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
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Author: Anitha Ahmed
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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.

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Author: Robert J. Carlton
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The coffee plant was first cultivated commercially in the Arab world in the fifteenth century. Here coffee was widely consumed by the populous but condemned by the Islamic leaders because of its supposed intoxicating effects. As coffee traveled from Constantinople to Venice and then to Vienna and other European capitals it was banned repeatedly. At first coffee beans were sold by pharmacists and then by coffee houses which became popular for revolution and enlightened thinking. Even today there is controversy surrounding coffee as to whether it is good for the health or not and a new study seems to be published each week either defending or condemning this drink.

When picked coffee beans are green and do not acquire the familiar brown color and intoxicating aroma until they are roasted. Commercial coffee beans belong to two main groups, Arabica and robusta. The Arabica beans are named for the Arabs who first grew them and are the better of the two. Robusta beans have twice the caffeine of Arabica beans but less flavor.

Supermarket coffee blends are usually made up of mostly Robusta beans with a few Arabica to add some flavor. On the other hand most coffee beans sold in coffee specialty shops are Arabica.

Africa, Indonesia and Central and South America are the three main regions where coffee is grown. But there is a small amount grown in the Hawaiian Islands and some in Yemen on the Red Sea. Africa, the birthplace of coffee still grow coffee with wild flowers that coffee lovers prize. The prized of these are the true Mochas. Named after the Yemeni Port from which the coffee was once shipped to the rest of the world. Today the word Mocha has come to mean a flavor combination of coffee and chocolate, but actually has nothing to do with Mocha beans which are rare and expensive.

Another favorite, Africa Coffee is from Kenya, a country that produces many superlative beans. Indonesian coffees are popular for their body and earthy flavor. Many good coffees also come from the island of Papua New Guinea. Coffee produced in Central America (particularly Guatemala and Costa Rica) are of real interest to coffee connoisseurs because many of the beans from these regions offer the balance and smoothness that made Jamaica’s Blue Mountain coffee legendary. This coffee is almost impossible to find in America as the Japanese buy almost all the tiny annual production and if it can be found it is extremely expensive.

One third of the coffee drunk worldwide is grown in Brazil but almost none of it is of any interest to coffee connoisseurs.

Colombia has put money and research into its coffee industry but unfortunately its beans are rarely exceptional.

The flavored coffees that are becoming increasingly popular are usually based on bland, mediocre beans that are stirred with chemical flavoring essences after roasting. If these flavored beans are ground at home they will impart their flavors, possibly forever, on to your grinder and brewing apparatus. If you prefer a flavored coffee a better idea is to brew good coffee from unflavored beans and dose it modestly with one or more of the flavoring essences that can be purchased at many gourmet shops.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Coffee [http://coffee-guides.com]

Author: Michael Russell
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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
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