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| A good cup of black coffee. |
“Is that black enough for you?” a
new colleague asked as she placed a mug of dark brown coffee down on the desk.
I tried to
diplomatically explain that black coffee is coffee without milk. And gave
up. As they say, if you want anything
done…
But this
episode did have me thinking. Almost
anywhere in Europe if you ask for coffee it
automatically comes black. In the UK ask for
coffee and it comes with milk.
Little did our ancestors realise
when coffee was introduced to Europe that it
would become such a popular beverage and be responsible for the start of so
many businesses.
England’s connection with coffee is well
documented, from the Warehouses to Coffee Houses – especially in the City of London. The first coffee house to appear was opened
in 1652.
These coffee houses are
responsible for much in our life which we now take for granted. Not only did gentlemen gather to drink
coffee, they did business. And from that
sprang Lloyds of London and insurance houses, financial institutions and
importers of various commodities.
Stockbrokers moved from the Royal Exchange into Garraway’s Coffee House
which is why attendants at the Stock Exchange are still called waiters.
And, of course, artists and
writers would gather to exchange ideas.
It isn’t known exactly when and
where coffee was first cultivated. Some
think it started in Arabia near the Red Sea in
about AD 675.
The first
coffee drinkers are reported as having experienced sensations ranging from
exhilaration to religious ecstasy.
It wasn’t
until the 15th and 16th centuries that the trees were
planted in the Yemen
in any large degree. With the increase in coffee consumption in Europe in the 17th century the Dutch began to
cultivate it in their colonies – especially Java.
In 1714 the
French took a live cutting to Martinique. This was the founding plant for the coffee
plantations of Latin America.
Nowadays coffee comes from
around the globe – Latin America, the West Indies, the Africas, Indonesia,
Hawaii, Papua New Guinea and – India.
Yes, they produce coffee as well as tea.
The coffee tree is a member of
the tropical Madder family. Other
members include quinine and ipecac.
There are also some temperate members, namely rock plants and the
gardenia.
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| Coffee 'cherries' |
The trees reach a height of
15-20ft. with fragrant white blossoms that last only a few days and several
months later the small green fruit develops.
These gradually ripen into the deep crimson “cherries” which are
carefully harvested.
There are
three basic species – Arabian, Robusta and Liberian. The main commercial varieties being Arabian
and Robusta. Even these are broken down
into yet more varieties. In the Western
Hemisphere the Arabicas are divided into Brazils and milds. Robustas are only cultivated in the Eastern Hemisphere.
The Brazils are mostly Santos,
Parana and Rio
(named for the ports from which they are shipped).
Milds,
Robustas and other Arabicas get their names from the countries and districts
where they grow.
The production of coffee beans is
by heating them in rotating horizontal drums.
The varieties depend on the temperatures at which they are roasted. Light at 193c., medium at 205c. and dark at 218c.
An important
person in the production of good coffee is the Blender. He needs a good “nose” to produce the
required flavour from a blend of different coffee beans.
The beans are
either packaged as is, ground and sealed in vacuum packs, or made into other
types of coffee such as instants and decaffeinated.
This last
originated in Germany. Ludwig Roselius, a coffee merchant of Bremen, is responsible
for the invention called Kaffee Haag.
(Now for a plug.... I have an article about Bremen on www.thetraveleditor.com)
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