Coffee 101 - An introduction to coffee

To most professionals in the working world, university students and even moms with hyperactive kids, coffee is their 'drug' to stay awake or keep active enough to complete their daily tasks at hand. It has now become one of the most popular drinks in the world and practically a norm to have coffee machines in working environments. However, to the few, coffee is more than just a drink. I am one of those who enjoy a cup of coffee for more than just the high dose of caffeine it provides.

Where did coffee come from? 

Well when I first came across the tale of how coffee was discovered, I could not stop laughing! The legend of coffee tells a story of an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi, who had began to notice that every time his goats ate berries from a tree, they were energetic (jumping around) and did not want to sleep. So Kaldi decided to pick the berries and take them back home to an Islamic monk. When he showed the berries to the monk and mentioned how his goats behaved so strangely, the monk refused to believe that the berries had any good use. He then tossed the berries into the fire where a lovely aroma began to fill the room! The monk and Kaldi quickly scooped the (roasted) beans out of the fire and dissolved it in a cup of water. Thus, the very first cup of coffee was brewed!!

The monk began to spread the word to other monasteries and eventually reached the Arabian Peninsula, where coffee was initially cultivated and traded. Coffee became a huge aspect of Arabian culture, where it was drunk in many households. Soon after, public coffee houses called Qahveh - Khaneh (Persian) or Al - Maqhah (Arabic) were established, where people could socialise and interact whilst sipping on coffee. Sounds familiar? Today we call them cafés and coffee shops! Below is a depiction of a Qahveh - Khaneh / Al - Maqhah.

Photo Source: www.expressocoffee.quora.com  

From the tree to the cup - how is coffee made?

By now most of you should all know that the instant coffee you use comes from ground coffee beans. So where do these beans come from? Do they grow in little pods on a tree like most beans? Somewhat so. As you read from the tale of Kaldi above, the coffee beans are found inside berries or cherries which grow along the branches of coffee trees.

Photo Source: www.mpdslifestyle.com

The coffee trees are grown in plantations where they are pruned short during cultivation. The coffee cherries may take up to an entire year to mature before it can be plucked. Once the coffee cherries are ripe, its plucked and the beans are removed. Thereafter the beans are roasted and packaged for us to grind and brew coffee in our homes. 

Not only does a coffee tree bare 2 of my favourite things: coffee beans and cherries, but also blooms beautiful white flowers! 

Photo Source: www.cafedecolombia.com

These white flowers typically grow on the branches, at the base of the leaves. They eventually evolve into fruits and seeds. This is how the coffee cherry is formed. So the more flowers on a coffee tree, the more fruit is harvested and the more coffee beans for us. More coffee = happy me

See how fascinating coffee can be! Its more than just a cup of insomnia.

Until our next coffee date, 

N.