The Story Of Coffee

The story of how coffee growing and drinking spread around the world is one of the greatest and most romantic in history. It starts in the Horn of Africa, in Ethiopia, where the coffee tree probably originated in the province of Kaffa. There are various fanciful but unlikely stories surrounding the discovery of the properties of roasted coffee beans. One story has it that an Ethiopian goatherd was amazed at the lively behaviour of his goats after chewing red coffee berries. What we know with more certainty is that the succulent outer cherry flesh was eaten by slaves taken from present day Sudan into Yemen and Arabia, through the great port of its day, Mocha, now synonymous with coffee. Coffee was certainly being cultivated in Yemen by the 15th century and probably much earlier than that.

Mocha was also the main port for the one sea route to Mecca, and was the busiest place in the world at the time. But the Arabs had a strict policy not to export any fertile beans, so that coffee could not be cultivated anywhere else. The coffee bean is the seed of the coffee tree, but when stripped of its outer layers it becomes infertile. The race to make off with some live coffee trees or beans was eventually won by the Dutch in 1616, who brought some back to Holland where they were grown in greenhouses.

Initially, the authorities in Yemen actively encouraged coffee drinking as it was considered preferable to the extreme side effects of Kat, a shrub whose buds and leaves were chewed as a stimulant. The first coffeehouses were opened in Mecca and were called 'kaveh kanes'. They quickly spread throughout the Arab world and became successful places where chess was played, gossip was exchanged, and singing, dancing and music were enjoyed. They were luxuriously decorated and each had an individual character. Nothing quite like the coffeehouse had existed before: a place where society and business could be conducted in comfortable surroundings and where anyone could go, for the price of coffee.

The Arabian coffeehouses soon became centres of political activity and were suppressed. Coffee and coffeehouses were subsequently banned several times over the next few decades, but they kept reappearing. Eventually a solution was found when coffeehouses and coffee were taxed.

COFFEE COMES TO ASIA

The Dutch were also growing coffee at Malabar in India, and in 1699 took some to Batavia in Java, in what is now Indonesia. Within a few years the Dutch colonies had become the main suppliers of coffee to Europe. Today Indonesia is the fourth largest exporter of coffee in the world.

COFFEE COMES TO EUROPE

Venetian traders first brought coffee to Europe in 1615. This was a period when the two other great hot beverages also appeared in Europe. Hot chocolate was the first, brought by the Spanish from the Americas to Spain in 1528; and tea, which was first sold in Europe in 1610.

At first coffee was mainly sold by lemonade vendors and was believed to have medicinal qualities. The first European coffeehouse opened in Venice in 1683, with the most famous, Caffe Florian in Piazza San Marco, opening in 1720. It is still open for business today.

The largest insurance market in the world, Lloyd's of London, began life as a coffeehouse. It was started in 1688 by Edward Lloyd, who prepared lists of the ships that his customers had insured.

COFFEE COMES TO THE AMERICAS

The first reference to coffee being drunk in North America is from 1668 and, soon after, coffee houses were established in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and other towns. The Boston Tea Party Of 1773 was planned in a coffee house, the Green Dragon. Both the New York Stock Exchange and the Bank of New York started in coffeehouses, in what is today the financial district known as Wall Street.

It was in the 1720s that coffee first came to be cultivated in the Americas, through what is perhaps the most fascinating and romantic story in the history of coffee.
Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu was a French naval officer serving in Martinique who in 1720, went to Paris on leave. With assistance and no little personal charm he acquired a coffee tree which he took with him on the ship back. The plant was kept in a glass case on deck to keep it warm and prevent damage from salt water. The journey was eventful, or at least Mr. Mathieu de Clieu's journal of the voyage was. Pirates from Tunis threatened the ship, there was a violent storm and the plant had to be tied down. Our hero faced an enemy on board who was jealous and tried to sabotage the plant. There was a violent struggle in which a branch was torn off, but the plant survived this horror.

Then the ship was becalmed and drinking water was rationed. De Clieu had his priorities right and gave most of his allowance of precious water to the coffee plant. It survived, as did he.

Finally, the ship arrived in Martinique and the coffee tree was re-planted at Preebear, where it was surrounded by a thorn hedge and watched over by slaves. It grew, and multiplied, and by 1726 the first harvest was ready. It is recorded that by 1777, there were between 18 and 19 million coffee trees on Martinique, and the model for a new cash crop that could be grown in the New World was in place.

But it was the Dutch who first started the spread of the coffee plant in Central and South America, where today it reigns supreme as the main continental cash crop. Coffee first arrived in the Dutch colony of Surinam in 1718, to be followed by plantations in French Guyana and the first of many in Brazil at Para. In 1730 the British introduced coffee to Jamaica, where today the most famous and expensive coffee in the world is grown in the Blue Mountains. By 1825, South and Central America were on track towards their coffee destiny. That date is also important as it was when coffee was first planted in Hawaii which produces the only US coffee, and one of the finest.

COFFEE TODAY

For North Americans, the world's largest consumers, Seattle is the new spiritual home of coffee. The wettest major city in the USA gave birth in the 1970s to a café or 'Latte' culture which swept the USA and has dramatically improved the general quality of the coffee Americans drink. Today, any public place in the USA will have one or more coffee carts, serving a variety of coffees, drinks and snacks.

This new found 'coffee culture' has started to spread to the rest of the world. To those countries with great coffee traditions of their own, such as Italy, Germany, and Scandinavia, added new converts to the pleasures of good coffee. Today it is possible to find good coffee in every major city of the world, from London to Sydney to Tokyo; tomorrow the world will drink more and more importantly, better coffee.

COFFEE IS A GLOBAL COMMODITY

The importance of coffee in the world economy cannot be overstated. It is one of the most valuable primary products in world trade, in many years second in value only to oil as a source of foreign exchange to developing countries. Its cultivation, processing, trading, transportation and marketing provide employment for millions of people worldwide. Coffee is crucial to the economies and politics of many developing countries; for many of the world's Least Developed Countries, exports of coffee account for a substantial part of their foreign exchange earnings in some cases over 80%. Coffee is a traded commodity on major futures and commodity exchanges, most importantly in London and New York.

French Press Coffee - Style And Flavor For Your Coffee

The French press style of coffee making produces very rich, aromatic and tasty coffee. It uses very coarsely ground coffee that basically steeps in the brewing water for several minutes allowing all the flavours to fully extract from the coffee grinds. Because of the filtering system there is always some sediment which some people don't like.

A French press coffee maker has two parts: a straight-sided container usually made of glass, and a filter-plunger that pushes through the water to filter out the coffee after it has steeped. This plunger also serves as the lid. There are some models of French Press that are insulated which is good for keeping things hot while it steeps.

To brew coffee with a French Press, you should pre-heat the carafe while you boil your water. When ready, empty the carafe, add your coffee, and then add your brewing water. You may wish to stir the coffee grinds around to be sure all of them are in contact with water. You should now put the plunger/lid on the pot to help retain heat. DO NOT press it down yet, it needs to steep for about four minutes (a little more or less depending the coarseness of the grind).

Once you feel the coffee has brewed enough, slowly depress the plunger trapping the grounds on the bottom. Do not force the plunger. If it doesn't want to go down, simply lift the plunger up slightly and try again. The filter can jam on grinds that are too fine. Just take your time and it will work.

Despite what some may say, it is usually best to decant the coffee into an insulated serving pot. If you leave the coffee in the French Press it will remain in contact with the grinds and keep brewing. This will quickly ruin your coffee. The other main reason to pour your coffee off is to keep it warm. French Press pots are not well insulated and coffee cools off very quickly.

Play with the brewing time and grind coarseness until you get the taste that you like best. Once you've done that you will have some of the tastiest coffee anywhere.

Coffee Press The Original Coffee Maker

It's been around since the late 1800's but really coming into it's own in the early 1900's, the coffee press is a hot coffee brewing device that at first glance looks very simplistic but brews a cup of coffee like no other. Ask any coffee enthusiast about a coffee press pot and chances are you're in for a chat that will last longer then just a minute or two. It's the ultimate brewer to create a fabulous smelling, aroma rich, wonderful flavored, coffee.

How Does A Coffee Press Work?

A coffee press, as mentioned looks like a very simple device, basically like a coffee maker carafe with a rod down the center connected to a round filter. The filter via the rod can be moved from the top to the bottom of the glass carafe, this allows you to separate the coffee grounds from the water.

So how does it actually work? Coffee beans are first ground very coarse, they need to be more coarse then you would use in a drip coffee machine so that when the boiling water is poured over them the water can absorb the flavor, aroma, and acids from the beans. Water is boiled and poured over the grounds with the plunger filter out. The filter is replaced inside the carafe, the rod is pushed downwards into the carafe to separate the grounds form the water, leaving you with a aroma rich pot of coffee.

Pros and Cons of a Coffee Press

Of course any device has it's pros and cons, a coffee press is no different. A die hard coffee fan will surely appreciate the rich flavor textured coffee it produces. Not to mention it doesn't require any paper filters. Of course there is a downside, coffee from a press should be drank almost immediately to really take advantage of the flavor, also there can be some sediment left at the bottom of your cub due to the coarse grounds that are used. Some believe that the sediment that is left can cause your cup to go bitter.

All in all a coffee press is the original way to make a cup of coffee. While things have changed greatly due to technology, it's still a standard for many. Of course an electric machine is faster and easier to use, it doesn't produce the same exquisite taste found from a press. For those that are looking for a time saving option in the morning for their coffee, stick with your auto drip machine, but if you're looking for that all natural wonderfully brewed cup of joe consider a press, even if it's just for the weekends.

Coffee Tables - A Home Without A Coffee Table Is A Home That Is Incomplete.

While there has been a movement to omit coffee tables from today’s décor, a room without one seems partially empty. It noticeably shows that something is missing. For instance a loveseat and a sofa grouped without a coffee table is extremely open, too open. While that open void of a space is the goal of many designers these days, it lacks a convenient space to rest anything you are dealing with, whether it’s a scrapbook or photos, a laptop computer or, of course, a cup of coffee. Even the best conceived furniture groupings lack places to rest things that inevitably end up in your hands. How frustrating would it be to be forced to hold your coffee cup until you had finished your drink? Or to be forced to balance things on your lap all the time, because there was no table available to set them down?

Coffee tables are a source for a lot of socialization. This is where people sit and sip their drink while talking, or possibly gossiping to one another. If people are uncomfortable talking, because they are forced to balance their coffee or hold it the whole time, they may be more focused on where they could put their drink, instead of giving you the best dirt.

Coffee tables also serve another valuable purpose - to define the room. Coffee tables define the space as much as end tables define the grouping in a living space. If you’re designing an L-shaped grouping, the coffee table helps to connect one piece of furniture to another visually. While the two pieces may match, they exist individually until there is a centerpiece that can bridge them. Those centerpieces are often coffee tables.

Of course, coffee tables don’t end on the table top, they also provide much needed storage and flexibility, being able to accommodate today’s lifestyles. Many coffee tables have drawers or shelves below the top that can be used for storage of games, remote controls, magazines or serving pieces such as coasters that you may need to pull out when your guests want a place to put their drinks. Other coffee tables can even serve as eating spaces where the tops can be raised from the base to serve as a secondary table offering. This is convenient for today’s home theaters or a perfect way to change up the space if you want to gather with the family to play video games, watch movies, or be able to eat while you relax.

No matter what décor style you are shooting for in your home, there are coffee tables on the market to suit. While some designers would like to move the coffee tables out of the living room, others are not fans of bucking the tradition, and have kept creating coffee tables in styles ranging from old country rustic to ultra contemporary modern.

Give your coffee a rest, or at least give yourself a place to rest your coffee.

Coffee Cleaning Coffee Makers

Every restaurant worker is very familiar with the entire process that goes with cleaning coffee makers. A better part of an hour at the end of each shift is spent rinsing out the coffee pitcher for both regular and decaffeinated coffee brands offered. The pitchers were cleaned at the end of the previous shift and some restaurant workers do not feel that they need to be cleaned again.

It is easy to tell which restaurants are good about cleaning coffee makers, and which ones do not put their best efforts into getting all of the pieces clean. The taste of the coffee alone will alert customers to whether people have been doing what they are supposed to do at the end of every shift. There is usually one person assigned in a restaurant to make sure that the cleaning of coffee makers is done on a regular schedule.

The coffee pitchers will give evidence that someone is cleaning coffee makers when they do not have any residue built up on the inside of the glass. Coffee contains oils and these oils will rise to the top of a coffee server and by the end of the shift the residue will cling to the sides and form a full sized ring at the top that gives evidence of how full the pitcher was most of the time during the shift.

There are sanitizing agents that restaurants use for cleaning coffee makers. Many of the parts to a coffee service can not be put into a sanitizing machine where plates and dishes are washed. The plastic on the coffee server system will melt from the high heat environment inside of this aluminum dishwashing machine.

People can use degaussing wands and bleach for cleaning coffee makers in any environment. The use of degaussing wands takes a bit of practice because they must be inserted through a special access hole in any commercial coffee maker. Cleaning coffee makers with a degaussing wand allows the inner tubing to be cleansed. Most commercial coffee makers have an automatic water line that needs to be routinely cleaned out to keep the line free and clear of lime and other deposits.

Cleaning coffee makers and associated machine parts with bleach is a relatively simple process that takes about 15 minutes to complete. All parts of the coffee machine that are removable must be submerged in a 3 to 1 bleach and water mixture for at least 15 minutes but preferably 30 minutes. The longer bleaching time will ensure that all pieces are sanitized and ready for use on the next shift.

There are granulated crystals for cleaning coffee makers that are available at Walmart and other discounted retailers. Careful use of these crystals for cleaning coffee makers is recommended because overuse can cause the gaskets inside the machine to wear out long before they are supposed to.

Some people choose not to purchase these granules that are specifically made for cleaning coffee makers, and try out the granular cleanser that they use in their automatic dishwasher. These cleansers are not formulated for this purpose, and many people find themselves back at Walmart or some other discount store looking for another coffee maker.

Coffee: Is It Getting Too Complicated?

Plain coffee is fast becoming a thing of the past. It's now quite simple to whip up a gourmet hot beverage for guest, family, or just for yourself. Nowadays there are a number of coffee clubs and circles in which coffee drinking has become somewhat of a social club. These social clubs meet in the community or on the Internet.

Where did the good old days go where you could get just a regular, good cup of coffee all across America.

It's all because there is a big craze over coffee these days. People are almost worshipping the coffee bean now. People get a thrill out of ordering and buying special coffees from specialty stores. They really like grinding their own coffee beans. They like visiting places such as Costa Rica and bringing back their special blends. And "coffee tasting" seems to be about as popular as "wine tasting".

They even have furniture and home interior designs with a coffee theme. This would make great gifts for the coffee buff.

Coffee got its beginnings around 900 A.D. where it was at first used as a stimulant. It was also at times used as a wine and a medicine. It doesn't look like anything is much different today.

There are not many products such as coffee that have continued "as is" for hundreds of years. And yet people are still scrutinizing and getting creative with it today and probably will be for years to come.

What is also interesting is that coffee is second to oil in dollar volume as a world commodity.

Did you know that there is two times more caffeine in a pound of tea than in the same amount of roasted coffee? This may be good news for those of you who hate the taste of decaffeinated coffee however wait just one moment. A pound of tea will make about 160 cups whereas a pound of coffee will usually make about 40 cups. This means that a cup of tea has about 1/4th the caffeine of a cup of coffee.

The content of caffeine in coffee decreases as it is grown at higher altitudes. If you want less caffeine in your coffee, grow it higher. Gourmet coffees are typically grown at higher altitudes so they have less caffeine than their grocery store counterparts.

There are many different types of coffee beans and way too many to describe in this article. Here are just a few of them:

You have Latte, Espresso, Low-Fat, Organic, Cal, Decaf, Half-Decaf, Black Forest, Cappuccino, Cafe au Lait, Alpine which has brown sugar, Arabian (lightly spiced and without filter), Cafe con Miel (Spanish for coffee with honey), and Cafe de Olla (a sweet coffee made with chocolate).

And you really should attend a coffee tasting at least once. You will get to experience how making and brewing gourmet coffee is slowly becoming a form of art. What is fun about the coffee tasting is that you could get a chance to taste two dozen or more different blends. You may even leave to start your journey as a coffee connoisseur. Any way you look at it, the tasting experience will be fun if you like coffee.

Are You Looking For Gourmet Coffee?

Taste

The perception of gourmet coffee is characteristically rich and luxurious. But if you are a true coffee lover, fresh gourmet coffee has a flavor that can't be beat. It's rich, full-bodied Taste is a daily necessity to millions of people. But everyone's taste in coffee is uniquely there own. Find other articles on coffee at http://www.lool-lool.blogspot.com/

Coffee perceptions great by themselves, but for an extra special flavor sensation, try gourmet flavored coffee. Not all these flavors are everyone's "cup of tea", but the taste sensations of gourmet flavored coffee give you a new outlook on your cup of joe. You can taste the sweet caramel just as you can smell the aroma of the freshly ground coffee nearby.

The differentiation may seem miniscule, but the gourmet coffee or tea you beverage will Taste completely divers. More importantly, all the variances affect the flavor and aroma. Many coffee drinkers are not aware of how gourmet coffee should taste since their senses have been desensitized with below-par coffees.

Beans

The gourmet coffee bean is considered to be among the finest coffee beans in the world. Out of these varieties, fine gourmet coffee beans are obtained mainly from the species Coffee Arabica. The gourmet coffee beans are offered in a variety of dissimilar serving sizes.

When brewing your own gourmet coffee blend in your kitchen, you have a choice of fresh ground coffee beans from fine Italian Espressos to the rare and exotic Indonesian Kopi Luwak. You want the best cup of coffee you can get, right? If so it pays to do some research and ask questions about what you're buying.

When doing your legwork for the perfect gourmet coffee, there are a number of things to be cautious about. One thing you should know is whether the beans are fresh Arabian beans blended with stale French Roast. Are the coffee beans roasted in house or locally, or are they shipped from across the country to sit on a shelf waiting for orders. If possible, get coffee beans that have been roasted less than 1 week before.

Quality

The dictionary defines gourmet nourishment like this, "Gourmet foodstuff is that which is of the highest quality, perfectly prepared and artfully presented". Commuters can consider making gourmet coffee beverages at home or the office before departing and enjoy it at home or work while spending quality time with the family and coworkers or take it along in a commuter coffee mug. Gourmet coffee beans go through a rigorous process of certification that is stricter to help keep the quality high.

As a coffee aficionado, you know that there is some extra work to making excellent coffee than simply brewing it. You need to choose the highest quality beans to get the highest quality coffee. Today you can buy quality wholesale gourmet coffee and the right coffee machine to get the coffee you deserve. In addition, only Arabic beans contain the high quality needed for gourmet coffee beans. The quality of a coffee bean depends vastly on where and how that particular coffee bean is grown.

Grind

By grinding your own coffee beans, you'll be able to only grind what you need, meaning that you will have complete freshness in your coffee. The best way to do this is to buy the whole bean in batches and grind them with yur own grinding machine as you need it. But be careful: The type of coffee grind that you use is critical in order to properly match the type of brewing method you will be using. Be sure to ask your coffee merchant which grind is best for you.