Coffee

Whether enjoyed steaming hot, or blended with ice; whether it is a morning necessity or an occasional treat, coffee has been a universally consumed drink since the ninth century in Ethiopia. Once the plant was discovered, it spread throughout the world like a wildfire. It was used for religious ceremonies, as medicine, and was soon to become part of the average person’s routine. Over the centuries, the brewing process has changed and been perfected, and the varieties and flavors of coffee have grown immensely. But what has stayed the same throughout these years is the underlying, unique flavor of coffee and the world’s general love for it.

The history of coffee can be traced back to as early as ninth century Ethiopia. Legend has it that the first to discover coffee were shepherds, who noticed an increased liveliness in their goats when they consumed a certain berry. Coffee spread to Egypt and Yemen from Ethiopia. By the fifteenth century, it had permeated the entire Middle East and northern Africa. This drink became incredibly popular in the Islamic Empire, where wine was prohibited. Initially, it was only used by Arab Sufi monks to rouse them through their nights of prayer, but it gradually became available and in demand of the general public. Arabia held a monopoly on the coffee plant until 1650, when it was broken by an Indian pilgrim named Baba Budan. Baba is said to have smuggled seven coffee beans out of Arabia, which were grown in Southern India. The offspring of these coffee trees are still being cultivated to this day. From the Muslim world, coffee was brought to Italy, where it gradually moved throughout Europe.

Modern brewing techniques are said to have begun in fifteenth century Arabia, and have been honed and fine-tuned with newer technologies to the complex brewing process in use today. After coffee berries ripen and are ready for harvest, they are hand picked and then processed (the flesh of the berry removed). Then, the beans are fermented to remove a slimy layer still coating the seed, known as mucilage. After fermentation, the beans may or may not be washed with large amounts of water to eliminate the residue from the fermentation process, depending on the brand of coffee. At this point, they are known as green coffee beans. Coffee may be bought green, but all coffee is roasted before consumption. There are different grades of roasting, depending on the time spent on the roast. Darker roasts contain less fiber, and are therefore smoother, while lighter roasts are generally bitterer due to an increased caffeine level. However, lighter roasts contain more aromatic flavors, which are eliminated in further levels of roasting. The different grades are light, cinnamon, medium, high, city, full city, French, and Italian.

Studies show that when it comes to the nutritious value of coffee, there are actually more benefits than risks. Various studies demonstrate that drinking coffee reduces the risk of several chronic and life-threatening diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and cirrhosis of the liver. Recent research by Finnish and Swedish scientist has shown that middle-age, moderate coffee drinkers (those who drink three to five cups per day) had a reduced risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease or dementia by as much as 65%. It is unclear how exactly drinking coffee lowers this risk, but it may be because of coffee’s strong antioxidants, which are known to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Also, coffee protects the nervous system, which leads to a decreased chance of dementia. It also prevents diabetes, a disease commonly related to Alzheimer’s. However, too much coffee is simply too much-it should be enjoyed in moderation.

Coffee has proven itself to be rich in its history, uses, types, and taste. It can complete a morning, or complete a life. From centuries of distribution throughout the world from continent to continent, it has been as contagious as an epidemic. The coffee epidemic, however, is not one likely to end for a few more, or maybe even hundreds, of centuries to come.

Anitha Ahmed
Coffee in a Bean Shell
To see a large selection of coffees and coffee accessories from all over the world, please visit http://www.Coffeeta.com. It’s a one-stop shop for coffee lovers.

Author: Anitha Ahmed
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
iPhone iPad apps and games

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
Low Cost, Quick Turn PCB Prototype

The history of coffee can be traced to as early as the 9th Century. Early stories of the discovery of coffee have been told when it first came to the town of Mandi in the Ethiopian highlands. As the story goes, there was said to be a lowly goat herder by the name of Khalid who had observed that his flock of goats tended to become lively every time they eat the berries off the coffee plant. Quite intrigued by the effect, the goat herder himself tried boiling the coffee beans and thus became the first discovery of coffee as a drink.

The popularity of coffee as a drink later on spread from Ethiopia to Egypt and Yemen where they were sold by merchants. Early version of coffee had the beans directly boiled and then drank. It was in Arabia that the coffee beans were first being roasted and brewed that has become the practice still today. The popularity of this beverage soon spread to other countries. By the 15th Century, coffee drinking has spread to the rest of the Middle East as well as to Persia, Turkey and Northern Africa.

Coffee was first introduced in Europe by way of Italy. Trading between Venice and the Middle East as well as Egypt and parts of North Africa began thriving. Through this route, coffee found its way to the Venetian ports and was then introduced as a drink to Italians. From there it was introduced to the rest of Europe. Its popularity became so great that it led to the establishment of the coffee houses in Europe, the first one being opened in Italy in 1645.

Coffee then spread to parts of Asia by way of the Dutch explorers who brought with them coffee seeds that they planted in their colonies in Java and Ceylon. The introduction of coffee in North America was not as widely accepted initially as compared to other countries. It was brought along the American shores along with tea by the English colonizers. But it was tea that first became the accepted beverage. Not until the English limited the supply of tea in North America did the Americans grow to prefer coffee as their beverage of choice.

Throughout history, coffee has been a widely accepted beverage and its popularity grew due to its highly stimulating effects. It is also for this reason that coffee drinking during ancient times was widely associated with spiritual practices. Coffee drinking has since become a regular ritual among many people and its popularity seems to grow bigger and bigger everyday.

Coffee Drinks provides detailed information on Coffee, Coffee Makers, Gourmet Coffee, Coffee Shops, Coffee Beans, Coffee Cup and more.

For more information visit as on http://coffee.explore-me.com

Author: Miodrag Trajkovic
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Healing food: natural way to cure cancer

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

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
Humorous photo captions