Coffee: The Story of How It Came To Be

Everyone knows how to drink coffee. But do you know the story behind coffee? It's history? Coffee drinkers rejoice as you learn about your favorite beverage and how coffee came to be.

History

In Europe, coffee was imported to Italy.  Trading began between Venice merchants and the other country merchants such as North Africa, Egypt and Eastern Europe. After coffee was introduced to the Venetians, the coffee was then widely used in Venice and the other countries in Europe. The first coffee house was opened in Italy in 1645.

In England, coffee was available in the beginning of 16th century. The first coffee house was opened in St. Michael's Alley in Cornhill. By 1675, there were over 3,000 coffeehouses located throughout the country.

In Asia, coffee had its beginning in Malabar, India, and then spread to Indonesia. Now Indonesia is the 4th largest exporter in the world.

Coffee strains

The scientific name of coffee is 'Coffea'. There are more than 6,000 strains of coffee in the world but two are the most popular. These are Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica has 44 chromosomes. The Arabica plant will have flowers after the rainy season and the duration of the Arabica plant to produce the fruit is about 6 to 9 months. The character of Arabica products are flat shaped fruits with an acidity taste. Each fruit has a caffeine percentage from 0.8 to 1.4. The suitable temperature for the plant, Arabica is 15 to 25 Celsius.

Robusta has fewer chromosomes than Arabica, with only 22 chromosomes. The fruits of Robusta are egg-shaped. The Robusta plant will have flowers in every season and take time from 8 to 11 months to produce the fruits. The products of each garden are about 360 to 480 kilograms. They contain caffeine inside the fruit of about 1.7 to 4.0 percentage.

Sources of Coffee

Many countries produce good quality coffee to the world markets. Coffee drinkers can enjoy the special taste of coffees from the popular sources, such as Hawaii (of course we suggest kona - the best in the world in our opinion!) Columbia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala and Jamaica.

Columbia is a source of Arabica strain. The temperature and soil in Columbia can produce a high quality coffee. The renowned coffees are Medillin, Bogota and Suremo.

Brazil has more than four million coffee trees and it is the largest source of coffee in the world. The popular brand of coffee from Brazil is Brazilian Sandos.

Costa Rica is one of the highest quality sources of Arabica. Ask for the coffees named Tarrazu and Tres Rios when you go to visit Costa Rica.

In Guatemala, the Atitlan mountain of Guatemala is the source of Arabica. The renowned coffees are Antigua and Coban.

In Mexico, the prominent source of coffee is the organic coffee. The good taste of coffee in Mexico is Veracruz.

In Jamaica, the renowned coffee is Blue Mountain. Blue Mountain is the best strain of Arabica and about 90 percent of Blue Mountain is exported to Japan. The brand of Blue Mountain in Japan is High Mountain Supreme and Prime Washed Lamaican.

People all over the world have been drinking coffee for over 800 years. Enjoy your favorite beverage and its history.

No Comments Yet.

Leave a comment