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.

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Coffee is one of the most popular drinks around the world with a devoted following. It is very popular in the US and produced in numerous countries but most famously in South America particularly Columbia. This caffeinated beverage has come a long way though from the old coffee pot of diners where you got a bottomless cup of sloppy joe which your waitress would fill up with a smile.

There are now a lot of ways that you can have your coffee from espresso, cappuccino or cafe au lait. Coffee doesn’t have to be served hot either and now many people like to drink coffee cold which is know as iced coffee. According to the State Coffee Organization the proportion of US citizens who drank iced coffee increased from 26% to 31% in 2008.

Coffee companies from Costa to Starbucks now serve iced coffee but how do you make this refreshing beverage at home?

Well there are number tips that can help you produce a restaurant quality iced coffee but first here is how you make you drink:-

1) If you are going to use a flavoring such as vanilla or mint put the flavoring into your cup first.

2) Then pour in your espresso or other coffee drink

3) Now put in your ice

4) Put in your cold milk and stir or shake.

Now that you know how to make your drink here are a few tips to make it great:-

- Don’t let your drink water down

-Use a good quality machine that produces good quality java (if possible use a maker that grounds the coffee just before the coffee is brewed

- Be creative and use a number of extras such as cinnamon, whipped cream, chocolate slices and nutmeg.

Iced coffee can be a refreshing drink and make a nice change from regular coffee so go ahead and try and make some at home.

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Coffee has continuously ranked high among other beverage choices since its discovery in Ethiopia on the 9th century. The great number of companies providing coffee services can attest to that. Several important factors must be considered before deciding for the right coffee service for the office.

An efficient office coffee service builds productivity of the employees and impresses visiting clients. Begin planning with the size and location. Some companies offering coffee service operate nationally while others serve regional locations. Some particular office coffee vendors limit service to those offices with 20 or more personnel.

Consider the level of service too. A number of coffee service providers supply the equipment and coffee. You must handle the stocking, cleaning and managing orders when they provide the coffee and equipment. Full service companies also provide sales representatives that take care of most of those needs.

Cost is a very important factor in selecting the right office coffee service company. It is a good to first compare the services with the cost and also weigh the costs versus the services provided by different companies.

Do not forget the coffee brew itself. Coffee brewers may come in pot, single cup, glass and metal type models. The coffee is packed in cans, pods, bags, and other various packages. Similarly, selection of coffee ranges from supermarket varieties, specialty coffees to premium brands.

You will be presented with various machines when offering services of coffee in an office environment. You may consider buying a standard office coffee machine if you want to offer just a regular brew.

A machine producing the same amount of coffee as the one used in most home is a good choice, considering the number of your office employees. The coffee machine that makes a larger amount is also an interesting option. While you do not necessarily need to purchase such coffee machine from company that specializes in that field, doing so can be a helpful choice especially when you are looking for the one that brews a larger quantity of coffee at one time.

The espresso machine is another option. More people are preferring espresso over regular coffee nowadays. Some machines are designed for brewing both regular coffee and espresso.

Another good option is to buy a vending machine which will offer an array of coffee products and other varieties of hot and cold beverages as well. These may provide hot chocolate, espresso, and also hot water for steeping tea. We can usually find these machines in most large office settings. They are made to satisfy different tastes and preferences.

Here are some successful companies offering coffee services. The Wagner Coffee Service has been in the business since 1978. They have been providing excellent service and good quality of coffee to restaurants and offices in the Baltimore Washington area. They are a member of the National Coffee Service Association and strive to be the leader in this industry of the Mid-Atlantic region.

The Canteen Refreshment Services offers a complete customized menu. They deliver a coffee program suitable to the workplaces and different tastes. They serve Folgers, Maxwell House, Starbucks and other well-respected brands in single cups, glass pots and air pot brewers.

ARAMARK Refreshment Services is considered as North America’s leading refreshment service provider with 89 office coffee service locations. They serve billions cups of coffee annually.

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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.

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For those who are coffee lovers, it may just be about time for you to start grinding your own coffee. In order to grind your own coffee however, you have to learn and this article is here to instruct you on the finer points of coffee grinding. Before you start however you should have access to some fundamental information such as the major types of coffee grinders which are blade grinders and burr grinders

Coffee grinders which are called blade grinders operate by grinding your coffee beans in an uneven manner. Because they grind coffee this way, there is a tendency for unevenness in the nature of the grind. There are also no settings to be regulated on a blade grinder as well and if you aren’t skilled in the use of blade grinders the process can get quite disorderly and cumbersome too.

Burr grinders are the faster and easier version of coffee grinders to use; they especially suit people who have just started in the process of grinding their own coffee. These burr grinders come with settings that you can use to ensure some form of uniformity in your own coffee grinding process. Most times such grinders are usually used for espresso grinds but it is highly possible for you to use them with a number of other grinds too.

If pricing is an issue for you to consider then you won’t be that disappointed either. Blade grinders cost a whole lot less than burr grinders and they go for around $20 per grinder. Burr grinders on the other hand cost nothing less than 3 times the price of a standard blade grinder. Some burr grinders costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 too. It’s usually best to opt for a burr grinder and enjoy the benefits of a great cup of coffee without the associated stress of blade grinders.

Different forms of coffee may be brewed using different grind sizes. Some forms of coffee such as drip coffee may require something smaller such as a medium grind. Espresso on the other hand requires a finer grind. Brews such as the French press may require a substantially larger grind. This is a general guide that describes the different basic grind descriptions that may be used in most coffee making devices.

Coarse grind

Such grinds are used with percolators. What the percolator does is that it boils the water and forces it over grounds in different metal filters that have holes in them. If you require the best flavor, you’d best avoid this sort of grind as it extracts too much acids and bitter oils.

Medium-coarse grind

This type of grind is mainly used with a French press or coffee makers that are called metal mess. These types of coffee makers usually send the grounds to the base of the canisters after leaving them in a mixture of hot water for a number of minutes. Again this sort of grind isn’t really desirable if you’re looking for optimum flavor. It tends to extract too much bitter oils and acids and it makes for a bad percolator.

Medium grind

This sort of grind is used with drip coffee makers. These sorts of coffee makers usually work just by pouring over the water on the grounds in a filter that has a flat bottom. If you use an electric maker on the other hand you may have to experiment with the particular grinds that you have. By doing this you control the coffee extraction better.

Fine grind This kind of grind is the one which is used with espresso machines. These sorts of machines are usually the best sort for brewing.

Extra-fine grind If you have an older version of an espresso machine or you use vacuum pots these sorts of grinds are the best to use.

Getting the best coffee extraction is all linked to grinding your coffee beans properly. If you grind you coffee freshly you can get the best coffee possible. However remember that you should never grind your coffee for more than 2 minutes before you start brewing.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for CaffeineZone.com, MyLowCarbPages.com, and CoffeeZen.com

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