Posts
Having an Experience
with Coffee
Coffee, like wine, is a world full of
intricate details, history & wonder. There are many things the coffee connoisseur
should consider: aroma, acidity; Turkish, French Press; medium dark roast, dark
roast, light roast. It wasn’t until I started my own coffee business that I
began to notice how much went into the average cup of coffee. The coffee berry
has a long, and at times, revolutionary history, starting in Yemen around the
year 850CE and finally finding its way to the United States in 1723. For
example, coffee was considered a “Muslim drink” and banned from use in many
religious communities. In Paul Revere’s day, he and his friends would meet at
the local Coffee Houses where they would plan the moves that led to the
American Revolution. Coffee Houses were then thought of as places where the
rebellious met, and were banned. Currently, coffee is the 2nd
largest traded commodity in the world, bringing in a total of $90 billion in
annual sales. Recession, depression and all that goes between, whether purchased
from Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, people will “need” their coffee and will pay
upwards of $5 a cup to have it. What’s the history on this very popular bean?
Although no one can say for sure how long
coffee has been around, the earliest mention of the coffee berry goes back to
850CE in Yemen, where it was first cultivated. From there, the coffee bean
traveled to ancient Arabia where the term “Arabica” was coined to describe the
bean grown in the region. Although there are a few different types of coffee
berries, the main two categories are Arabica & Robusta. Arabica &
Robusta beans account for over 90% of the coffee beans cultivated and sold around
the world. Coffea Arabica must grow
at high altitudes in equatorial countries in order to grow properly. The
Arabica bean is sensitive & much more susceptible to disease & changes
in the climate, which is why it is considered “gourmet” or “premium.” Arabica
plants have lower yields, but are known for their smooth taste, containing half
the amount of caffeine found in Robusta beans.
Robusta plants produce more beans, are less
difficult to harvest, have less flavor and twice the caffeine found in the Arabica
beans. Robusta coffee accounts for most of the coffee available in the
supermarkets.
Aside from Robusta & Arabica, there are
other types of coffee beans and flavors to try such as: Kona, Sumatra,
Yirgacheffe and others. In order to really taste the difference between the
different types of coffee beans and how they’re grown, things to look for and
experiment with are flavor, aroma, body, and acidity. So for example, the
Arabica variety is less acidic while the Robusta is more acidic & full
bodied. Also, depending on how long the beans are roasted, the coffee could
have less or more caffeine, aroma, & oil. This depends largely on how the
coffee is ground and brewed. Finely ground coffee beans are known as “Turkish”
while the most coarsely ground bean is the “French Press.” The common grind is
in between the two extremes—Turkish & French Press—and is known as the
“Common Grind.”
Coffee is a plant that requires a lot of
water in order to grow properly. It can take as many as 37 gallons of water to
grow the beans needed to produce one cup of coffee. However, with programs like
Starbuck’s “Grounds For Your Gardens” or a community program known as “Ground
to Ground,” every coffee consumer can do his or her part by repurposing their
coffee grounds. Worms and acid-loving plants, such as blueberries, can benefit
greatly from acid-rich coffee grounds being used as mulch.
There is still much debate on whether coffee
is good or bad for overall health. Many say that coffee & caffeine products
alike should be avoided while some believe coffee can help us live longer (http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/16/152835058/can-coffee-help-you-live-longer-we-really-want-to-know).
There are also those who say that coffee does not help or hurt health. Is
coffee good for you, bad for you? My answer is, “it depends.” Most experts will
agree that coffee is acidic and depending on the acid tolerance, diet, and pH
of the individual, could do serious damage over time; however, what if there’s
a coffee available that doesn’t negatively affect the pH balance of the
individual drinking it? Such a brand does exist! For more information on this
brand, feel free to contact me on Twitter at @CafeAfrodite with any questions.
Happy Coffee Trails to you,
www.cafeafrodite.com
Twitter: @CafeAfrodite
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CafeAfrodite
No comments:
Post a Comment