Coffee

Traditionally, almost all coffee was shade grown. The coffee plant in its natural state isn’t very tolerant of direct sunlight; thus most coffee plants grow best under the shade of a canopy of trees. In an ideal setting, the leaves from the overhanging trees would decompose and compost into the soil, creating a rich, moist soil in which the coffee plants thrive. Furthermore, the trees overhead provide a home to native birds that eat many insects which would otherwise threaten the coffee plants. Coffee grown in this type of environment would need little to no fertilizers or pesticides to grow; rather, it would grow quite well on its own.

In 1972, scientists developed a new hybrid type of coffee plant. This new plant boasted a much larger crop of beans than traditional coffee plants, and in addition, the crop was easier to harvest because the plant remains small in size. Soon, coffee farms around the world were converting to the new hybrid plant. In turn, coffee farms cut down their native forests to provide direct sunlight for the hybrid coffee plants. Out of the some 6 million acres of coffee-producing land around the world, it is estimated that 60% of that land has been deforested since 1972 as a result of hybrid sun coffee plants.

The loss of forest on coffee plantations has created numerous problems. First, the migratory birds that lived in these trees no longer have a habitat. It is estimated that the population of migratory birds has declined 20% over the last ten years, mostly due to loss of habitat. The lack of trees not only interrupts the bird population. It has a direct impact on the entire ecosystem of an area. A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that shade coffee plantations support a significant number of other species of animals and insects. For example, the study noted that one tree on a shade coffee farm in Costa Rica was home to 27 different species of ants and 126 species of beetles. When the shade trees disappear, so do other animals and insects, upsetting the fragile balance of the natural ecosystem.

Another problem with sun grown coffee is the enormous amount of synthetic chemicals required to grow it. Because there aren’t as many native birds present to eat the insects, pesticides are required to keep the insect population down. Sun coffee plants are also treated with chemical fertilizers, because there is no canopy of trees present to provide organic matter that would naturally enrich the soil. Furthermore, plantations growing sun coffee must also rely on the use of herbicides to keep down the weeds that grow in the increased sunlight (shade coffee plantations don’t have as many problems with weeds, because the weeds don’t grow well in the shady conditions that the coffee plants favor).

All these chemicals that are required to farm the hybrid sun coffee plants create an enormous amount of runoff, which poisons downstream waterways due to runoff and threatens the health of workers on the coffee plantations. The lack of trees has also created serious soil erosion problems. It has become clear that this type of coffee farming is not sustainable.

Traditional shade growing, however, is a self-sufficient and sustainable farming method. It promotes increased biodiversity and requires little to no fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. The Smithsonian Institute’s Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) is working to raise awareness and promote shade grown coffee through a certification process. Look for coffees that feature the SMBC’s “Bird Friendly” seal of approval, or if you cannot find such coffees, simply look for those that specify shade grown conditions.

The only way to address this problem is through consumer demand. Every purchase of shade grown coffee helps restore natural shade grown coffee farming methods. Coffee drinkers and bird lovers unite, and buy only shade grown coffee!

All gourmet roasted coffee and flavored coffee beans sold at Home Products ‘n’ More are shade grown, and include free shipping and handling.

Author: Ellen Bell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Digital TV, HDTV, Satellite TV

Coffee is loved the world over. There are not too many beverages which inspire the love and devotion that coffee does. In fact, coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. Just look on the internet – a Google search of “coffee” generates almost 175,000,000 (yes, that is million!) results. So, what is the big deal? Perhaps some interesting facts will give you some clues:

1. The three biggest coffee drinkers in the world are the Americans, the French and the Germans. They consume nearly 65% of the total world’s consumption of coffee. Worldwide annual coffee consumption is over 400 billion cups and continues to grow. In 2005, coffee was the seventh largest legal agricultural export in the world by value.

2. In the United States alone, we consume 400 million cups every day, or 35% of the world’s total. The statistics show that 54% of the adult population drinks coffee cups on a daily basis, and another 25% of all Americans drink it once in a while. This means that more than three quarters of American adults drink coffee.

3. Men drink as much, if not more, coffee than women. In the year 2000, a National Coffee Association survey reported that the average consumption of coffee corresponds to approximately 1.9 cups of coffee per day for men and 1.4 cups per day for women when looking at the total population. However, when looking at coffee drinkers only, the average consumption is raised to about 3.1 cups per person per day.

4. Coffee is actually a fruit and grows on trees (although often called plants). Coffee trees are not fast growers. In fact, it takes five years for a coffee tree to reach full maturity. Once it’s become mature, each mature coffee plant yields about 5 pounds of green (un-roasted) coffee beans per year. This results in less than one pound of coffee beans after roasting. It takes about 4000 coffee beans to produce a pound of coffee and roughly 50 coffee beans to produce one cup of coffee.

5. Even though it tastes “stronger”, dark roasted coffees actually have LESS caffeine than medium or light roasts. The longer a coffee is roasted, the darker it becomes and the more caffeine burns off during the process. Similarly, contrary to popular assumptions, espresso coffee actually contains about one-third of the caffeine of a brewed cup of coffee. This is partially due to the fact that espresso is typically made using top premium arabica beans which have a lower caffeine content than robusta beans, which are found in many coffee blends used for standard brewing. Also, in the espresso brewing method, water is in contact with the grounds for only 20 to 25 seconds and extracts less caffeine than methods that put water in contact with the grounds for several minutes.

6. A cappuccino is an Italian coffee drink prepared with espresso, hot milk, and steamed-milk foam. The Italian name ‘cappuccino’ comes from the long, pointed cowl, or cappuccino, that was worn as part of the habit of the Capuchin Order of Friars. In Italian, the word cappuccino also describes espresso coffee mixed or topped with steamed milk or cream, because the color of the coffee resembled the color of the habit of a Capuchin friar. Some people also believe that the term relates to the aspect of a friar’s tonsured (white) head, surrounded by a ring of brown hair.

7. The term “joe” when referring to coffee originates with the fact that coffee has long been a favorite drink among American soldiers. Soldiers in the Civil War, for example, were issued rations of coffee which they brewed in water over camp fires. During World War II, American soldiers were given instant coffee rations and were known to consume large amounts of coffee. Since these soldiers were known as “G.I. Joes”, the phrase “cup of Joe” was adapted to describe a cup of coffee.

8. Caffeine can enhance athletic endurance and performance. Until 2004, caffeine was on the International Olympic Committee list of prohibited substances. Athletes who tested positive for more than 12 micrograms of caffeine per milliliter of urine (about 5 cups of coffee) were banned from the Olympic Games. Even though caffeine has now been removed from the list of prohibited substances, the controversy continues as experts differ in their opinions as to whether caffeine consumption on the day of performance can give an athlete an unfair advantage or not.

9. Of all its proprietary products, 7-Eleven sells more fresh-brewed coffee than anything else -1 million cups each day. That’s more than 10,000 pots of coffee an hour every hour of every day of the year. Starbucks’ sales totals are even more staggering. While Starbucks no longer releases its sales information to the public, it is estimated that it sells over 4 million coffee drinks per day.

10. Coffee can be good for you! Coffee can increase the effectiveness of pain killers, reduce headaches and can help fight asthma, possibly due to the enhanced adrenal effect from the caffeine. Coffee may reduce the risk for some cancers and Parkinson’s disease. Recent studies have shown that caffeine reduces the incidence of diabetes by 54% for men and 30% for women. Lastly, coffee’s stimulant effects and fat burning potential has some in the medical field pushing it as a means of lowering the incidence of heart disease.

Coffee is a truly amazing beverage with a long history and a worldwide following. These 10 facts represent only a very small portion of the information related to coffee which touches every conceivable aspect of life – history, culture, health, wealth, business, enjoyment and more. No wonder coffee inspires the awe and fascination that it does!

Rachel Nielsen is a coffee lover and a coffee fanatic. See her website at http://www.thejavapress.com for a more complete coffee resource guide.

Author: Rachel Nielsen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Make PCB Assembly