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A Brief History of Coffee

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First Found It is thought that coffee was first found in the early 9th century in Ethiopia, east Africa. It gets its name from the region it was first found and grown in, Kaffa. The natives believed that when the plant was added to water and boiled, it had healing powers to those who drank it. It became well known and its popularity spread fast. According to Ethiopian legend, it was an  Abyssinian goatherder, Kaldi, who lived around AD 850, who discovered coffee. He observed his goats prancing excitedly and bleating loudly after chewing the bright red berries that grew on some green bushes nearby. Kaldi tried a few berries himself, and soon felt full of energy. He filled his pockets with the berries and ran home to announce his discovery.         Reaches Europe From there, it spread to the neighbouring countries and Yemen and by 1517 it had reached the Turkish city of Constantinople. It then became popular in Europe throughout the Ottoman Empire and also through the Ro

Fair Trade Coffee

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www.wikipedia.org Fair Trade is a non-profit organisation set up to protect vulnerable coffee farmers from sudden price drops as the price of coffee is very unpredictable. The unpredictability of prices can be due to a number of reasons such as an outbreak of disease, bad weather and large harvests in major coffee producing countries (e.g. Brazil). Fairtrade protects farmers by offering a Fairtrade Minimum Price which protects farmers when prices go below a level where it is just not feasible to produce the coffee. If the market price is higher than this Minimum Price, then farmers are free to negotiate with buyers for more money. Coffee farmers receive a Fairtrade Premium of 20 cents per pound of conventional coffee produced and an additional 30 cents per pound if it is organic coffee. At least five cents is dedicated to improve production and/or quality.

Coffee From Bean to Brew

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         This is a video explaining what goes on from when the coffee is picked and it going through the factory.

Growing Conditions for Coffee and Where it's Grown

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Arabica Coffee This type of coffee is grown in cool climates between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn. The ideal temperature for this coffee to grow is between  15-24°C all year round. The amount of rain falling in the nine month period, (the length of the coffee season), should be around the 200cm range. If there is a large gap with the daytime and night tie temperatures, this benefits the coffee and gives a better taste. Arabica coffee is generally grown in Central and Latin America. Robusta Coffee Robusta coffee is grown exclusively in the eastern hemisphere, mostly in Africa, Vietnam and Indonesia. Robusta coffee beans need a warmer climate, around 22-29°C, compared to the Arabica beans. They grow at lower latitudes and are more resistant to diseases and pests. These beans take about 10-11 months to mature and ripen before they are ready for picking.  www.thekitchn.com r=robust m=both a=arabica   

Types of Coffee Beans

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Coffee Beans There are two main types of coffee beans in used throughout the world today, they are Coffee Arabica and Coffee Robusta. Coffee Arabica Coffee Arabica beans are regarded as the highest quality beans and are used in gourmet coffee. It grows at an altitude of roughly 3,000 - 6,000 feet above sea level. 80% of all Arabica coffee in the world is grown in Brazil which is also the highest producer of coffee globally. Arabica coffee beans have generally lower yields than Robusta. Coffee Robusta Coffee Robusta is a cheaper quality than Coffee Arabica and is typically grown at lower elevations also. It is easier to grow and maintain than Coffee Arabica and also more disease resistant. These coffee beans contain more caffeine than the other and are primarily grown in Vietnam, Republic of Congo, Angola, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Uganda, and parts of Brazil. 20% of coffee harvested around the world is Coffee Robusta.       Others Although these are the two main cof

Introduction

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Hello my name is Scott and this is my blog on coffee.