the central mountain range, produces mostly lowland coffees, but coffees called Altura (High) Coatepec, from a mountainous region near the city of that name, have an excellent reputation.

Chiapas and Tapachula coffee is grown in the mountains of the southeastern most corner of Mexico near the border with Guatemala and has a delicate light flavour similar to the well-known Oaxaca.
Primo Lavado (prime washed) is a grade of Mexico coffee that includes most of its’ finest.
Mexico is also the worlds’ main source of maragogype beans, which are extra large and some experts consider produce the very best coffee.

Guatemalan Coffee

As the second largest producer in Central America (and 8th in the world) Guatemala is another main source of the maragogype bean.

The best Guatemalan coffees have a very distinct, spicy, and (when dark roasted), display a unique smoky flavour that sets them apart from all other coffees. They are very acidy, with the spiciness or smokiness coming across as within the acidy tones, and are medium to full in body and rich in flavour.

High grown beans (Strictly Hard Bean) grade coffees(such as Antigua) from the central highlands tend to have a rich, spicy or floral acidity with excellent body characteristic. Coffees from mountainous areas exposed to either Pacific or Caribbean weather, display a bit less acidity and more fruit.

Honduran Coffee

Honduran arabica coffee is ninth of world’s leading coffee producers, yet most of it is fairly undistinguished and is mainly used as a blending coffee.

Excellent coffees are grown here, but most are blended before export. Beans are named after the growing regions, including Santa Barbara, as well as Copan, Ocotepeque, Lempira, La Paz and El Paraiso.

Costa Rican Coffee

Costa Rica only produces high quality arabica coffee that display a full body and clean, robust acidity that makes it among the most revered of all Central American coffee.

It is grown primarily in the countryside surrounding the capital, San Jose, on rich, well-drained volcanic soil above 3000 feet.

The most famous coffees are San Marcos de Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Heredia, and Alajuela. La Minita is a well-publicized estate in the Tarrazu district of Costa Rica that produces an excellent coffee – reputed to be the most meticulously prepared in the world.

Nicaraguan Coffee

Situated between Honduras and Costa Rica, the coffees of Nicaragua display a characteristic more of the former than of the latter. They are coffees in the classic Central-American style but usually undistinguished – being medium-bodied, straightforwardly acidy, with reasonable flavour.

El Salvadorian Coffee

Despite being the smallest country on the American continent, El Salvador ranks 15th in world coffee production. This hasn’t always been the case, as political problems have regularly beset this densely populated country.

Arabica coffees from El Salvador are generally less acidic and softer than other coffees from the Central American region. The best high-grown coffees are from trees of the Bourbon and Pacamara varieties and the taste can be fragrant and complex.

Strictly High-Grown is the highest grade of El Salvador coffee.

Look out for my other articles in this series on the coffee growing regions of the world.

For more information about coffee and coffee making equipment visit http://www.cafebar.co.uk

Author: Fenton Wayne
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Coffee has been around for a very long time, but until recently when shopping for coffee you didn’t really have that much choice. You could choose instant coffee, or drip coffee. And the only options were taking it with milk and sugar. Then suddenly the amount of options suddenly expanded. There is a lot of variety in the choices of blends, countries they are from and even style which can confuse anyone. There are also a lot of different ways to brew the coffee, from a french press to a coffee maker that makes just one cup.

Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer and has been for over a hundred years. It’s not really that amazing when you consider how big the country is, plus it’s suitable for growing coffee. Brazil produces wonderful blends of coffee which are enjoyed all around the world.

Colombia is the most famous of the coffee producer, even though it’s only the second largest producer of coffee. It makes quite a sweet light cup of coffee which is available in supremo and excelso blends. These are considered as the best coffee blends in the world.

Other than these two coffee powerhouses there are lots of other countries which produce coffee. Each one of these producers is slightly different.

Mexico produces a unique bean which makes a lovely delicate coffee which is not very acidic. These make quite a mellow coffee which is enjoyed by many people. The Cuban coffee is drunk straight down like a shot is another option.

Indonesian coffee is well known, they produce very well known aged coffee which the environment helps with. They are the fourth largest coffee producer in the world, and so they should have enough for some time to come!

Malaysia also produces coffee, they brew theirs in a muslin bag which filters out the grounds. This makes a very strong cup of coffee. Even small countries such as Thailand produce wonderful blends of coffee which can be served with ice if you enjoy iced coffee.

Mauna Loa produces a very sweet bean which can make quite a nice medium body drink. The Java is full of flavor and has a very rich body. The whole process or roasting, finding and filtering the beans through water to produce a drink began in the 15th century and so over time this has produced a number of delicious drinks.

The Europeans have created a number of these designs, including France who adores their café au lait, which is actually half coffee and half milk. Austria likes it two thirds of a cup dark to one third regular which is a very old fashioned and traditional coffee blend.

The Italian espressos were pioneered by Luigi Bezzera in 1901 and improved in 1938 by M Cremonesi. We should thank these people for showing us just how delicious coffee can be. If you’re not into espressos then there are still plenty of other options such as the latte and cappuccino.

Coffee is a very personal thing and I can’t tell you which one you should buy. My advice is to try a few and see which style you like the best.

Being passionate about single coffee brewer, Clinton Maxwell is writing plenty of long articles in the area. With his writings like http://www.coffee-espresso-maker-tips.com/single-cup-coffee-maker.html, he confirmed his knowledge on information corresponding to single cup coffee maker.

Author: Clinton N. Maxwell
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Peru is the third largest South American country and the world’s sixth largest coffee producer. Almost 90% of all Peruvian coffee produced is exported and it is one of Peru’s major exports.

Because of the mild nature of most coffee produced by Peru, it is used primarily for blending, French-roast and as a flavored-coffee base. However, Peru’s Central Region in particular, has gained recognition as a high ranking producer of quality, certified organic coffee.

Peru’s coffee and agricultural producing regions include the Northern, Central and Southern Regions. They are situated in the heavily forested north-eastern slopes of the Andes. The coffee growers are small farmers who produce a mild Arabica, with exceptions among farmers who are devoted to producing organic coffee only.

A formidable obstacle to any agricultural production is the challenge of the Andes mountains, the lack of good transportation networks and the complex Amazon River basin system. Such challenges add to the production costs and make coffee farming more complicated in Peru than in other countries. The good news is that coffee producers, coffee exporters and the government are working together to improve the image of Peruvian coffee worldwide. One can say with confidence that the future looks bright for Peruvian coffee.

A few interesting facts about the Peruvian coffee regions,

Northern Region: The largest coffee growing areas in this region are Jan, Bagua, San Ignacio, Cajamarca, Piura, Amazonas and San Martin.

• Coffees from this region are typically the most unreliable and difficult to categorize. This is the newest area to produce coffee, with the highest number of uneducated coffee farmers and traders, and the biggest distance from Lima. Clean northern coffees have a smoky, earthy flavor and are the mildest of Peru. There are, however, some northern coffees that have a superb full body and delicate sweetness as well such as from the Cajamarca area.

Central Region: This region is well suited for coffee shade farming techniques. Many coffee growers follow sustainable agricultural practices and they adhere to organic fertilization and weed control methods which are very good for the environment. The most established coffee farming areas in this region include Villa Rica and La Merced.

• The peak harvest in the Central Region is usually a few months apart from the peak harvest availability of washed Central American coffees. This gives Peruvian coffee producers an advantage in coffee markets although weather fluctuations often have unpredictable effects that can change the supply and demand quickly.

Southern Region: This region includes the smallest coffee growing area of Quillabamba with towns such as Ayacucho, Cuzco and Puno.

• Puno coffees are full-bodied and very citrus-like tasting. Unfortunately, their production is very low per year and they are very rare due to their remote location on the high Bolivia-Peru border. Cuzco is one of the oldest and largest producing areas of Peru. Cuzco is also home to the famous Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. Cuzco coffee offers fruity acidity and it is among the most consistently balanced Peruvian coffees.

What about a delicious cup of Peruvian Shade Grown Organic coffee?

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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