(Given the attention my article about coffee generated, I decided to continue on that theme and make it a series, of which this is article no. 2 of 4.)
Arabica & Robusta
The coffee fruits, which are actually berries, come from one of two main branches of the coffee plant, Arabica or Robusta. Most ordinary coffee is from Arabica, which is cultivated in, for example, Latin America and East Africa. Robusta, which was found wild in Congo as late as in 1898, by Emil Laurent, is cheaper and not as sensitive to climate as Arabica. It is also "rougher" and more bitter in the taste. It is grown mainly in Indonesia, Vietnam and Africa.
Depending on where it is grown, the taste of coffee differs. There are different beans, such as: Santos and Bahia, from Brazil; Bogotá and Medellin, from Colombia; Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi; from Indonesia; Mysore, Monsooned Malabar; from India; Bugisu, from Uganda; and many others. Of course the types of grinding and roasting are essential for the taste too.
Kopi Luwak is the world's most expensive coffee, and it comes from Sumatra, Sulawesi and Java in Indonesia.
Luwak (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), belonging to the sibet family, treasures the coffee berry as food. In the digestive system of the luwak, the berries are partly digested before coming out again - with the faeces! Then they are picked and lightly roasted, and used for coffee.
Digestive fermentation might add something to the flavour of the coffee, but the details are only marginally studied.
A similar coffee is produced in other countries in South East Asia.
Caffeine
Caffeine is an analeptic, which means that it stimulates the central nervous system. Chemically it is a xanthine, a crystalline alkaloid. In 1819, it was discovered by Friedrich Ferdinand Runge (1795-1867), a German chemist. An interesting detail is that it was Goethe who suggested he should analyse coffee. This happened after Runge's success in defining the toxic effects of belladonna on the eyes. [The pupils remain large and dilated even in light, a condition which is called "mydriasis".]
One of nature's richest sources of caffeine is coffee, but in smaller quantities it can be found in many other plants or parts of plants; tea is the most known, where its main function appears to be to act as an insecticide, a killer of insects otherwise harming the plant, and a fungicide, a killer of microscopic fungi.
Is caffeine intoxication possible? Yes, of course. Not only because it is a drug, but because one can be intoxicated by everything if the amount is just large enough. Even water intoxication kills a number of people each year. Caffeine can, however, overstimulate the nervous system. Where to lay the borderline between stimulation and overstimulation is not all that clear, but if the effects are so strong that they are physically, socially, emotionally, or intellectually impairing, then it is to classify as intoxication
In very high doses, caffeine can disturb heart and respiration to a degree which can be deadly. Deaths have been reported on a level of approximately 10g. That, however, is nothing you get from drinking coffee, unless you gulp down 60-70 or more cups in a few minutes. It should be noted, however, that if taking caffeine in form of pills, the critical dose can be lower.
The caffeine content of coffee beans varies with different types of beans, with roasting, and a host of other factors. Generally, Robusta contains more caffeine than Arabica; and roasting destroys caffeine, so in a way it is less in dark roast coffee than in light. But the latter statement can be misleading, since both water loss and swelling confuse the comparison. Beans gain in volume but lose in weight during the roasting process. In the end it is less caffeine in dark roast if you measure by volume, but more if you measure by weight. That is, if all other parameters remain the same.
Robusta is by far more resistant to disease than Arabica is, which might be explained by its higher caffeine content, and the caffeine's anti-fungal properties.
My Series about Coffee:
2. Coffee: Plants & the Function of Caffeine
4. Do You Drink Much Coffee? I Bet You Can't Beat These Enthusiasts!
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