Coffee

Where did coffee originate? Coffee lovers around the world today may be numbering in the millions, but only a small number could be fully aware on the beginnings of this well-loved beverage. The history of coffee is definitely as rich as its flavor, spanning numerous centuries and dating as far back as 6th century A.D.

The oldest coffee legend

In the 6th century AD, farmers from Yemen were already growing coffee cherries. According to legend, a goat herder in Ethiopia was bewildered to discover that his goats were showing inexplicable energy after consuming a particular kind of cherries. After this goat herder tried the berries for himself and found that he too felt a surge of energy, Muslims discovered a way to extract the brew from the cherries, transforming the beans into a heady beverage. Thus, coffee became a secret beverage of the Muslims for a while, revitalizing them even during lengthy periods of worship. When 900 AD came round, coffee was already commonplace in the entire region of Arabia. From this period until 1500 AD, coffee farming practices were still a well-kept secret, although coffee beans were already exported to other places.

Coffee invasion in Europe

Before long however, Europeans found a way to bring coffee seedlings into their own lands. By 1615, merchants from Venice were able to bootleg a coffee plant out of the Yemen borders and into Europe. This time, coffee was used for its therapeutic purposes, being sold both as a drink and as a health remedy. When the Dutch got hold of the Ethiopian territory, they were able to bring coffee plants into Holland.

When it was discovered that Holland’s climate was not conducive to coffee farming, the Dutch brought the plants to other regions. When the first coffee shop opened its doors to the public in Oxford, England by the year 1650, women were forbidden to enter the shops. It was only three years later, when a teahouse was opened, that women found a place to converge.

The love story behind coffee Arabica

A Brazilian coast guard officer found two things he loved when he visited Cayenne in French Guyana in 1727: one, the coffee and two, the Governor’s wife. It was this affection that led him to acquire a few seeds which he took back to Brazil, initiating the Arabica coffee variety production in the country. Brazil eventually became the world’s largest coffee producer in 1800.

Afterwards, coffee traveled from country to country, spreading its popularity as a principal beverage of choice. The British introduced coffee to Jamaica in 1730. In 1774, Americans expressed a predilection for coffee during the Boston Tea Party, as a sign that they are replacing tea with coffee, due to the exorbitant taxes levied on tea trading. Costa Rica acquired coffee from Cuba, and this eventually spread to Mexico. The Island of Martinique cultivated coffee in the 1700s and Hawaii in 1825.

Present day coffee and coffee houses

Coffee houses are popular in Arabia; however they are as popular in Europe as well. From the 1600′s to the mid 1900s, coffee shops had already proliferated in Paris, reaching to approximately 3,000 in number. Presently, coffee is second to oil in terms of the most traded commodity worldwide.

Yogi Shinde is the webmaster offering coffee maker reviews on various brands of coffee makers like Braun, Krups, Mr Coffee and many others, helping you find the best coffee maker to suit your needs.

Author: Yogi Shinde
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Import duty tariff

The coffee plant originates from the highland forests of Ethiopia. It is believed that the first plants were found growing wild in the region of Kaffa, where coffee derives its name from. A popular legend tells of a goat herder named Kaldi. One day he noticed his goats behaving in a strange manner. They were full of energy, playfully chasing each other and bleating loudly. He noticed they were eating red berries from the bushes nearby. Feeling tired and slightly curious, Kaldi decided to try some of the berries. To his delight his fatigue quickly faded into a fresh burst of energy.

Kaldi was so impressed by the berries, that he filled his pockets with them and ran home to show his wife. “They are heaven-sent” she declared, “You must take them to the Monks in the monastery”. At the monastery, Kaldi told the Abbot how these berries had had a miraculous energising affect on himself and his goats. The Abbot clearly displeased, hurled the berries into the fire, proclaiming them as the “Devil’s work”.

Within minutes the berries started to smoke and the monastery was filled with the heavenly aroma of roasting beans. The other Monks quickly gathered to see what the commotion was. One Monk swiftly raked the beans from the fire and extinguished the embers by stamping on them. The rich smell of coffee obviously agreed with the Abbot’s nose as he ordered the Monk to place the now crushed beans into a jug and cover it with hot water to preserve their divine goodness. He then took a sip from the jug and sampled the rich and fragrant brew that is coffee. From that day on the Monks vowed to drink coffee daily to keep them awake during the long, nocturnal devotions.

No one is exactly sure when coffee was discovered. There is evidence to suggest that coffee beans were used to make a primitive ‘energy bar’ before they were actually brewed as a hot drink. Sometime between 575-850AD, a nomadic mountain tribe known as Galla, used to mix ground coffee with ghee. These bars were consumed by the tribe’s warriors to heighten aggression and increase their stamina during battle. To this day, these bars are still eaten in Kaffa and Sidamo (Ethiopia).

Some authorities claim that coffee originated from the Arabian Peninsula rather then Ethiopia, stating that coffee was cultivated in Yemen from around 575AD. An Islamic legend tells of how Sheikh Omar discovered coffee growing wild while living as a recluse near the port of Mocha (Yemen). He is said to have boiled some berries, and discovered the stimulating effect of the infusion, which he administered to the locals who were stricken with a mysterious illness and thus cured them. However it is more likely that coffee spread to Yemen through Sudanese slaves. These slaves are thought to have eaten coffee beans to help them stay alive as they rowed ships across the Red Sea between Africa and Arabian Peninsula.

Evidence suggests that coffee was probably not enjoyed as a beverage until around the 10th Century. It is at this time that the oldest known documents describing the beverage coffee were written. Two Arabian philosophers: Rhazes (850-922AD), and Avicenna of Bukham (980-1037AD); both refer to a drink called ‘bunchum’, which many believe is coffee.

As the Quran forbids Muslins from drinking alcohol, the soothing, cheering and stimulating effects of coffee made it a popular substitute in Islamic countries for wine. The first coffeehouses are said to have been established in Mecca (Saudi Arabia). Known as the Kaveh Kanes, they were public places where Muslims could socialise and discuss religious matters.

The relationship between Islam and coffee has not always run smoothly though. Some Muslims believed coffee was an intoxicant and therefore is banned by Islamic law. In 1511, the governor of Mecca, Khair Beg, saw some worshippers drinking coffee in a mosque as they prepared for a night-long prayer vigil. Angered, he drove them from the mosque and ordered all coffeehouses in Mecca to be closed. This incited the pro-coffee Muslims and a heated debate soon ensued. In this dispute, two unscrupulous Persian doctors, the Hakimani brothers, who were infamous for testifying on the side of the highest bidder, condemned coffee as an unhealthy brew. The doctors had good reason for wanted it banned, for it was popular cure among the depressed patients who would otherwise have paid the doctors to cure them. The matter was only resolved when the Sultan of Cairo, Khair Beg’s superior, intervened, demanding that a drink that was widely enjoyed in Cairo should not have been banned without his permission. Khair Beg soon paid for his insolence, as when in 1512 he was accused of embezzlement; the Sultan sentenced him to death.

By the late 16th Century, the use of coffee was widespread throughout the Arabia, North Africa and Turkey. The nutritional benefits of coffee were thought to be so great that coffee was considered as important as bread and water. So much so that a law was passed in Turkey making it grounds for divorce if a husband refused his wife coffee.

Wherever Islam went, coffee was sure to follow. With the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, coffee quickly spread to the Eastern Mediterranean. However, it is believed that no coffee seed sprouted outside Africa or Arabia until 17th Century, as coffee beans exported from the Arabian ports of Mocha and Jidda, were rendered infertile by parching or boiling. Legend has it that this changed when a pilgrim named Baba Budan, smuggled fertile coffee beans out of Mecca, strapped to his stomach. Returning to his native India he successfully cultivated the beans in Mysore.

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
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Canada duty rates

Coffee is so popular these days that it ranks as one of the three top beverages that people drink. Different people have different tastes, which is the reason why coffee manufacturers have taken to blends and coffee flavors to meet the demands and tastes of different people. The different kinds of coffee and coffee blends are sometimes called gourmet coffee.

The Beginning Of Coffee

The discovery of coffee was sometime in the 9th century, in Ethiopia, when a shepherd notice his goats cavorting around with fresh energy after having dined on some red berries on a high bush. It was told that the shepherd took home some of the berries and roasted them to be able to eat the seeds. This was how coffee was discovered. Soon, coffee reached the Turks and they started to pound the coffee beans and mix them in water.

As the beverage traveled to Europe, many people liked the strong taste and energy, which came with it. Many coffeehouses sprouted in Europe and people started experimenting on different roasting processes and different ways to prepare coffee.

Specialty Coffee

Nowadays, many companies and stores sell their coffee products with variations. Coffee is not anymore the simple black with sugar and cream but it has many different flavors. Some people still prefer their coffee straight black with just sugar but some of the younger generation like the newer gourmet coffee.

Gourmet coffee or specialty coffee is coffee made from exceptional beans and grown in very specific climates and soil. These kinds of coffee have very distinct flavors, which are sometimes adapted from the soils they grow on. Even the care that is given to the plant and the ways it will be harvested or process may be factors to the coffee being gourmet coffee plant.

Freshness is also an essential part to gourmet coffee being called gourmet coffee. If the beans that are used are processed while they are fresh, these give out a definite aroma. Truly fresh coffee is ground right before brewing and brewed within a week of roasting. Being aromatic is a big part to coffee being called a specialty coffee. It is usually the highest quality green beans roasted by expert roasters.

Specialty coffee does not refer to the way that coffee is brewed but instead refers to the quality of the beans used to make the coffee grounds and the process by which the grounds are processed. True gourmet coffee does not need additives to enhance their flavor. When flavor is added to coffee it becomes flavored coffee, not specialty coffee.

For more Gevalia Coffee Reviews [http://www.gevaliacoffeereviews.com] Tips,and Keurig Coffee Maker [http://www.keurigcoffeemakerreviews.com], visit us at [http://www.gevaliacoffeereviews.com]

Author: John Hilaire
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Duty on LCD/Plasma TV

Coffee, in all sorts, could be a “pick me up drink ” or a ” real downer-down the shaft-drink” depending on how the person is affected by it. But, do you know that a single cup of coffee–aside from boosting your alertness, perking you up, and even improving your concentration–can actually lead you to addiction: caffeine addiction. While many people think that drinking coffee is a “healthy” habit, some experts say that it’s very important for them to remember that coffee’s main ingredient is caffeine–a “drug” that can be abused even in mild dosages.

Although now, we all know that too much coffee is bad for our health, most of us cannot help but indulge into this addicting act. Since nutritionists cannot do anything about the world’s addiction to coffee, most of them continuously search for alternatives to give people better options. And one of these breakthrough alternatives is Gano coffee.

Made from Ganoderma extract, Gano coffee is considered to be nutritious and healthy beverage. Recognized as the first known “healthy coffee,” in the world, Gano coffee is produced by growing and processing organically without the use of chemicals, pesticides, hormones or artificial fertilizers. Gano coffee gives you an energy boost – not from caffeine, but from the ancient healthy ingredient called “Ganoderma Lucidum,” that has been recognized for it’s amazing properties.

Being a coffee that that has a lower caffeine amount compared to commercially processed decaf coffees, Gano coffee is now one of the most popular coffee crazes to catch up on the modern coffee drinking world. Contrary to the common conception, Gano coffee is not a “substitute coffee” but an “alternative coffee” that gives you the richer flavor than fully-caffeinated coffee. Gano coffee also allows you to continue savoring the full-bodied flavor you are getting in a premium instant coffee while providing you more energy than your usual caffeinated drink.

Proven as a delicious and nutritious drink, Gano coffee gives you more vigor while reducing you stress and fatigue. Among the so many benefits of drinking gano coffee include the detoxification and rejuvenation of your body while strengthening your immune system. Aside from helping you boost your energy level, Gano coffee also contributes to the improvement of your sleeping patterns while increasing the oxygen to your brain, and helps balance your weight. Since Gano coffee contains less net caffeine than most of your other favorite caffeinated beverages, you can actually enjoy the benefits and delicious taste of a “healthy coffee” that is good for your wellbeing. And with every cup of gano coffee you drink, you are making it as a healthy habit.

With every cup of gano coffee you drink, you are getting a “caffeine jumpstart” that will last for hours without the caffeine. Aside from making gano coffee as a good habit, here are some hints on how you can keep your coffee habit as healthy as possible especially if you are an avid coffee lover.

Although you are a person that has higher “caffeine urgency” than the others, you must still listen to what your body says. When it says it can no longer take an extra cup, learn not to let your urgency control over you. If you still don’t resort to drinking healthy coffee like gano coffee, always be aware of the caffeine content of your coffee since it varies widely depending on brewing and roasting methods. And though most research says that drinking 1-3 cups of coffee a day does not seem to have any negative effects in most healthy people, always make sure that you know the level of caffeine intake especially if you are undergoing any medications.

Terry Dunn is Webmaster of http://www.Ganoderma-Online.com – a Informational Resource about Ganoderma

Author: Terry Dunn
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
How Electric Pressure Cookers Work