The Truth Behind Coffee
The picture may seem familiar. Tumbling out of bed and stumbling around in the kitchen-you begin your day. But wait. It cannot begin properly without that daily ritual, the morning cup of coffee. The aroma swirls throughout the room. What can compare to the richness and fullness of that first cup of coffee?
Americans lead the world in coffee drinking, consuming an average of 3.4 cups per person per day (Pennybacker 18). Gourmet coffee houses are sprouting up all over the place. But what is the real story behind this dark brown liquid? Is it as innocent as it first seems-just a pleasant morning pick-me-up? Unfortunately it isn't. Much of today's coffee is grown in such a way that it damages the environment, although it has been proven that there are far less harmful methods.
Coffee grows only in the tropics, in Mexico, Central and Latin America, Indonesia, and Africa. The field must be at an altitude between 3000 and 5000 feet with a temperature between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. For optimum growth, coffee must have shade from nearby trees and overhead growth, but it also requires at least two hours of sunlight each day ("Shrinking Shadowland" 60). These are the only requirements nececssary for coffee to grow well.
Coffee comes from small green beans that are really pits of a fruit resembling a cherry. The morning coffee poured into a mug comes from a small tree (or bush) that grew for seven years before it bloomed and grew the fruit that held the beans. After one of these trees produced one pound of coffee, its life was over ("Shrinking" 61).
It was in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that coffee seeds from the Middle East took to the fertile soil of...
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...n one percent of the 6.3 billion pounds of coffee imported into the U.S. each year (Pennybacker 19).
The merits of full-sun coffee plantations don't even begin to measure up to the benefits of shade plantations. Shade plantations benefit both the workers and the environment. The few extra dollars paid for organic coffee might make the difference between seeing that black-throated green warbler in your yard again next spring or not.
Works Cited
Pennybacker, Mindy. "Habitat-Saving Habit." Audubon Nov./Dec. 1997: 18-19.
"Shrinking Shadowland." Utne Reader. Nov/Dec. 1994: 72.
"Why Migratory Birds Are Crazy for Coffee." Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. 1997. Smithsonian Institution. 24 April 2000 <http://www.si.edu/smbc/fxshts/fxsht1a.htm>.
Wille, Chris. "The Birds and the Beans." Audubon Nov./Dec. 1994: 58-64.
Coffee is a truly a mythological treasure. It serves the dual functions of waking one up and providing one with relaxation. It is both acid and base, bitter and sweet, caustic and comforting. It is used for an array of purposes: to soothe, to give energy, to lend fortitude, to bring people together. Sometimes it is ascribed almost supernatural healing properties. In Mario Puzo’s The Fortunate Pilgrim, coffee takes these roles and more: the drinking of coffee is an immensely important ritual that serves a myriad of social functions and responds to a wide range of human emotions.
Essentially, the New Deal did not work to include and employ as many people as it could or should have, even excluding major population types from any possible benefit from the programs. It failed to provide hard-working citizens with a steady job and food to eat. This question of whether or not the New Deal was a success has a substantial significance. If any country goes into a economic collapse like one of the Great Depression, one could use America’s experience as an example as to what steps should or should not be taken though such a time. Afterall, the importance of studying history is to learn from mistakes made in the
Cuba is a country that has a cuisine filled with an abundance of flavors and influences of the origins of its citizens and people that came by the island over the centuries. Filled with fruit trees and the perfect land for raising animals and growing vegetables, Cuban cuisine is unique and vast. A staple in a Cuban’s diet is, of course, their coffee. Internationally known for the strength and flavor of Cuban coffee it has made its way into many people’s morning routines.
...government; it gave the government more control over social issues like welfare and scrutinizing the economy when it saw permissible. The New Deal reforms transformed the government in the long run but failed to accomplish immediate recovery from the Great Depression, it was not until World War 2 that the economy recuperated completely. The reforms were a landmark in US history, for the first time the government interfered, for the prosperity of the people.
The most important part of the cup of coffee, the coffee beans, is typically harvested from South America, mainly because of the fact that Starbucks uses Arabica beans (Weinberg 1), which is dependent on a temperate climate that exists on the majority of the continent. The country that provides the biggest market supply of coffee beans for Starbucks is Brazil ...
of ground gained by the end of the battle. Haig lost 20,000 men in one
In the United States, coffee is the second largest import (Roosevelt, 2004). Furthermore, the United States, consumes one-fifth of all the worlds¡¦ coffee (Global Exchange, 2004). The present industry is expanding. It is estimated that North America¡¦s sector will reach saturation levels within 5 year (Datamonitor. n.d.). According to National Coffee Association (NCA), 8 out of 10 Americans consume coffee. In addition, it is estimated that half of the American population drinks coffee daily. The international market remains highly competitive. It is estimated that 3,300 cups of coffee are consumed every second of the day worldwide (Ecomall, n.d.). The latest trends included dual drinkers, an increase in senior citizens...
Coffee is the first thing that people associate with instant energy on a groggy morning. “In the U.S., coffee is king of beverages” (Reinke) Research has been done that has named coffee as an addiction to the people who consume large quantities of it. Coffee was named the top source of antioxidants. This is partly because of the amount consumed each day. Some of the antioxidants that coffee has are quinines and chlorogenic acid. It also contains trigonelline, an antibacterial compound. This is where coffee acquires its delicious aroma. Now let’s step back for a minute and just think about how much caffeine people consume. In an 8oz cup of coffee it has about 85 milligrams of caffeine. This is about double the amount that tea contains. Studies have shown that caffeine stimulates the brain and nervous system. This is where you get that energized feeling. After about the third cup, knees start to bounce, pens are clicking and people start running laps around the office. Caffeine can become addicting if you drink too much. Coffee can become that addictive habit people are unable to shake.
Ferdman, A. Roberto. (2015, Feb. 21). It’s official: Americans should drink more coffee. The Washington Post.
Besides the high demand and cost for gasoline these days, coffee is considered the second most traded commodity on worldwide markets next to oil. "Coffee is grown in more than 50 countries in a band around the equator and provides a living for more than 20 million farmers. Altogether, up to 100 million people worldwide are involved in the growing, processing, trading and retailing of the product" (Spilling the Beans , ). In 2001, coffee farmers and plantations produced over 15 billion pounds of coffee while the world market only bought 13 billion pounds. The overproduction in the coffee industry is not a usual thing and is one of the major reasons why prices vary throughout the industry.
Americans are obsessed with a lot of things: our smart phones, celebrities, and finding a good bargain. But perhaps the thing we’re most obsessed with is good ol’ coffee. For many of us, our mornings are perfectly diabolical without at least a cup or two or three of the stuff. And, come 2 o’clock, when we know in our heart and bones we’ll never make it ‘til five and we need that pick me up, many of us head to the nearest deli or barista to grab a cup of “second wind.”
It appears that coffee was discovered in the ninth century after a goatherd named Kaldi found the berries that his sheep were eating made his sheep and then himself unusually energetic. The stimulating berries after being roasted and brewed eventually evolved into coffee as a hot drink and became popular throughout Arabia, Turkey and Europe by the seventeenth century. (Thomson, 2006). In 1901, the first successful technique for manufacturing a stable powered product was invented by Sartori Kato, a Japanese chemist living in America. Kato received a patent for his invention and the instant coffee history was made. He then set up his own coffee company named Kato Coffee Company in Chicago (Stefanie, n.d.).
Most people think a good way to store coffee is in the freezer, but that results in your coffee absorbing moisture or leaving your coffee exposed to oxygen in the bag. Oxygen and moisture are coffee’s biggest enemies. Another thing you may not know is that coffee expires six days after opened, or up to a maximum of two weeks if the coffee is handled correctly. If you keep your coffee in a cool dry place with the bag unopened your coffee could last up from six months to a year after the batch was cooked. Coffee should be ground fresh every time as grinding coffee releases the flavor profiles and the freshness in the coffee beans, and buying your coffee pre-ground can release flavors into your coffee making it taste stale. Additionally, coffee should never be
K.C. WILLSON p 4 ). Studies indicate that thanks to the country’s favorable ecological factors such as suitable altitude, optimum temperatures, appropriate planting materials, and fertile soil.). (Alemayehu p 6) , coffee grows in Ethiopia in several places at various altitudes ranging from 550-2750metrs above sea level. More than any other country, Ethiopia has abroad genetic diversity among its coffee verities. It is the center of origin and source of genetic diversity of the Arabica coffee plant to the world. Nine different coffee species are cultivated in the four region of Ethiopia, all with distinctive tastes, size, shapes and colors.
As my knowledge of this art increased, I was excited by the potential that I was finding in coffee. I was able to experience excellent coffee and espresso, and it opened my eyes up to the fact that there was much more to coffee than the “traditional” Maxwell House, Folgers, or instant coffee could ever offer. Once roasted, coffee beans begin to oxidize, and they rapidly turn stale and bitter. Packing and refrigeration is able to slow down this process, however, it can never be prevented. Maxwell House, Folgers, and similar brands come already ground, and who knows how long they have been sitting on the shelf in the grocery store. The flavors brought out of these coffees can’t compare to the rich, smooth, and full-bodied flavors of coffee that is recently roasted and ground immediately before brewing. I had discovered something that was good, and I wanted to share my new wealth of information with other coffee drinkers like myself.