History of Coffee?

Tracing coffee back to its birth, can be like trying to backtrack a pc virus –
The one consistent story that remains through most reference articles, mentions a goat herder in Ethiopia by the name of “Kaldi” who stumbles among goats “dancing” after consuming the coffee fruits. Although, technologically challenged, the 15th century commerce and trade of merchandise lead to coffee’s quick movement from Ethiopia, the coffee plants original home to Yemen, where it was roasted and prepared as a beverage at a Sufi monastery. Trade of the vitalizing coffee bean advanced it to the regions of Turkey and Persia. From there, the coffee route leads to Italy, India then Europe. From France, the coffee beans made their way to Mexico. Most coffee preparations are indicative to the regions, but for the most part all include roasting, grinding & brewing.

Roasting the coffee bean is a skill that utilizes science. Too long in a roasting chamber and the coffee becomes useless even for espresso. The roasting is a combination of timing and temperature regulated to get the desired product. The degrees of roasting labels are Light, Medium-Light, Medium, Medium-Dark, Dark and Very Dark.

Freshly ground coffee usually provides a better quality of brew, however, the plan to keep the taste fresh is to prevent oxidation; therefore, properly airtight seals can produce a quality cup of coffee also.
Culture wise, in America we love to drink our coffee flavored and chilled. Folks in Vietnam enjoy single brewing a coarsely ground, medium roast blend and add condensed milk. A cup of coffee in New Guinea will have a fruitiness to it that favors the papaya or mango. The bean is cultivated from Jamaica Blue Mountain seeds. A cup of café au lait, is the local favorite in France. This is prepared with traditional French roast coffee and added steamed milk.

Gourmet coffee comes from using different roast degrees on variants of the Arabica bean. Varieties of this bean are the “Bourbon”, “Arabica” & “Typica”. The original plants are traced back to Guatemala around the early 1900’s. The Arabica bean is the popular choice of coffee houses in the U. S. and Canada.
Next time you take that coffee break, think about the journey and time it took to get here today.