The Legend of Kaldi Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Ethiopia —or maybe Abyssinia, it was a very long time ago, after all— there lived a young goatherd named Kaldi. By all accounts (and there are many, as the story has been retold many, many times) Kaldi was a very responsible young man, and not one to do foolish things. Every day Kaldi would set his goats to grazing in the hills that surrounded his village, and every evening his loyal goats would return home. This, of course, would suggest that the goats were the responsible parties. How foolish is it, after all, to just turn your goats loose into the hills every morning? But, back to our story... One evening, Kaldi's goats did not return home. The young man, no doubt feeling a little foolish by now, searched for his herd all through the night, and as morning broke he found them, leaping and dancing with reckless abandon and apparent glee round a stand of shiny, dark-leafed shrubs with bright red berries. Kaldi took in the scene before him, amazed. He soon decided it must be the berries that caused such reckless behavior in his otherwise responsible goats, and — forgetting everything his mother told him Soon, we are told, a wise and learned man passed by —an imam, or monk— trudging sleepily on his way to prayer. The imam rubbed his eyes and took in the scene before him —Kaldi and his goats— dancing gleefully about a stand of shiny, dark-leafed shrubs with bright red berries. Being both a curious and learned man, the imam gathered some of these berries, himself, and on returning home he studied them. In his experiments with the bright red berries, he roasted them, boiled them and sampled the resulting beverage. He shared what he found with the rest of his fellow monks, and soon none fell asleep at prayers! And so coffee spread from place to place, creating a more gleeful, and wakeful, world. So what of Kaldi? Perhaps he and his goats are dancing, still.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The Legend of Kaldi
Coffee. The very word is alive with memory and promise.
Coffee. The very word is alive with memory and promise. Coffee is our constant companion... Coffee's heady aroma can transport us... to gramma's kitchen table. To that little French bistro, or that memorable Autumn in a quaint Vermont village. For all the tremendous effort required to grow and harvest coffee — and the passion to select, roast and blend the beans just-so — coffee remains one of life's few simple pleasures. This is the story of coffee. Of its rich history, its legend and lore—and its long journey from tree to cup.
| We begin somewhere between history and lore, with the tale of a young herdsman named Kaldi... |
The Story of Coffee
Have you ever wondered how the secret of coffee was discovered and just how it became popular all over the world?
The discovery of coffee
It is not known exactly when the first person discovered the effects of the coffee plant and brewed a drink from the berries, but there are two stories about the origins of coffee. The first comes from an Arabian doctor called Rhazes, who mentions it as a medicine from about 900 BC. The second story is about an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi (around 300 AD). Different versions of both stories are told but the basic story remains the same.
The legend of Kaldi
The legend tells the story of Kaldi the goatherd, who lived in Ethiopia about 300 AD. He noticed that after the goats had been eating red berries from a tree, they were lively and energetic until late in the evening. He tried the red berries himself and experienced the same effect. He mentioned this to the monks in the nearby monastery, who from then on took the berries to stay awake during the nightly prayer gatherings. By chance they discovered that the beans could be roasted and that a beverage prepared from the roasted beans not only produced the same effect, but also tasted far better. The coffee beans and the beverage made from them, were from then on regarded as a luxurious stimulant.
Coffee spreads around the world
The first systematic cultivation of coffee began in the terraced gardens of the Yemen, and with help of the Islamic pilgrims going to Mecca and Medina the use of coffee spread to the Near East. Later the cultivation spread to Arabia and Egypt, where drinking coffee (or "Kahweh") soon became a daily habit.
From the early 17th Century coffee become known in Europe and its popularity grew very quickly. Coffee houses sprang up everywhere, especially in Italy, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France and Germany. Early in the 18th century, the Dutch spread the cultivation of coffee to Indonesia; the French took some plants to Martinique while the Spanish started plantations in the Caribbean, Central America and Brazil.
It was in 1753 that the story of Douwe Egberts begins.
Coffee today
Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer, followed by Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia. Many other countries produce coffee but they have a smaller output.
So who drinks it? Well, many of us drink coffee, from North to South, from East to West, from morning till night. We have many recipes and many rituals, and everyone knows coffee! More than 20 million people world wide are estimated to work in the coffee- industry or related businesses.
History Of Coffee
| There are countless legends built around coffee and as is common in this kind of story, dreams and fantasy get mixed with reality. One of these legends takes place in the Yemen, a place near "Chehodet" monastery. A herd of goats was grazing in the rough hillsides of the region, when the goatherds realised that some had strayed. They went to the mountain to search for them and there, they discovered that the animals were unusually excited and that they were chewing the red fruits and leaves of an unknown bush. The goatherds quickly told the Chehodet monks about it and they, feeling curiosity, decided to study those bushes that had been ignored till then. One day, one of the monks put some branches loaded with berries near the fire. He wanted to dry them, so that they could use them during the rains. Absent-mindedly, he forgot them and the berries began to be roasted spreading a subtle smell, which could be felt around the whole monastery and astonished the community. A short time after that, another monk took the beans out of the fire and ground them with a stone. With the powder he obtained, he prepared the usual beverage. They discovered, not only that the beverage was better like that, but also that its properties remained undamaged. |
Coffee History
Coffee History
Despite the appeal of such a legend, recent botanical evidence suggests a different coffee bean origin. This evidence indicates that the history of the coffee bean beagan on the plateaus of central Ethiopia and somehow must have been brought to Yemen where it was cultivated since the 6th century. Upon introduction of the first coffee houses in Cairo and Mecca coffee became a passion rather than just a stimulant.
Espresso Tamping
Espresso Tamping
This chapter assumes that one has read and understood how to dose the coffee properly. After the ground coffee has been dosed into the porta-filter it is unevenly distributed. Hold the porta-filter in one hand while using the other hand to quickly, but gently level the coffee. This is usually accomplished by pulling the coffee to one side of the basket with a slightly curled pinky, then pushing the coffee back to the opposite side of the basket (Picture 2). The key is to evenly distribute the coffee without pressing into the grounds or leaving any empty space on the sides of the basket.
Correct Espresso Tamping
Once you are done distributing the grounds, it is time for the first tamp. Without moving the porta-filter, hold the espresso tamper so that the base of the handle fits into the palm of your hand. Your wrist should be straight, and the espresso tamper should be a straight extension of your arm. Press gently on the coffee with five pounds of pressure (Picture 3). You will notice that some of the grounds will stick to the side of the basket. Therefore, one must gently tap the basket with the handle on the porta-filter to knock the grounds onto the flat pellet you just formed (Picture 4).
The next step is to apply the finishing espresso tamp (Picture 5). The shape of the pellet has already been formed, and the finishing tamp confirms this impression. With the tamping tool held as before, press on the pellet with thirty pounds of pressure. It is useful to tamp espresso on a bathroom scale until you become comfortable with the amount of force necessary to achieve the appropriate pressure. After tamping, turn the espresso tamper 720° while continuing to apply pressure to polish the surface. Make sure you tamp evenly. An uneven espresso tamp will result in an uneven extraction.
Choosing the Correct Espresso Tamper
Just as correct espresso tamping is essential, so is the use of a proper espresso tamper. The first action you should take is to throw away the plastic round bottom tamper that you currently have. The espresso tamper should be made of aluminum or similar light metal and should have a diameter so it fits firmly into the basket. Marzocco baskets are 58mm, so order the appropriate size. Without a flat packing surface, you create indents which cause uneven extraction. You may order your espresso tamper from Vivace's which sells several different size pistons to perfectly fit your basket. Currently, Vivace's has recommended the use of a round bottom coffee tamper rather than the traditional flat bottom tamping machines. This suggestion is welcome to further discussion. Currently, my observations do not support the conclusion that the rounded bottom tamper is better. Initial crema is thicker, but overall crema is less. I will continue tests with other espresso machines and with other espresso blends. You should also order the book "Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques," a great book on espresso preparation.
An Espresso Timeline
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Links: An Espresso Timeline
- 1901
- Luigi Bezzera files a patent for machine that contained a boiler and four "groups". Each group could take varying sized filters that contained the coffee. Boiling water and steam were forced through the coffee and into the cup. Ambrogio Fumagelli (see ref. later) claims that this was the birth of espresso coffee.
- 1903
- Bezzera's patent purchased by Desiderio Pavoni.
- 1905
- The Pavoni company begins manufacturing machines based on the Bezzera patent.
- 1927
- First espresso machine installed in the USA. A "La Pavoni" machine at Regio's in New York. (Still there on display)
- 1938
- Earlier espresso machines forced steam through the coffee, causing a burnt flavour. In 1938 Cremonesi developed a piston pump that forced hot (but not boiling) water through the coffee. It is first installed at Achille Gaggia's coffee bar but World War II prevented further development at that time.
- 1946
- Gaggia begins manufacturing a commercial piston machine. The resulting coffee has a layer of foam or crema.
The Coffee Museum in London has several interesting machines on display, including this one:
Unfortunately, the museum has no information at all(!) about the machines on display but this machine may well be one of the early Gaggia machines that use a separate heat exchanger to avoid forcing steam through the coffee. (More photos from the museum below.) - 1961
- Faema launches a pump based machine. Instead of a hand operated piston the water is forced through the coffee by an electric pump. Water is taken from the fresh water supply and travels through a tube that is passed through the boiler and then through the coffee. This allows the water to be at the optimal temperature (~200F), filtered and not have to stay in the boiler for a long period. Almost all modern restaurant machines are essentially this design.
Modern innovations continue in the design of espresso machines. Many of these innovations are designed to produce a consistent product irrespective of the operator.
Some changes are simple, such as precise metering of the amount of water passed through the coffee. Earlier designs were based on the operator deciding when to stop the flow.
Other developments include "fully automatic" machines that grind the beans, froth the milk and deliver a complete cup, all with the touch of a button.
Most of this information (but not the form of words) was obtained from various books, including "Coffeemakers" by Ambrogio Fumagalli. This is a fascinating book of photos of coffee machines from 1800 to 1960 with a little bit of history thrown in. The English version is published by Chronicle Books of San Francisco. The definitive work in the area is "Coffee Floats Tea Sinks" by Ian Bersten.
 | A machine of similar style to the one in Regio's New York. (London Coffee Museum) |
 | An early single group Faema hand pump machine. (London Coffee Museum) |