Coffee

Waking up to the smell of brewed coffee is probably one of the best things about life that coffee lovers enjoy. Are you one of the millions of people who loves taking a sip of their morning coffee, enjoying the aromatic smell and can't last a day without this addictive drink?

One close friend of mine loves drinking coffee so much that she can consume not just one or two cups of coffee each day, but five! She drinks a cup in the morning, during snacks and in between meals. And in the evening, after eating her dinner, she would have one last cup of coffee. I asked her why she would still consume a lot of coffee, although she is acidic, she simply told me that it makes her feel better.

Coffee has long been being consumed by people around the world. But how did people started using coffee and drinking it as a brewed drink? I was curious about this for quite some time now and since I'm bored, I decided to make research about my question and share the answer here so the information that I will provide is not coming from me directly but a product of my research.

A legend says that it started when a young shepherd from Ethiopia have noticed how the leaves of a certain evergreen tree can make goats and sheep remain awake after eating it. After this observation, he nibbled on the leaves as well as the berries and found out how amazing the exhilarating effect is. Coffee was born after words about it spread. People tried to brew the leaves and berries of that plant and made it into a drink - that's when coffee was born.

Later on, some Arabic travelers and merchants tool those plants from Ethiopia when they went home and those plants coped with the new surrounding. This is where the plant's scientific name was derived, Coffea Arabica. The Arabs guarded the secret about the stimulating drink, and it continued for about 200 years but later on, the secret has been known to others and at the end of the 17th century, it is said that the Dutch people are cultivating the plant as well.

Before becoming a widely known drink, coffee was originally served as food that can be chewed and in a solid form, later on it was served as wine, was used as medicine and lastly became known as a stimulating drink. Up until now, some people still considers its medicinal benefit, experts says that it can be used to treat heart diseases, migraine, dropsy and chronic asthma. However, excessive intake of this can also result to heartburn and nervousness.

There are different types of coffee drinks. Refer to the chart above.

Coffee Tree and Coffee Berries

Generally, a single coffee tree can produce or bear a fruit once it is already three years old, and it continues to produce yearly and lasts from 25 up to 50 years.

The young coffee berry looks like a small green olive but when it becomes mature, it turns to red and later on a dark red with a glossy and smooth surface. A coffee grower must make sure to pick the coffee berries at the most perfect time because if it is picked when not yet fully ripe, it lacks flavor and if not picked on time, it can also fall and becomes spoiled.

After picking the berries, it is then stored in a sack then either dried under the heat of the sun or on a machine drier. When dried under the sun, it may take 3-10 days for the berries to dry completely. Once fully dried, and can already be broken using the hands, the husks is removed through a machine.

The Uses of Coffee

The attractive and distinct flavor of coffee delights the palate of many coffee lovers and coffee comes in various forms. Many people only drink it hot, some prefer the black ones, or black with a mixture of milk, sugar and creamer. A glass of sweet coffee with a ring of lemon can also be a refreshing beverage. During hot summers, a delicious coffee-flavored ice cream can delight the palate and is very popular. Coffee is not just used as an ice cream flavoring, some delicious treats such as cakes, cupcakes and bread also contains this ingredient.

A famous environmentalist vlogger also featured coffee as a fertilizer for plants. I watched it about a week ago where he showed a video of him brewing coffee and instead of throwing away the coffee grounds, he used it as a fertilizer. This is supported by some studies. Moreover, coffee can also serve as a good disinfectant and a good insulation for floors, roofs and walls. Some paints and soaps also contains glycerin - a product that is obtained from coffee oil.

The coffee beans indeed has a lot of uses and there's a lot mpre aside from mentioned in this article. But it is still more popular as a beverage enjoyed by millions.