Are you a coffee expert? Are you au fait with coffee jargon? Read on to find out more.
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The history of coffee
The history of the origin and discovery of coffee rests on innumerable anecdotes…
The coffee plant was apparently discovered between 575 and 1000 AD in what is now Ethiopia. In the 15th century coffee took the Orient by storm: starting in Mecca it spread to Cairo, then to Syria and finally to Istanbul. Around 1600, coffee beans also reached Europe and about 50 years later the first coffeehouse opened in Venice. In the 17th century the colonial powers, especially Holland and France, assured that coffee is now drunk and cultivated everywhere in the world.
Coffee plant
The coffee plant requires a very specific climate (hot and humid, 18° - 22°) and special soil conditions. The ideal conditions are found in the so-called raw coffee belt, between the 25th parallels north and south of the equator. The largest coffee producing countries are thus located in Central and South America, central Africa and Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, India). With 30% of the world's coffee production, Brazil is the leading producer, followed by Columbia and the African countries.
Types of coffee
Botanists distinguish more than 80 types of coffee plants, of which two are especially important for coffee production: Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta. Coffea Arabica accounts for some 75% of worldwide coffee production. It is planted at altitudes between 900 m and 2000 m and produces excellent quality coffee beans. Its caffeine content is between 1.1 and 1.7%. Coffea Robusta grows faster than Arabica and is a more resistant plant with greater yield, but is of lesser quality. Earthy and pungent Robusta coffee comprises some 25% of worldwide production. It is planted at altitudes between sea level and 600 m, mostly in the tropical regions of Africa, India and Indonesia. Its caffeine content is between 2 and 4.5%.
Harvesting the coffee beans
It takes three years from the sowing of the coffee seed for the first flowers to appear, and the first small crop can be picked only after 4 years. It takes another year until a normal yield can be expected.
Processing
There are two different methods of processing coffee: wet and dry.
Wet processing
This method is used primary for good-quality coffee types. First the beans are left over night in swelling tanks so that the flesh of the fruit can be separated from the beans. Then the beans are fermented, a process that contributes markedly to the later taste of the coffee. Finally, they are washed clean and dried.
Dry processing
The coffee beans are spread out on drying surfaces and left to dry for 2 to 3 weeks or they are dried for 2 to 4 days mechanically. After the drying phase the beans are put through a chopping machine and the resulting raw coffee cleaned and sorted.
Trade
Most of the raw coffee is packed into 60-kg bags and shipped by sea to all corners of the world. The major coffee markets are in New York (for Arabica beans) and London (for Robusta beans).
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Branch of
coffee plant
«Coffea Arabica»
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Glossary
Quintal
Unit of weight used for sacks of coffee.
Blends
Good coffee mixes are in general blends of beans from at least seven different places.
Xylose
Sugar extracted from wood that can also be found in coffee beans.
Bold
Designation for a coffee bean size between "medium large" and "large".
Fig
Dried figs are roasted and ground along with the coffee beans. This is one of the least expensive trade blends. The law requires however that the fig content not exceed 4% of the volume of the blend.
Zozza
Adding a drop of alcohol to an espresso turns it into a "cafè corretto".
Tannins
Astringent elements. Their share must remain as low as possible.
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