Some of the Questions you were asking about Coffee, hit + or click the question.

A number of products are sold for the convenience of consumers who do not want to prepare their own coffee or who do not have access to coffee making equipment. Instant coffee is dried into soluble powder or freeze-dried into granules that can be quickly dissolved in hot water. Originally invented in 1907, it rapidly gained in popularity in many countries in the post-war period, with Nescafé being the most popular product. Many consumers determined that the convenience in preparing a cup of instant coffee more than made up for a perceived inferior taste,although, since the late 1970s, instant coffee has been produced differently in such a way that is similar to the taste of freshly brewed coffee.[citation needed] Paralleling (and complementing) the rapid rise of instant coffee was the coffee vending machine invented in 1947 and widely distributed since the 1950s.

Canned coffee has been popular in Asian countries for many years, particularly in China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Vending machines typically sell varieties of flavored canned coffee, much like brewed or percolated coffee, available both hot and cold. Japanese convenience stores and groceries also have a wide availability of bottled coffee drinks, which are typically lightly sweetened and pre-blended with milk. Bottled coffee drinks are also consumed in the United States.

Liquid coffee concentrates are sometimes used in large institutional situations where coffee needs to be produced for thousands of people at the same time. It is described as having a flavor about as good as low-grade robusta coffee, and costs about 10¢ a cup to produce. The machines can process up to 500 cups an hour, or 1,000 if the water is preheated

The Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), also called common palm civet, toddy cat and musang, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008. It is widely distributed with large populations that in 2008 were thought unlikely to be declining. In Indonesia, it is threatened by poaching and illegal wildlife trade; buyers use them for the increasing production of kopi luwak.

Black Ivory Coffee is a brand of coffee produced by the Black Ivory Coffee Company Ltd in northern Thailand from Arabica coffee beans consumed by elephants and collected from their waste. The taste of Black Ivory coffee is influenced by elephants’ digestive enzymes, which breaks down the coffee’s protein. Black Ivory Coffee is among the world’s most expensive coffees, at US$2,000 per kilogram. The producer sells the coffee to select luxury hotels, where it is sold at US$50 per cup. The coffee can also be purchased online.

The coffee cherry is a fruit, but the coffee bean itself is just a part of the fruit. The coffee cherry has a hard and bitter skin with juicy and sweet flesh on the inside.

Coffee beans vary in their size, shape, color, and flavour depending on the region and conditions in which they were grown.

Most regional varietals will fall into two main categories, Robusta or Arabica:

Arabica: Arabica coffee is considered superior to Robusta because of its delicate flavor and low acidity. This variety is grown at higher altitudes and can be more difficult and costly to grow. These labor-intensive, low-yield plants produce a high-demand bean that sells for a higher price.
Robusta: Robusta coffee tends to have a more acidic and harsh flavor than Arabica as well as higher levels of caffeine. Robusta can be grown at lower altitudes, in hotter climates, and with less moisture. Since Robusta has fewer growing restrictions and has a generally less desirable flavor, it is usually sold for a lower price than Arabica beans. Most mass-market commercial beans are of the Robusta variety.

Coffee is a plant (Coffea) and the name of the drink that is made from this plant. The drink is made from the seeds of the coffee plant, called coffee beans. Coffee is usually served hot, and is a popular drink in many countries. Coffee contains a chemical called caffeine, a mild drug that keeps people awake.. Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain flowering plants in the Coffea genus. From the coffee fruit, the seeds are separated to produce a stable, raw product: unroasted green coffee. The seeds are then roasted, a process which transforms them into a consumable product: roasted coffee, which is ground into fine particles that are typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out, producing a cup of coffee. Coffee is darkly colored, bitter, slightly acidic and has a stimulating effect in humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is one of the most popular drinks in the world and can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways (e.g., espresso, French press, caffè latte, or already-brewed canned coffee). It is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. Sugar, sugar substitutes, milk or cream are often used to lessen the bitter taste or enhance the flavor. It may be served with coffee cake or another sweet dessert, like doughnuts. A commercial establishment that sells prepared coffee beverages is known as a coffeehouse or coffee shop.

The SCA stipulates strict definitions for coffee bean defects and devises scoring standards for each defect type. The quantity of defects in a batch of coffee beans is used to determine its grade.
Coffee bean defects with the greatest affect on the finished taste are listed below:

Primary defects:

Full black
Full black beans is a primary defect, while partial black is a secondary one. The beans are brown or black, shriveled, and with the crack too open. Causes include over fermentation, over-ripe cherries, and not enough water during cherry development.

Full sour
Full sour beans are a primary defect, while partial sour is a secondary defect. They are a light to dark brown. These defects are caused by too long a wait between picking and depulping, an overly long fermentation process, or storing the beans while they have too high a moisture content.

Dried cherry/pods
Dried Cherry/Pods/Fungus bean imperfections can cause fermented, moldy, or phenolic taste. (What a harvester might see as a opportunity not to waste, the barista see’s as a road block to a clean cup) Full/Partial Sour and Full/Partial Black bean imperfections can produce sour, fermented, or even a stinker taste.

Fungus damaged
Fungus damaged coffee becomes apparent when the parchment (pergamino) is removed in the dry mill. At this stage, color sorters can remove the most critically fungus-damaged coffee, but slightly fungus damaged beans can only be removed through hand sorting.

Foreign matter
Contamination from foreign matter can affect the green coffee, causing various off-flavors. These also Affects appearance of the green coffee, can cause damage to roasting equipment.

Severe insect damage
Insects can invade the berry while on the tree or while stored and can kill the seed embryo and introducing musty and alkaline flavours in the cup. Should be removed at drying stage or affected beans can be removed before roasting.

Secondary defects:

Partial black
Full black beans is a primary defect, while partial black is a secondary one. The beans are brown or black, shriveled, and with the crack too open. Causes include over fermentation, over-ripe cherries, and not enough water during cherry development.

Partial sour
Full sour beans are a primary defect, while partial sour is a secondary defect. They are a light to dark brown. These defects are caused by too long a wait between picking and depulping, an overly long fermentation process, or storing the beans while they have too high a moisture content.

Parchment
Chipping and breaking can happen both at the pulper or during parchment hulling. Pulper-damaged coffee will frequently discolor slightly at the point of impact and can infrequently lead to a bacterial infection. Broken and severely chipped beans may lead to minor roast defects.

Floater
Floater beans are lightweight, underdeveloped beans. These spongy beans are distinctively light and faded usually with a mottled appearance.

Immature/unripe
Immature beans come from immature fruits. Immature-black beans are those that fall on the ground while immature, remaining in contact with the soil and thus subject to fermentation (Mazzafera, 1999). Typical defects, such as black, sour and immature beans, are known to negatively affect beverage quality.

Withered
Withered beans = 1 full defect effect’s on Cup Quality Weed-like, grassy, straw-like taste depending on quantity

Shell
Shells may char and produce burnt or charred flavour. May cause uneven roasting in high enough quantity.

Broken/chipped/cut
Chipping and breaking can happen both at the pulper or during parchment hulling. Pulper-damaged coffee will frequently discolor slightly at the point of impact and can infrequently lead to a bacterial infection. Broken and severely chipped beans may lead to minor roast defects.

Hull/husk
Processing. Hulls or husks also appear in natural processed coffee that has not been properly cleaned. Poor calibration of depulping machines will result in fruit skin pieces that eventually dry into husk fragments.

Slight insect damage
Insect Damage is a secondary defect caused by coffee pests: the white stem borer, the coffee bean weevil, etc. Coffees damaged by the pests tend to be sour and earthy. These green beans will typically have small holes, which are also visible on the cherry during picking.

As with wine, coffee trees have specific latitudes in which they can thrive and produce high-quality beans. This area is found along the equator and it is known as “The Bean Belt”, it is located between 25 ° North and 30° South.

Arabica grows at high altitudes with mineral-rich soil and it is a more delicate plant compared to the Robusta as it needs more care and milder temperatures. Robusta on the other hand, as its name implies it, is a heartier and tougher plant which prefers hotter climates and does not need as much altitude as Arabica.

As you may know, the coffee we drink comes from a fruit called “Coffee cherry”. Inside it, there is a seed which goes through various processes to be transformed into our beloved coffee.

The seed is also known as “Coffee Bean”, and in its natural state its color is a light-green and some times yellowish depending on the type (Arabica or Robusta)

As you can see in this image, Arabica and Robusta beans have some differences, while Arabica is a little bit longer and oval shaped, Robusta is smaller and rounder.

Caffeine, the chemical formula for caffeine with three coffee beans on the side.
The chemical name for the bitter white powder known as caffeine is trimethylxanthine. Caffeine is absorbed within about 45 minutes after consuming, and peaks in the blood anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. Caffeine in beverages such as coffee, tea, and soda is quickly absorbed in the gut and dissolves in both the body’s water and fat molecules. It is able to cross into the brain. Food or food components, such as fibers, in the gut can delay how quickly caffeine in the blood peaks. Therefore, drinking your morning coffee on an empty stomach might give you a quicker energy boost than if you drank it while eating breakfast.

Caffeine is broken down mainly in the liver. It can remain in the blood anywhere from 1.5 to 9.5 hours, depending on various factors. Smoking speeds up the breakdown of caffeine, whereas pregnancy and oral contraceptives can slow the breakdown. During the third trimester of pregnancy, caffeine can remain in the body for up to 15 hours.

Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Denmark hold the top five spots for most coffee consumed by person.

The history of coffee begins in the 15th century, when coffee beans were first exported out of Ethiopia to Yemen by Somali merchants. Sufi monasteries in Yemen employed coffee as an aid to concentration during prayers. It soon spread to Mecca and Medina. By the early 16th century, it had reached the rest of the Middle East, South India (Karnataka), Persia, Turkey, India, and northern Africa. Coffee then spread to the Balkans, Italy, and to the rest of Europe, as well as Southeast Asia. Numerous legends place the beginning of coffee’s history at much earlier dates. According to one legend, ancestors of today’s Kafficho people in the Kingdom of Kaffa (present-day Ethiopia) were the first to recognize the energizing effect of the coffee plant. However, no direct evidence that has been found earlier than the 15th century, or even where coffee was first cultivated. The story of Kaldi, the 9th- century Ethiopian goatherd who discovered the stimulating effect of coffee when he noticed how excited his goats became after eating the beans from a coffee plant, did not appear in writing until 1671 and is probably apocryphal.

In Coffee it involves placing harvested coffee cherries in airtight barrels before pumping in CO2 to create a CO2-rich environment. The CO2 allows the cherries to break down different levels of pectins, often producing bright and winey coffees with strong notes of red fruits.

Washed Processing Coffee is the most common method. Freshly harvested coffee is sorted for ripeness and the fruit is removed within 24 hours of harvest so the seeds can be dried. The removal of the fruit layers is called depulping. Before the coffee is depulped, the cherries are rinsed and sometimes a producer will do a float test. This test checks to see if there are any cherries that float in the water, which indicates a defect. If so, the floating cherries will be removed. After this initial sorting, the cherries go through a depulper, which removes the fruit from the seed. This usually happens within 8-12 hours of harvest. Depulping still leaves layers of mucilage, which are fruit fibers clinging to the seed.

After depulping, the sticky seeds will usually go into a fermentation tank for 12-36 hours. All coffee processing methods have at least some fermentation, and the washing process makes this step more moderate than other methods. Fermentation will help soften the fruit mucilage stuck to the seeds so that it will be easier to remove when washed.

After fermentation, the washing begins. The seeds are submerged in fresh water and agitated. This process is repeated a couple of times until the mucilage is removed. Sometimes a producer will then sort the seeds again. After the final sort, the seeds are laid out to dry, often on tarps, with diffused sunlight. To ensure even drying, the coffee will be raked a couple of times per day. The goal is to dry the seeds to 11% moisture after which it is bagged and ready to be shipped to the roaster.

Washed processing coffees typically have a “clean” flavor. Some say that the washing process allows you to better taste the flavor of the coffee, as washing doesn’t impart a lot of flavors to the coffee. In many of our washed coffees we taste cane sugar, chocolate, and fruit acidity. Washed process coffee is common in Latin American and African countries, and less common in Indonesia.

Natural (or Dry) Processing Coffee leaves the fruit on the seed for the duration of the drying process. After the cherries have dried, the fruit is removed. This is the oldest method of processing coffee and is more ecologically friendly, as it does not require water. The cherries are picked ripe, which is important since the fruit itself imparts flavor during this process. They are sorted and weighed before moving to the drying area. Often the drying process is on raised beds, which allows for airflow around the whole cherry. The fermentation process happens as the cherries dry and takes constant attention. It can take 3-4 weeks for the cherries to dry and the seeds inside to reach 11% moisture. After the drying process, the coffee goes through a dry mill which removes the fruit and the parchment layer around the seed. After a final sorting, the coffee is bagged in burlap and ready to ship.
Natural Processing coffees typically have a heavy fruit flavor, such as blueberries or strawberries. Sometimes the flavor is described as winey or boozy. The natural process is most common in Brazil, Ethiopia, and Yemen.

Honey Processing of Coffee falls somewhere between the washed and natural processes. Like washed coffee, the fruit skin is removed within 24 hours of harvest. The mucilage is left on the seed to dry, which is reminiscent of the natural process in that part of the fruit fibers stay in contact with the seed during the drying process. Like the natural process, the honey process is also more ecologically friendly than the washed process as water is not required. The seeds can be dried in one of several ways including on a tarp on a patio under full sun or piled in a greenhouse for more concentrated fermentation before being raked to an even layer. The fermentation and drying processes take place over 3-4 weeks, depending on weather and the discretion of the producers.

There are gradations of mucilage left on the seed during drying, and these levels are called white honey, yellow honey, red honey, and black honey. The flavor profiles range from the almost washed flavor of white honey to the deep fruity flavor of black honey. The final labeling is determined by the cupping profile. This processing method is common in Brazil and Costa Rica.

Coffee beans are the seeds of the coffee “cherry”; two seeds normally grow within each cherry. On the tree, the beans are covered by the silverskin (a vestigial remainder of the fruit’s development, also called the spermoderm). The silverskin is covered by a parchment skin (the endocarp), which is covered by a slimy layer (the parenchyma), surrounded by a thin layer of pulp (the mesocarp), all covered by an outer skin (the exocarp). These layers must be removed prior to roasting, though some silverskin often remains attached.

Coffee was discovered by a goat herder in Ethiopia in the 1500s after he noticed his goats eating coffee cherries and gaining energy.

All coffee beans come from plants in the genus Coffea. Although there are thousands of species of plants within this genus, with tremendous variance in size and shape, only two are of commercial importance: Coffea arabica, and Coffea canephora, the latter more commonly called robusta, after a prime variety. A third species, Coffea liberica has found some localized production in Liberia, but it is of minor significance in the global market.

Arabica is genetically distinct: it has four sets of chromosomes, whereas robusta have two.

On average, a robusta will be harsher, though very fine robustas can, potentially, compare favorably to a quality arabica. Premium robustas are essentially reserved for espresso blends, where they are primarly used to greatly improve the crema and to add a certain bite to the shot. Robusta has notably more caffeine than arabica.

In subtropical conditions, arabaics best thrive at lower altitudes, from as low as 1000 feet in the Kona region of Hawaii, to about 4000 feet in regions of Mexico and a few other locations. Closer to the equator, coffee tends to thrive at higher altitudes, from 3500 feet up to 9500 feet in Ecuador, though the latter is exceptional, and the usual ceiling is closer to 6000 feet. Both frost and high heat can damage or kill the plants. Too much or too little rain can adversely effect fruit production; likewise, the soil must be moist but well-drained. Coffee plant naturally do well in well-lit but forest-shaded regions. Lower altitude regions that aren’t as well suited to growing arabicas are nevertheless used to grow poorer quality examples; these are often carelessly handled and sometimes referred to as Brazils. This is not indicative of origin: “Brazils” are not necessarily grown in Brazil.

Over sixty-five percent of the coffee grown throughout the world is arabica, but much of it is unexceptional. On its own, the label “arabica” is no assurance of quality: you will need to know much more about it and find a reputable retailer who can provide much more information, and who has sampled (“cupped”) each lot. As noted, although Brazil grows some excellent coffee, a sizeable portion of the arabica grown there is of quite poor quality, to the point where the coffee trade uses a particular term, “Rioy” (from Rio de Janeiro), to describe certain particularly harsh, pungent coffees.

As a broad rule, all-arabica blends will considerably taste better, but a superior robusta may fare better than a poor quality arabica.

Monsooned coffees have been held in open-sided warehouses and exposed to the steady, damp monsoon winds. In a matter of weeks, the beans yellow, and gain a flavor reminiscent of, but distinct from aged coffees. By far the most common monsooned coffee is Indian monsooned Malabar. Again, buy from a retailer who is personally familiar with the particular batch of coffee you are considering purchasing. Monsooned coffee isn’t for everyone, but it should be sampled.

In 1923, nobody was really certain whether coffee was a bean or a fruit. Beans and legumes were not kosher, so they were forbidden for Passover. The marketing guy who worked with Maxwell House, Joseph Jacobs, persuaded Orthodox Rabbi Hersch Kohn to classify coffee as a fruit, making it kosher. A few years later Maxwell House produced its first Haggadah, a sort of Passover reader containing prayers and hymns, which is still distributed. It is the longest running content-marketing play in American history.

Espresso is Italian and means “expressed” or “forced out.” Espresso is made by forcing very hot water under high pressure through finely ground, compacted coffee.

Although frequently used to refer to a dark, oily roast, there really is no such thing as “espresso beans” or “espresso roast.” These names refer to different blends of coffee varieties and roasts, created with the intent of achieving an optimal espresso; no two blends are likely to be the same. Often, the goals are different: optimally, espresso intended for milk-based drinks will have different taste criteria than espresso intended to be drunk straight; the former needing aspects that can cut through the taste of the milk. Roasters will often have their own proprietary blends with closely guarded compositions.

Flavour descriptions are inherently subjective—not surprising, considering how subjective taste can be. Unlike other sensory descriptions that have relatively objective descriptions (loud, soft, furry, scaly), taste (and smell) is often hard to describe.

Flavour terms can be divided into roast related descriptors and descriptors related to the bean variety (though this division is not a standard one). The roast related flavour’s refer to those characteristics imparted to the bean as a result of the roasting process. Varietal and processing terms refer to those aspects that are inherent in bean, or imparted as a result of the green bean’s pre-roast processing. Roasting can substantially affect the intrinsic flavour and aroma of the bean; roasters will act in order to balance this and to enhance the beans’ inherent profile. One further factor is preparation method; this can drastically change the coffee’s character.

Acidity
Related both to the roast and to variety. This term is akin to the description of acidity in wine, not to acid content. Indeed, retailers may avoid using this term in order to avoid confusion, and rely on terms such as “bright” or “lively.” Acidity is more of a sensation than a taste, and is experienced on the tip of the tongue and/or the roof of the mouth. During roasting, acidity varies in an approximately inverse relation to body or bittersweet aspects; as the degree of roast increases, perceived acidity decreases. Coffees without acidity tend to taste flat, lacking a pleasant palate-cleansing aspect. Acidity can often have wine-like aspects, especially in many Kenyan coffees, or can come across as citrusy. When acidity is extreme, it can feel astringent, as if the moisture has been sucked from your mouth.

Aroma
Related to both roast and variety. Most of our taste perception comes from our sense of smell, so the volatile aromatics emitted from brewed coffee play an important role in its taste. Aroma develops during roasting, but as the roast starts becoming dark, the carbonized sugars become dominant.

Baked or Bready
A roast related term. Baked coffee is flat, with little aroma; typically the result of an insufficiently high roasting temperature over too long a period of time. In other words, if the heat applied to the unroasted coffee is too low, the physical and chemical changes do not occur in a desirable fashion.

Balance
Roast and variety related. The pleasing combination of multiple characteristics, none overpowering.

Body
Roast and variety related. Body is a textural quality, a perception of viscosity or fullness on the tongue; one roaster has likened it using your tongue as a weight scale. Body develops with the degree of roast, falling off sharply with over roasted coffee, but it can also vary by origin. Distinguish between body and the “thickness” imparted by some brewing methods, like coffee from a press, where fine particulates remain suspended, or espresso, which contains emulsified coffee oils. Under extracted coffee will also have a defectively light body.

Bitter
Roast and preparation related. This is not always a defect; up to a point, it can be desirable. Robusta is more bitter than arabica, but mild coffees can become bitter if over roasted or over extracted during brewing.

Bittersweet
Roast related term. Often mischaracterised as “strong,” the bittersweet aspect is created by the caramelisation of sugars in the bean. The longer the coffee is roasted, the greater the caramelisation, until at last the sugars are completely burned, giving the coffee a taste akin to charcoal.

Burnt
When very mild, this aspect may be desirable for cutting through drinks containing a lot of milk and/or sugar, though there are those who like it in a straight cup. When overdeveloped, it is the flat taste of charcoal; this taste can be overwhelming.

Clean
Clean-tasting coffees are free of defects or undesirable distractions.

Complexity:
Complexity simply means that the cup has many elements–aromas, textures, and tastes–apparent at once, or in succession. Since it is rare to find all of the desirable elements in a single origin, roasters often roast different coffees to achieve a varied profile.

Earthy, or Natural
Within limits, this can be a pleasant note, but more commonly a defect in which the brewed coffee has an aftertaste akin to freshly turned soil. Commonly relates to poor processing, one way this defect can occur is when the beans absorb flavour from the dirt on which they were spread to dry. In more muted degrees, this quality can add interesting notes to a coffee.

Flat
Lacking in taste or aroma; low in acidity. Often occurs when the coffee goes stale.

Grassy
Processing related. The aroma and taste of hay, or a newly mown lawn. This can result from prematurely picked cherries.

Musty
Moldy, mildewy ; often the result of some improper storage conditions. Improper aging also can cause mustiness, while proper aging can contribute a desirable flavouring aspect.

Rioy (REE-oh-ee)
A harsh, medicinal quality, the term derives from a reference to low quality coffees from Brazil (i.e., Rio De Janiero). See also here.

Sour
Unpleasantly acrid or sour, as if contaminated by vinegar. This taste can occur in low-growing, unwashed coffees, but commonly occurs in under roasted coffees, or even properly roasted beans that were then brewed with water that was too cool.

According to chemical studies, the optimal water temperature for drip coffee is 95-98C. According to my notes, colder water doesn’t extract enough caffeine/essential oils from the beans, and above such temperature the acidity increases wildly.

One should always store coffee beans in a glass, air-tight container. Air and moisture are coffee’s principle enemies. Glass is best because it doesn’t retain the odors of the beans or the oils, which could contaminate future beans stored in the same container. However, if you use glass, make sure the container is not exposed to light, as sunlight is believed to reduce freshness.

Buy only what coffee can be consumed in a week to a week and a half from the time it was roasted. This is the only way to have truly fresh coffee.
Do not freeze ground coffee. There are two key problems here. One, the freezing will damage some of subtle tastes in the coffee and two, when the coffee is taken out the container will sweat, exposing your coffee to moisture.

In the United States federal regulations require that in order to label coffee as “decaffeinated” that coffee must have had its caffeine level reduced by no less than 97.5 percent.

Panamanian coffee is about 1.36% caffeine by weight normally. This and many other arabica coffees are about 98.64% caffeine free even before anything is done to lower the caffeine content..

Currently used solvents for decaffeinating coffee include, H2O (water), CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), Meth. Chloride, Ethyl Acetate.

When 97% of the caffeine has been removed only .0408 % of the coffee weight is caffeine. About 4/10ths of 1%. At this level it is labeled “decaffeinated.

A coffee break in the United States and elsewhere is a short mid-morning rest period granted to employees in business and industry, corresponding with the Commonwealth terms “elevenses”, “smoko” (in Australia), “morning tea”, “tea break”, or even just “tea”. An afternoon coffee break, or afternoon tea, often occurs as well.

The coffee break originated in the late 19th century in Stoughton, Wisconsin, with the wives of Norwegian immigrants. The city celebrates this every year with the Stoughton Coffee Break Festival. In 1951, Time noted that “[s]ince the war, the coffee break has been written into union contracts”. The term subsequently became popular through a Pan-American Coffee Bureau ad campaign of 1952 which urged consumers, “Give yourself a Coffee-Break – and Get What Coffee Gives to You.” John B. Watson, a behavioral psychologist who worked with Maxwell House later in his career, helped to popularise coffee breaks within the American culture. Coffee breaks usually last from 10 to 20 minutes and frequently occur at the end of the first third of the work shift. In some companies and some civil service, the coffee break may be observed formally at a set hour. In some places, a cart with hot and cold beverages and cakes, breads and pastries arrives at the same time morning and afternoon, an employer may contract with an outside caterer for daily service, or coffee breaks may take place away from the actual work-area in a designated cafeteria or tea room. More generally, the phrase “coffee break” has also come to denote any break from work.

Ingredients

• Sturdy wine glass or glass with stem
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 or 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
• black coffee
• cream, lightly whipped

Instructions

1. Place spoon in glass. Heat glass by pouring in warm water. When glass is warm, pour out the water. Leave spoon in glass.
2. Put sugar, whiskey and coffee in glass. Stir to dissolve sugar. Still leave spoon in glass.
3. Now for the tricky bit: Put dollop of cream on top, allow the cream to slide down the back of spoon (the spoon which was in the coffee), the tip of the spoon should remain in the coffee.

Be careful not to stir after the cream has been added. The cream should form a foamy layer about 1 cm (or half an inch) thick on top of the black coffee.

Cappuccino – perhaps the most famous on any cafe coffee menu – for those who like a small shot of coffee, topped up with lots of frothy milk. Typical proportions would be a single shot espresso and two-thirds steam-heated frothy milk, optionally finished with finely grated chocolate or a light dusting of cocoa powder. 
It’s after an order of Catholic friars in Italy have long been known for their brown robes with pointed hoods, or cowls. Children would spot the friars passing on the street and call out “Cappuccino!” which meant “little hood.” They became known as Capuchin friars. The drink later took the name—some say because of its colour, others because of its pointed peak

Americano – the simplest of coffee styles, a straight cup of black coffee made with espresso and water, to which you can add cold milk/and or sugar to taste if you wish. Lovers of Americano will often ask for a ‘double shot’, which means two measures of espresso coffee, topped up with water and normally drunk black.

Scientists have developed a method for coffee waste into electricity, this research could assist farmers and help curb pollution in the developing world.

According to several scientific studies, the color, shape and even the texture of our cup makes a difference in the way we taste coffee. For instance, drinking dark coffee from a white cup creates a strong contrast, making us think our coffee is stronger. Conversely, when we drink from a clear cup, many of us perceive the coffee to be lighter and sweeter.

A barista is an espresso machine “coffee artist” who has extensive knowledge about coffee and prepares, decorates and serves drinks to the customer. The native plural in English is baristas, while in Italian the plural is baristi for masculine (literally meaning “barmen”, “bartenders”) or bariste for feminine (literally meaning “barmaids”).

How is Instant coffee made in three ways. It is either spray dried, freeze dried, or you can have micro grains

Fair trade coffee is coffee that is certified as having been produced to fair trade standards by fair trade organisations, which create trading partnerships that are based on dialogue, transparency and respect, with the goal of achieving greater equity in international trade. These partnerships contribute to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to coffee bean farmers. Fair trade organisations support producers and sustainable environmental farming practices and prohibit child labor or physical forced labor.

Coffea arabica grows wild in the forests of the Ethiopian highlands. That’s where it all began. The nearest coastline is the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a 30-kilometre crossing between Africa and the Arabian peninsula where the plant was first cultivated and traded. It spread from there to the Middle East and Europe. The part of Ethiopia where wild coffee originated was called the Kingdom of Kaffa from the 14th century onward. That may be where the drink gets its name. Another theory says that the Arabians who first popularized coffee named it qahwah after one of their ancient drinks that was similar to wine. Qahwah became kahve in Turkish, then koffie in Dutch, and finally coffee in English.

The word espresso comes from Italian and means “expressed” or “forced out”. Espresso is made by forcing very hot water under high pressure through finely ground, compacted coffee.

A tea tax imposed by the British government in 1773 not only led to a raid on tea ships in Boston Harbor and the American Revolution, it also paved the way for coffee. During and after the revolution, many Americans considered drinking tea to be unpatriotic and switched to coffee. Many never went back. Today, the U.S. consumes more coffee than any country in the world.

Hawaii is the only USA state that grows coffee
Good coffee growing conditions require high altitudes, tropical climates, and rich soil, Hawaii is the only state able to grow coffee. It has been producing coffee even before it was a state.

Coffee was banned in Mecca in 1511. It was believed to stimulate radical thinking and idleness.

Due to its high levels of antioxidants and beneficial nutrients like riboflavin, magnesium, and potassium, coffee has health benefits. Coffee remains one of the healthiest beverages in the world. Of course, if you choose to add cream, sugar or syrup then this health factor may be impacted, but otherwise, when consumed as part of a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle, coffee can help people to live longer, happier lives.

Beethoven loved coffee so much that he’d count 60 beans per cup before making his Coffee.

A caffè sospeso (pronounced [kafˈfɛ ssoˈspeːso; -eːzo]; Italian for ‘”suspended coffee”‘) or pending coffee is a cup of coffee paid for in advance as an anonymous act of charity. The tradition began in the working-class cafés of Naples, where someone who had experienced good luck would order a sospeso, paying the price of two coffees but receiving and consuming only one. A poor person enquiring later whether there was a sospeso available would then be served a coffee for free.[1][2] Coffee shops in other countries have adopted the sospeso to increase sales, and to promote kindness and caring.

Flavanoids are antioxidant agents. And while red wine has its fair share of flavonoids and antioxidants, coffee (and dark chocolate) has more!

The cappuccino was named after Capuchin friars because its color resembles the Capuchin robe. The Capuchins were also renowned for their dress. They wear a simple brown robe that includes a long, pointed hood that hangs down the back. The Italian word for this distinctive hood, cappuccio, gave rise to the Italian name for the order.

The Guinness World record holder for the “Oldest Cat Ever,” a 38-year-old cat named Creme Puff – drank coffee every morning her whole life.

Regular’s in Starbucks, will be familiar with the coffee shop chain’s ‘pay it forward’ scheme, which involves paying for the drinks of the person behind you in the queue. it’s a lovely gesture, and is designed to function as a small act of kindness which could make a person’s day.

When you leave your coffee to sit for too long, the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen will raise the pH level of the coffee, making it taste bitter or “stale”. This is why you should never let your coffee sit in a brewing pot for longer than necessary.

If taste is your concern, your best bet is to store coffee in an airtight container somewhere cool, dry, and dark. Stored this way, ground coffee can be used for a few months past its expiration date, whole bean for up to nine months, and instant coffee for up to twenty years.

The half-life of caffeine (time taken for the body to eliminate one-half of the caffeine) varies widely between people, depending on factors such as age, body weight, pregnancy status, medication intake and liver health. In healthy adults, the half-life is approximately 5 to 6 hours.

Roasting brings out the aroma and flavor that is locked inside the green coffee beans. Beans are stored green, a state in which they can be kept without loss of quality or taste. A green bean has none of the characteristics of a roasted bean — it’s soft and spongy to the bite and smells grassy.

Roasting causes chemical changes to take place as the beans are rapidly brought to very high temperatures. When they reach the peak of perfection, they are quickly cooled to stop the process. Roasted beans smell like coffee, and weigh less because the moisture has been roasted out. They are crunchy to the bite, ready to be ground and brewed.

Once roasted, however, they should be used as quickly as possible before the fresh roast flavor begins to diminish.

A coffee break in the United States and elsewhere is a short mid-morning rest period granted to employees in business and industry, corresponding with the Commonwealth terms “elevenses”, “smoko” (in Australia), “morning tea”, “tea break”, or even just “tea”. An afternoon coffee break, or afternoon tea, often occurs as well.

The coffee break originated in the late 19th century in Stoughton, Wisconsin, with the wives of Norwegian immigrants. The city celebrates this every year with the Stoughton Coffee Break Festival. In 1951, Time noted that “[s]ince the war, the coffee break has been written into union contracts”. The term subsequently became popular through a Pan-American Coffee Bureau ad campaign of 1952 which urged consumers, “Give yourself a Coffee-Break – and Get What Coffee Gives to You.” John B. Watson, a behavioral psychologist who worked with Maxwell House later in his career, helped to popularize coffee breaks within the American culture. Coffee breaks usually last from 10 to 20 minutes and frequently occur at the end of the first third of the work shift. In some companies and some civil service, the coffee break may be observed formally at a set hour. In some places, a cart with hot and cold beverages and cakes, breads and pastries arrives at the same time morning and afternoon, an employer may contract with an outside caterer for daily service, or coffee breaks may take place away from the actual work-area in a designated cafeteria or tea room. More generally, the phrase “coffee break” has also come to denote any break from work.

The minute you expose coffee to oxygen, it starts to lose freshness. Carbon dioxide, which is trapped inside tiny pores inside coffee beans, takes coffee flavor and freshness with it when it escapes. Grinding coffee releases the CO2 trapped inside coffee beans. The longer the coffee is ground, the more time CO2 has to escape. Grinding coffee immediately before brewing means more flavors and aromas will make their way into your cup, creating a better tasting beverage.

How Long Does Nitrogen-Flushed Coffee Stay Fresh? Sealed nitrogen-flushed coffee can stay fresh for up to six months after the “roasted on” date printed on the bag. However, once the bag is opened, it’s recommended that the coffee is used immediately over the next 7-10 days.

Simply put, a single-origin coffee means that it comes from a single producer, crop, or region in one country. Coffees that aren’t single-origin are typically referred to as blends, which include more than one single-origin coffee. Most, but not all, of our year-round offerings are blends.

Legend has it Kaldi or Khalid was a Ethiopian goatherd who discovered the coffee plant around 850 AD, according to popular legend, after which it entered the Islamic world then the rest of the world. Kaldi, noticing that when his goats were nibbling on the bright red berries of a certain bush, they became more energetic (jumping goats), chewed on the fruit himself. His exhilaration prompted him to bring the berries to an Islamic monk in a nearby Sufi monastery (zawiyah), but the Sufi monk disapproved of their use and threw them into a fire, from which an enticing aroma billowed. The roasted beans were quickly raked from the embers, ground up, and dissolved in hot water, yielding the world’s first cup of coffee.
In modern times, “Kaldi Coffee” or “Kaldi’s Coffee” and “Dancing Goat” or “Wandering Goat” are popular names for coffee shops and coffee roasting companies around the world. The biggest coffee chain in Ethiopia is called Kaldi’s.

After harvesting Coffee beans are repeatedly tested for quality and taste. This process is referred to as cupping and usually takes place in a room specifically designed to facilitate the process. The taster — usually called the Cupper — evaluates the beans for their overall visual quality. The beans are then roasted in a small laboratory roaster, immediately ground and infused in boiling water with carefully-controlled temperature. The Cupper noses the brew to experience its aroma, an essential step in judging the coffee’s quality.
After letting the coffee rest for several minutes, the cupper breaks the crust by pushing aside the grounds at the top of the cup. Again, the coffee is nosed before the tasting begins. To taste the coffee, the cupper slurps a spoonful with a quick inhalation. The objective is to spray the coffee evenly over the cupper’s taste buds, and then weigh it on the tongue before spitting it out. Coffees are not only analysed to determine their characteristics and flaws, but also for the purpose of blending different beans or creating the proper roast. An expert cupper can taste hundreds of samples of coffee a day and still taste the subtle differences between them.

First patent for the espresso machine, Angelo Moriondo (1884)
The modern steamless espresso machine was invented in Milan, Italy, in 1938 by Achille Gaggia, and from there spread in coffeehouses and restaurants across Italy and the rest of Europe in the early 1950s. An Italian named Pino Riservato opened the first espresso bar, the Moka Bar, in Soho in 1952, and there were 400 such bars in London alone by 1956. Cappucino was particularly popular among English drinkers.[207] Similarly in the United States, the espresso craze spread. North Beach in San Francisco saw the opening of the Caffe Trieste in 1957, which served Beat Generation poets such as Allen Ginsberg and Bob Kaufman alongside Italian immigrants. Similar such cafes existed in Greenwich Village and elsewhere.

Irregular greenish, whitish or yellowish patches on unroasted coffee beans. Blotchy beans may result from incomplete or uneven drying during processing.

Beans with ends that curve upwards like a boat.

CBB Damaged Coffee Berry Borer damaged coffee beans. The Coffee Berry Borer, or Hypthenemus Hampei, is one of the most significant pest problems for coffee farmers. The CBB is a black, two millimeter long, beetle that bores holes through the seeds coffee cherries. “Broca” is the widely used Spanish term for the coffee berry borer. CBB damage is also called “Broca damage”.

Crushed coffee beans are most commonly the result of improperly set or damaged pulping equipment. Coffee beans can also be crushed during mechanical separation of the beans from the husk, or during mixing in fermentation tanks.

An cluster of two or more deformed beans that grew closely locked together, but sometimes separate during processing or roasting. Also called “ears”, due to their often ear-like appearance.

Unroasted coffee beans with a brown or rust color. Foxy beans may result from faulty fermentation, improper washing, over drying, or by harvesting over-ripe cherries. Also called “brown”.

Coffee allowed to ferment too long during wet processing. After de-pulping coffee cherries to remove the skin and some of the pulp, the separated seed will still have a significant amount of pulp attached. The remaining pulp can be loosened by fermentation, allowing it to be washed away before drying. If fermentation is not stopped as soon as the remaining parchment is no longer slimy, and has a rough texture, the coffee may acquire oniony or sourly flavours.

PeaberryA single rounded bean from a coffee cherry which bears one bean instead of the usual flat sided pair of beans. Also known as ‘caracol’, ‘perla’ and ‘perle’. Peaberries are frequently separated and sold as a distinct variety. Papua New Guinea and Tanzanian peaberries are good examples.

Pulper NippedWet processed beans that are cut or bruised during pulping. Typically caused by damaged or improperly configured pulping equipment. Pulper cut beans will usually show brown or black marks after processing. Discoloration develops by oxidation at the damaged areas and off-flavors may result. Pulper damaged beans roast unevenly, age rapidly, and are susceptible to damage by vapors, dust, and other adverse environments. Also called “blackish” or “pulper cut”.

Unripened coffee beans, often with a wrinkled surface. Quakers do not darken well when roasted.

Coffee with a ragged appearance. Harvesting both mature and immature cherries, or drought-affected cherries, can result in beans with a ragged appearance.