Although Bengalis are traditionally accustomed to the tea-breakfast culture, for more than a decade, coffee has taken a good place in our lives, especially in various parts of the city. Even before that coffee was in vogue. But that was to a limited extent and mainly in the use of instant coffee. While the appeal of a cup of tea in our social and literary descriptions is timeless, the influence of global cafe culture, Italian-style espresso hosted by local and international entrepreneurs, and a variety of caffeinated beverages of this genre have now become part of our urban life. Symbolic images: Dennis Jagorodnews, Pekzels.com October 1 each year is celebrated as World Coffee Day to recognize the contributions of coffee growers around the world and those involved in the coffee value chain. The day has been celebrated since 2015 at the initiative of the International Coffee Organization.
Coffee is one of the most lucrative crops in the world. In 2019, the amount of coffee trade in the world was more than 102 billion US dollars. Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia are among the top coffee exporters. The United States, Germany and France are ahead in imports.
According to historians, coffee was discovered in Ethiopia at some point in the tenth century. It is said that one day some goats of a shepherd's flock ate some kind of fruit. This results in some changes in the effect of stimuli in the goats. The shepherd noticed it and began researching the fruit and seeds based on it. Coffee was the seed of that fruit. Although discovered in the 10th century, the use of coffee as a beverage in modern civilization is found in the Middle East in the sixteenth century, especially in the history of Yemen. In the seventeenth century, coffee began to spread to the rest of the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.
Coffee has an intimate relationship with socialization, chat, conversation. Due to the fact that coffee has been served to the community, it has quickly become a popular drink. According to the thoughts and customs of the people of different regions, various beliefs and reforms have been introduced about coffee. For example, when coffee falls from a cup, it is considered a sign of good fortune in Arab society. Again, the people of Greece think that it will bring money. From the bottom of a cup of coffee in Turkey, fortune telling is now known all over the world. Symbolic image by Andrew Neal, pakzels.com The current wave of coffee popularity in Bangladesh began in 2005, when a South Asian coffee brand was brought to Dhaka and the city dwellers were introduced to espresso coffee made from hot water powdered coffee powder at high pressure in Italian technology. Over the next five to six years, as the demand for coffee increased, several more international and national initiatives were developed and the commercial position of coffee in the Dhaka market was strengthened. At present there are more than 50 premium coffee outlets in Dhaka. Apart from that, many food and snack shops also sell coffee. About 80 percent of these serve espresso and brood coffee, the rest serve instant coffee. The coffee market in Bangladesh is currently around Tk 60 crore. Apart from the invigorating effect of this dark-colored, bitter and sour-tasting drink, one of the things that has made coffee culture popular in our city is the environment and social interaction that surrounds this product. An urban man can now sit in his favorite cafe and chat with an old friend on the pretext of a smoky cup, or take up frozen writing or office work. Or you can sip a cup of coffee to see the anagona of life around you.
The atmosphere of the cafe is such that you can keep yourself away from the feeling of loneliness even if you are sitting there alone. This kind of coffee culture is developing around coffee in all the big cities of the world. The cities of our country especially Dhaka are not out of it now. Coffee is called a 'social lubricant' as it induces socialization in this way. Symbolic images: Andrew Neal, pekzels.com Although the number of coffee lovers has increased day by day with the commercial success of coffee, some misconceptions about coffee have remained among the people. This is as true for coffee lovers around the world as it is for coffee lovers in our city. This has nothing to do with the bitterness of coffee or its amount of caffeine. Rather, drinks made with over-roasted dark roast coffee often contain relatively little caffeine. And in terms of quality, light roast coffee is usually made from a relatively good variety of coffee beans. On the other hand, by applying heat to dark roast coffee, the dimensional variation of the quality of the coffee bean can be imprinted. As the popularity of coffee has grown over the past decade, if this trend continues, coffee may take a larger place in our revitalized hot drink market. With that, the arguments of tea-supporters and coffee-supporters will increase. Whether it's an argument over a cup of tea or a cup of coffee, whether it's in a lively atmosphere of a popular cafe in the city or in a living room surrounded by entertainment. However, as conscious consumers, we may need to be aware of some of the unpleasant aspects of the coffee trade. Like any commercially profitable sector, coffee production and marketing also involve a lot of oppression. We need to be aware of these factors when choosing and purchasing sources so that our recreational expenses do not fund the unethical supply of coffee.
Author: International Development Specialist, Environment, Development and Sustainable Aware Entrepreneur, Founder and Co-Founder of Fusion Terminal, an eco-friendly food processing company, Sanchayita, a vegan restaurant.
